Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Veteran Officer Charged with Battering his Wife

A veteran Casselberry police officer was suspended from his job after being arrested today on a charge of battering his wife, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.

The man's ran to a neighbor's house about 10:45 p.m. Monday with her 4-year-old daughter and said her husband had slammed her head on a kitchen counter, according to a sheriff's report.

The couple, who have been having marital problems, argued over an affair the husband had been having, the report states. The wife called his girlfriend a name, so he lifted her out of bed by the arms and carried her into the kitchen, where he slammed her into a granite countertop, investigators wrote.

The wife had a lump on the back of her head and a bruise on the inside of her bicep, a deputy said.

The Casselberry Police Department took the officer's police car, gear and gun. The Orange County Sheriff's Office took his AR-15 rifle "for safekeeping," according to a news release.

Citing union rules and Florida law, a Casselberry police spokesman would say only that the officer is suspended with pay. The Sentinel is not naming him to protect the privacy of his wife.

He was being held early Wednesday without bail in the Orange County Jail.

Officer Henry Hollins Arrested for Punching his Wife


A veteran New Orleans police officer has been reassigned to desk duty following his arrest on a domestic battery charge, and amid two other internal investigations into other possible violations.

Henry L. Hollins, 46, was arrested last Tuesday night after punching his wife in the mouth "with a closed fist, " according to an arrest report.

Hollins, 12-year police veteran, then pushed her to the floor, causing her to hit her face, "resulting in a two-inch raised area" in the center of her forehead, the report states. He was booked with simple domestic battery into Orleans Parish Prison.

He appeared before a magistrate judge the next day, and was ordered held in lieu of $10,000 bail, according to court records. He posted bond and was released.

Police Department spokesman Bob Young said Tuesday night that Hollins had been reassigned to desk duty in the wake of his arrest.

Young also acknowledged that Hollins is under investigation for two other possible violations, at least of one of which could be criminal in nature. The department's Public Integrity Bureau, which handles internal investigations, is looking into those allegations.

Young did not have details on the nature of the investigations.

Sgt Ball Accused of Covering up DWI Accident

A local police sergeant in the town of Greece, NY, just outside Rochester, has been accused of covering up a DWI accident that resulted in the death of 18-year-old Stephanie Olivia. Sgt. Brian Ball was one of the officers who responded when Oliva's boyfriend, Chad Kenyon, crashed the car he was driving.

Sgt. Ball turned himself into police this morning but pleaded not guilty. He is facing charges involved with the shredding of documents at the Greece Police Department. He is one of three men charged with the crime; Police Chief Merritt Rahn and Deputy Chief Bill Mackin are additionally charged with admitting a document they knew to hold false information as evidence in a case.

Chief Rahn has been arrested under suspicion of submitting a memo regarding the background check of a police officer which he knew contained false information. All told, 5 Greece police officers have been charged with similar crimes.

Sgt. Ball will be immediately suspended pending the ultimate decision of the court. Cheif Rahn has been suspended for some time, and all are awaiting the results of the several cases which will determine the future of the Greece police.

It is not clear at this point why Sgt. Ball aided in the cover up of the DWI fatality. The two young people involved in the crash had recently graduated from a local high school and were pursuing additional education, Oliva as a cosmetologist. The fatality shook what is a relatively small town due to its high publicity and the involvement of young people.
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http://rocnow.com/article/local-news/200990824004

Bexar County Deputy Accused of Sexual Assault Resigns

A deputy accused of sexually assaulting a Southwest Side woman resigned last week after serving 23 years with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office.

“I can confirm that he has turned in his resignation,” said Deputy Ino Badillo, a Sheriff's Office spokesman.

The victim told San Antonio police that the deputy, a civil warrants officer, raped her inside her home on Aug. 11. According to police, the deputy insists that he was in a consensual sexual relationship with the woman.

Her family says that is not the case. They said on Tuesday that the woman was physically injured during a sexual assault and that she remained hospitalized in a psychiatric ward to cope with post-traumatic stress.

“My family is afraid he's going to get away with it,” said Monica Cerda, the victim's sister.

The woman told police that she was walking near South Presa Street and West Hermitage Court when the deputy drove up to her and said she had a warrant for her arrest. Fearing she was under arrest, the woman got into his car and they drove to her home, where she said he raped her.

Personnel records for the accused deputy show that he has received multiple commendations from supervisors and community members over the years. But he also had been disciplined for sleeping on the job, failing to report an accidental discharge of his service weapon and failing to secure an arrestee who kicked out the window of a patrol car.

The San Antonio Police Department is investigating the most recent allegations because the victim said she was sexually assaulted within San Antonio city limits.

SAPD detectives familiar with the case said they have been unable to confirm the victim's side of the story, in part, because she has been hospitalized.