Monday, January 04, 2010

Deputy Robert Ayers Arrested for DUI

Orangeburg County deputies say one of their officers has resigned following his arrest on charges of driving under the influence.

The department said Monday that Robert Ayers had voluntarily left the agency. Previous Coverage: Orangeburg County Deputy Charged with DUI

Last Wednesday at about 10 p.m., state troopers found Ayers and his vehicle in a ditch next to Cattle Creek Road. Officers concluded that he had driven off the road, and found probable cause to charge him with DUI.

Ayers was driving his patrol vehicle, but was off-duty at the time of the incident.

In a statement Monday, Orangeburg County Sheriff Larry Williams said Ayers used poor judgment. He says the policy of the department is that officers are not allowed to use their patrol vehicles for personal use.

Ayers had been with the department for three years, and was the 2009 Field Services Top Cop.

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Officer James Taylor Drives into Home with Expired Drivers License

Residents inside one North Toledo home got quite a scare Sunday morning after a Toledo police cruiser ended up on their front porch.

The happened around 1:30 a.m. Sunday at 2814 Mulberry St. in North Toledo. The officer reportedly lost control of his vehicle and slid off the road and into the home's front porch. Ice may have caused the officer to slide off the road, although that has not been confirmed.

One man inside the home at the time of the crash said he was surprised to discover a police cruiser on the front lawn, "We were upstairs watching movies and all of a sudden we hear (a) loud tire screech," said Trevis Coogler. "The porch (was) about to fall."

Toledo Police Officer James Taylor responding to a report of a stolen vehicle in the area at the time of the incident. Taylor's cruiser knocked down a utility pole and part of another home before crashing into the porch.

Toledo Police have confirmed that Officer Taylor was driving with an expired driver's license. His license expired in August 2009.

Neither the residents nor Taylor were injured.

Toledo Police say they will investigate the incident further. They tell NBC24 that Taylor did renew his driver's license on Monday.

Officer Joe Zepeda Charged with Drunk Driving

A White Plains police officer has been suspended without pay after he was arrested on a drunk driving charge following an accident with a tractor-trailer on Interstate 287.

The incident happened shortly after 5 a.m. Thursday, when off-duty Officer Joe Zepeda, 37, hit the back of a tractor-trailer while driving his 2007 Nissan west near Exit 6 in White Plains.

State police Sgt. Kenneth Cano of the Tarrytown barracks said Zepeda suffered a minor head abrasion and was not taken to the hospital. A passenger in his car, White Plains Police Officer Kurt Maddux, was treated at Westchester Medical Center for a broken ankle and released. The truck driver, who was not identified, was released from the medical center after he was treated for neck and back pain.

Zepeda, 37, of Mahopac, refused to take a blood-alcohol test and was subsequently charged with driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor. He was released without bail on an appearance ticket and is scheduled to appear in White Plains City Court next Monday.

White Plains Police Chief James Bradley said Zepeda has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of an internal investigation .

"That investigation is underway," Bradley said. "Once it's completed, we'll take appropriate disciplinary action, depending on the outcome."

He said discipline could range from a suspension to dismissal.

Zepeda became a city cop in May 2007 and is assigned to the patrol division. Bradley said he has never faced disciplinary action since joining the department.

Cano declined to release Zepeda's mug shot, saying "I don't have one available, and we don't routinely do that for DWI arrests."

Zepeda's is the latest in a recent series of DWI arrests among local off-duty members of law enforcement.

Dobbs Ferry Officer Michael Huffman was charged with DWI and two traffic violations after a Dec. 11 rollover crash in Tarrytown and has been placed on paid administrative leave.

On Dec. 27, Westchester County Officer Joseph Kraus was charged with drunk driving after authorities said he ran a red light and crashed into a Scarsdale police car at East Parkway and Popham Road, injuring Scarsdale Officer Jessica Knatz. Kraus has been suspended with pay. Later that morning, Westchester County Corrections Officer Patricia Yancy-Johnson was charged with driving while intoxicated, accused of rear-ending an ambulance on Central Avenue in Greenburgh.

