Showing posts with label Virginia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Virginia. Show all posts
Monday, May 05, 2014
Officer Bryan Horowitz Charged with DUI
A Broadway police officer arrested a Harrisonburg police officer on Saturday and charged him with driving under the influence.
Officer Bryan Horowitz, 36, is charged with misdemeanor DUI and misdemeanor refusing a Breathalyzer test. Horowitz is the leader of the CHARGE Gang Task Force.
According to the criminal complaint, the deputy was traveling west on Lee Street in Broadway when an eastbound vehicle drove by going 52 mph in a 35 mph zone.
The officer, according to the complaint, turned around and saw the car turn right on Main Street and pull into the Backstage Video parking lot.
"I could see the male driver was getting out of the driver side and a female getting out of the passenger set and attempting to switch places," the officer wrote.
After approaching the pair, the officer alleged, he smelled alcohol on Horowitz. He also alleged that Horowitz slurred his speech.
"I asked him if he had anything to drink and he did not answer me," the complaint states.
The officer noted in the complaint that an open Corona beer bottle was in the front cup holder.
Horowitz refused to take field sobriety tests, the criminal complaint alleges.
The complaint did not say what time the officer arrested Horowitz.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Former Officer Darryl Hayes Indicted for Rape of Child
According to Dinwiddie Circuit Court records, Hayes, 49, is charged with two counts of incest with own child, two counts of rape, and one count of forcible sodomy.
All of the offense dates are listed as March 1, 2012, with all charges class five felonies.
According to the former lieutenant's Facebook page, Hayes worked with the Dinwiddie Sheriff's Office from Feb. 1999 to Oct. 2013
Hayes has a court appearance scheduled for Thursday morning to appoint counsel. He is being held without bond at Meherrin River Regional Jail in Alberta, Va.
In am email statement, Maj. W. B. Knott of the Dinwiddie Sheriff's Office said there would be no further comment because of the ongoing investigation.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Officer Christopher Hancock Arrested for Threating to Burn Down his Home
30-year old Christopher B. Hancock was originally arrested on Tuesday, April 8th at Newport News Police Headquarters after a five day investigation.
Detectives say it stemmed from a domestic incident that occurred with his wife at their Denbigh area home. Police say during an argument, Hancock threatened to burn their house down. A Newport News Police spokesperson said the department was notified of the incident after his wife filed a protective order with the court magistrate.
Police say Hancock was arrested at police headquarters Tuesday afternoon, charged with felony threats to burn. He was released later that day.
He was arrested again on Thursday at Police Headquarters in reference to violating a protective order. He was placed in the custody of the Newport News City Jail.
The circumstances surrounding the second arrest were not released.
NewsChannel 3 spoke to neighbors who live nearby, they say they felt safe knowing a police officer lived just across the street, that was, until they heard the news.
“You depend on the police and I was just kind of secure,” said neighbor Regina Pugh. “You depend you can go over there and I hate to think that I couldn’t for whatever reason.”
Hancock joined the Newport News Police Department on July 16, 2011 and was assigned as a patrol officer. He is presently on unpaid administrative leave.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Officer Jamey Woods Arrested for Assault
A second deputy with the Chesapeake sheriff's department is out of a job after being arrested.
Jamey Ray Woods, 35, resigned from the Chesapeake Sheriff's Office on Wednesday morning, said Sgt. David Rosado, a spokesman for the office.
Woods, a deputy since August 1997, was arrested Saturday night at the Oceanfront after a confrontation with his girlfriend, said Officer Adam Bernstein, a Beach police spokesman. The incident occurred at 11 p.m., at the Quality Inn & Suites on Atlantic Avenue, the site of the Polar Plunge Festival Center earlier that afternoon. Woods was not involved with the event, which raises money every year for Special Olympics Virginia, event spokeswoman Holly Claytor said.
Woods was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault and public intoxication. He has been released on $2,500 bond and is scheduled to appear in General District Court on March 22.
Jamey Ray Woods, 35, resigned from the Chesapeake Sheriff's Office on Wednesday morning, said Sgt. David Rosado, a spokesman for the office.
Woods, a deputy since August 1997, was arrested Saturday night at the Oceanfront after a confrontation with his girlfriend, said Officer Adam Bernstein, a Beach police spokesman. The incident occurred at 11 p.m., at the Quality Inn & Suites on Atlantic Avenue, the site of the Polar Plunge Festival Center earlier that afternoon. Woods was not involved with the event, which raises money every year for Special Olympics Virginia, event spokeswoman Holly Claytor said.
Woods was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault and public intoxication. He has been released on $2,500 bond and is scheduled to appear in General District Court on March 22.
Officer James Riddick Arrested for DUI
A Virginia Beach police officer is on administrative duty following his arrest on a DUI charge.
James Riddick, a sergeant in the department, has been on the force for 15 years.
Court records show he was arrested February 8 on the misdemeanor charge.
Police say Riddick's alcohol level registered .18.
In Virginia, the maximum blood alcohol content considered illegal to drive is .08 percent.
He's due in court on March 18.
