Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Officer Vinnie Edwards Charged with Falsely Reporting Crash


A Cincinnati police officer is out on bond after being arrested Tuesday and charged with falsely reporting a crash after a dispute involving her personal car.

Vinnie Edwards, 49, is charged with tampering with records, forgery and unauthorized use of property following an Aug. 22 incident in the parking lot of the Hyde Park Kroger store.

Edwards’ personal car, a black 2007 Ford Fusion, was hit on the front passenger door with a shopping cart that was being used by a man.

The man and Edwards exchanged information at the time and Edwards later sent him an estimate for the damage.

Shocked that the estimate was for more than $900, the man reviewed the estimate more closely and saw that it was for more than the nick the shopping cart caused on her door.

Edwards responded, a Hamilton County indictment alleges, by running the man’s name through the national crime database to check on his criminal record – even though the man wasn’t charged in the incident.

She also is accused of filing a crash report of the incident with the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles even though there was no crash.

Edwards was in court Tuesday and released on her own recognizance. She was suspended without pay following her arrest.

She was hired as a Cincinnati police officer in June 1992 – four months after, records show, she was charged with falsification. It’s unclear what the outcome of that charge was.

Edwards is a patrol officer in the police department’s District 1 that encompasses Downtown, West End, Over-the-Rhine and other nearby areas.

The charges against Edwards carry a maximum prison term of seven years.

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