Former Officer Paul Manganelli Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Porn

A former Waltham Police officer pleaded guilty Thursday to possession child pornography, according to federal authorities.

Paul Manganelli, 47, of Waltham, pleaded guilty to the charge before U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor, according to a release from U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz’ office.

Manganelli faces up to 20 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a $250,000 fine, authorities said.

According to the release, from December 2011 to March 2013, Manganelli traded child pornography via email. He resigned from his position at the Waltham Police Department after his arrest in March 2013.

At the time of his arrest, federal agents found Manganelli in possession of more than 850 images and 40 videos containing child pornography. He traded the material with at least 53 email accounts, according to the release. During these email exchanges, Manganelli discussed his sexual interest in children and asked others how to groom a child to engage in sexual activity with him, authorities said.

Manganelli initially claimed that he was attempting to identify online sexual predators. However, he was never assigned nor authorized by the Waltham Police Department to conduct such purported investigations, nor did he ever report any criminal conduct he observed, authorities said.

Retired Officer Joseph Ferrante Out on Bail for Child Porn Found Drunk Outside Liquor Store

A retired Peabody cop, out on bail in a child pornography case, was found parked outside a liquor store swigging from separate bottles of vodka and cranberry juice Tuesday morning, police said.

As a result, Joseph Ferrante, 60, of 30 Bresnahan St., Peabody, is being held in custody without bail after a Peabody District Court judge revoked his bail in the child porn case.

According to a police report, Ferrante begged Patrolman Patrick Berardino not to arrest him after Berardino spotted him in a rented Hyundai idling outside of A&L Liquors on Foster Street at 10:25 a.m.

“Pat, please don’t arrest me,” Ferrante allegedly asked the officer. “They will revoke my bail, and I will go to jail.”

Before he approached Ferrante, Berardino watched him drink from the two bottles, one a 200-milliliter (6.8 ounces) bottle of vodka and the other a 16-ounce bottle of cranberry juice. Ferrante then got out of his car holding the two nearly empty bottles and stumbled toward a Dumpster, police said.

Police said Ferrante nearly fell while doing field sobriety tests. There is no indication in court papers that he took a Breathalyzer test.

Ferrante was arrested at the scene and arraigned Tuesday afternoon in Peabody District Court, where Judge Richard Mori not only revoked his $5,000 bail in the child porn case but set additional bail of $500 in the drunken-driving case.

Ferrante is also charged with violating the city’s open container ordinance. He pleaded not guilty to both charges.

In November, he also pleaded not guilty to charges that he stored and shared child pornography on his home computer, which was connected to an online file-sharing service frequently used by pedophiles. Those charges came after an investigator from the Internet Crimes Against Children unit of the state police linked his IP address to one that was offering explicit images of boys.

He is due back in court on April 16 for a probable cause hearing in the child pornography case and a pretrial hearing in the drunken-driving case.

Former Chief Andrew Demers Charged with Unlawful Sexual Contact with Child

A former chief of the Maine State Police faces charges of unlawful sexual contact with a child younger than 12 years old.

Andrew E. Demers, 73, of New Gloucester turned himself in to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office at 9 a.m. Monday. He was charged with unlawful sexual contact — a Class B crime — then released on $5,000 cash bail, according to Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce.

The incidents that led to Demers’ arrest allegedly took place during the past several months. The alleged victim was a young member of Demers’ family, Joyce told the Bangor Daily News by phone Monday.

A tip from a previous employee of Demers’ at the Maine State Police spurred the investigation, according to Joyce.

During the past week, detectives from the sheriff’s office investigated reports of “an ongoing unlawful sexual contact situation,” and in recent days interviewed witnesses and a suspected victim, according to a release from Joyce.

If convicted, Demers could serve up to 10 years in prison and face a maximum fine of $20,000.

Demers served 26 years with the Maine State Police and held the position of chief from 1987 to 1993, when he retired.

In 2003, Demers was the most decorated officer in state police history and was named a “Legendary Trooper,” the Sun Journal reported at the time.

A condition of Demers’ release is that he not have contact with anyone younger than 16 years old.

On Monday, Col. Robert Williams, chief of the Maine State Police, released the following statement:

“The state police are stunned at the allegation and saddened for the victim and their family. Our thoughts and concerns are with them. We learned of the allegations last Monday and immediately referred the case to the Cumberland County district attorney’s office. To avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest, we suggested that the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office investigate, and we have had no further involvement in the investigation.”

Tamara Getchell, spokeswoman for the Cumberland County district attorney’s office, said Monday afternoon that the case remains under investigation and nothing has been filed in court.