James Riddick, a sergeant in the department, has been on the force for 15 years.
Court records show he was arrested February 8 on the misdemeanor charge.
Police say Riddick's alcohol level registered .18.
In Virginia, the maximum blood alcohol content considered illegal to drive is .08 percent.
He's due in court on March 18.
Fairfax Man Known by Police to be Severely Mentally Ill Shot at Close Range
The Herndon man who was shot by a Fairfax County police officer last week was known by police to be severely mentally ill, and he was wielding a plastic replica of a pistol when he was shot at close range in the chest and stomach, police and family members said.
Ian C. Smith, 25, remains in critical condition at Inova Fairfax Hospital, where he has undergone four operations to repair the damage from two .45-caliber bullets. He was shot Friday morning in the basement of the home he shares with his parents and younger sister on Fallon Drive after a three-hour standoff with Fairfax tactical officers overseen by a police major with extensive experience dealing with the mentally ill.
But Smith's family said the officers reacted rashly by even entering the basement.
"The cop had no reason to do what he did," said Brenda Smith, Ian Smith's mother. "He isn't a murderer out on the street. He was a kid down in his basement having a psychotic attack."
Police said Smith emerged from behind a bathroom door, lunged at two officers and began pulling the trigger of his plastic BB gun. The officer did not know it wasn't a real gun, police said. "It's tragic. My heart goes out to them," said Maj. Shawn Barrett, head of the Fairfax criminal investigations bureau, who did not oversee the situation that day but is the lead investigator.
But he said the gun Smith was holding was "a very realistic-looking replica of a semiautomatic pistol" that did not have a brightly colored tip, which would have indicated that the gun was fake.
Barrett said Smith "pulled that weapon out and pointed it point blank at the officers and was pulling the trigger. At that point, the officer just responds when it's him or the other person. The [tactical] officer reverts to his training. They did everything they could."
Smith's relatives were ordered by police to leave the house as soon as officers arrived, late on Feb. 4. They wondered why, with the house empty and no one else in danger, the two tactical officers entered the house and confronted Smith so soon.
Police spokeswoman Mary Ann Jennings said that negotiators had not made contact with Smith in some time and that they thought he might have been asleep. So Maj. Thomas Ryan, supervising the operation, ordered two tactical officers, one with a dog, to go inside quietly in hopes of taking Smith into custody without violence, police said.
The name of the officer who fired the shots was not released. Fairfax police typically do not identify officers involved in shootings. The shooting of Smith was the second in recent months to involve a mentally ill man. On Nov. 13, another unidentified officer shot and killed David A. Masters, 52, as Masters rolled away from a traffic stop on Route 1.
The officers in the Masters case did not know he had bipolar disorder. But Fairfax police had been regular visitors to Smith's home to deal with his paranoid schizophrenia, his family and police said.
Smith was 17 when he began having hallucinations, said his father, Alan Smith. He graduated from Westfield High School, but when he tried to enter college in Richmond, he had a psychotic episode and was hospitalized for the first of many times, his father said.
In recent years, Smith would make threatening comments or rant excessively until his parents would call for help. His father said that when officers came, Smith would immediately calm down, apologize, take his medication and return quietly to his bedroom in the basement.
But on the night of Feb. 4, the circumstances were slightly different. Smith walked into the house and showed his sister Hayley, 21, the handle of a pistol, she said. She didn't know whether it was real. She told her mother about it as Smith went to his bedroom.
Brenda and Hayley Smith debated whether to call the Mobile Crisis Unit at Fairfax's Woodburn mental health clinic. Brenda Smith said she made the call, thinking the unit would take her son to a mental hospital. She said the clinic told her to call police as well, and she did.
The mention of a possible weapon was a new variable for police, Barrett said. Patrol officers arrived at 11:30 p.m., and rather than speaking first to Smith, they ordered Brenda and Hayley Smith out of the house, the Smiths said.
Barrett said that the patrol officers tried to get Smith to come out of the basement but that he refused. So tactical officers and negotiators were summoned, headed by Ryan, who had launched crisis intervention training for Fairfax officers to deal with the mentally ill and has worked extensively with the mental health community.
Barrett said police also were told that Smith was a "chronic drug user" and often used PCP, a hallucinogen. His parents denied that, saying they told police that trace amounts of PCP were found in a blood test last year but that their son had never tested positive in his mental hospitalizations and had never been found with any drugs.
Police told the Smiths that they tossed a remote camera into the basement and could see Smith, in his pajamas, unarmed. But Barrett said Smith moved out of the camera's view.
Brenda Smith said that her son often brought BB guns home and that she or her husband always threw them out. What he pointed at the officers "must have been a new one," she said. The confrontation and shooting happened about 3 a.m., police said.
Police had obtained an emergency custody order, and Smith's family thought he would be taken to a mental ward for treatment. Brenda Smith said police should not "shoot to kill somebody when they're supposed to take them to a hospital. They do that too often."
