Police Officers, Boy Scout Leader, Paramedic and Many Others Arrested in Operation Caireen

Seemingly respectable members of the mainstream — a police officer, a paramedic, a rabbi, an airline pilot, an architect, a Boy Scout leader — were caught using the Internet to collect and trade child pornography, federal officials said Wednesday.

The six were among 70 New York City-area men and one woman charged as the result of a five-week investigation by the Homeland Security Investigations arm of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Some of the defendants, using search terms like “real child rape” and “family sex,” had downloaded thousands of disturbing images on their computers inside suburban homes they shared with their families. The lone woman was accused of allowing another suspect to videotape her son.

Federal and state officials who announced the arrests on Wednesday called it one of the largest local roundups ever of people who seek to anonymously share the porn online — and a stark reminder that they come from all walks of life.

“This operation puts the lie to the classic, stereotypical profile that child predators are nothing more than unemployed drifters,” said James Hayes, head of ICE’s New York office.

Authorities say an alarming number of the defendants held positions of trust that gave them access to young children. The Boy Scout leader also coached a youth baseball team. The rabbi home-schooled his children and others. Another person used hidden cameras to secretly film his children’s friends.

The operation was meant to send a message to producers and consumers of child porn “that they are going to be identified, that they are going to be found,” Hayes said. “Those people need to look themselves in the mirror and do whatever they need to do to stop this activity.”

Authorities say advances in technology and computer capacity have allowed child-porn collectors to easily amass vast troves of images and to exchange files with each other directly. The New York effort resulted in the seizure of nearly 600 desktop and laptop computers, tablets, smartphones and other devices containing massive amounts of storage.

Agents were still examining the devices to locate and catalog evidence, an arduous task that could result in more arrests. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also will have analysts review the images to see whether it can identify children using databases of known victims.

“We refer to each of these images as a crime scene photo because that’s exactly what they are,” said John Ryan, the organization’s chief executive officer.

Authorities decided to launch the operation after the arrest in January of the Mount Pleasant, New York, police chief, who pleaded not guilty this week to federal charges of knowingly receiving and distributing child pornography. Court papers allege that Brian Fanelli told investigators he began looking at child porn as research before it grew into a “personal interest.”

In May, agents on computers created a digital dragnet with the same tactics used in the Fanelli case: Agents posed as collectors of child porn who wanted to anonymously trade it through file-sharing programs others use to share pirated hit music and movies. Once given access to personal libraries of child porn photos and videos, the agents identified the numeric IP addresses of the sources of the material.

The next step as was to subpoena Internet service providers to obtain names associated with the IP addresses. The investigators narrowed the list down to 100 people who were the most active and recent traders, and obtained search and arrest warrants.

Former State Parole Officer James Leone Sentenced for Child Porn

A former senior state parole officer from Bethpage who oversaw officers supervising convicted sex offenders was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison Friday on child pornography charges, officials said.

James Leone, 51, must serve 5 years of supervised release after completing the sentence.

Under federal guidelines, Leone faced 63 to 78 months in prison after pleading guilty in January 2013 to accessing a computer with intent to view child porn.

At the sentencing in Central Islip federal court, U.S. District Judge Arthur Spatt called the graphic preteen videos and pictures that Leone had viewed "bad . . . awful."

Spatt doubted Leone would commit another crime, and noted that he had led an otherwise exemplary life and was receiving therapy, but said prison time was required as punishment and a deterrent to others.

"There was no justification for what I did," Leone told the judge before the sentence was imposed. He expressed remorse and said his actions have scarred him for life.

"I have spent the majority of my life protecting people . . ., protecting children," he said. "I betrayed a trust."

Eastern District prosecutor Allen Bode told Spatt that "everyone should know better," but especially Leone.

"He knew firsthand" about vulnerable children being victimized, Bode said.

Earlier in his career, Leone was a New York City parole officer and a child abuse investigator for the city's child welfare bureau, officials said.

