Officer Joseph Edward Wild Charged with Harassment

A Portland Police officer charged with making harassing phone calls appeared in court Monday.

Portland Police Officer Joseph Edward Wild, 28, is accused of using his bureau-issued cell phone to make harassing phone calls to women.

According to a probable cause statement, Wild faces 41 counts of official misconduct and 19 counts of telephone harassment. Wild was arrested Friday.

At Wild's court appearance Monday, protesters who didn’t even know Officer Wild showed up to stand up for those who may have been victimized.

“I wouldn’t want to be in her (the victim’s) position. Whoever he was bothering and bugging, it’s not okay,“ said Marie Suttle.

The case is so sensitive that Portland police only told reporters that a woman has come forward to say Officer Wild was harassing her over the phone. But new documents released accuse Officer Wild of using his police cell phone to harass at least two women -- including an underage girl.

“Chief Sizer and the Portland Police Bureau will release as much information as possible in an effort to be fully transparent when the Bureau is able to do so,” spokeswoman Mary Wheat said.

No other officers were aware of the conduct, police said.

“Everyone I talked to at North Precinct remembers the man in the police car next to him going on calls for service and find it difficult that these allegations can be true, “Said Scott Westerman, spokesman with the Portland Police Association.

Wild was scheduled to be back in court Thursday morning, and more charges were possible in the case.

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Update: http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_080409_news_portland_officer_calls_resigns.aaf4e432.html

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/portland_police_officer_charge.html

Officer John Lewis Charged with Stalking, Assaulting Wife

A Schenectady police officer is again facing trouble with the law and on the job after being charged with stalking and aggravated harrassment.

Officer John Lewis, 38, of Oregon Ave. was arrested Monday after an unspecified domestic violence incident, the Schenectady Police Department.

Lewis was previously arrested in June after his wife accused him of assaulting her. Lewis was cleared of the harrassment charge by a city court judge but ordered to stay away from his wife.

The Schenectady Police Department said at the time it was conducting an internal investigation of the incident and had put Lewis on unpaid leave.

Lewis was again put on unpaid leave after Monday's arrest. He is scheduled to reappear in court on Nov. 24th.

This isn't the first time that Lewis has come under fire. Back in 1998 Lewis was fired from the force after being accused of using a racial slur. He was eventually reinstated by an arbitrator.


More Information and Video: http://capitalnews9.com/content/headlines/127764/schenectady-police-officer-suspended-after-arrest/Default.aspx

Officers Plan to Plead Not Guilty

SCHENECTADY

Three city officers accused of beating a drunken driving suspect last winter are scheduled to be arraigned today on criminal charges related to the altercation.

Attorneys for patrolmen Andrew Karaskiewicz and Eric Reyell say their clients plan to plead not guilty to charges in an indictment which is expected to be unsealed by County Court Judge Karen Drago.

Sources familiar with the investigation who requested anonymity identified the third officer facing charges for his alleged role in the incident as Officer Gregory Hafensteiner.

Cheryl Coleman, who represents Reyell, said an official with the state Attorney General's office told her to make arrangements to have her client fingerprinted and processed.

"Obviously they are charging him with something," she said.

Attorney General's office spokesman John Milgrim declined comment. The agency is looking into the allegations related to an incident involving Donald L. Randolph on Dec. 7. The Pattersonville man claims Hafensteiner, Reyell, Karaskiewicz, Daryl Mallard and Kevin Derkowski beat and kicked him at a Union Street McDonald's parking lot and again at Union and McClellan streets. The officers have been on paid leave since late December.

In May, Randolph pleaded guilty in City Court to a misdemeanor second-degree unlicensed motor vehicle operation after originally facing felony driving while intoxicated and a harassment violation. He is suing the department.

The latest development on the brutality case comes as the city is poised to name a new chief in a bid to regain public confidence after various criminal charges against police officers.

Though he stressed he had no official word the officers would be indicted, city Councilman Gary McCarthy, who also chairs the public safety committee, said the latest "self-inflicted wound" is bad news and "another unfortunate incident in the history of the police department," he said.

Officer Antonio Allums Committing Crimes While in Uniform

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.

A Lipscomb police officer has lost his probation and has been sent to the Jefferson County Jail after being charged with harrassment a second time.

Officer Antonio Allums was already serving two years of probation on a misdemeanor conviction when got a new harassment charge in June.

Assistant District Attorney James Butler said the 44-year-old officer has been committing the crimes while in uniform. He has been placed on unpaid leave.

Allums is accused of harassing a woman when their paths crossed at a gas station the day after he issued her traffic tickets. He allegedly told her he hadn't yet turned in the tickets and could make them go away in exchange for favors.

