Saturday, January 31, 2009

Officer Steven H Lepre Arrested for Possession of Steroids


NEW YORK

A Long Island police officer has been arrested after his colleagues said he had steroids illegally.

Suffolk County Police Officer Steven H. Lepre (luh-PRAY') was arrested Saturday on a charge of fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

His telephone number is unpublished, and police aren't certain whether he has legal representation.

Police say the 13-year veteran had been on extended sick leave and was assigned to the department's medical evaluation section. The 43-year-old has been suspended without pay.

He is due to be arraigned Sunday on the felony charge. Police could not immediately say what potential punishment it carries.

The New York Police Department plans to begin random steroids testing of its 36,000 officers in July.


Former Officer George Adymy Faces More Charges

A former Hamburg police officer who received a break from a federal judge after a 2005 child pornography conviction is back in legal trouble.

George A. Adymy, 50, of Hamburg, faces the possibility of more prison time because of a recent driving while intoxicated arrest, the U. S. Attorney’s office said on Friday.

Adymy — who is under supervised release, monitored by federal probation officers — was arrested by state police after a Jan. 9 traffic accident on the Thruway in West Seneca, according to court papers.

Police said Adymy’s car struck another vehicle and then crashed into a guard rail. A Breathalyzer test showed Adymy’s blood alcohol level at 0.19 percent, well above the legal limit for drivers, prosecutor Gregory L. Brown said.

In May 2005, District Judge Richard J. Arcara sentenced Adymy to one year in prison for felony possession of Internet child pornography. The judge noted at the time that he gave Adymy a major break, because advisory sentencing guidelines called for a prison term of more than three years.

Brown said Adymy completed his federal prison term in July 2006. The former police officer has been under the supervision of federal probation officers since then, and the alleged DWI crime is a violation of his supervised release.

If convicted of the supervised release violation, Adymy could be sent back to federal prison for three months or more, authorities said.

Adymy was apologetic when he appeared before Arcara on Friday, and the judge ordered him to be confined to his home with an electronic ankle monitor until further proceedings in the case.

Arcara also ordered Adymy into an alcohol abuse treatment program.

Out of County Judge to Rule Monday if Judge Jesse Harris will Face Trial


TULSA

An out-of-county judge indicated Friday that he will rule Monday on whether Tulsa County District Judge Jesse Harris must face trial on a charge of exposing himself to two women in a Tulsa parking lot.

That timetable could be affected by the arrest of a defense witness after Harris’ preliminary hearing recessed Friday. The woman was arrested on a warrant issued when she failed to testify.

Harris, 54, was charged in April with two felony counts of indecent exposure.

He has denied allegations that he exposed his penis on March 9 to two women outside a hotel in the 8200 block of E Skelly Drive.

Osage County District Judge M. John Kane IV, who has presided over a prolonged preliminary hearing that began Oct. 2, said he would issue his ruling Monday.


Witness a no-show

The arrested woman, Rosa Luevano, was a cleaning worker who saw the people in the parking lot and is a "critical witness,” defense lawyer Allen Smallwood said.
After her arrest Friday, she was released on a personal recognizance bond and an electronic monitor, with instructions to report Monday afternoon to the offices of a law firm involved in the case.

The defense indicated near the close of Friday’s session that it had no more witnesses to call at the hearing, but that was before the woman’s arrest.

Harris has not testified.

Defense lawyers maintained that Washington County prosecutors overcharged Harris in April when they filed two counts — one count involving each woman — for a single alleged act.

Kane said that if the case moves beyond the preliminary hearing, it will proceed as only one count.

One of the accusers is Kalisha Nolen, identified as a former girlfriend of Harris’. She testified in October and was called to the witness stand again Friday.

The other accuser was sentenced to prison in July on two felony DUI charges.

During an argument Friday, Smallwood urged Kane to make a determination regarding the credibility of the two accusers and to find that the evidence is lacking to send Harris to trial.

Smallwood described the women as "two desperate individuals” — one who was desperate to stay out of prison and the other desperate for attention.


Credibility cited


Washington County District Attorney Rick Esser, who was assigned to handle the Tulsa County case, asserted that the issue of credibility is a trial issue. Esser contends that the prosecution’s evidence is enough to take the case to trial.

During questioning by defense lawyer Joel Wohlgemuth, Nolen acknowledged that she appeared in a "PeePee Pals” video produced in Nashville in 2007.

That video, which can be accessed on the Internet along with other PeePee Pals productions, features characters discussing urination.

Nolen portrays a character named Samantha, who tests a male character’s resolve "in the further exploration into the world of PeePee Pal bonding,” according to a video synopsis.

Wohlgemuth said the PeePee Pal video is "sick and perverted.”

Nolen said the video was funny and not "dirty.”

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http://www.kjrh.com/news/local/story/Judge-to-make-ruling-in-case/5LcS23YUjUqLnoJx5aEZ_w.cspx

Former Officer Brian Hinkel Charged with Aggravated Assault


FRANKLIN

Attorneys for a former police officer charged with aggravated assault on a state trooper said Friday their client did not reach for a loaded weapon as alleged.

Rosemont Avenue resident Brian Hinkel is free on $10,000 cash bail on charges of aggravated assault and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. Police seized a massive cache of guns and ammunition from Hinkel's property -- an arsenal state police said is the largest they've ever seen.

The cache included 259 weapons, a live grenade, about 500,000 rounds of ammunition, gunpowder and military items.

Vineland attorneys Joseph O'Neill and Charles Coant are representing the former Vineland police officer.

O'Neill said the idea of a former police officer deciding to pick up a gun in the presence of armed troopers makes no sense.

"He emphatically denies all that," Coant said. "He said he just got the coat and never pointed the weapon at anyone. It would be asinine as a former police officer. The trooper would have been armed and he wouldn't have done it."

Hinkel's legal problems started Monday when troopers went to his house to bring him in for questioning about burglaries in Salem County.

State police say Hinkel asked for a moment to get a jacket and in the process picked up a loaded weapon from a kitchen table. Troopers say they wrestled the gun away from him.

"I believe what our client has told us," O'Neill said. "Normally, we don't accept what our client tells us until we have testimony from the other side and then we confront our client with it."

Troopers have spent most of this week searching the house and property after discovering the large store of weapons and munitions.

State police are in the process of investigating whether the weapons found are legally in Hinkel's possession.

"That's going to be an extensive search," state police spokesman Sgt. Julian Castellanos said Friday.

Castellanos said there have been no developments in the case.

O'Neill said authorities still were at the Rosemont Avenue property on Friday.

He said he has not discussed with Hinkel the reason for the collection or whether the weapons were properly obtained. His firm wants to see the state's list of evidence first, he said.

"The search warrants apparently were obtained on the basis of this allegation that he attempted to pull a gun," O'Neill said, calling it another reason to doubt the charge against Hinkel.

"If there is something wrong with having weapons, why would he be drawing attention to the weapons by pulling a gun?" he said.

What led state police to Hinkel was the arrest last week of a Williamstown man in connection with a Jan. 15 burglary at an Upper Pittsgrove farm.

Anthony D'Alessandro, 42, was arrested in Malaga in a motor vehicle stop and charged with burglary and theft.

Another man, identified as Peter Monteleone Jr., was traveling with D'Alessandro but escaped on foot. Monteleone, 42, of Folsom, is still missing.

O'Neill said he has not asked Hinkel about the two men.

"We will not talk to Brian until after we get discovery," O'Neill said. "Otherwise, we'll be asking him stuff that may or may not be true."

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http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/182/story/389379.html

Officer Paul Cervantes & Detective Hector Becerra Arrested for Auto Theft

Fresno, CA

Two Fresno police officers arrested for auto theft have posted bail. Officer Paul Cervantes and Detective Hector Becerra were arrested Friday by the California Highway Patrol. Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer says the arrests stem from an investigation that occurred over the last several months by the HEAT (Help Eliminate Auto Theft) Task Force. HEAT is compromised of several agencies including CHP and the Fresno Police Department. Chief Dyer says Cervantes and Becerra turned in their badges before the CHP took them into custody Friday.

"I'm deeply concerned over the fact that I've had two of my officers arrested and charged with auto theft," said Dyer, who is also aware additional officers may be arrested for a crime. According to the Police Chief, a total of four Fresno Police Detectives are under investigation, including 32-year old Cervantes and 33-year old Becerra. Dyer and the CHP offered no other information. "We don't have the details on what led up to the issuance of the arrest warrant" said Dyer. "But, what we do know is that back in October of 2008 our HEAT Unit began an investigation and that investigation was involving one of our undercover officers who had a business on the side, it was an auto-body business. There was information regarding stolen parts going through that business." Dyer says that investigation was conducted and completed, but four additional names were mentioned during an Internal FPD investigation. As a result, Dyer says Cervantes and Becerra were arrested, the other two are still on the police force.

Dyer says it's important for his department "not to rush to judgment". On Friday he sent out a recorded voicemail to all of his officers. "I just want them to know that regardless of the negative publicity this will bring our department, that it's important that our employees hold their head up high and recognize we have a very professional, first class organization."

The Fresno County District Attorney is reviewing the case and will decide on Monday whether to charge Cervantes and Becerra with auto theft; both Detectives were assigned to the Major Narcotics Unit. They remain on paid administrative leave.
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http://www.ksee24.com/news/local/38740317.html

Former Reserve Officer Brian Livingston Arrested for Sex Abuse


TURNER, Ore.

A former reserve police officer in Turner has been jailed on sex abuse and official misconduct charges.

Until he resigned this week amidst the allegations, Brian Livingston worked as a reserve officer in Turner since 1999. On Friday, he was booked into Marion County Jail on charges of second-degree sexual penetration, three counts of first-degree sex abuse and official misconduct.

The Turner Police Department has not commented on the charges. Police only said the alleged crimes didn't happen while Livingston was on duty.

However, police said the misconduct charge stems from Livingston downloading pornographic material onto his work computer.

Jason Mink, who lives in Turner and said he knows Livingston, responded to the allegations.

"Where there's smoke, there's fire. Somebody had to come forward and say something," Mink said. "I don't know exactly how he was caught, but where there's smoke, there's fire."

Investigators have released no other details in the case.

Livingston is expected to appear in court on Feb. 10.

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http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20090131/NEWS/901310316/1001

Officer Thomas Jones Arrested for Domestic Violence

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla

Boynton Beach police Officer Thomas Jones was arrested by his own department Saturday morning on charges of domestic violence. This is the second time Jones, 30, has been in trouble with law enforcement, according to Boynton Beach police spokeswomen Stephanie Slater.

Jones is charged with felony battery or domestic violence with strangulation and battery and was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail. He has been suspended with pay, Slater confirmed.

In October 2001 Jones was suspended for three weeks by then Police Chief Marshall Gage after Jones injured a fellow officer in a car crash at 3a.m. while the two were off-duty. An internal investigation concluded Jones should have been arrested after the incident. In this case Jones' blood alcohol level was not taken until 1 1/2 hours after the crash and registered 0.9. Florida law states a person is considered drunk if they have a with blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or more. Prosecutors did not file charges citing insufficient evidence, it was reported.

Other Information: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/boyntonbeach/sfl-flpcop0201pnfeb01,0,5101807.story

Officer Jimmy Lee McBee Arrested for DUI


BROKEN ARROW

A Broken Arrow police officer was arrested early Friday on a misdemeanor complaint of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Jimmy Lee McBee is on paid administrative leave pending an investigation, Maj. Mark Irwin said Saturday. McBee has been with the department for two years, Irwin said.

McBee was arrested at about 1:15 a.m. in the 1000 block of North Aspen Avenue, accoring to an arrest and booking report. He was booked into the Broken Arrow Jail at 2:17 a.m. with bond set at $594.

Broken Arrow police provided few details about the arrest, releasing only the arrest and booking report with information redacted, including McBee’s age.


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Trial Date Set for Former Officer Scott Nugent Accused of Killing Man with Taser

A July trial date was set Friday in the case of a former Winnfield Police officer accused of killing a man with a taser stun-gun while the man was still in police custody.

Attorneys for both Scott Nugent, the former Winnfield officer, and the state met with Judge John R. Joyce on Friday and set a trial date of July 13.

A deadline of March 26 for all motions has been set.

Joyce was appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court to hear the case as Judge Jacque D. Derr recused himself as he's been "associated" with defendant Officer Scott Nugent on "several occasions."