Ian C. Smith, 25, remains in critical condition at Inova Fairfax Hospital, where he has undergone four operations to repair the damage from two .45-caliber bullets. He was shot Friday morning in the basement of the home he shares with his parents and younger sister on Fallon Drive after a three-hour standoff with Fairfax tactical officers overseen by a police major with extensive experience dealing with the mentally ill.
But Smith's family said the officers reacted rashly by even entering the basement.
"The cop had no reason to do what he did," said Brenda Smith, Ian Smith's mother. "He isn't a murderer out on the street. He was a kid down in his basement having a psychotic attack."
Police said Smith emerged from behind a bathroom door, lunged at two officers and began pulling the trigger of his plastic BB gun. The officer did not know it wasn't a real gun, police said. "It's tragic. My heart goes out to them," said Maj. Shawn Barrett, head of the Fairfax criminal investigations bureau, who did not oversee the situation that day but is the lead investigator.
But he said the gun Smith was holding was "a very realistic-looking replica of a semiautomatic pistol" that did not have a brightly colored tip, which would have indicated that the gun was fake.
Barrett said Smith "pulled that weapon out and pointed it point blank at the officers and was pulling the trigger. At that point, the officer just responds when it's him or the other person. The [tactical] officer reverts to his training. They did everything they could."
Smith's relatives were ordered by police to leave the house as soon as officers arrived, late on Feb. 4. They wondered why, with the house empty and no one else in danger, the two tactical officers entered the house and confronted Smith so soon.
Police spokeswoman Mary Ann Jennings said that negotiators had not made contact with Smith in some time and that they thought he might have been asleep. So Maj. Thomas Ryan, supervising the operation, ordered two tactical officers, one with a dog, to go inside quietly in hopes of taking Smith into custody without violence, police said.
The name of the officer who fired the shots was not released. Fairfax police typically do not identify officers involved in shootings. The shooting of Smith was the second in recent months to involve a mentally ill man. On Nov. 13, another unidentified officer shot and killed David A. Masters, 52, as Masters rolled away from a traffic stop on Route 1.
The officers in the Masters case did not know he had bipolar disorder. But Fairfax police had been regular visitors to Smith's home to deal with his paranoid schizophrenia, his family and police said.
Smith was 17 when he began having hallucinations, said his father, Alan Smith. He graduated from Westfield High School, but when he tried to enter college in Richmond, he had a psychotic episode and was hospitalized for the first of many times, his father said.
In recent years, Smith would make threatening comments or rant excessively until his parents would call for help. His father said that when officers came, Smith would immediately calm down, apologize, take his medication and return quietly to his bedroom in the basement.
But on the night of Feb. 4, the circumstances were slightly different. Smith walked into the house and showed his sister Hayley, 21, the handle of a pistol, she said. She didn't know whether it was real. She told her mother about it as Smith went to his bedroom.
Brenda and Hayley Smith debated whether to call the Mobile Crisis Unit at Fairfax's Woodburn mental health clinic. Brenda Smith said she made the call, thinking the unit would take her son to a mental hospital. She said the clinic told her to call police as well, and she did.
The mention of a possible weapon was a new variable for police, Barrett said. Patrol officers arrived at 11:30 p.m., and rather than speaking first to Smith, they ordered Brenda and Hayley Smith out of the house, the Smiths said.
Barrett said that the patrol officers tried to get Smith to come out of the basement but that he refused. So tactical officers and negotiators were summoned, headed by Ryan, who had launched crisis intervention training for Fairfax officers to deal with the mentally ill and has worked extensively with the mental health community.
Barrett said police also were told that Smith was a "chronic drug user" and often used PCP, a hallucinogen. His parents denied that, saying they told police that trace amounts of PCP were found in a blood test last year but that their son had never tested positive in his mental hospitalizations and had never been found with any drugs.
Police told the Smiths that they tossed a remote camera into the basement and could see Smith, in his pajamas, unarmed. But Barrett said Smith moved out of the camera's view.
Brenda Smith said that her son often brought BB guns home and that she or her husband always threw them out. What he pointed at the officers "must have been a new one," she said. The confrontation and shooting happened about 3 a.m., police said.
Police had obtained an emergency custody order, and Smith's family thought he would be taken to a mental ward for treatment. Brenda Smith said police should not "shoot to kill somebody when they're supposed to take them to a hospital. They do that too often."
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Deputy Sgt. John Michael Keane II Arrested for Robbing Bank
On Tuesday afternoon, police in Chesapeake, VA, arrested Sgt. John Michael Keane II, 32, he is accused of robbing a bank in the same city where he works as a deputy sheriff.
According to a statement released by the police, at 2:10 p.m., Sgt. Keane entered the BB&T bank on Volvo Parkway and handed a bag to a teller “implying that he was conducting a bank robbery.”
The teller complied, stuffing the bag with money and handed it back. The robber then fled the scene in a red car.
Shortly thereafter, a Chesapeake K-9 officer spotted a car matching the description of the getaway vehicle. Another officer pulled over the Mercury Sable driven by Keane.
Police claim to have found evidence in Keane’s car, linking him to the robbery.