On Monday, in remarks made after being sworn in for a second term, Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore said her administration will increase its efforts in prosecuting DWI cases.

"For years there has been a culture around DWI crimes that has downplayed the seriousness and violence associated with them," she said after her inauguration. "We are working hard to change that culture through our prosecution effort and our prevention efforts. A person's willingness to drive drunk and risk injury not only to himself but to everyone else who is on the road is absolutely unacceptable. So we're focusing on redoubling efforts around DWI crimes."

She would not comment specifically on Zepeda's case.

Detective Tomas Rodriguez Arrested for DWI

Authorities said a veteran Kerrville police officer resigned in the wake of his Dec. 27 arrest by a fellow officer on a charge of driving while intoxicated.

Detective Tomas Rodriguez, who was employed with the agency for 24 years, resigned last Tuesday. Kerrville Police Department spokesman Paul Gonzales said Monday.

Rodriguez, who couldn't be reached for comment, was pulled over on Water Street at about 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 27 after another motorist reported he was driving erratically, Gonzales said.

Upon his arrest, Rodriguez was placed on unpaid administrative leave, Gonzales said.

Officer Debra Davis Arrested for Drug Possession

A Jackson police officer faces drug charges in Miami, Fla., Jackson Police Department officials confirmed Monday.

Precinct 4 Officer Debra Davis was arrested and charged with drug possession over the Christmas holidays, police officials said. She has since returned to Jackson, Assistant Chief Lee Vance said.

“Officer Davis has been removed from the precinct and internally reassigned,” Vance said. “That means that she no longer has police duties but is doing other duties within JPD as her case is being investigated."

Vance said Miami police are investigating and handling the case against Davis.

Former Officer Julio "Trey" Reyes Had Previous History of Emotional Problems

Julio “Trey” Reyes, the Katy ISD police officer who took former girlfriend and fellow police officer Rachel Hillsman hostage last August before taking his own life during an armed stand-off, had a previous history of emotional problems, according to records recently released by Katy ISD.

Records obtained by InstantNewsKaty through the Texas Public Information Act showed Reyes was placed on administrative in 2007 after threatening to kill himself.

In that incident, Reyes reportedly threatened to take his own life because of relationship problems with his ex-wife and Hillsman.

According to an April 30, 2007 report filed by KISD Police Cpl. Ryan Martinelli, Reyes was taken to a Sugar Land hospital after going on a “drinking binge” and telling others he was going to commit suicide.

According to information given to Martinelli by Reyes’ brother Randy at Sugar Land Memorial Hermann Hospital, Reyes learned that his ex-wife “had met someone else and was taking their son around him.” That, coupled with relationship problems between Reyes and Hillsman, apparently triggered the heavy drinking and suicide threats.

“Randy said he was called…to go to (ex-wife) Sandra’s residence because Julio was over there and threatening suicide. Randy said when he arrived that Julio was drunk and acting very erratic,” Martinelli’s report said. “Randy said that he has never seen Julio act like this and that he was not thinking rational at all.”

Randy Reyes and friend Mike Rozaro told Martinelli they called both the Fort Bend Sheriff’s Office and EMS because they feared Julio Reyes “would harm himself.”

“Randy said that when Fort Bend SO arrived, they tried talking Julio into going to the hospital on his own, at which point Julio advised them he was not going. Randy said that Julio would bow up and act like he was going to fight, but that he would then settle down,” Martinelli reported. “Randy said that Julio finally agreed to go to the hospital. Randy said that Mike took Julio’s duty weapon and he took the rest of Julio’s weapons, that way he would not have access to them.”

Martinelli also learned Reyes had written suicide notes to his ex-wife and son Jacob, telling them he loved them and “was sorry for what had happened.”