In recent years, two other former state troopers — one who served on Maine’s force and one from Massachusetts — were convicted of sex crimes in Maine.

In April 2012, Gregory Vrooman of Nobleboro, a 24-year veteran of the Maine State Police, was convicted of 12 sex crimes against a girl younger than 14 years old. He was sentenced to five years in prison with all but 21 months suspended.

In October 2011, retired Massachusetts State Trooper Joseph Silva of Newburyport, Mass., was convicted of gross sexual assault and two counts of aggravated assault against a woman in a Kittery motel. He will serve a total of 10 years in prison, with 10 years probation, WMTW TV reported at the time.

While declining to comment on the specific allegations, Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault spokeswoman Cara Courchesne said Monday that child sexual abuse is always perpetrated by someone who has more power and control than the child does, but when the perpetrator is a respected member of the community, that power often makes it more difficult for a victim to disclose the abuse.

“Take Jerry Sandusky,” she said. “He was a pillar in the community, and then it turns out he’s been sexually abusing boys for a number of years. The part of this that makes child sexual abuse cases more difficult than they already are is the cases often involve someone who people really respect and people really trust. … With people who abuse children, an aspect of their behavior is they are able to gain the trust of the adults around the child and end up being able to perpetrate the abuse. In cases where there is an ongoing pattern of abuse, that is often the case.”

Retired Officer Joseph Ferrante Charged with Sharing Child Porn

A retired Peabody police officer has been charged with storing and sharing child pornography on his computer.

Joseph Ferrante, 60, of 30 Bresnahan St., Peabody, is scheduled to be arraigned this morning in Peabody District Court on charges stemming from an investigation by the state police Internet Crimes Against Children unit, according to court papers.

Ferrante was arrested at his home on Monday after troopers obtained a search warrant that allowed them to seize and examine Ferrante’s computers. A preliminary search confirmed that among the items on the computer’s hard drive was a video of two boys engaging in sexual activity.

That is the same video Sgt. Michael Hill found when he visited a file-sharing network in September.

The video, with the name “bibcam,” (short for “boys in bedroom”) depicted adolescent boys, 12 and 14, engaging in sexual acts. It was one of the videos listed on the file-sharing site as being available from a specific computer within the group.

Hill also found another video showing a boy under the age of 10 engaging in sexual activity with an older male. As the investigation continued, Hill was able to link directly to the same computer and found another video, this one described as a “preteen hard-core” video of an 8-year-old girl.

Using the IP address of the computer, prosecutors sought a subpoena from Comcast and learned the identity of the subscriber, Ferrante.

On Monday, they showed up at Ferrante’s home with a search warrant.

Trooper James Dowling confronted Ferrante, who initially acknowledged only that he had “passed by” child porn.

Ferrante admitted to using the file-sharing service and admitted that he had both searched for and viewed child pornography. But he allegedly told investigators he did not believe there was child pornography on his computer.

A trooper who did a preliminary search found, in addition to the video of the two adolescent boys, files with names that suggested that they also contained child pornography. Police took the computer for a full search.

Ferrante, who is divorced, was released late Monday on $5,000 bail set by an assistant clerk magistrate following his arrest.

Ferrante is facing charges of possession and dissemination of child pornography. The possession charge carries up to a five-year prison term, but dissemination of child pornography carries a minimum mandatory 10-year term and up to 20 years in prison.

Former Trooper Gregory Vrooman Convicted for Sex Crimes Against Child

A state trooper who was convicted in April of a dozen sex crimes against
 a girl younger than 14 has been given a five-year prison sentence.

District Attorney Geoffrey Rushlau, whose office prosecuted the case, said Gregory Vrooman, 46, of Nobleboro will serve 21 months in prison, with 39 months suspended.

After being sentenced last week in a courtroom in Bath, Vrooman was released on $25,000 unsecured bail, Rushlau said.

Rushlau said Vrooman's attorney, Steven Peterson of Rockport, has indicated that he plans to appeal his client's sentence to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Peterson could not be reached for comment Monday.

Vrooman's case took a strange turn in April, when he was attacked and injured in a Wiscasset courtroom just moments before the jury in his trial was expected to render its verdict.

Witnesses said William Harrison, 39, jumped Vrooman, who was seated next to his attorney, and landed two punches before he was subdued by court officers. Vrooman was removed from the courtroom on a stretcher.

Harrison, who lives in Charlestown, Mass., was charged with aggravated assault.