Federal agents came across Leone while investigating people sharing child porn on the Internet, according to court papers.

Leone later admitted that he had been searching for "preteen hard-core" porn for about a year, but deleted anything he watched because he did not want his wife or child to see it, the papers said.

Leone resigned after his arrest in September 2012.

Former Officer Adam Schwabrow Pleads Guilty to Rape

A former Johnstown police officer, who pleaded guilty to third degree rape, was sentenced to jail on Tuesday.

Adam Schwabrow, 32, resigned from the force after pleading guilty to charges that he had sex with a girl who was under the age of 17. Prior to his resignation, he was suspended during an internal investigation into the incident.

The crime occurred in May 2011 in the City of Johnstown. He was not on duty at the time of the commission of the crime, and officials say at no time was force alleged in this case. 

Schwabrow will serve one year in the Fulton County Jail.

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.

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 Jamarie Flowers Arrested for Firing Gun into the Air

An off-duty NYPD cop was arrested early Saturday after he allegedly fired several shots into the air in New Rochelle.

Police said Jamarie Flowers, 25, fired his gun after getting into a verbal dispute outside the Carrington Arms apartment building on Lincoln Avenue.

No one was injured, but Flowers was charged with first degree reckless endangerment.

This is just the latest NYPD officer to be arrested for acting recklessly.

Earlier in the week officer Brendan Cronin was arrested, accused of shooting a man six times in Pelham.

He allegedly fired more than a dozen bullets.

Cronin reportedly was at an NYPD shooting range earlier that day before going to a bar.

He refused to take a breathalyzer test.

In late April, an NYPD detective accidentally shot his partner in the wrist.

He was charged with driving while intoxicated.

Officer Brendan Cronin Arrested for Shooting

An NYPD officer who works in the Bronx has found himself on the other side of the law for his alleged role in a Westchester County shooting.

According to authorities, Officer Brendan Cronin fired his gun at least 13 times at a car sitting at a stoplight in Pelham Bay Tuesday night.

They say a 47-year-old man was wounded, but is in stable condition at the hospital.

Cronin, a five-year NYPD veteran, is being charged with first-degree assault. He has been suspended without pay.

It remains unclear what led to the shooting.

Officer Yong Wu Charged with Possession of Child Porn

Yong Wu, 34, downloaded to his computer at his home in Ozone Park, Queens, videos of underage girls performing sex acts, and he also shared the videos with others, police said Tuesday.

An NYPD officer was busted on child pornography charges after cops discovered he was downloading sickening sex clips onto his computer and sharing the material, police said on Tuesday.

Officer Yong Wu, 34, downloaded to his computer at his home in Ozone Park, Queens, a video clip, just over five-minutes long, of an underage girl performing a sex act on herself, cops said.

Investigators said he also downloaded another clip a short time later of a girl, aged 13 years or younger, having sex with an adult man.

Cops raided Wu’s home early Monday morning and found five other videos stashed on his desktop that showed other girls, some as young as 8-years-old, engaging in sex acts with adult men, officials said.

Wu is charged with seven counts each of promoting a sexual performance of a child and possession of a sexual performance by a child, officials said.

It was not immediately clear if he had been arraigned as of late Tuesday afternoon.

Ex-Officer Kevin Canty Fatally Shoots Wife

News of the horror came from the mouths of mere babes.

“Daddy shot mommy!” two hysterical children — a 4-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy — screamed inside a Queens bodega. “Daddy shot mommy!”

Around the corner from the Casablanca deli on Saturday, cops were combing a bloody crime scene. An unhinged former cop shot and killed his wife in front of their two young kids in Ozone Park just before 11 a.m., police sources said.

Cops found ex-cop Kevin Canty, 43, stumbling around drunk near the corner of 97th and Centreville Sts. He was arrested without further violence.

Paramedics, meanwhile, were feverishly working on 40-year-old Jessica Mera. They took the mom from the couple’s home on 104th St., past the front door adorned with an Easter bunny decoration and into a waiting ambulance. Mera, blasted in the chest, could not be saved. She died at Jamaica Hospital.

As cops carted the dreadlocked gunman to the 102nd Precinct stationhouse, a neighbor took the traumatized children to the nearby deli.

"The boy told me personally: 'My dad shot my mom and there's blood all over,’” said the neighbor who asked to remain anonymous.

“My wife heard gunshots and the kids were running out on the street,” he added. “They were banging on car doors as cars were passing by. They were trying to get help, someone to listen to them.”

Before Canty was arrested, cops in body armor and carrying bullet-proof shields descended on the home. NYPD helicopters hovered overhead. A 911 caller told police that a man fitting Canty’s description was trying to open the doors of unoccupied cars a mile and a half away from the crime scene, authorities said.

Canty appeared delirious while handcuffed and repeatedly banged his head against the inside of a squad car window.

About 10 stunned friends and family of Mera’s had little to say as they lingered at the entrance of the emergency room.

“They are going through a really tough time right now,” said one man who only identified himself as Mera’s friend.

“You have no idea what this family has been through — this is only the tip of the iceberg.”

Several neighbors said the couple had four children, though it was unclear if any of them were from previous relationships.

The callous crime amounted to a stunning downfall for Canty, sources said. In July 2012 the former transit cop was hailed as a hero for helping save the life of a man who suffered a heart attack in the Union Square subway station.

Police sources said he retired last year due to a disability.

The nature of the disability was unclear.

Canty and his wife had a tumultuous relationship, several neighbors said.

“They were always fighting. They’d fight outside, they would fight everywhere,” said Joanne Bagley, 52. “They were not a happy couple. I guess it was inevitable.”

Shanique Varlack, 22, described Canty as a drunken terror who often threatened his wife.

“He told more than one person - 'I'm gonna kill this b---h one day,’” said Varlack.

“Everybody is just so distraught. He's a cop. He's supposed to protect us. He took an oath and now? He's a murderer. She did not deserve to die.”

The shaken deli worker who consoled the distraught kids said Canty and Mera were regulars.

 “I’d see him everyday,” deliman Fez Atlas said. “I knew what he’d want when he came in. He would come in, get a pack of Newports.

“His wife would come in, in the morning with the kids,” he added. “She’d buy the girl a bag of potato chips and the boy pistachios. Then this happened.”

A man in Laurelton, Queens, who only identified himself as Canty’s uncle-in-law said of the ex-cop, “He’s a nice guy. This is the first I’m hearing about this.”

But other neighbors said Canty had a menacing presence.

“He’s kind of a scary guy, kind of intimidating. You got to talk to him for him to talk to you,” said Danny Ali, 30.

“He told me he was a detective. About a year ago, I saw he had a broken hand. He said he broke it in a fight. He wouldn’t say more about it.”

Chris Ris said he often saw Canty around Ozone Park wearing construction boots and dusty pants, apparently on the way home from a job in construction. On nice days, Canty’s wife sat on the stoop with her children, Ris said. “To me he seemed like a nice guy,” said Ris, a music producer. “I’d never dream he’d kill his wife.”
News of the horror came from the mouths of mere babes.

Officer Ralph Mata Arrested For Murder for Hire Plot

A Miami-Dade police officer responsible for investigating police misconduct has been busted for allegedly organizing a murder-for-hire plot and cross-country drug trafficking.

Ralph Mata, an internal affairs officer known as "The Milk Man," was arrested in Miami Gardens on Tuesday after authorities say they uncovered his role in trafficking cocaine from the Dominican Republic to New Jersey.

According to the criminal complaint the 45-year-old’s associated drug traffickers were moving narcotics when rival dealers threatened to kill Mata's co-conspirators.

Those members, whom he had outfitted with firearms, were paying Mata thousands of dollars in cash for his help, in addition to giving him a Rolex watch valued at $10,000, according to the complaint.

Mata allegedly went to work by orchestrating a Hollywood style murder plot involving assassins disguised in uniforms and badges.

When his two targets were pulled over by what they'd think were law enforcement officers, they'd instead be shot.

"Mata arranged to pay two assassins $150,000 per target. Ultimately, the [drug trafficking organization] decided not to move forward with the murder plot, but Mata still received a payment for setting up the meetings," according to the complaint.

Mata's long rap includes aiding in the distribution of cocaine, organizing a murder-for-hire plot, providing firearms and sensitive law enforcement information to drug traffickers, and facilitating the transport of drug proceeds, according to New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman.

He's charged with one count each of aiding and abetting a conspiracy to distribute cocaine; conspiring to distribute cocaine; and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity-specifically, drug proceeds.

Each of the narcotics charges face him with a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine.

The transaction involving drug proceeds carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Officer Shieed Haniff Arrested for DWI

A city cop was arrested for driving drunk, smashing into cars and speeding through a police stop as fellow officers gave chase, authorities said Monday.

The alleged intoxicated ride by Shieed Haniff, 30, ended Sunday minutes before midnight when he was stopped in East New York, Brooklyn.

Police saw Haniff drive erratically and hit a car, before making a u-turn and crashing into another car, causing injuries for occupants in both vehicles, court papers alleged.

The seven-year NYPD veteran then drove off and plowed through a traffic stop with “police jumping out of the way,” the document said.

Cops charged Haniff with leaving the scene of an accident, DWI, reckless driving and refusing to take a breath test. He was released without bail, but his license was revoked.

Dectective Hassan Hamdy Charged in 2012 Fatal Shooting

Police in New York City say officers involved in a fatal 2012 shooting of an unarmed National Guardsman should face departmental charges.

NYPD Deputy Chief Kim Royster says in a statement Friday the charges were determined based on an internal review of the Oct. 4 shooting of Noel Polanco during a Queens traffic stop.

Royster says a disciplinary process will now commence. She says regardless of the department's findings, the police commissioner will ultimately decide their penalties.

Polanco was shot by Detective Hassan Hamdy through an open passenger window after he believed Polanco was reaching under the seat.

A grand jury cleared Hamdy of criminal wrongdoing and federal prosecutors said Hamdy didn't intentionally violate Polanco's civil rights. The city has agreed to a $2.5 million settlement with Polanco's family.

Federal Judge Allows Computer in Home of Chief Brian Fanelli Charged with Having Child Porn

A federal judge is allowing the wife of Mount Pleasant Police Chief Brian Fanelli to have a computer in their home despite his arrest earlier this year on a child-pornography charge.

Federal agents arrested Fanelli, 54, at his Mahopac home in January and seized computers they alleged contained more than 120 files of children as young as 7 engaged in sexual acts.

A lawyer for Fanelli, who is free on $50,000 bond but confined to his home and barred from using computers and cellphones, wrote to U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisa Margaret Smith earlier this month, asking that Fanelli's wife be allowed to buy a laptop computer to use at home for "bill payments and work-related emails." Her computer was among those confiscated. It contained nothing illegal, authorities said.

In his March 10 request, defense attorney Michael K. Burke says that Sonja Fanelli "understands that the laptop must be password protected and kept in a locked and secured area when not in use." Burke said his client understands he cannot use the computer and that his wife cannot share her password.

Smith approved the request after an assistant U.S. attorney and a pre-trial services officer had no objections.

Brian Fanelli's next court date is April 16 in White Plains. He is charged with possessing child pornography and could face up to 10 years in prison.

Authorities say Brian Fanelli, the father of two grown children, downloaded and viewed illegal images and videos between October and January. He was promoted to chief in November, the culmination of a 31-year career in Mount Pleasant. He was arrested Jan. 23 and was suspended with pay from his $135,518-a-year job.

He told federal investigators he first viewed the images for research for school classes he taught on the dangers of sexual abuse, then it became a habit.

Paul Oliva is serving as Mount Pleasant's acting chief.

Corrections Officer Terrence Pendergrass Charged with Violating Civil Rights of Mentally Ill Inmate

A New York City correction officer was arrested on Monday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and charged with violating the civil rights of a mentally ill inmate who died after begging for medical help from his cell for hours.

The officer, Terrence Pendergrass, was supervising the Rikers Island unit where the prisoner was being held and, according to the criminal complaint filed Monday, Mr. Pendergrass ignored subordinates who warned that the prisoner, Jason Echevarria, was in distress and needed aid. Mr. Echevarria, who was 25, was found dead hours later.

The charge in the August 2012 death comes as the city faces mounting scrutiny over conditions on Rikers Island and in particular the treatment of mentally ill inmates, whose numbers have surged in recent years. Mayor Bill de Blasio, in naming his correction commissioner, Joseph Ponte, said this month that the department had “sadly lagged behind other corrections systems.” He has vowed reforms.

Last week, news reports detailed the recent death of a mentally ill inmate who was left unattended for hours in an overheated cell on Rikers, where he was being held on a misdemeanor trespassing charge. Advocates for the mentally ill say that the deaths are emblematic of the neglect and indifference that are common at Rikers, the vast city jail complex in the East River, where violent encounters between inmates and guards have been on the rise in recent years.

The Bronx district attorney’s office periodically brings charges against Rikers guards for excessive force, but the complaint filed on Monday by the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York represents the first time in at least a decade that the office has brought a civil rights prosecution in connection with Rikers.

Charged with one count of deprivation of rights under the color of law, Mr. Pendergrass appeared in Federal District Court in Manhattan on Monday afternoon and was released on $250,000 bond. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

The criminal complaint filed by prosecutors paints a picture of stark official indifference, alleged to have been directed by Mr. Pendergrass, 49, who was a captain at the time but was demoted back to officer after the episode.

On Aug. 18, 2012, Mr. Echevarria swallowed a toxic packet of powdered detergent, known at Rikers as a soap ball, that had been given to inmates to clean out their cells after a leak of raw sewage from the toilets. After ingesting the soap ball, Mr. Echevarria began vomiting and complaining of severe pain.

When a correction officer alerted Captain Pendergrass to Mr. Echevarria’s condition, the captain told the officer not to bother him unless “there was a dead body,” the complaint said.

The medical examiner ruled Mr. Echevarria’s death a homicide, citing “neglect and denial of medical care.” The chemicals in the soap had sloughed off the linings of Mr. Echevarria’s tongue and throat, according to the medical examiner’s post-autopsy report.

Mr. Pendergrass, of Howard Beach, Queens, has denied that the correction officer told him Mr. Echevarria was sick, said Patrick Ferraiuolo, president of the Correction Captains Association. He said several other jail officials who were nearby did nothing to help, and noted that Mr. Echevarria had a history of acting up.

Mr. Echevarria, who suffered from bipolar disorder, had been placed in a solitary confinement unit after several suicide attempts and an attempt to swallow a battery, according to the criminal complaint. The unit where he was housed was reserved for mentally ill inmates.

Over the last five years, about 20 correction officers have been prosecuted in connection with assaults on inmates, according to the Bronx district attorney’s office, which has jurisdiction over Rikers Island.

Anthony J. Girese, counsel to the Bronx district attorney, Robert T. Johnson, said that establishing a direct line of responsibility to Mr. Pendergrass was difficult under state homicide statutes. After ruling out state charges, the Bronx district attorney worked with the United States attorney on filing the case under federal civil rights law.

After the raw sewage leak on Aug. 18, Mr. Echevarria was given a soap ball, a cleaning agent that contained, among other things, ammonium chloride, a chemical that can be life-threatening if ingested, the complaint said.