Martinelli also reported that he briefly interviewed Julio Reyes in the hospital’s emergency room. During that interview, Reyes told Martinelli that “there had been a little misunderstanding” and that he had been drinking heavily, but did not intend to take his own life.

“Julio advised us that that he had sent text messages about suicide the night before to his friend, Mike Rozaro, and his brother, Randy Reyes. Julio stated that he did it because he had been drinking heavily and having family problems,” Martinelli reported. “Julio advised that at no point did he intend to commit suicide.”

As he was returning to the KISD police headquarters, Martinelli said he received a phone call from Hillsman asking what was taking place. During the conversation, Hillsman expressed concern that Reyes might harm her.

“I advised her that I could not discuss (the incident) with her and she began to tell me that Julio had been cheating on her with another woman and (ex-wife) Sandra. Rachel said when she found out, that she split up with him,” Martinelli noted. “Rachel advised that she spoke with Sandra and found out that Julio had been seeing both of them. Rachel advised that she did not feel safe around Julio and that she was worried about what he might do to her. Rachel advised that she was leaving her house to go stay with her parents.”

Following the incident, Katy ISD Police Chief Mark Hopkins placed Reyes on paid leave.

“Pending the superintendent’s approval, you are being placed on administrative leave, with pay, effective on April 30, 2007 and until further notice. While on administrative leave, you shall make yourself available to the Chief of Police or his designee during the regular work day through normal means of communication,” Hopkins wrote in a letter to Reyes dated April 20, 2007. “Effective immediately, you shall not enter or remain on any Katy ISD property without expressed consent from the Chief of Police or his designee.”

The letter was copied to then-Katy ISD Superintendent Leonard Merrell.

In a follow-up letter, Hopkins removed Reyes from paid leave and informed the officer he would be allowed back to duty only after providing proof he had undergone psychological counseling.

“Effective at the end of the regular working day on May 15, 2007, you will be removed from administrative leave with pay. You may use appropriate personal leave until such time that you provide proof of your participation in psychological counseling to me or Captain Robert Jinks,” Hopkins wrote. “Furthermore, you shall sign a release for your treating doctor to report your attendance, cooperation and completion of treatment to me, Chief Mark L. Hopkins, or Captain Robert Jinks. Upon receipt of proof that you are participating in psychological counseling and a copy of the sign treatment release, you may return to regular police officer duty.”

The documents outlining Reyes’ 2007 suicide attempt were obtained through a public information request filed with the school district last August. The district initially sought to withhold the documents, claiming the information should not be disclosed to the public.

Through its law firm, Thompson & Horton of Houston, the school district asked for an attorney general’s ruling on the request. In a letter to the AG, attorney Christopher Gilbert asked whether the district could withhold the records.

“The district believes that the documents responsive to this request, or information contained within those documents, would be privileged from disclosure under sections 552.101 to 552.147 of the (Texas Public Information Act), including, but not limited to, the following exceptions: 552.101 Confidential Information and 552.102 Personnel Information,” Gilbert said in the letter. “On behalf of the district, we request a determination by your office that the exceptions stated above apply to the information requested by (InstantNewsKaty).”

The Attorney General’s Office subsequently ruled the school district would have to release documents related the 2007 incident.

Less than two years after this reported suicide attempt, Reyes took Hillsman hostage on Aug. 19, 2009 as she was leaving her mother’s Waller County home to report for duty. The abduction followed yet another break-up between the two.

The following day, law enforcement officers found Reyes holding Hillsman hostage in a vacant home on the north side of Brookshire. He ultimately took his life with a gunshot to the head after releasing Hillsman, ending a six-hour siege armed siege.

Corrections Officer Steven Crews Arrested for Having Child Perform Sex Acts on Him


A Baker County corrections officer has been charged with a sex crime against a child.

Police said Steven Crews assaulted a girl under the age of 12 and was in possession of photos of sexual performance by a child. He was arrested Sunday in his home in Bradford County.

Baker County Sheriff Joey Dobson said Crews was employed at the new detention facility since it opened in May. Dobson said Crews was immediately fired as soon as the charges were made known.

