Friday, April 24, 2009

Officer Kevin Sowell in Trouble for Exchanging Threatening E-Mails with Teen

Officials with the DeKalb Police Department said a 15-year veteran of their department and an 18-year-old girl were exchanging e-mails that threatened her family.

Channel 2 Action News reporter Amanda Rosseter spent the day digging through the officer’s personnel file and she found two offenses of conduct unbecoming – both within the past four months, and both over contact and e-mails with teenage girls.

DeKalb County police confirmed Kevin Sowell resigned two weeks ago after the department said it would fire him for two offenses – including a string of e-mails that threatened a young girl’s family.

The first offense allegedly took place in January. Sowell was suspended after he “developed a friendly relationship with a 16-year-old child,” according to officials. According to his file, after the girl’s parents requested that he discontinue contact, he continued with the child in person, by e-mail, and by a cell phone he purchased for her.

Just two months later, the second offense allegedly occurred. The internal affairs memo said, “The content of the messages was threatening in nature and spoke of violent acts towards the female’s parents” and said he “admitted to sending the correspondence.”

And another report noted, “They were both planning to harm her parents and sister-in-law. Instead of discouraging her, he responded in a manner that encouraged further thoughts on the act to harm.”

Channel 2 Action News went to Sowell’s DeKalb County home and knocked on the door to ask him about it, but no one answered the door.

Channel 2 Action News did ask DeKalb officials why Sowell was allowed to resign, even after Acting Police Chief William O’Brien "concurred with the termination," calling it "a very serious issue that cannot be taken lightly."

_______________________
Video: http://www.wsbtv.com/news/19274177/detail.html

No comments: