Thursday, April 23, 2009

Officer Reginald Watson Charged with Sexual Abuse of Minor

A Baltimore schools police officer was arrested Wednesday after being indicted by a grand jury on charges that he sexually assaulted a 16-year-old student.

Reginald Watson, 35, is charged with sexual abuse of a minor, fourth-degree sex assault and second-degree assault for an incident that occurred Feb. 19 at Masonville Cove Community Academy, formerly Benjamin Franklin Middle School, in the 1200 block of Cambria St.

Details about the allegations were not available.

Watson, of the 2200 block of Fleetwood Ave., was indicted on Tuesday and arrested Wednesday and was being held on $50,000 bond. He has a bail review scheduled for Thursday morning in Baltimore Circuit Court.
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http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/education/blog/2009/04/baltimore_schools_reginald_wat.html

Chief Michael Daley Arrested for Drunk Driving


Police Chief Michael Daley was arrested in North Hampton on drunken driving charges, the Portsmouth Herald reported today.

Daley has been placed on paid administrative leave and has announced he will retire June 1, though the latter was not attributed to his arrest.

Daley was arrested by North Hampton police at 1:41 a.m. April 11 and charged with driving while intoxicated and transporting alcohol, according to Lt. John Scippa of the North Hampton Police Department.

"I can’t confirm anyone’s employment, but I can confirm that a Michael J. Daley was arrested for DWI and transporting alcohol at North Hampton State Beach," Scippa said.

Asked what brought Daley’s vehicle to the attention of a North Hampton officer, Scippa would not comment.

"I can’t get into the details of the case because the matter is pending in court," the lieutenant said. "I can confirm the arrest and that his car was towed."

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Officer James Schwab Arrested for Drunk Driving

A Warren police officer was arrested Tuesday for allegedly driving under the influence, Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer said.

Dwyer said officer James Schwab was arrested by the Sterling Heights Police Department for "operating under the influence of liquor."

Dwyer said Schwab was relieved of his duties immediately and that any disciplinary actions will be considered after an investigation.
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http://www.detnews.com/article/20090423/METRO/904230454/1361/Warren+police+officer+arrested+for+drunken+driving

Officer Peter Maroney Accused of Using Pepper Spraying & Striking Mentally Ill Man

A police officer accused of using excessive force against an elderly patient at the VA Medical Center in Durham has been fired.

Peter Maroney was informed of his termination Wednesday, according to his attorney.

Maroney maintains he did nothing wrong Oct. 28 when he used pepper spray on the patient, who has a history of mental illness, before striking the man four times with his nightstick.

A security camera captured the incident on video. The tape has been turned over to the FBI for review to determine whether criminal charges are warranted.

An initial review by Maroney's commander, then-VA Police Chief Gerard Ousley, found no wrongdoing. But an administrative review board then examined the video and determined that Maroney had used excessive force.

After the incident, the 20-officer department was audited; and Ousley was reassigned.

Maroney's attorney, Jason Wunsch of Lillington, said Thursday that his client has yet to be interviewed by the FBI.

The fired officer, who served in the Army as a military police officer before joining the VA's police force seven years ago, plans to appeal his dismissal.

"The legal fight has just begun," Wunsch said. "He's very upset. Obviously, he does not agree with the decision."

Citing the ongoing criminal investigation, officials at the Durham VA denied a Freedom of Information Act request filed in February for the hospital's internal administrative report of the incident. The News & Observer appealed that denial March 10, but as of Thursday no decision about whether to release the document had been made in Washington.

In an interview last month, Maroney said the incident began when he and his supervisor were called and told a patient was causing a disturbance in one of the Durham center's clinics. Maroney and another officer were escorting the patient to an isolation room when Maroney says the man hit him in the face.

Maroney pepper-sprayed the patient. When that failed to subdue him, Maroney said he hit the man with a baton on his forearm and hand before pushing him to the ground and handcuffing him.

Maroney said that he was not trained to consider a patient's age or mental state when using pepper spray or his baton.

The VA's training manual says that officers are permitted to use only that amount of force "necessary and reasonable to overcome the resistance being offered ... without using excessive force." The policy goes on to say that when using their batons, officers "must be trained to use it properly in order to obtain the desired results when used, and at the same time avoid bringing criticism upon themselves or the Department of Veterans Affairs."
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http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/5016647/

Trooper David Volz Arrested for Stealing Mulch


State police say a trooper has been charged with stealing truckloads of mulch from a central New York business.

They say 28-year-old David Volz of Oriskany was arrested Thursday morning after investigators found that he used a borrowed dump truck to take mulch from Mohawk Valley Mulch Inc. in Rome without paying for it.

Trooper Jack Keller says the business owner noticed someone on his property late Wednesday night and called Rome police, who handed Volz over to state police.

He has been charged with petit larceny and ticketed for traffic violations involving the truck.

Keller says Volz joined the state police in May 2006 and now faces internal disciplinary charges. His phone number isn't listed and police didn't know if he has a lawyer.

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