SANDY, Ore.
A former Sandy police officer appeared in court on identity theft and official misconduct charges Thursday but his arraignment was abruptly halted after concerns were raised over a possible conflict of interest involving the defense lawyer in the case.
William Bergin, 27, stood quietly during the abbreviated hearing in Clackamas County.
The former Sandy police officer was charged with identity theft, official misconduct and misuse of a license.
According to a search warrant, Bergin collected confiscated driver's licenses and then passed them along to underage girls, who used the fake IDs to get into bars.
The Sandy Police Department issued a statement regarding the crimes.
"Whenever someone in the law enforcement community, past or present, is accused of wrongdoing, law enforcement officers are hurt by it. We are saddened and embarrassed by this," the statement said.
The department union president, who represents police, said Bergin’s fellow officers were unaware of the alleged criminal activity and "disappointed."
Bergin also faced a civil lawsuit in federal court.
In 2005, Bergin was one of two officers who shot and killed a naked, unarmed Portland man named Fouad Kaady.
For a short time after the shooting, the Kaady family retained well-known attorney Des Connell.
Connell was originally supposed to represent Bergin in court Thursday.
However, conflict-of-interest questions were raised during the hearing.
Kaady’s civil lawyer filed a motion asking that Connell be removed from the case.
The judge rescheduled Bergin's formal arraignment for Jan. 5 so that the lawyers can straighten things out.
1 comment:
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