Nugent has been charged with manslaughter and malfeasance in office in connection with the death of Barron "Scooter" Pikes.

Nugent, whose firing from the Winnfield Police Department was upheld by the Civil Service Board, is accused of shocking Pikes nine times with a 50,000-volt Taser within 14 minutes. Those shocks were made while Pikes was handcuffed and in police custody in connection with a drug possession warrant in January 2008, officials said.

Winn Parish Coroner Dr. Randy Williams has said Pikes did not have PCP or cocaine in his system as officers alleged, and Pikes, whose cause of death was listed as cardiac arrest on the death certificate, may have already been dead before the last two Taser shocks.

Nugent's attorney Phillip Terrell has said he is confident Nugent will be found innocent once all the evidence is presented. If convicted of both charges, Nugent faces up to 45 years in prison.

The family of Pikes filed a wrongful death lawsuit last year against not only Nugent but also the city of Winnfield, the mayor, City Council, police chief and other officers on the force, in addition to Taser International Inc. -- the manufacturer of the stun gun device Nugent used.

Lt. Billy Smallwood Charged with Using Fake Identity to Access Database

A Memphis police officer who was arrested on theft and misconduct charges turned in his badge Friday.

Ravell Slayton, 36, had been placed on paid leave Thursday, along with another officer who was arrested in a separate investigation.

That officer, Lt. Billy Smallwood, 45, remains with the police department pending an administrative hearing.

Slayton quit before his administrative hearing, which had been scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday.

He is believed to have participated with his brother and another man in a stolen-property scheme.

Acting on a tip, undercover officers sold Slayton three 52-inch TVs he believed were stolen, police said.

He also told investigators he sat in uniform in a marked squad car outside a house where his brother sold drugs more than 50 times.

A Shelby County grand jury indicted Slayton on two counts of official misconduct, one count of theft and another count of attempted theft. If convicted of all charges, he could face up to two years in prison.

A federal grand jury charged Smallwood with using a fake identity to access Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and FBI databases, then selling personal information to a third party.

He's charged with three counts of wire fraud, one count of creating a false document in a matter within FBI jurisdiction and another count of computer fraud.

Related Post: http://whathappenedtoprotectandserve.blogspot.com/2009/01/officer-ravell-slayton-arrested-for.html

Officer Sean Regele Arrested for Hitting Woman in Head with Beer Bottle

HOLDEN

A part-time police officer has been suspended for allegedly assaulting a woman at a Worcester, Mass. bar.

Holden officer Sean Regele was arrested Friday morning at Leitrim’s Pub after police said he struck a woman in the head with a beer bottle. Police said the woman was not seriously injured.

Regele pleaded not guilty Friday and was released on personal recognizance.

Holden Police Chief George Sherrill said Regele has been suspended without pay while police review the case.

The 24-year-old Worcester resident has been a part-time officer for the Holden Police Department for four months.

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Information from: http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/013009_Off_duty_officer_allegedly_hits_woman

Deputy Scott Nelson Fired After Being Arrested for Battery

A Bossier sheriff's office deputy was fired Friday following his arrest by the Shreveport Police Department.

Scott Paul Nelson, a three-year veteran of the Bossier sheriff's office, assigned to the Corrections Division, was arrested by the Shreveport Police Department after being involved in a fight in Fat Cats night club in the 3000 block of Youree Drive earlier that day.

Nelson, 37, of the 200 block of Young Road in Benton, was charged with simple battery and illegal possession of a firearm, a .45-caliber handgun.

"The law enforcement profession requires its men and women to be subject to a higher standard of behavior," Deen said. "In this case, the behavior did not meet the standards of the Bossier sheriff's office."


More Information: http://www.ksla.com/Global/story.asp?S=9761341&nav=0RY5

Officer Paul T Vera Charged with Pointing Weapon

New London

A 22-year veteran of the Connecticut State Police was arraigned Friday in New London Superior Court on charges that he allegedly barged into his ex-girlfriend's apartment and pointed a gun at her boyfriend.

Paul T. Vera, 44, of 31 Shore Road, Waterford, was charged with second-degree threatening, third-degree criminal mischief and second-degree criminal trespass.