The medical examiner ruled Mr. Echevarria’s death a homicide, citing “neglect and denial of medical care.” The chemicals in the soap had sloughed off the linings of Mr. Echevarria’s tongue and throat, according to the medical examiner’s post-autopsy report.

Mr. Pendergrass, of Howard Beach, Queens, has denied that the correction officer told him Mr. Echevarria was sick, said Patrick Ferraiuolo, president of the Correction Captains Association. He said several other jail officials who were nearby did nothing to help, and noted that Mr. Echevarria had a history of acting up.

Mr. Echevarria, who suffered from bipolar disorder, had been placed in a solitary confinement unit after several suicide attempts and an attempt to swallow a battery, according to the criminal complaint. The unit where he was housed was reserved for mentally ill inmates.

Over the last five years, about 20 correction officers have been prosecuted in connection with assaults on inmates, according to the Bronx district attorney’s office, which has jurisdiction over Rikers Island.

Anthony J. Girese, counsel to the Bronx district attorney, Robert T. Johnson, said that establishing a direct line of responsibility to Mr. Pendergrass was difficult under state homicide statutes. After ruling out state charges, the Bronx district attorney worked with the United States attorney on filing the case under federal civil rights law.

After the raw sewage leak on Aug. 18, Mr. Echevarria was given a soap ball, a cleaning agent that contained, among other things, ammonium chloride, a chemical that can be life-threatening if ingested, the complaint said.

Under Department of Correction rules, correction officers must dilute the soap balls in several gallons of water before providing them to inmates. But the officer distributing them was new and not aware of the rule, according to the complaint.

About 4:30 p.m. Mr. Echevarria began banging on his cell door, telling a correction officer that he needed help after ingesting the soap ball, according to the complaint. That officer informed Captain Pendergrass of Mr. Echevarria’s condition. Captain Pendergrass told the officer that he should not be bothered “if there were live inmates in cells,” according to the complaint.

A short time later, the correction officer returned to Captain Pendergrass after seeing vomit on the window and floor of Mr. Echevarria’s cell. The captain told the officer that Mr. Echevarria should “hold it,” according to the complaint.

Captain Pendergrass’s shift ended at 11 p.m., and Mr. Echevarria had still received no medical attention, the complaint said. Several other correction officers passed through Mr. Echevarria’s unit that afternoon, evening and overnight. About 8:30 the next morning, he was found dead in his cell.

On Monday, a spokesman for the Correction Department said that immediately after the death, Mr. Pendergrass, who joined the department in 1996, was placed on modified duty. He was demoted in July 2013, and on Monday he was suspended without pay.

One correction officer, Raymond Castro, was fired after Mr. Echevarria’s death. Mr. Castro then filed a wrongful termination suit against the city and the Correction Department, claiming that he alerted Captain Pendergrass several times to Mr. Echevarria’s worsening condition and was rebuffed. In his complaint, he also claimed that he tried to call medical personnel on his own, but was stopped by Captain Pendergrass, who ordered him to return to his post.

Mr. Echevarria’s father, Ramon, filed a lawsuit in 2013 against Mr. Pendergrass and several other Rikers personnel, alleging that they violated his son’s constitutional rights.

Ramon Echevarria declined to speak to a reporter about the case on Monday.

Officer Liam Donahue Arrested for DWI

A 22-year-old off-duty police officer was arrested early Saturday on charges of driving while intoxicated, according to police.

Liam Donahue was arrested just after 6 a.m. in Queens, when he crashed his vehicle into an empty parked car around the intersection of 40th Avenue and 218th Street, police said.

Donahue refused to take a breathalyzer test offered to him by members of the NYPD who questioned him at the scene, the NY Daily News reported.

He was taken to North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset for further evaluation, according to the NYPD.