"It's very heartbreaking," Bradford County Sheriff Gordon Smith said. "It's always sad to come before you and let you know that someone in the same profession as us committed such a heinous crime on children. We take that very serious."

According to a police report, Crews' wife found video of a child performing sex acts on him. Investigators fear this is not an isolated incident.

"In conducting the interview with the suspect, he made several admissions of locations and how long this had been ongoing," Smith said. "And apparently it had been ongoing for some time."

Crews is being held on $200,000 bond.-----(It should be $10 Million! This fucker should never get out of jail!)

Police said the investigation is ongoing, and they believe the case spans across several jurisdictions. Investigators ask anyone with information regarding the case to call the Baker County Sheriff's Office or the Bradford County Sheriff's Office.

Sgt Darcy Taylor Charged with Assault with Weapon

A veteran city police officer is facing an assault charge in an incident last summer.

Sergeant Darcy Taylor was today charged with a count of assault with a weapon for allegedly striking a man in the chest with a baton and knocking him down.

The incident last August 23 came during a police response to a 2:15 a.m. fight in central Vancouver that prompted the officer, who has 20 years experience and was first on the scene, to call for emergency cover.

The alleged victim was not injured.

Inspector Mario Giardini of the force's professional standards office told a news conference that regional crown counsel laid the charge today based on information gathered by a Vancouver police investigation into the matter.

Asked what made the confrontation egregious enough to warrant charges, Insp. Giardini urged reporters to read the criminal code.

“It really doesn't take much to commit an assault,” he said.

The inspector described the matter of an officer being charged with assault as rare.

He declined further comment on the case because the matter is before the courts.

The inspector said the sergeant continues to work in “non-operational” duties.

Detention Officer David Ashton Arrested for Assault With Deadly Weapon

Prescott police officers arrested a detention officer with the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office for assault with a deadly weapon after he reportedly was involved in several confrontations at city bars early Sunday morning.

Prescott police officers learned that David Ashton, 43, had a confrontation with patrons inside Matt’s Saloon where he brandished a knife and was escorted out of the bar.

Dwight D'Evelyn, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office, said police officers were also contacted by an 18-year-old male who had been assaulted by Ashton after the incident at Matt’s Saloon.

The victim and several witnesses had seen Ashton leave the Bird Cage Saloon and shove his way through the crowd outside. According to D'Evelyn, when the victim approached Ashton about his behavior and confrontation with a man standing nearby, Ashton turned and pointed a handgun at the victim’s forehead. He also struck the side of the victim’s head with the firearm.

D'Evelyn said that after the assault, Ashton began waiving the gun in the crowd and pointed it at two Montezuma's Bar employees. Ashton left the area while police were being notified.

Officers arrested Ashton in the city parking garage at approximately 1:35 a.m. Sunday. Police officers also recovered a handgun.

Ashton was booked at the Camp Verde Detention Center. He is charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of recklessly handling a weapon and one count of carrying a deadly weapon in a public establishment. He remains in custody on a $150,000 bond.

YCSO has placed Ashton on unpaid administrative leave pending an internal investigation.

Sgt Mike Dawson Arrested for Public Intoxication

An Oklahoma City police officer is arrested for an incident, early New Years Day. Sargent Mike Dawson was arrested for public intoxication. He's an 11-year veteran of the OCPD. Dawson was found walking a rural road in Logan County wearing a t-shirt and shorts. He said he had been in an argument with his girlfriend. Logan county sheriff's found no signs of a physical altercation, but they did notice he was drunk.

Captain Patrick Stewart with the OKC Police Department said, "At that time, while he was in the back seat of the vehicle he did kick the window out of the back seat of the patrol vehicle."

Dawson is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of Oklahoma City's investigation.

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Officer Kahlya Derkson Charged with Domestic Violence

A Cincinnati police officer has been arrested and charged with domestic violence, after an altercation the day after Christmas.