Keane has been a deputy with the Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office since 1998. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in July 2008, and supervised intake operations at the Chesapeake Correctional Center.
According to Sheriff’s Office spokesman, Sgt. David Rosado, Keane has been suspended with pay pending the outcome of the robbery investigation.
According to a statement released by the police, at 2:10 p.m., Sgt. Keane entered the BB&T bank on Volvo Parkway and handed a bag to a teller “implying that he was conducting a bank robbery.”
The teller complied, stuffing the bag with money and handed it back. The robber then fled the scene in a red car.
Shortly thereafter, a Chesapeake K-9 officer spotted a car matching the description of the getaway vehicle. Another officer pulled over the Mercury Sable driven by Keane.
Police claim to have found evidence in Keane’s car, linking him to the robbery.
Keane has been a deputy with the Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office since 1998. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in July 2008, and supervised intake operations at the Chesapeake Correctional Center.
According to Sheriff’s Office spokesman, Sgt. David Rosado, Keane has been suspended with pay pending the outcome of the robbery investigation.
Friday, January 15, 2010
William Bumbrey III Dies After Being Tasered for Shoplifting
Police Tasered a shoplifting suspect and now he is dead, raising new concerns about the use of what is supposed to be a "non-lethal" weapon. It happened in Pentagon City, Virginia after an officer spotted the suspect inside the metro station.
William Randolph Bumbrey III was accused of stealing some store items from a nearby pharmacy. How that routine shoplifting case led to the use of a Taser and a Bumbrey's death is now under investigation. Arlington County police were on the lookout around 8:00 p.m. Sunday for a shoplifting suspect.
An officer went into Metro knowing it could be a quick and easy getaway. That's where police say the officer found Bumbrey, the stolen goods on him.
"When the officer approached the suspect he became combative and fought with the officer," said Detective Crystal Nosal, with Arlington County Police.
Police say the officer then used his Taser. It should have immobilized the 36-year old suspect but it didn't. A second officer arrived for backup. After Bumbrey was handcuffed, the officers noticed he was having problems breathing and called for medics. Bumbrey died shortly after.
"The officer deployed their Taser. It didn't appear to have an effect on the suspect and the suspect continued to struggle with the officer," said Det. Nosal.
State records show Bumbrey has a conviction on racketeering charges and is a registered sex offender in South Carolina who moved to the District in October. Bumbrey's father lives in Northwest DC.
A friend says the elder Bumbrey called him this morning with the news. "I said your son's dead? What do you mean your son is dead?" Leonard Dixon recalled asking his friend. Dixon says the details were scared.
"All he told me is that they used a Taser gun on him and they couldn't subdue him. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand what goes on," said Dixon.
Metro does have cameras inside the Pentagon City Metro, but Metro officials are unaware if the confrontation between the officers and suspect was caught on tape. It's unclear if the Taser even hit Bumbrey. The results of an autopsy and toxicology tests are pending.
Arlington County police say they have more than a hundred Tasers in the department but use them less than 20 times a year. The department says until now it's never had a possible Taser related death.
Police say officers only use the Taser when a suspect fails to comply with orders and the officer fears bodily harm. Unlike the use of a gun, which requires an officer fear for his life, the standards for Tasers are lower because Tasers are not considered deadly force.
William Randolph Bumbrey III was accused of stealing some store items from a nearby pharmacy. How that routine shoplifting case led to the use of a Taser and a Bumbrey's death is now under investigation. Arlington County police were on the lookout around 8:00 p.m. Sunday for a shoplifting suspect.
An officer went into Metro knowing it could be a quick and easy getaway. That's where police say the officer found Bumbrey, the stolen goods on him.
"When the officer approached the suspect he became combative and fought with the officer," said Detective Crystal Nosal, with Arlington County Police.
Police say the officer then used his Taser. It should have immobilized the 36-year old suspect but it didn't. A second officer arrived for backup. After Bumbrey was handcuffed, the officers noticed he was having problems breathing and called for medics. Bumbrey died shortly after.
"The officer deployed their Taser. It didn't appear to have an effect on the suspect and the suspect continued to struggle with the officer," said Det. Nosal.
State records show Bumbrey has a conviction on racketeering charges and is a registered sex offender in South Carolina who moved to the District in October. Bumbrey's father lives in Northwest DC.
A friend says the elder Bumbrey called him this morning with the news. "I said your son's dead? What do you mean your son is dead?" Leonard Dixon recalled asking his friend. Dixon says the details were scared.
"All he told me is that they used a Taser gun on him and they couldn't subdue him. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand what goes on," said Dixon.
Metro does have cameras inside the Pentagon City Metro, but Metro officials are unaware if the confrontation between the officers and suspect was caught on tape. It's unclear if the Taser even hit Bumbrey. The results of an autopsy and toxicology tests are pending.
Arlington County police say they have more than a hundred Tasers in the department but use them less than 20 times a year. The department says until now it's never had a possible Taser related death.
Police say officers only use the Taser when a suspect fails to comply with orders and the officer fears bodily harm. Unlike the use of a gun, which requires an officer fear for his life, the standards for Tasers are lower because Tasers are not considered deadly force.