Donahue had joined the force in July 2013, and had been working as part of the Patrol Borough Manhattan North since, the paper wrote.

Officer Tyisha Williams Arrested for Assault

An NYPD officer was arrested on assault charges Thursday in the Bronx.

Officer Tyisha Williams, 31, was arrested Thursday in the 52nd Precinct, which includes the Bedford Park, Fordham, Kingsbridge, Norwood, and University Heights sections of the Bronx.

She was charged with assault, police said.

Police did not immediately provide further details on the allegations.

Off-Duty Officer Tiquan Carruthers Accused of Punching Man

A New York City police officer is accused of punching a man during a pickup football game in the Bronx.

Police say the off-duty officer allegedly punched the man in the face after getting into an argument with him during a game in Van Cortlandt Park Sunday afternoon.

The victim was treated at a hospital and released.

Police say the 29-year-old officer, Tiquan Carruthers, faces assault charges. He's been placed on modified duty.

Former Court Officer Alberto Yard Pleads Guilty to Sexually Exploiting Children

A former court officer has pleaded guilty to conspiring to sexually exploit children.

Prior to his arrest, Alberto Yard had worked in Brooklyn Civil Court for more than 19 years. After pleading to the felony on Thursday before Eastern District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto, he now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years incarceration. Sentencing was scheduled for July 10.

Yard, 45, was arrested in July, following a Google alert to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about a user account that had uploaded 213 images of child pornography. The account was traced to Yard.

Many images depicted child pornography, but the account also contained "voyeuristic photographs of children." According to an arrest complaint, Yard told authorities he took pictures of children while on duty as an officer (NYLJ, July, 5, 2013).

After inspecting electronic equipment seized at Yard's residence, he was also charged with production of child pornography (NYLJ, July 15, 2013). Authorities ultimately determined Yard possessed thousands of images. He also has a co-defendant in the matter; her case is pending.

Yard was suspended without pay after his arrest. His attorney, Deveraux Cannick of Aiello Cannick in Queens, said his client opted to resign from his job early in the case. Cannick said Yard wanted any children connected to the case to avoid the experience of a trial and said his client, by pleading guilty, was "stepping up and acknowledging the wrong he committed."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Gandy handled the prosecution.

Corrections Officer Patrick Brown Arrested for Drunk Driving

A city Department of Correction officer was busted on charges of drunk driving early Monday morning, police said.

Cops pulled Patrick Brown, 33, over for a broken tail light at 3:44 a.m. near the intersection of Francis Lewis Boulevard and Grand Central Parkway and found he had been drinking, the NYPD said.

He had an alcohol level of .105 percent in his blood when he blew into a Breathalyzer, according to the NYPD, which is above the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

Brown had not been charged before with a DWI, police said.

Officer Ronald Taylor Arrested for Assaulting Shoplifter

Internal affairs officers arrested a Bronx cop Thursday for pummeling a shoplifter he arrested at a Target store near Yankee Stadium, law enforcement sources said.

Officer Ronald Taylor, 44, faces misdemeanor assault and harassment charges for the August 2013 beat down, officials said.

Taylor was on duty when he was called to the Exterior St. Target to arrest Fernando Rios for shoplifting just after 9:30 p.m, officials said. During the arrest, Taylor allegedly punched Rios repeatedly on the left side of his face, rupturing the would-be thief’s eardrum and breaking his nose.

Rios was mouthing off to Taylor and may have spit on the officer before he was attacked, law enforcement sources said.

Taylor, who joined the force in 1999 and who has spent most of his career in the Bronx, works in the Property Clerk’s Division. He was released without having to post bail at his arraignment on Thursday morning and is expected to respond to the charges in April, officials said.

“After a thorough and complete investigation and after the true facts are revealed, my client will be exonerated,” Taylor’s attorney Craig Hayes said.

If convicted of the existing charges, Taylor would face up to a year in jail.

Rios was charged with shop-lifting, law enforcement sources said.