According to court papers, 34 year old Officer Kahlya Derkson got into an argument with the father of her child at his home in Norwood. The alleged victim says Derkson tried to take their baby from his car. They argued, and he says she tried to gouge his eyes. The father of Derkson's child claims he suffered a scratched face, and bloody nose.

A Cincinnati Police spokeswoman says Derkson is being assigned to desk duty and her police powers are in the process of being suspended.

She has been with the department since 1998.

Former Officer David Reveille Beaten by Another Inmate at Jail

A fired Gainesville police officer will have to wait until at least the end of the week before he is sentenced in a felony sex case after being injured following a dispute over the television show "Law and Order."

David John Reveille, 47, appeared in court Monday afternoon with a bandage over his nose. He was scheduled to be sentenced as part of a plea deal after being charged with using his official position to obtain sexual favors. Specifically, Reveille was charged in February with eight counts of sexual battery, two counts of battery and one count each of false imprisonment and official misconduct.

According to the Alachua County Sheriff's Office, Reveille was beaten by another inmate, Willis Jamard Robinson, 19, after a dispute over a television show.

Reveille told investigators he had been watching the hour-long program "Law and Order" the night before the incident, the Sheriff's Office reported. According to Reveille, Robinson changed the channel with only a few minutes left in the show and refused to turn the channel back to the program for Reveille.

The next day, shortly before 11 a.m. on Dec. 29, according to the Sheriff's Office, Reveille had been let out of his cell while a nurse was distributing medications. Reveille was being held in protective custody because he was a former law enforcement officer. Inmate witnesses told investigators that Reveille was at the water fountain getting a drink when Robinson ran out of his cell and punched the former officer once in the face with a closed fist. Witnesses said Reveille fell to the floor motionless.

Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Steve Maynard said Reveille was taken to Shands at the University of Florida for treatment. Maynard said federal privacy laws prohibit releasing medical details, but he was able to characterize the injuries to Reveille as serious but not life-threatening. Reveille later told investigators he did not remember anything after being punched until he woke up in the hospital.

Following a nearly 15-minute long conference with attorneys in the case Monday, Judge Ysleta McDonald delayed sentencing until at least Friday. During the judge's conference with the attorneys, Reveille sat at a table with his head slightly tilted down and most of the time holding what appeared to be a white tissue or bandage over his mouth.

Robinson, who had been housed at the jail since late November on an attempted murder charge, was charged with battery in connection with the incident involving Reveille.

Officer Suspended After Allegedly Having Sex in Church

Police in southern Germany say an officer has been suspended from duty after allegedly having sex in a Catholic church during a service.

Regional police spokesman Hans-Peter Kammerer told the German news agency DAPD on Monday that the 26-year-old faces possible disciplinary measures and a criminal complaint for allegedly disturbing religious activities.

He said a visitor discovered the officer with a woman in the church in Rennertshofen, near the Bavarian city of Ingolstadt, during an early-morning service last Thursday. The couple then fled, but a church employee recognized the officer.

The man was suspended the following day. Disturbing religious activities can carry a sentence of up to three years in prison.

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Officer Marcus Kilpatrick Pleads No Contest to Killing 86-Year-old Driver

A police officer on Monday pleaded no contest to charges connected to a crash during a high-speed chase that killed a 86-year-old driver nearly one year ago.

Officer Marcus Kilpatrick pleaded no contest to culpable negligence and was sentenced to one year of probation and 100 hours of community service. Under the terms of the plea agreement, there will be no record of the conviction if Kilpatrick successfully completes his probation.

An Florida Highway Patrol investigation into the Jan. 14, 2009, wreck found that Kilpatrick's patrol car was going 98 mph on Merrill Road when he struck a pickup truck driven by Matthew Ogden Jr.

Matthew Ogden died in January when his pickup truck was struck by a JSO patrol car.
Ogden was ejected from the pickup and died at the scene. Kilpatrick received a minor injury and fully recovered.