"We were on the verge of getting a verdict," Rushlau told The Portland Press Herald at the time. "This was bizarre and unprecedented."

One day later, the jury convicted Vrooman of four counts of unlawful sexual contact with a minor, four counts of unlawful sexual touching and four counts of assault.

Rushlau said it could take several months before the supreme court hears Vrooman's appeal.

Vrooman, a 24-year veteran of the Maine State Police, was arrested in November 2010.

Two Corrections Officer Arrested for Misconduct

In less than a week, authorities in Cumberland County have arrested two corrections officers accused of misconduct on the job. Both face serious charges in unrelated cases.

Last week, an officer was charged with smuggling drugs in to the jail, and a second officer was accused Tuesday of having sex with an inmate.

Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion said he is disappointed over what he called "two corrupt corrections officers" at the Cumberland County Jail.

"It's a terrible feeling. I mean, we take an oath. The community grants us a responsibility and, more importantly, they trust us to do the job," Dion said. "We're supposed to be on the right side. So, when we discover our own is on the wrong side of the law, it's discouraging, it's embarrassing."

Gerald Gilbert Jr., 41, of South Portland, faces two charges of gross sexual assault following an internal investigation by the sheriff's office. Gilbert is accused of having sex with a female inmate at the Cumberland County Jail.

Dion said the same female inmate was receiving drugs from Toby Post, 38, of West Gardiner, who was charged last week with two felony counts of trafficking in prison contraband. Investigators determined Post was the middleman in delivering drugs to an inmate.

Dion said he has enough evidence to recommend to county leaders that both men lose their jobs.

"They have a common link with that particular inmate; however, they weren't necessarily working in concert," Dion said.

"We're supposed to be on the right side. So, when we discover our own is on the wrong side of the law, it's discouraging, it's embarrassing."

"The men and women who work in that facility are disgusted that two of our own have fallen to that level, but bad apples don't spoil the bunch," said Will Russell, president of the correction officers' union. "The men and women who work in that facility hold their heads up high, and rightfully so."

"Should there be some policy changes? We don't re-write the code for traffic court just because there are accidents out there and people are speeding. We just pay more attention and we will," Dion said.

Post is free on bail and has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation.

Gilbert, who has been a corrections officer at the jail since January 2007, is on paid administrative leave pending a pre-termination hearing. He was released from jail on unsecured bail of $5,000. News 8 spoke with Gilbert at his home Tuesday night but he had no comment.

Both Gilbert and Post are due to be arraigned in court on March 10.

Officer Dennis Byrne Arrested for Beating Man

The Sandwich police officer accused of beating a man so severely he required 37 stitches to his face has a history of threatening the alleged victim, according to police reports.

Accompanied by attorney Jens Bahrawy and an unidentified woman, Sandwich police Officer Dennis Byrne pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (blunt object) in Barnstable District Court yesterday.

Byrne, 38, has a "long history of conflict due to an ongoing relationship between Byrne's wife ... and (the alleged victim)," a police report states. The alleged victim told police Byrne's wife is a battered woman, adding that "Byrne is unstable and that he will eventually kill (his wife)."

The Sandwich officer has been on paid administrative leave since the morning the incident was reported. Byrne is due back in court for a pretrial hearing July 21.

On June 16 at about 10 p.m., Byrne's wife visited the alleged victim at his Route 6A home. Hours later during the early morning of June 17, Byrne arrived at the home and was invited inside, according to police.

According to a police report, the alleged victim eventually asked Byrne to leave his house but Byrne refused. Byrne then attacked the man after he had turned his back, striking him in the face multiple times, according to police.

Byrne's wife reportedly witnessed the alleged assault and called the state police barracks in Middleboro from a cell phone.

Although police could not identify the weapon used in the incident, the alleged victim said it looked like a dowel or roll of quarters. The man told police Byrne continued to hit him while he was down on the ground using the sides of his fists.

"(The alleged victim) also stated that Byrne would constantly tell (him) that he couldn't do anything about it because he was a cop," according to the police report.

When police asked the alleged victim whether the violent encounter was an isolated incident, the man said he had lost count of how many times Byrne had threatened to kill him. The man also said Byrne was often in uniform while making the alleged threats.

Police said the alleged victim also has voice mail recordings of Byrne identifying himself and making threats.

Byrne, his unidentified female companion and his attorney did not answer questions on their way out of the courthouse yesterday. If convicted of the felony charge, Byrne could face up to 2½ years in the Barnstable County Correctional Facility.