State police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said Vera has been placed on administrative duty, where he will have no contact with the public, since the incident was reported in November.

The state police is conducting its own internal investigation. Vera could not be reached for comment.

According to the arrest warrant, Groton Town police received a complaint Nov. 9 that Vera, the ex-boyfriend of the complainant's girlfriend, barged into her apartment and into the bedroom in “full battle rattle,” dressed in dark-colored police fatigues with police patches on the chest and arm.

Vera then allegedly pointed a handgun at the complainant's waist and yelled to his ex-girlfriend, calling her “an (expletive) whore,” before leaving the apartment.

Vera's ex-girlfriend also told police Vera entered the apartment with something black in his hand that he was pointing at her and a man, the warrant said.

Vera, who was interviewed Nov. 9, said he had been in an on-and-off relationship with the woman for about two years. They lived together, and she moved out of his house.

Vera told police that on Nov. 8 he asked his ex-girlfriend if she was in a relationship with another man, and she denied it. The next day he tried calling her at 3:30 a.m. and got no response, so he got dressed in a grey T-shirt, blue running pants and sneakers and went to her apartment.

When he got there, he walked to the sliding glass door and noticed that the slider was slightly open and some of the blinds were outside of the porch. He knocked on the door and got not answer.

Vera told police he entered the apartment because he was concerned, and could hear her having sex with someone, so he “barreled” through her bedroom door. According to the warrant, Vera admitted calling the woman “an (expletive) whore” before leaving the apartment.

On his way out of the apartment, he said he took her phone so he could check her calls and text messages. He denied having any firearms with him.

In the warrant, Vera said on his way home he heard over a radio broadcast that Groton Town police were looking for him, and he said he immediately called the on-duty supervisor.

After being reinterviewed the next day, Vera's ex-girlfriend came to police headquarters a few days after the incident to recant her statement, the warrant said. She told police that in the past Vera would come to her apartment late at night through her sliding glass door.

She said she couldn't really see what Vera was wearing and felt her boyfriend was influencing her recollection of the incident because she was drunk, the warrant said. She became suspicious of her boyfriend's behavior when he told her he had retained an attorney and was going to sue the state.

”He told her that they would each win $12 million after paying the attorney $3 million,” the warrant said.

At Vera's arraignment Friday, Judge Michael Frechette issued a protective order prohibiting Vera from having contact with the two alleged victims and from possessing guns.

Defense attorney William T. Koch Jr. asked the judge to consider imposing a “no contact order” rather than a protective order, given Vera's 22 years as a state trooper and lack of a criminal record.

The judge denied the request and continued the case to Feb. 5. Kevin Dunn, a domestic violence attorney for the Chief State's Attorney's office, will be prosecuting the case.

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http://archive.theday.com/re.aspx?re=29391aa0-41bf-45a0-8933-d4310a8c577f

Officer Linda Coulimore Accused of Stealing Medication from War Veteran


MEAD


Authorities say a woman accused of stealing dangerously strong pain medication from the hospital room of an Iraq war veteran was a police officer, injured twice in the line of duty.

The Weld County Sheriff's Office says it arrested 59-year-old Linda Coulimore at her Mead home without around 10:40 p.m. Friday.

The Denver police says Coulimore saw her picture in a paper and called police.

Our partners at The Denver Post report she has wrestled with pain and painkillers for years.

She was being held for investigation of aggravated assault on an at risk adult. She posted bail Saturday.

Denver Police released surveillance photos of Coulimore on Thursday as she stole narcotics in a pump which police say "must not be used without a doctor's care" and could be fatal if used improperly.

Police say she took the pump from Presbyterian Saint Luke's Hospital, located at 19th and Franklin Street, around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.

"This was a bold theft of pain medication we acted on immediately," said Presbyterian/St. Luke's President and CEO Mimi Roberson. "P/SL staff quickly notified security and the Denver Police Department. Our extensive security system showed the female struck rapidly and was in the patient area for less than three minutes."

The veteran, a Marine, was in the hospital recovering from surgery. Roberson says he was not injured and was "doing well."

Detectives continue to assemble their case, which they plan to present to the Denver district attorney, who will consider filing formal charges.

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