Former Officer Robert Helphenstine Accused of Having Sex with Teen Boy
A former Fallowfield Township police officer accused of having sex with a 17-year-old boy will stand trial.
Officer Robert Helphenstine appeared in court Friday for a preliminary hearing.
He’s accused of picking up a 17-year-old runaway at a Greyhound station in downtown Pittsburgh and having sex with him at his home.
“I believe the hearing went very well. We found that the main witness for the prosecution was incredulous, admitted on the stand that he lied on more than one occasion,” said defense attorney Stephen Misko.
Channel 4 Action News' Sheldon Ingram previously reported that police said Helphenstine, the former officer-in-charge of the department, met the Virginia boy on Liberty Avenue while his trip to California was on a layover.
A new court date has not been set for Misko.
Officer Robert Helphenstine appeared in court Friday for a preliminary hearing.
He’s accused of picking up a 17-year-old runaway at a Greyhound station in downtown Pittsburgh and having sex with him at his home.
“I believe the hearing went very well. We found that the main witness for the prosecution was incredulous, admitted on the stand that he lied on more than one occasion,” said defense attorney Stephen Misko.
Channel 4 Action News' Sheldon Ingram previously reported that police said Helphenstine, the former officer-in-charge of the department, met the Virginia boy on Liberty Avenue while his trip to California was on a layover.
A new court date has not been set for Misko.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Sgt. David Cullop Charged with DUI & Partying with Underage Drinkers
Chilhowie town officials a year ago reviewed photographs that appear to show off-duty Police Sgt. David Conley Cullop – who resigned late Tuesday after being charged last week with driving under the influence – partying with underage drinkers.
One of the partygoers pictured is town Mayor Gary Heninger’s son, then just shy of the legal drinking age of 21.
Town officials dismissed the complaint, sent anonymously in the mail, following an investigation by two separate law enforcement agencies, Chilhowie Police Chief Steve Price told the Bristol Herald Courier on Tuesday.
But a Herald Courier inquiry raises questions about the veracity of those police investigations: Neither of the two agencies cited by Price have records of ever looking into the matter.
Price, when confronted with this information on Wednesday, acknowledged that official investigations never happened. Instead, Price said, he sought opinions about the pictures from a friend who is a ranking officer with the Smyth County Sheriff’s Department and also from another friend with the Virginia State Police.
“There was nothing to document,” said Price, who dismissed the photos’ relevance. “It’s been over a year ago, and this is a done issue.”
Price refused to name the two law enforcement friends.
Anonymous mail
Cullop, 34, resigned four days after State Police said he smashed head-on into a truck while driving off-duty in the wrong lane across a bridge.
No one was injured in the crash. Police charged Cullop with driving under the influence and with refusal to take a breath test.
The Chilhowie Police Department responded to the accident, but called in the State Police when it was discovered that one of its own was involved.
Cullop, reached by the Herald Courier at his Chilhowie home Tuesday evening, declined to discuss the charges or questions of past conduct.
Heninger said he would not allow his son to be interviewed.
The photos arrived in 2009 on a compact disc anonymously mailed to Councilman Lewis Shortt. Pictures obtained by the Herald Courier appear to show an off-duty Cullop partying with others in January 2008.
Shortt said he didn’t pay much attention to the photos, and that he has only a vague recollection of the matter. He added that he was not sure if the mayor’s son, Garrett Heninger, is among the people with Cullop.
Little credence was given to the photos because they were sent anonymously, Shortt said.
“You can’t go on an anonymous letter,” he said. “If no one comes forward, you can’t do anything about it.”
Mayor Heninger readily acknowledged that his son is among the partygoers pictured sitting next to Cullop.
The son, then 19 or 20 years old, is laughing as he clutches in his right hand an open Coors Light beer bottle.
The father does have his doubts about whether the bottle contained any beer, though. Heninger said his son claimed the bottle was empty of alcohol.
“It’s hard to say about pictures because he dips Skoal tobacco, and he uses a bottle as a spittoon,” Heninger said. “I don’t know if it was alcohol or spit.”
Chief Price made the same argument.
“You’ve got to prove there’s alcohol in them,” Price said. “[Cullop] said there was nothing in them.”
Investigation
On Tuesday, Price said the photos were dismissed as an unfounded complaint after investigations by the Smyth County Sheriff’s Department and State Police cleared Cullop of any wrongdoing.
But there never was an official investigation.
“I don’t know what [Price is] talking about,” Smyth County Sheriff R. David Bradley said Wednesday. “I asked my chief investigator about it this morning, and he doesn’t know anything about it.”
State Police spokesman Sgt. Michael Conroy also couldn’t find records of an investigation. He added that an initial, undocumented inquiry could have been done to determine if an investigation was necessary, however.
On Wednesday, Price said the investigation boiled down to him asking two friends in law enforcement whether the photos were worthy of investigation.
The investigation consisted of “an opinion of a sworn law enforcement officer that there was nothing there,” Price said.