Byrne is on paid administrative leave pending an upcoming disciplinary hearing. Sandwich police Chief Michael Miller did not return a phone message yesterday seeking comment on the status of that hearing. Byrne earns $61,000 per year in regular pay, according to town records, and has been an officer in Sandwich for 10 years.

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http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20090709officer_pleads_not_guilty_to_assault/srvc=home&position=recent

Colby Students Rally Against Excessive Force

An Easter Sunday encounter between students at Colby College and campus security has thrown the campus into turmoil. College officials say that security was trying to restrain students who were interfering with their task of helping another student who was ill. But a student-made video of the incident now widely viewed on campus has drawn cries of excessive force from the student body, who turned out by the hundreds this afternoon for a rally.

At noon, about 800 Colby students, roughly half the student body, stopped what they were doing and converged on the campus center to protest a Sunday incident at the Pugh student center that resulted in the arrest of two students. They wore red shirts in solidarity.

"So on the night in question I also was there in the Pugh Center," said Cynia Barnwell, one of about 10 students who shared eyewitness accounts with the crowd from under a towering flagpole. "The security officers knees was on the back of student A's neck and I began to cry and I questioned why this was happening, I questioned why they were using such force, what did he do, things of that nature."

The two students arrested were identified as 22-year-old Ozzy Ramirez, of the Bronx, New York, and 21-year-old Jacob Roundtree, of St. Albans, New York. Both were charged with assault and criminal trespass.

Police, who were called to assist campus police, say the incident unfolded after a college dance, when Colby's emergency's response team was trying to help an intoxicated student.

Joseph Massey is Waterville's police chief. "It all stemmed from apparently some students not wanting another student, who was intoxicated - and medical treatment was trying to be delivered to that student by some EMTs who were also students, and for some reason this large group of students, who obviously a lot of them had been drinking, didn't want the student to receive medical treatment."

The college says one student -- a reference to Ramirez, according to student eyewitnesses -- reportedly took issue with what was going on, and intefered with what the emergency response team was doing, both verbally and physically. The second student, identified as Roundtree by students, also verbally and physically interfered. Police say both were also drunk.

But fellow students say that campus security was overreacting and they point to a video that student Reesa Kashuk captured with her digital camera. The video shows two security officers restraining a man identified as Ramierez to the ground, as a small pool of blood collects around his face. The man screams "Let me go!" as his friends alternate between screaming and urging him to calm down.

Students demanded an apology from the college administration, who were invited to speak at the rally. They didn't get one. But college President William Adams expressed his sympathy toward the students. "I hear you, I understand, and I understand the level of upset that has been expressed today and previously and will continue to be expressed, and I need you to know that I share a level of profound upset."

Adams said that the college was conducting a thorough and fair investigation into what happened. The school has not taken any action against the students who were arrested or the security officers. "I'm working on identifying somebody from outside the institution to look at all these pieces that we're putting together, an independent voice, if you will, an investigator to take stock of what we gather and what we have said and what is being said by students and others."

Adams said the college administration would also sponsor a forum with the public that would allow students to ask questions.

The fact that the two students arrested were Hispanic and African-American, respectively, has prompted student complaints of racial discrimination. Juniors Lane Phillips and Kelsey Gibbs, who are white, said they didn't think that white students would have been treated the same way. I don't think it's a coincidence they happen to be two minority students on a campus of predominantly white, odds are against it being possible. There's no doubt in my mind," Phillips says.

"At the same time, I don't think security had the intention of beating up minority students. But at a same time, I don't think, in that same situation, I don't think it would have escalated to that level if they had been white.

Waterville Police Chief Massey said there have been no charges of racial discrimination filed. He says the allegations distract from the real issue: excessive college drinking.
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Other Information: http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090415/NEWS0104/904159972/-1/CITIZEN

Officer Matthew Raymond Arrested for Domestic Violence

ELIOT, Maine

A six-year veteran of the Eliot Police Department was arrested on a charge of domestic violence stalking Friday afternoon, 12 days after he was put on administrative leave in connection with the incident.

Matthew Raymond, 27, of Sanford, was arrested at his home by Maine State Police on the charge, a Class D misdemeanor, following an investigation into an incident on Saturday, March 14.

Eliot Police Chief Theodor Short said he was “made aware of this situation on Saturday night and after interviewing the victim, a woman that Raymond once dated, he was relieved from duty when he came to work Sunday evening (March 15).”

Short declined to give any further information about the incident.
Short said Raymond remains on paid leave, but now that there has been an arrest in the case, “that may change. We need to explore that a little more.”

