Sunday, December 06, 2009

Officer Troy Meade Plans to Claim Self Defense

Court documents filed on behalf of Everett police officer Troy Meade are the first public indication that the officer plans to claim self defense in a fatal June shooting outside an Everett restaurant.

Prosecutors in October charged Meade, 41, with first-degree manslaughter. They allege that Meade committed a crime June 10 when he shot Niles Meservey while the Stanwood man was sitting in his car outside the Chuckwagon Inn.

Meade, an 11-year veteran, has declined to speak to investigators. He pleaded not guilty to the charge last month.

His attorney, David Allen, has filed a notice in Snohomish County Superior Court that Meade will be requesting that he be reimbursed for attorney’s fees, loss of wages and other expenses once he is acquitted or the charge against him is dropped.

“Defendant Meade submits that his actions were necessary and reasonable and that he was in imminent danger at the time that he acted in self-defense to protect himself from an assault,” Allen wrote.

The trial is scheduled for April 9. Meade remains on paid administrative leave from the 200-officer department.

Investigators believe Meade opened fire after an intoxicated Meservey, 51, refused to obey the officer’s orders to get out of the car. Meade twice used an electric stun gun in an effort to subdue Meservey.

Meservey refused to get out of his car and drove his Chevrolet Corvette into a chain-link fence.

Meade fired his handgun eight times through the car’s back window.

Meservey was struck by seven bullets. He died in the parking lot of the restaurant.

A special team of homicide investigators re-created the shooting and interviewed dozens of people, including another Everett police officer who witnessed the shooting.

That officer told investigators that Meservey wasn’t obeying orders but didn’t pose an immediate lethal threat to Meade or anyone else. He said that immediately after the shooting, Meade said he believed their lives were in danger.

Officer Scott Morton's 'Horseplaying' Causes Accident

Clute Police Department Officer Scott Morton was driving at least 20 mph over the posted limit and getting right behind another Clute officer when he lost control of his car, skidded across three lanes and hit a guardrail, according to police.

A Department of Public Safety report released Friday states Morton, 41, was driving at least 70 mph in the center lane on Highway 288, also known as Highway 332. Morton was approaching Officer Tony Standley, who also was driving a patrol car in the center lane, at 2:47 a.m. Nov. 18.

Before the accident, Morton had been speeding up and getting close to Standley’s bumper before Standley would accelerate to get away, Clute Police Capt. Robin Carlton said.

Both officers were headed to Whataburger, where they were set to meet other officers for a meal. Carlton said the pair were “horseplaying” when the wreck occurred.

As Morton quickly approached again, Standley went to the left lane to get out of the way, Carlton said. Morton also went to the left lane and attempted to pass in the median, the report stated.

“He was closing that gap too quickly,” said DPS Trooper David Wyman, who investigated the wreck and submitted his report to Clute police.

Morton then overcorrected, went into a skid, hit the shoulder and flipped at least twice in the ditch, Wyman said. He was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the car 40 to 50 feet.

Morton was flown to Memorial Hermann Hospital from the scene with broken ankles, a broken pelvis, collapsed lung and slight bleeding in his brain. He is at home healing from the accident, and The Facts could not reach him for comment.

Morton still is using a wheelchair, but soon will start physical therapy so he can walk, Carlton said.

He will receive no traffic citation, Carlton said. The Department of Public Safety simply puts together the report, and it is Clute’s responsibility to take action, DPS Sgt. David Janak said.

“We will handle it in-house,” Clute Police Chief Mark Wicker said. “We won’t do anything until he’s well and back to 100 percent.”

Punishment options include a letter of reprimand or a few days off without pay, Carlton said.

Video footage and audio of calls to the Clute dispatcher indicate Standley immediately stopped and called for an ambulance. The Facts obtained the video through an open records request.

Standley also was speeding during the accident, Carlton said. Standley will receive no punishment, though it appears the wreck would not have occurred if he hadn’t switched lanes, Wicker said.

The Clute Police Department is investigating Standley’s role in the accident, Wicker said. However, it appears he wasn’t feeling well and simply was ready for his shift to end, he said.