In the original charge, another woman said Allums entered her home unannounced and fondled her the day after pulling her over in a traffic stop.

Off Duty Officer Accused of Punching other Officer

LAKE GEORGE

An off-duty police officer from Connecticut spent Thursday night in the Warren County Correctional Facility after sheriff’s officers said he punched an off-duty peace officer in the head.

Leonard E. Alterio, 43, of Monroe Conn., a 11-year-officer with the Bridgeport Police Department, is facing charges of resisting arrest, a misdemeanor; and second degree harassment, a violation. No assault charges were lodged.

Undersheriff Robert Swan said that Alterio was observed by an off-duty Lake George village peace officer, who Swan did not identify, on Canada St., near Sheppard Park around 1 a.m. Friday.

Swan said the peace officer noticed the man had some minor facial injuries and appeared to be highly intoxicated. When the peace officer asked Alterio if he was alright, Swan said Alterio punched the officer in the head, an act allegedly witnessed by an on-duty peace officer who was nearby on Canada St. Swan said Alterio fought with both officers until he was subdued.

According to court records, the two peace officers were Ronald Rock Jr. and Jason Quinones.

Assistance was requested from the Warren County Sheriff’s office which responded and assisted the peace officers. They also charged Alterio with resisting arrest, Swan said. Alterio was held overnight in the county jail until he was arraigned Friday morning in Lake George Court. He was released on bail to appear in court at a later date. 8-1-08

Officer Gives Ex's New Boyfriend a Traffic Ticket

A Lafayette police officer was arrested on suspicion of giving his ex’s new boyfriend a traffic ticket, keeping both under “surveillance” and damaging the hood of her car during an argument, according to police reports.

James Edward Stafford, 34, turned himself in Wednesday. He was arrested by the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office on suspicion of harassment/stalking, official misconduct and criminal mischief related to domestic violence. The harassment count is a class 5 felony.

Because he’s charged with a felony, Stafford is on unpaid leave in accordance with Lafayette police policy. He was unreachable Thursday.

The ex-girlfriend, a manager at Sonic in Lafayette whose name wasn’t released, told police she met Stafford last summer and they had an on-and-off relationship. During part of that relationship, they lived together in her Broomfield apartment. For the last three months, the woman was dating a Sonic employee.

The official misconduct charge stems from the traffic ticket, issued July 23.

Stafford, while driving an unmarked Lafayette police truck equipped with warning sirens, gave the woman’s boyfriend a ticket for weaving. Stafford then sent the woman a text message that said, “Your boyfriend just received a ticket, ha ha,” according to the arrest affidavit.

Lafayette police have since cleared the ticket.

In an interview with police, Stafford said he pulled the man over after he swerved over the yellow line into the oncoming lane of traffic, believing the man might be drunk. He told police he didn’t know the driver was the new boyfriend until after he pulled the man over.

He also told police that he sent the text message to the woman because the two had become friends and he didn’t want her to be upset about the ticket.

Lafayette police weren’t able to recover video footage of the stop from the truck’s dash-mounted camera.

The other charges stem from various incidents.

Stafford tried to lure the boyfriend to the woman’s home, impersonating her in text messages, according to police reports. He also scared her by punching a pillow next to her head after accusing her of cheating, she told police.

In another incident, she told police she met Stafford and he started yelling at her in the street to “just hit me.” As she backed away in her car, she told police, Stafford jumped on the hood of her truck, denting the hood and breaking her bug shield.

In an interview with police, Stafford denied damaging the woman’s truck.

In June, the woman told police, Stafford called her boss at Sonic and told him to fire her because she was stealing money and dating an employee.

Last week, she told police, Stafford sent her text messages while she was at work that indicated he was watching her. This week, she told police, she found comments on his MySpace page that scared her, including that he’s “going to take matters into his own hands.”

The Sonic employee told police he recently quit because he feared retaliation from Stafford.

The employee said he was “terrified” after receiving a text message from Stafford stating, “I will find you,” according to police reports. The employee also said Stafford later followed him and confronted him about his relationship with the woman, with Stafford telling him, “I will be watching you like a hawk.”

Before receiving the traffic ticket, the employee told police, Stafford left a note on his car in an apartment parking garage warning that it would be towed if it wasn’t moved.

Stafford has posted a $5,000 personal recognizance bond and was released Wednesday. Police also took 13 guns from Stafford’s home for safe keeping, including rifles, pistols and a shotgun.

Officer Arrested for Stalking, Misconduct and Criminal Mischief

A Lafayette police officer turned himself in Wednesday morning after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Officer James Stafford, 34, was arrested by the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office on suspicion of harassment/stalking, official misconduct and criminal mischief related to domestic violence. The harassment count is a class 5 felony.