The chief said he turned the investigation over to state police on March 16, the same day he launched an internal investigation into allegations of police department policy and criminal violations.
That internal investigation remains ongoing, Short said, and Raymond will remain on leave until its completion.

“There’s still documents we need to get, witnesses we need to interview. We’re looking for more information,” he said.

He said Raymond posted bail following his arrest Friday, but he did not know the date of his first court appearance. He said the arraignment would be in York District Court.

Chief Michael Poulin Arrested for Domestic Violence

Milo's police chief has been arrested on a domestic assault charge.

Town Manager Jeff Gahagan confirms that Chief Michael Poulin was arrested by Piscataquis County Sheriff's Deputies on Friday night.

Gahagan isn't releasing details, but will say Poulin is on paid leave while an investigation is conducted.

Poulin was booked at the Piscataquis County Jail Friday night and was released on bail later that same night.

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Video: http://www.wabi.tv/news/5223/police-chief-arrested-for-domestic-assault

Sgt. Mark Sawyer Charged with Domestic Assault

OAKLAND

A Maine State Police sergeant arrested Monday on charges of aggravated domestic assault is on paid administrative leave.

Mark Sawyer, 43, of Sparkling Lake Lane, was arrested at 6:30 p.m. Monday after police received a call about 5 p.m. of an alleged assault, police Capt. Rick Stubbert said Thursday.

Sawyer was booked at 7:30 p.m. and bailed from the Police Department on $500 cash bond, Stubbert said.

"The case is still under investigation; there's a lot of stuff we're still following up on," he said.

Stubbert said he could not release details of the case while it is being investigated. He said four officers went to Sawyer's home Monday where he was arrested. Sawyer was cooperative, he said.

Aggravated assault is a Class B felony. Stubbert said no weapons were involved.

"The 'aggravated' part comes into play as far as the victim's injuries," he said.

He said he could not reveal information about those injuries.

Stubbert said information is not being withheld because Sawyer is a law enforcement officer; Oakland police are doing exactly what they would with anyone else arrested under such circumstances.

"That's been our biggest concern right from the beginning -- to handle it just like any other case," he said.

Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety, said Thursday that Sawyer is a 23-year member of the state police and is a sergeant with the commercial vehicle enforcement unit.

McCausland said he could not release more information about Sawyer's case.

"He is on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of this charge," he said.

Sawyer's attorney, Michael Turndorf of Brunswick, said his client is innocent.

"It's not a question of being innocent until proven guilty; simply put, he is innocent," Turndorf said Thursday. "The fact of his arrest is not evidence of anything other than he was arrested."

Turndorf said there is more to the story, and when the story comes out, Sawyer will not be convicted of any offense. He said the call to police about the alleged assault did not come from Sawyer's home.

"There was no call at all from the alleged victim," Turndorf said.

The standard by which police officers conduct an arrest is based on probable cause and probable cause is really the lowest standard of proof that exists, he said.

"All they need is a pointed finger to arrest someone and they don't need much more. That's not any criticism against police -- that's just a statement of fact."

Turndorf declined to identify the alleged victim, or say whether it was a family member of Sawyer's.

Kennebec County Deputy District Attorney Alan Kelley also said he could not divulge details.

"The case is still under investigation, and we don't feel comfortable revealing any other information at this point," he said.

Sawyer is scheduled to appear at a hearing in Kennebec County Superior Court in Augusta at 8:30 a.m. April 14.

"As it approaches, obviously we're going to have more and more information and at some point, it will be appropriate to discuss it," Kelley said. "But not right now."

Other Information: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008887319_appolicearrested.html

Portland Police Officer Charged With Domestic Assault

Westbrook, Maine

Police officer Brian Regan 39, a 14-year Portland police veteran, who has a history of using excessive force was arrested last Tuesday night for assaulting his wife. He was also charged with reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon while in his home in Westbrook.

Regan’s lawyer claim that is was his wife that attempted to shoot him and that was when the gun accidentally discharged while he was attempting to disarm her.

This wasn’t the first time Officer Regan has gotten into trouble. In 2002, Officer Regan was accused of brutality during an arrest that followed a high speed chase. He was later acquitted of charges, an internal investigation found that Regan had used excessive force and was suspended for six months.

This Jackass is currently free from the Cumberland County jail on a 500 dollar bail after this latest charge of domestic violence, and has been ordered not to have any contact with his wife.

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If this guy is allowed to continue being a law enforcement officer, it will only be a matter of time before he kills someone. Get this guy out of a uniform before he tries getting away with legally murdering someone.