Monday, October 21, 2013

Officer Tony Towery Arrested for DUI


A Moore police officer was arrested on a complaint of driving under the influence.




Police say 13-year veteran officer Tony Towery was arrested Saturday after running into the back of another car.

He was off-duty at the time of the crash.

Right now, Towery is on paid administrative leave.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Officer Mary O'Callaghan Charged with Felony Assault

A Los Angeles police officer has been charged with assaulting a woman under arrest, Alesia Thomas, who lost consciousness in a patrol car and was declared dead soon thereafter, prosecutors announced Thursday.

Mary O'Callaghan, 48, was charged a day earlier in a felony assault case, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

The prosecutor's office said it will request $35,000 bail for the officer who, if convicted, could spend three years in state prison.

Tyler Izen, president of the Los Angeles police union,in a statement said "the alleged actions of the officer are incongruous with her reputation as an officer who was known to be diligent, courteous and ethical." O'Callaghan's lawyer Robert Rico describes his client, an 18-year veteran of the department, as "devastated."

"As an officer, a Marine and a mother, she's used to fighting and defending others," Rico said. "And she will fight and defend herself in a court of law to prove her innocence."
The charge stems from an incident July 22, 2012, when police investigating a possible child abandonment went to Thomas' home.

This was after Thomas had dropped off her two children at a police station because she felt her drug abuse had made her an unfit parent, according to Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. 

At the mother's home, police talked with Thomas and arrested her.

It was then that O'Callaghan arrived on the scene, helping her fellow officers put Thomas -- then wearing handcuffs and leg restraints -- in a patrol car.

Video captured what happened next, the prosecutor's office said, including "O'Callaghan kicking Thomas in the stomach and groin area and pushing her in the throat."

Thomas lost consciousness in the patrol car, then was transported by paramedics to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Prosecutors said they didn't file involuntary manslaughter charges against O'Callaghan because it couldn't be proven that she directly caused Thomas' death.

Her official cause of death was "undetermined," according to a coroner's report.

Thomas's relatives, though, believe O'Callaghan is responsible, family spokesman Najee Ali said Thursday.

The family is grateful for the charge filed this week, added Ali. But they're not satisfied yet, pushing for the public release of the video showing Thomas' final moments.

"We want to have the whole truth of what happened to Alesia Thomas," Ali said. "... This is not over with."

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Three Officers Under Investigation in Bikers' Clash with SUV Driver

Three bikers have been indicted in connection with a well-publicized clash with a New York SUV driver, the Manhattan District Attorney's office said Friday.

Craig Wright, 29, and Reginald Chance, 37, were indicted Friday, according to the district attorney's office. A third man, Robert Sims, 35, was indicted on Thursday, it said.

Authorities say Alexander Lien was chased by bikers after he initially bumped one during a biker rally on September 29. When his SUV was surrounded by several bikers, Lien called 9-1-1, told police he feared for his life and drove off, running over bikers and critically injuring one.

Lien's wife and 2-year-old daughter were in the vehicle with him. Lien has not been charged.
 
The chase that followed ended in traffic. Police say Lien's windows were smashed; he was dragged out of the SUV and beaten. He was treated and released from a hospital.

Officials did not detail the formal charges against the three men. In New York, charges in an indictment are not announced until defendants have been arraigned and can enter a plea.

Chance was accused of using his helmet to smash the SUV window, according to police. The lawyer for Chance concedes his client "overreacted," but claims he did not take part in beating the driver.

Authorities arrested Wright for allegedly hitting the SUV driver through the window of his vehicle.
 
Sims was accused of stomping on the driver after he was pulled from his SUV, authorities said.

Wright, Chance and Sims are scheduled to be arraigned on October 30, according to the district attorney's office.

At least seven people have been arrested, including the three who were indicted.
Authorities, who have appealed for the public's help in identifying people in photos, haven't ruled out more arrests or charges.

Meanwhile, a New York Police officer who works in Internal Affairs joins the ranks of at least two others with the NYPD who waited several days to tell their superiors they were at the rally where the SUV driver was beaten and kicked, according to the lawyer for the officer.

"He did what he had to do (by coming forward)," the officer's attorney, Pat Bonanno, told CNN.

A law enforcement source, with knowledge of the case, told CNN the Internal Affairs officer didn't report he was at the rally for at least a week.

CNN is withholding the officer's name, who worked for Internal Affairs for five years, because he has not been charged with any wrongdoing at this time. The story was first reported by DNAInfo.com, a site specializing in crime news.

Bonanno says the officer belongs to a motorcycle club and was riding with hundreds of bikers who participated in the September 29th rally, but insists he didn't witness the assault on Lien.

"He wasn't aware of anything of the nature posted on YouTube and he doesn't have any firsthand knowledge of what was going on," Bonanno said.

"Once all the videos are reviewed and witnesses interviewed, we'll find that my client has no culpability for anything that happened that day."

Bonanno offered no explanation as to why the officer waited so long to tell his superiors he was there. "That will be addressed in an appropriate time and manner," he said.

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, tells CNN authorities are investigating his account.

Law enforcement sources have told CNN there were no on-duty police officers riding with the bikers in an undercover capacity.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner John McCarthy declined comment as did the Manhattan District Attorney's office.

At least two other officers are under investigation.

One of them is Detective Wojciech Braszczok, who faces three felony counts including gang assault. Prosecutors say the off-duty cop is on video allegedly using his fist to bash in the rear window of Lien's SUV and kick it.

Braszczok's lawyer has denied his client did anything wrong and says video will exonerate him.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Officer Dan Hamlin Arrested for Grand Theft

A JSO officer has been arrested on 26 counts of official misconduct and grand theft.

JSO said officer Dan Hamlin was arrested after a warrant was issued Wednesday.

Undersheriff Dwain Senterfitt said Hamlin was fraudulently claiming overtime. Senterfitt said Hamlin claimed he was consulting with the State Attorney's Office on pre-trial cases but listed a state attorney on his timesheet who was no longer at the office.

According to JSO, this case has been under investigation since June. Senterfitt said Hamlin was made aware at the time, and the overtime stopped.

Senterfitt said Hamlin has resigned.

Wednesday, October 09, 2013

Officer Andrew Alan Haney Charged with Sending Obscene Material to Child

A West Columbia police officer was charged in federal court after sending explicit photos of himself to a 13-year-old girl in Iowa last month, authorities said.

Andrew Alan Haney, 30, was charged with interstate commerce of obscene materials to a person under 16, according to court records. He was appointed a public defender.

According to court records, Haney was involved in chatting with the girl in Polk County, Iowa from Sept. 22-28. The girl said she met Haney through a social media website.

Authorities identified Haney as a suspect after he sent the girl a photo with his police badge with the state seal visible in the photo, according to court records.

West Columbia Police Chief Dennis Tyndall said Haney was fired.

Tyndall said the situation was an "embarrassment" for the department. 

Haney was being held in the Lexington County Detention Center awaiting a bond hearing.

Friday, October 04, 2013

Officer John Marcus Weber Arrested for Giving Alcohol to Minors

A Sallisaw police lieutenant turned himself in Friday after an investigation into alcohol-related misconduct led to a warrant.

John Marcus Weber was booked on two felony counts and one misdemeanor count of furnishing alcohol to a minor Friday morning. Weber, 29, allegedly provided hard liquor or high-point beer and 3.2 beer to teenagers.

The warrant, issued Thursday and signed Friday morning, came about after the Sequoyah County Sheriff's Office requested that the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation look into complaints against the officer.

Weber's bail was set at $10,000 for which he has made bond.