Monday, May 05, 2014

Officer Jamarie Flowers Arrested for Firing Weapon in Air

An off-duty NYPD officer is the second officer in less than a week to get in trouble for allegedly firing his weapon in Westchester.

New Rochelle police say Officer Jamarie Flowers, 25, was involved in an argument in front of the Carrington Arms apartment complex at 33 Lincoln Ave. just after 1 a.m. Investigators say Flowers fired several rounds from his handgun into the air during the argument.

New Rochelle Police Capt. Joseph Schaller says Flowers used a semi-automatic personal handgun that was not his service weapon.

"As the dispute concluded, he pulled out a gun and let several rounds go into the air," says Schaller.

Flowers was arrested in his apartment at the complex and was charged with reckless endangerment.

No one was injured and there was no property damage.

Flowers was released on $10,000 bail. He has also been suspended from the NYPD without pay.

He is due back in court June 2.

Last Tuesday, Officer Brendan Cronin, 27, allegedly fired shots from his parked car and hit a man at a stoplight with six bullets.

The victim is recovering and Cronin was charged with felony assault.

Officer Bryan Horowitz Charged with DUI


A Broadway police officer arrested a Harrisonburg police officer on Saturday and charged him with driving under the influence.

Officer Bryan Horowitz, 36, is charged with misdemeanor DUI and misdemeanor refusing a Breathalyzer test. Horowitz is the leader of the CHARGE Gang Task Force.

According to the criminal complaint, the deputy was traveling west on Lee Street in Broadway when an eastbound vehicle drove by going 52 mph in a 35 mph zone.

The officer, according to the complaint, turned around and saw the car turn right on Main Street and pull into the Backstage Video parking lot.

"I could see the male driver was getting out of the driver side and a female getting out of the passenger set and attempting to switch places," the officer wrote.

After approaching the pair, the officer alleged, he smelled alcohol on Horowitz. He also alleged that Horowitz slurred his speech.

"I asked him if he had anything to drink and he did not answer me," the complaint states.

The officer noted in the complaint that an open Corona beer bottle was in the front cup holder.

Horowitz refused to take field sobriety tests, the criminal complaint alleges.

The complaint did not say what time the officer arrested Horowitz.

Former Officer Michael Setiawan Arrested for Vandalism

A former New York City police officer was arrested over the weekend for allegedly spray-painting anti-Semitic messages on buildings and cars in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn.

A school building and 20 private homes and vehicles were splattered with red paint and messages of hate Saturday in what the Jewish Forward dubbed a “vandalism spree.”

Michael Setiawan, 36, a former police officer for New York City’s 69th precinct, was reportedly arrested Sunday and accused of posting the graffiti.

An individual alleged to be Setiawan was caught on a surveillance camera painting the door of the Bnos Zion Bobov School. See footage below:

http://youtu.be/Pk4KbugH410

The messages left on the buildings reportedly included swastikas and terms including “F*** you Jew” and “Jew cheap s***.”

The community was rattled over the incident, with locals and officials decrying the acts.

“Hate is not a Brooklyn value, and I repudiate any lowlife individual who would spread their prejudiced invective,” Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said.

Setiawan, who was reportedly sent for a mental evaluation following his arrest, is being charged with hate crimes, including 19 counts of criminal mischief and aggravated harassment, according to the New York Daily News.

A young boy reported the suspect after he said he saw him spray-painting a car and took down his license plate as he drove away.

Setiawan’s father, Thomas, told media that his son suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts after leaving the NYPD in 2007, though he said the family is unsure why he left the force

Officer Sean Ulitin Arrested for DUI

An off-duty Napa police officer was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and hit and run Saturday night, after he allegedly lost control of his Ford F250 truck on Monticello Road, struck a large tree, rolled his vehicle over and hit a parked car that was pushed into a home.

According to the California Highway Patrol, driver Sean Ulitin, 37, of Napa, registered more than three times the legal blood alcohol limit on two breathalyzer tests that were administered by the CHP at the scene.

CHP Sgt. William Bradshaw said Ulitin blew a 0.26 and a 0.28 blood alcohol level shortly after the crash. The legal limit is 0.08.

Ulitin reportedly sustained minor injuries at the scene and was arrested on charges of hit and run and DUI. No one else was injured in the crash.

According to the CHP collision report, Ulitin was traveling southbound at an unknown rate of speed at about 9:40 p.m. Saturday, when he made what CHP officers described as an “unsafe turning movement.” Because of the movement, Ulitin's truck reportedly traveled off the west edge of Monticello Road, struck a large tree and then rolled over.

Ulitin’s upside down white Ford truck continued to slide after rolling over, crashing into a Volkswagen that was parked in the driveway of a residence on Monticello Road, before coming to rest. According to officers, the force of Ulitin’s truck pushed the Volkswagen into the southeast corner of the owner’s Monticello Road home.

Ulitin was then reportedly helped out of his truck by residents who witnessed the crash. While they attempted to check on Ulitin’s welfare, he allegedly refused to stay until authorities arrived, fleeing northbound on Monticello Road on foot. One of the residents followed Ulitin and alerted officers to his location, just north of the scene, said the CHP. Upon finding Ulitin, officers took him into custody and arrested him for DUI and hit and run.

According to a Monticello Road resident who witnessed others trying to detain Ulitin, he was visibly intoxicated and obviously trying to flee the scene.

“A couple of guys were trying to stop him from leaving after they helped him out of the car,” said the neighbor, who asked not to be named. “They told him he needed to sit down because he could be hurt, but he refused to listen. The neighbors eventually let him go and he ran northbound on Monticello.”

Napa Police Capt. Jeff Troendly confirmed that a Napa police officer was involved in an alleged DUI collision on Saturday, but refused to discuss the incident further, citing personnel and privacy constraints. He referred further questions to the CHP.

Bradshaw said the investigation is ongoing and that the final incident report has yet to be completed. He declined to comment further on the case until the final report is completed.

Napa Mayor Jill Techel said Monday afternoon that while she couldn't comment on the specifics of the incident -- also citing personnel matters -- she wondered if the city could do more to educate people on how to keep themselves safe.

"Knowing the signs of when you need to stay home and not go out is something we need to educate people on," she said.

The Register attempted to determine Ulitin's status as a city employee. Police Chief Rich Melton could not be reached for comment.