When asked Wednesday, Price said he was not sure if he ever handed the photos to county Commonwealth’s Attorney Roy Evans for a legal opinion.
Evans, when called later, said he vaguely remembered a conversation about pictures a year ago, but was not sure what it was about. He said he would check.
In a follow-up conversation, Evans said that Price did ask for an opinion about a series of photos involving Cullop and possible underage drinkers.
The conclusion, Evans said, was that underage drinking is a misdemeanor with a 12-month statute of limitations. Even if some partygoers were underage, nothing could be done because the photos were a year old.
Evans, asked if he remembered that conversation with Price, laughed and said no. Evans said he had talked with Price minutes earlier and was relaying the police chief’s recollection of events.
“I don’t have a vivid recollection of that event, but [Price] did say that’s what happened, and I don’t doubt it,” Evans said.
One of the partygoers pictured is town Mayor Gary Heninger’s son, then just shy of the legal drinking age of 21.
Town officials dismissed the complaint, sent anonymously in the mail, following an investigation by two separate law enforcement agencies, Chilhowie Police Chief Steve Price told the Bristol Herald Courier on Tuesday.
But a Herald Courier inquiry raises questions about the veracity of those police investigations: Neither of the two agencies cited by Price have records of ever looking into the matter.
Price, when confronted with this information on Wednesday, acknowledged that official investigations never happened. Instead, Price said, he sought opinions about the pictures from a friend who is a ranking officer with the Smyth County Sheriff’s Department and also from another friend with the Virginia State Police.
“There was nothing to document,” said Price, who dismissed the photos’ relevance. “It’s been over a year ago, and this is a done issue.”
Price refused to name the two law enforcement friends.
Anonymous mail
Cullop, 34, resigned four days after State Police said he smashed head-on into a truck while driving off-duty in the wrong lane across a bridge.
No one was injured in the crash. Police charged Cullop with driving under the influence and with refusal to take a breath test.
The Chilhowie Police Department responded to the accident, but called in the State Police when it was discovered that one of its own was involved.
Cullop, reached by the Herald Courier at his Chilhowie home Tuesday evening, declined to discuss the charges or questions of past conduct.
Heninger said he would not allow his son to be interviewed.
The photos arrived in 2009 on a compact disc anonymously mailed to Councilman Lewis Shortt. Pictures obtained by the Herald Courier appear to show an off-duty Cullop partying with others in January 2008.
Shortt said he didn’t pay much attention to the photos, and that he has only a vague recollection of the matter. He added that he was not sure if the mayor’s son, Garrett Heninger, is among the people with Cullop.
Little credence was given to the photos because they were sent anonymously, Shortt said.
“You can’t go on an anonymous letter,” he said. “If no one comes forward, you can’t do anything about it.”
Mayor Heninger readily acknowledged that his son is among the partygoers pictured sitting next to Cullop.
The son, then 19 or 20 years old, is laughing as he clutches in his right hand an open Coors Light beer bottle.
The father does have his doubts about whether the bottle contained any beer, though. Heninger said his son claimed the bottle was empty of alcohol.
“It’s hard to say about pictures because he dips Skoal tobacco, and he uses a bottle as a spittoon,” Heninger said. “I don’t know if it was alcohol or spit.”
Chief Price made the same argument.
“You’ve got to prove there’s alcohol in them,” Price said. “[Cullop] said there was nothing in them.”
Investigation
On Tuesday, Price said the photos were dismissed as an unfounded complaint after investigations by the Smyth County Sheriff’s Department and State Police cleared Cullop of any wrongdoing.
But there never was an official investigation.
“I don’t know what [Price is] talking about,” Smyth County Sheriff R. David Bradley said Wednesday. “I asked my chief investigator about it this morning, and he doesn’t know anything about it.”
State Police spokesman Sgt. Michael Conroy also couldn’t find records of an investigation. He added that an initial, undocumented inquiry could have been done to determine if an investigation was necessary, however.
On Wednesday, Price said the investigation boiled down to him asking two friends in law enforcement whether the photos were worthy of investigation.
The investigation consisted of “an opinion of a sworn law enforcement officer that there was nothing there,” Price said.
When asked Wednesday, Price said he was not sure if he ever handed the photos to county Commonwealth’s Attorney Roy Evans for a legal opinion.
Evans, when called later, said he vaguely remembered a conversation about pictures a year ago, but was not sure what it was about. He said he would check.
In a follow-up conversation, Evans said that Price did ask for an opinion about a series of photos involving Cullop and possible underage drinkers.
The conclusion, Evans said, was that underage drinking is a misdemeanor with a 12-month statute of limitations. Even if some partygoers were underage, nothing could be done because the photos were a year old.
Evans, asked if he remembered that conversation with Price, laughed and said no. Evans said he had talked with Price minutes earlier and was relaying the police chief’s recollection of events.
“I don’t have a vivid recollection of that event, but [Price] did say that’s what happened, and I don’t doubt it,” Evans said.
Friday, January 08, 2010
Officers Donnell Patterson & Charles Battle Charged with Assault
Two Richmond police officers were arraigned in Richmond Circuit Court yesterday on charges that they assaulted a man while working an off-duty security job at a nightclub in Richmond's Fan District.