On Monday, the Lafayette Police Department asked the Sheriff’s Office to conduct an investigation into allegations of wrongdoing against Stafford. That investigation led to the arrest warrant.

Details of the case weren’t available Wednesday night, nor was the police report.

Sheriff Joe Pelle said the alleged wrongdoing involved Stafford and a “girlfriend or romantic interest.”

Pelle said an “official misconduct” charge usually means someone misused his or her authority. He didn’t elaborate on what those alleged misuses were in this case.

Stafford, who appeared in court Wednesday afternoon, posted a $5,000 personal recognizance bond and was released later in the day.

Officer Charles Weigold Jr Charged with Stalking

A Bethlehem police officer, after being released from an area hospital, was arrested Wednesday on charges stemming from a conflict earlier in the week with wife.

Charles W. Weigold Jr., 49, of Danielsville, is charged with stalking, harassment and terroristic threats and is free after posting $10,000 bail set by District Judge Michael J. Koury Jr. of Wilson.

Weigold's status with the Bethlehem Police Department could not be verified Wednesday.

At his arraignment Wednesday, Weigold told Koury his position with the department where he has worked for six years was ''questionable.'' Weigold also said he had voluntarily committed himself the previous night to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg.

On Tuesday in Northampton County Court, Weigold and his wife, Donna, 47, who lists her address as ''confidential'' in court records, got temporary protection-from-abuse orders against one another.

She says Monday her husband jammed a clip into his handgun and told her a ''blood bath'' was imminent; he says she sprayed him in the face with bleach during another argument.

She also filed a court petition Tuesday, claiming her husband called her son numerous times in an attempt to get her to drop the protection order. That led to his arrest Wednesday on the harassment charges.

At the arraignment, Weigold used $10,000 in cash that he withdrew from an account in his and his wife's names, which sparked a heated exchange between Assistant District Attorney Jacqueline Taschner and defense attorney Bohdan Zelechiwsky of Bethlehem while Koury was out of the courtroom.

Taschner said Weigold withdrew the cash Monday and argued it was part of a pattern of ''harassment'' against his wife. Koury disagreed and permitted Weigold to use it to stay out of prison. Koury also ordered Weigold not to have any contact with his wife and required him to wear an electronic GPS monitor.

Before the arraignment began, Weigold chatted with a county detective about the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and showed reporters a large tattoo of the twin towers on his leg.

Weigold told Koury he had been a sergeant in the New York City Police Department, where he served 20 years.

Zelechiwsky said Weigold never had any trouble with the law before and had now found himself in an ''unfortunate situation'' that was ''totally out of character.''

Taschner said events in the Weigold household have been escalating and repeatedly described Weigold as a manipulative person who ''thinks he is smarter than everyone else.''

Probation Officer David Williams Accused of Harassing Client

COEUR D'ALENE

He's supposed to keep her on the right side of the law, but a North Idaho woman says her probation officer is harassing her instead.

Wanda Arrington says David Williams left drunk voice messages on her phone and tried to have inappropriate conversations with her.

The 44-year-old Coeur d'Alene woman says she received the disturbing phone calls last Thursday. Now, she wants to make sure other women aren't harrassed.

Arrington is trying to stay out of trouble. She's on probation after being charged with multiple DUIs.

"I was asleep Thursday and I heard my phone ringing at 2:26 in the morning," she says. "I got up and answered it and it was my probation officer."

But now she says the man in charge of keeping her on track abused his power. She says Williams tried having inappropriate conversations, accused her of violating her probation, and threatened to arrest her.

"When I told him I was going to put my jail clothes on, 'cause you can wear white, he wanted to know what color my panties were," says Arrington, "and he wanted to know and as soon as he found out my fiance was there, he wanted to know if he was naked."

Not only did Arrington feel her probation officer's comments were offensive, she says Williams left over a half dozen messages for her in a two-hour period. Some sounded drunk.

One saved message from 2:07 a.m. Thursday says, "Yes, Wanda, I received a call (hiccup) not so long ago from your phone, give me a call back."

The Idaho Department of Corrections declined an interview request for an on-camera interview, but officials did say the allegations of misconduct against Williams are being investigated and that he was put on paid administrative leave.

"If we violated, we have a drink, we go to jail for discrecianary time," Arrington says. "How come he can get drunk and harrass us on the phone?"

Idaho DOC officials say Williams has been a probation officer for 16 years and this is the first complaint filed against him by an offender. But court documents show williams was charged with stalking his ex-wife back in 2007.

Arrington wants make sure there aren't other victims.

"Not all probation officers are like that," she says. "I do believe that and there's going to be good and bad in everyone. I just want to make sure he didn't wrong someone that didn't deserve it."

The Department of Corrections expects to wrap up their investigation by next week.