Friday, November 21, 2008

Trooper Sean Kilbride Charged with DUI

New Haven

An off-duty Connecticut State Police trooper has been charged with driving under the influence.

The arrest happened Thursday night in New Haven. Police say they spotted Sean Kilbride, 34, driving the wrong way on South Frontage Road.

Kilbride was also charged with driving the wrong way on a one way street and refusal to submit to an alcohol test. He was released on a promise to appear.

A state police spokesman says Kilbride has been placed on administrative duty and his police powers have been suspended.

Officers Gilberto Cruz and Bacilio Cuzman Accused of Beating NFL Player's Father

HOUSTON

The family of an NFL football player's dad, who claims he was beaten by Houston Police officers, is applauding news that the officers involved have been taken off the streets. But the victim's family says they want more, including criminal prosecution.

Officers Gilberto Cruz and Bacilio Guzman, the two accused of beating the man, along with a third officer, Matthew Marin, who made the initial traffic stop, have all now been reassigned to desk jobs pending the outcome of the investigation into what took place early Monday morning.

Marvin Driver, father of Green Bay Packers Wide Receiver Donald Driver, was arrested on outstanding traffic warrants and taken to the Southeast Jail on Mykawa. There, police say he was found to be unresponsive, so an ambulance was called to transport him to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he was initially listed in critical condition.

Driver's family accuses Officers Cruz and Guzman of brutally beating Driver before taking him to the jail. They say he suffered injuries from blunt force trauma.

"We just want justice," Michael Driver, Marvin Driver's son, said after a news conference Friday outside his father's home.

Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt says investigators are awaiting medical reports to determine what injuries Driver sustained.

The family called the removal of the officers from patrol duty "a step in the right direction," but they, along with activist Quannel X, say they want the officers taken off the force for good, and they want them criminally prosecuted.

"We will be overjoyed and celebrating when these officers are removed permanently from the Houston Police Department," said Quannel X at a press conference on Friday.

Houston Police Officers Union President Gary Blankinship says the officers have all categorically denied using any force against Driver. He said he hopes the family will release Driver's medical records, and he's confident the officers will be vindicated.

"We take allegations such as these very seriously and will conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and be transparent in our findings, whatever the conclusion," Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt said in a prepared statement.

NFL star Donald Driver had a brief visit to Houston to be with his father at Memorial Hermann Hospital. His uncle said that Driver will likely refrain from commenting on the case until all the facts come to light.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/11/21/texas.beating/

Officer Placed on Leave After Repeatedly Punching Suspect

Howard County police officials said yesterday that an officer has been placed on administrative leave as part of an internal investigation into the arrest of a man who led police on an erratic chase along Route 32 on Thursday.

The agency is investigating the pursuit and arrest of Stephen Zombro, 40, who was wanted on an open warrant for theft. He had been under surveillance and fled from police when they tried to stop him in Jessup on Thursday afternoon, police said.

The chase sped west on Route 32 and officers used a device to flatten three of the tires on the pickup truck Zombro was driving.

Several TV news stations recorded the chase and arrest, footage that Police Chief William McMahon later said "concerned" him.

Tape shot by WJLA-TV in Washington shows a suspect face-down on the roadway surrounded by several officers and what appears to be an officer repeatedly punching him in the back.

Zombro was taken to Howard County General Hospital, police spokeswoman Sherry Llewellyn said, adding that he had no serious injuries and was released overnight.

He was taken to the county detention center, where he was being held yesterday on a $350,000 bond, said Wayne Kirwan, spokesman for the county state's attorney's office.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Zombro's sister said her brother was "brutalized."

"I'm just shocked and appalled, really, about how it all went down," said Kara Zombro, of Hanover, Pa.

"I know he's part to blame ... but in his defense, it looked like he was running for his life, the way they pulled him out of the car and beat him."

Kara Zombro said her brother is not violent and has not had aggressive contacts with police in the past.

"He's not a fighter," she said. "He's danger to himself more than anyone because of the choices he makes. He was surrendering. He was scared."

Police declined to comment on any specifics of the incident yesterday and did not release the name of the officer who was put on leave.