Donnell Patterson and Charles Battle each face one count of misdemeanor assault stemming from an incident June 26 outside Club 534 on North Harrison Street between West Broad and West Grace streets.
Patterson's attorney, John Rockecharlie, described the incident as a "chaotic crowd-control situation" early that morning after patrons left the club around closing time.
The club's owner, Nat Dance, said as many as 350 people leave the club at closing time on some mornings. He estimated that about that many people might have been outside the morning of the incident, but he said some of the people in the crowd had come from another club that had let out.
The club was paying the officers to work security that morning, Dance and Rockecharlie said.
Richmond police officials and city prosecutors declined to describe what happened outside the club or to provide either officer's employment status. A special prosecutor from outside Richmond will be assigned to the case.
Battle's attorney, Claire G. Cardwell, declined to comment. The officers' accuser, Sadaris Fitzgerald, could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Dance, who used to own the Cotton Club on Fifth Street in downtown Richmond, was fined $2,000 in 2006 after a judge found him guilty of maintaining a common nuisance at Club 534. The conviction later was thrown out.
According to testimony at the 2006 hearing, the Cotton Club and Club 534 could attract vast crowds that clogged streets and sidewalks.
Dance said yesterday that crowds outside Club 534 are not dangerous or a nuisance. He also said the June incident occurred around the corner from the club and not directly outside it.
Patterson and Battle each are free on a personal recognizance bond. A court hearing for both officers was set for Jan. 25.
Donnell Patterson and Charles Battle each face one count of misdemeanor assault stemming from an incident June 26 outside Club 534 on North Harrison Street between West Broad and West Grace streets.
Patterson's attorney, John Rockecharlie, described the incident as a "chaotic crowd-control situation" early that morning after patrons left the club around closing time.
The club's owner, Nat Dance, said as many as 350 people leave the club at closing time on some mornings. He estimated that about that many people might have been outside the morning of the incident, but he said some of the people in the crowd had come from another club that had let out.
The club was paying the officers to work security that morning, Dance and Rockecharlie said.
Richmond police officials and city prosecutors declined to describe what happened outside the club or to provide either officer's employment status. A special prosecutor from outside Richmond will be assigned to the case.
Battle's attorney, Claire G. Cardwell, declined to comment. The officers' accuser, Sadaris Fitzgerald, could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Dance, who used to own the Cotton Club on Fifth Street in downtown Richmond, was fined $2,000 in 2006 after a judge found him guilty of maintaining a common nuisance at Club 534. The conviction later was thrown out.
According to testimony at the 2006 hearing, the Cotton Club and Club 534 could attract vast crowds that clogged streets and sidewalks.
Dance said yesterday that crowds outside Club 534 are not dangerous or a nuisance. He also said the June incident occurred around the corner from the club and not directly outside it.
Patterson and Battle each are free on a personal recognizance bond. A court hearing for both officers was set for Jan. 25.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Officer Stephane Prevot Charged with DUI & Hit and Run
A Virginia Beach police officer – the second this year – was charged with driving under the influence and hit-and-run Saturday morning.
Dorienne Boykin, Chesapeake police spokeswoman, said Stephane Prevot was charged after striking a neighbor’s mailbox in the 1100 block of Myrtle Ave. about 11:30 a.m. She had no additional details about the incident and would have no more until after the weekend.
Prevot has been a police officer in Virginia Beach since January 2005, said Adam Bernstein, Virginia Beach police spokesman. He said that if an officer is arrested, the officer is automatically placed on administrative duty. Bernstein was unaware of Prevot’s status and said a decision will likely be made this week.
In June, Bryan K. Womble, an off-duty Virginia Beach police officer, was involved in a car crash at the Oceanfront. He was charged with hit-and-run and drunken driving with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.15.
A General District Court judge convicted Womble on Sept. 21 and sentenced him to five days in jail, which he served last month. The judge also suspended his driver's license for a year and ordered him to pay $500 in fines, attend alcohol safety awareness classes and use an ignition interlock device for six months.
Womble, 37, joined the police force in 2002. He was a celebrated member of the Police Department's Traffic Safety Unit, formerly the Selective Enforcement Team. The unit specializes in stopping impaired driving. On May 15, he arrested retired NFL star Bruce Smith for DUI.
Womble is no longer with Virginia Beach police.
Dorienne Boykin, Chesapeake police spokeswoman, said Stephane Prevot was charged after striking a neighbor’s mailbox in the 1100 block of Myrtle Ave. about 11:30 a.m. She had no additional details about the incident and would have no more until after the weekend.
Prevot has been a police officer in Virginia Beach since January 2005, said Adam Bernstein, Virginia Beach police spokesman. He said that if an officer is arrested, the officer is automatically placed on administrative duty. Bernstein was unaware of Prevot’s status and said a decision will likely be made this week.
In June, Bryan K. Womble, an off-duty Virginia Beach police officer, was involved in a car crash at the Oceanfront. He was charged with hit-and-run and drunken driving with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.15.