Prior to sentencing on Monday, Kilpatrick apologized to Ogden's family. The family told the court they did not want to see Kilpatrick go to jail, but wanted the sheriff's office to change their vehicle chase procedures.

Kilpatrick, 30, told investigators he was trying to pull over a vehicle for a window-tint violation at the time, but the FHP said there were conflicting reports about whether the marked patrol car had lights and siren on at the time of the crash.

"Visibility was not a problem. Apparently, the driver of the pickup truck didn't see the patrol car coming," FHP Lt. Bill Leeper said at the time.

Kilpatrick was placed on desk duty after the wreck. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office told Channel 4 that it was waiting on the state's case to be concluded before an internal investigation would be conducted. Undersheriff Frank Mackesy said an internal affairs probe of the wreck will take place and its recommendations forwarded to the sheriff.

Arrest of Officer Marcus Jackson Causes Charges to be Dropped Against Suspects

Fallout from the arrest of a Charlotte Mecklenburg Police officer on sexual assault charges is beginning to be felt outside the police department. Eyewitness News has learned Mecklenburg County prosecutors will be forced to drop charges against many of the suspects arrested by Marcus Jackson.

Jackson was arrested last week after two women, in separate incidents, told police they were forced to perform sexual acts after being stopped and questioned by Jackson. He is no longer on the police force.

A spokesman for District Attorney Peter Gilchrist said prosecutors are compiling a list of cases Jackson was involved in. Cases in which Jackson was scheduled to provide significant information will likely be dropped, said Bart Menser. “It’s a truthfulness issue. How can you ask folks to convict someone else when you have allegations like this” against a police officer who is a witness in the case?

Menser said it’s the same process used when other officers have found themselves charged with crimes. In 2008, officers Gerald Holas and Jason Ross were arrested and charged with tipping off drug dealers. Prosecutors dropped many of the cases they’d been working on.

For Marcus Jackson, the questions go beyond cases that may be dropped. Years before he became a police officer in September, 2008, Jackson was the focus of domestic violence allegations by two women who told a judge he had physically assaulted them. Both women took out restraining orders against Jackson.

CMPD has so far declined to say whether those domestic violence incidents should have disqualified Jackson from being hired. Nor has the department said whether Jackson had any discipline problems during his 15 months with the department.

Former Officer Buck Morris Accused of Sexually Assaulting Teen Scheduled to Appear in Court Monday

A former Stillwater police officer accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

A preliminary hearing is set for 9 a.m. Monday in Payne County District Court for 48-year-old Louis Alvie "Buck" Morris.

Morris was charged in June with two counts of rape by instrumentation and three counts of lewd acts with a child. An after-hours message left Saturday with Morris' attorney was not immediately returned.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, the alleged victim dated Morris' 16-year-old son and continued to talk to Morris after the two teens broke up.

A 17-year veteran of the Stillwater Police Department, Morris was suspended June 2 and resigned from the force on June 26.

Information from: Stillwater News Press, http://www.stwnewspress.com

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Officer Kenitra Davis Arrested for Drunk Driving

A Mount Pleasant police officer has been placed on administrative leave after North Charleston police, responding to a New Year's Eve call about a car in an apartment complex pond, charged her with drunken driving.

Kenitra Davis of North Charleston was arrested by police and charged with driving under the influence after a wreck in her personal vehicle, according to a news release from Mount Pleasant Police Chief Harry Sewell. She was not on duty. She has been placed on leave without pay pending an internal investigation.

Police were called to a report on a car in the pond at the Cedar Grove Apartments at 11:30 p.m. Thursday, said Spencer Pryor, North Charleston police public information officer. It was a single-car wreck. Davis was arrested after police made contact with her.

The incident follows the arrest of a Charleston police officer Tuesday after the S.C. Highway Patrol investigated a weekend incident in which a parked car was struck by a vehicle that left the scene. Charles C. Missel was charged with first-offense driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident, according to the state Department of Public Safety. He too was placed on administrative leave pending investigation.