The investigation will look into the "entire incident" to review whether the officers followed guidelines, Llewellyn said.

Online court records show that Zombro has been charged with six counts of second-degree assault, one count of assaulting a law enforcement officer, one count of reckless endangerment, four drug possession charges and four counts of malicious destruction of property in Thursday's incident.

The records also show several previous cases, including theft convictions in Howard, Charles and Anne Arundel counties.

Former Sheriff Candidate Robert Hill Arrested Again

TACOMA, Wash.

A former candidate for Pierce County Sheriff was arrested after police said he tried to bring a toy gun into the county courthouse.

Robert Jesse Hill, who is also under investigation for possible death threats against the sheriff, was taken into custody Thursday morning after he allegedly pointed the toy pistol at a security guard. A red tip had been removed from the gun, making it appear real.

Hill was at the courthouse to attend the arraignment of Issac Sherman Powell, who was arrested Wednesday after deputies said he tried to enter the courthouse carrying a handgun. Sheriff's spokesman Detective Ed Troyer said the gun Powell was carrying is registered to Robert Hill's mother.

RAW VIDEO: Sheriff Candidate's Arrest Caught On Camera

Hill was arrested on Monday for allegedly driving on a suspended license. He was wanted on a warrant and showed up for a court appearance at the Pierce County courthouse.

During his campaign for sheriff, Hill made statements about his opponent Sheriff Paul Pastor dying before taking office.

In a telephone interview with KIRO 7 South Sound reporter Kevin McCarty Hill said, "Jehovah's probably going to strike him down here in the next couple months," claiming God was angry at Pastor.

Hill received nearly 40,000 votes in the Nov. 4 election.

Other Stories:
November 17, 2008: Former Pierce County Sheriff’s Candidate Arrested
November 11, 2008: Challenger May Have Threatened Sheriff, Police Say

Sergeant Haytham Khalil Charged with Illegally Accessing Computer

NEW YORK

A sergeant with the New York Police Department (NYPD) has been charged with accessing a computer without authorization and as a result obtaining information from the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) in December 2007.

Haytham Khalil, 34, of Brooklyn, surrendered to federal authorities Friday morning. According to the criminal complaint filed in Manhattan federal court, the FBI, which is the federal agency authorized to acquire, collect, classify and preserve identification, criminal identification, crime, and other records and to exchange such information with authorized entities, maintains some of that information in NCIC.

NCIC also contains information derived from the FBI’s “Terrorist Screening Center” regarding individuals listed on a terrorist watch list. The information is then shared for authorized use by state and local law enforcement authorities throughout the United States.

New York State maintains an electronic database system (”E-Justice”) that is designed to give users from qualified law enforcement agencies a single point of access to computerized law enforcement information within and beyond New York State.

Qualified state and local law enforcement personnel in New York have access to various forms of information maintained in E-Justice including watch list files, such as the terrorist watch list maintained by the FBI and available in NCIC.

On April 23, the FBI legal attaché in Ottawa, Canada, was informed by an officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that the RCMP had come across a Canadian citizen who was in possession of a document containing FBI NCIC information.

Specifically, the NCIC document identified an individual as being on a terrorist watch list. Moreover, the NCIC document showed that the information was accessed on Dec. 6, 2007, from an NYPD-based computer.

The RCMP was able to determine that Individual-1 received the NCIC document in December 2007 from an NYPD officer. The NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau, through a review of NYPD files and an audit of the NYPD E-Justice account, was later able to identify that officer as Khalil.

After being interviewed by the FBI, Individual-1 stated that he/she was acquainted with Khalil. When Khalil discovered that Individual-1 was involved in a child custody proceeding against Individual-2, Khalil informed Individual-1 that he had information pertaining to Individual-2. Khalil sent the NCIC document to Individual-1, who received it in December 2007.

Individual-1 then provided the NCIC document to his/her attorney to be used in relation to the child custody proceeding. Khalil was charged with one count of accessing a computer without authorization and as a result obtaining information belonging to a department and agency of the United States.

If convicted, Khalil faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a fine of the greater of $100,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. 11-21-08