Sunday, June 15, 2008

Second Arrest for Officer

Albany, NY

A city police officer has been arrested for the second time in two months in connection with a domestic incident.

Officer John Lewis was suspended Friday without pay for 30 days and arrested for allegedly violating an order of protection, which was issued after he was charged with pushing his wife in April.

Lewis turned himself in to authorities and was arraigned late Thursday in City Court on one count of second-degree criminal contempt and was released on $500 bail, according to Lt. Brian Kilcullen, a city police spokesman.

He said Lewis, a 15-year veteran, had a phone conversation with his wife earlier this week. That violated the order of protection. Lewis was previously arrested and charged with harassment, a violation, on April 29 following a physical altercation with his wife over custody of their young son.

Police said Lewis shoved the woman, resulting in his original arrest. The officer was released without bail, but was quickly off duty for 30 days.

In 1998, Lewis was fired by then-Mayor Albert P. Jurczynski for using a racial slur in the presence of three people, including a black YWCA counselor working at the Police Department. Lewis was later reinstated after an arbitrator ruled he was fired without sufficient cause.

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