Wicker said he hopes speeding is not common for officers because speeding and getting close to someone’s bumper are inappropriate, he said.

The patrol car Morton was driving, a 2007 Ford Crown Victoria, was totaled, but it already was set to be replaced within the next few weeks, Wicker said. It would have been passed down to a school resource officer, he said.

The department has no plans to buy a new car to replace the vehicle, he said.

Morton worked for the Clute department for three years, then moved to the Richwood Police Department for a year before returning to Clute in June, Carlton said.
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YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3NMG831TcU

Officer John Fulmer Accused to Stealing Gas

A Springfield police officer has been fired after being accused of charging the town for gasoline used in his personal vehicle.

Following an investigation by the State Law Enforcement Division, officer John "Johnny" S. Fulmer of Barnwell has been served with a warrant alleging official misconduct.

Town Councilman Eddie Lee said, "He has been terminated and that's due to the charges being placed against him." Council met on the issue Thursday night.

Lee said the charge, "Really surprised us. He'd been working for the town four or five years."

Fulmer is accused of pumping fuel into his personal vehicle at Kent's Korner #3 service station while serving in his official capacity as an employee of Springfield.

Between July and November 2009, he allegedly signed fuel tickets for $191 for his personal use and charged it to the town of Springfield.

The warrant is based on video recordings of Fulmer's transactions at the service station and on the defendant's time sheets, SLED said.

Lee said the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office and part-time officer Jim Evans will be filling in as much as possible.

"I have contacted the sheriff's office today and they said they'd do what they can as far as having someone around," Lee said.

The town also hopes for help from the S.C. Highway Patrol.

"They've been working this end of the county lately," Lee said.

Officer Jack Bosse Charged with Public Indecency

A veteran Columbus police officer was arrested Friday and charged with public indecency.

Jack L. Bosse, 63, a 38-year member of the division who works in the seizures and forfeitures department, was arrested in an East Side park, police spokeswoman Betty Schwab said. Police would not provide details of the incident yesterday.

Bosse's gun and badge were taken away, Schwab said. He will continue to work without police powers during an internal investigation.

Bosse was issued a summons and must appear in court within 10 days of the violation, Schwab said.

Officer Shawqi Ahmed Charged with Rape

A 29-year-old transit cop charged with raping an 18-year-old woman is scheduled to face a judge on Wednesday.

Shawqi Ahmed, an officer since January 2006, was arrested by the NYPD Friday. Ahmed allegedly met the woman at a Brooklyn club on Thanksgiving and raped her in an apartment later that night, according to published reports. The NYPD would not confirm the details of the incident yesterday.

“It’s particularly a travesty considering this was someone people depend on to keep them safe,” said Emily May of Holla Back, a Web site documenting harassment and sexual abuse in New York City.

The case will go to a grand jury at Kings County Criminal Court, a DA spokesman said.

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http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/cop_held_in_rape_of_teenager_dpo9bBuYvr9nhvnvBJFPvJ

Cpl Robert Grimsley Accused of Violating Restraining Order


A Dillon County sheriff’s deputy facing a criminal domestic violence charge is accused of violating a restraining order the alleged victim filed against him.

According to an arrest warrant with a State Law Enforcement Division press release issued Friday, Cpl. Robert Paul Grimsley violated the “terms and conditions of an order of protection issued under the Protection from Domestic Abuse Act” on Thursday.

A report released Nov. 20 by Dillon County Sheriff Major Hulon shows Grimsley, 38, was initially charged in connection with an incident that happened Nov. 18.

Deputies said when they responded to the call in Latta, the victim, identified as Grimsley’s live-in girlfriend, had a bruise on her right leg, the side of her neck and the back of her neck.

She told deputies the physical abuse stemmed from a series of arguments the two had that week, according to the report. She also said the suspect has been physically abusing her for more than a year.

According to the report, some deputies asked the victim to report prior incidents, but she said she didn’t want to because she “did not want to get the suspect in trouble.”

Grimsley was booked at the Dillon County Detention Center on Nov. 19 and released the same day on a $2,100 personal recognizance bond.

Hulon said Grimsley remained on paid administrative leave pending the results of the investigation.