A General District Court judge convicted Womble on Sept. 21 and sentenced him to five days in jail, which he served last month. The judge also suspended his driver's license for a year and ordered him to pay $500 in fines, attend alcohol safety awareness classes and use an ignition interlock device for six months.
Womble, 37, joined the police force in 2002. He was a celebrated member of the Police Department's Traffic Safety Unit, formerly the Selective Enforcement Team. The unit specializes in stopping impaired driving. On May 15, he arrested retired NFL star Bruce Smith for DUI.
Womble is no longer with Virginia Beach police.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Sword-Wielding Man Dies After Being Tasered
A sword-wielding man died early Friday, hours after Hampton police twice used a TASER on him.
It was the first such reported death since officers there began carrying the devices in 2003, said Paula Scheck, a Hampton Police Department spokeswoman. No deaths have been reported in the three South Hampton Roads cities that widely outfit officers with TASERs.
According to a news release from Hampton police, officers responded to a complaint involving an emergency custody order in the first block of Overlook Court about 11 p.m. Thursday. When the 36-year-old man refused to come to the door, police called one of his relatives, who came to the scene.
When officers entered the home, the man swung a samurai-style sword at them, police said. Officers used the TASER on him once, and a second time when he continued to threaten them .
The man stopped breathing, and officers called medics and performed CPR. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m., police said.
Police identified the man as Hatchel Pate Adams III of Hampton. Officers involved were placed on administrative leave while the department conducts an internal investigation, according to the news release.
The Suffolk Police Department began carrying TASERs in June 2007. Norfolk added them in February 2008, followed by Virginia Beach this April.
Suffolk has said TASERs have resulted in fewer abuse complaints. But the conducted energy devices made headlines in Norfolk in October 2008 when a police officer used a TASER three times on a brain-damaged woman.
Amnesty International claims that more than 300 people have died after being struck with TASERs. The group says the devices were responsible in about 50 of those cases.
Drug intoxication accounted for most of the other deaths.
It was the first such reported death since officers there began carrying the devices in 2003, said Paula Scheck, a Hampton Police Department spokeswoman. No deaths have been reported in the three South Hampton Roads cities that widely outfit officers with TASERs.
According to a news release from Hampton police, officers responded to a complaint involving an emergency custody order in the first block of Overlook Court about 11 p.m. Thursday. When the 36-year-old man refused to come to the door, police called one of his relatives, who came to the scene.
When officers entered the home, the man swung a samurai-style sword at them, police said. Officers used the TASER on him once, and a second time when he continued to threaten them .
The man stopped breathing, and officers called medics and performed CPR. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m., police said.
Police identified the man as Hatchel Pate Adams III of Hampton. Officers involved were placed on administrative leave while the department conducts an internal investigation, according to the news release.
The Suffolk Police Department began carrying TASERs in June 2007. Norfolk added them in February 2008, followed by Virginia Beach this April.
Suffolk has said TASERs have resulted in fewer abuse complaints. But the conducted energy devices made headlines in Norfolk in October 2008 when a police officer used a TASER three times on a brain-damaged woman.
Amnesty International claims that more than 300 people have died after being struck with TASERs. The group says the devices were responsible in about 50 of those cases.
Drug intoxication accounted for most of the other deaths.
Friday, December 04, 2009
Officer Daniel Gent Charged with Using Excessive Force
A former Culpeper County deputy is scheduled to appear in court next week to answer charges that he used excessive force at the county jail.
Sheriff Jim Branch says 44-year-old Daniel T. Gent of Orange County was arrested Wednesday and charged with assault and battery. Gent was released on a uniform summons.
Gent is accused of using excessive force while escorting a male inmate from one room to another on Nov. 21.
Public information officer Corey Byers says the inmate complained of a sore neck but refused to go to a hospital.
Branch says Gent is no longer employed by the sheriff's office. The sheriff wouldn't provide details, saying it was a personnel matter.
Gent's first court appearance is set for Dec. 9.
___
Information from: The Free Lance-Star, http://www.fredericksburg.com/
Sheriff Jim Branch says 44-year-old Daniel T. Gent of Orange County was arrested Wednesday and charged with assault and battery. Gent was released on a uniform summons.
Gent is accused of using excessive force while escorting a male inmate from one room to another on Nov. 21.
Public information officer Corey Byers says the inmate complained of a sore neck but refused to go to a hospital.
Branch says Gent is no longer employed by the sheriff's office. The sheriff wouldn't provide details, saying it was a personnel matter.
Gent's first court appearance is set for Dec. 9.
___
Information from: The Free Lance-Star, http://www.fredericksburg.com/
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Officer Johnnie Self Jr Charged with Sexual Battery & Domestic Assault
A Blacksburg police officer faces charges of sexual battery and domestic assault.
Johnnie Self, Jr. turned himself in earlier this week after he was accused of assaulting his girlfriend late Saturday.
He was released on a $100,000 bond. The Blacksburg Police Department says Self is now on leave from the department.
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Department has taken over the investigation. A special prosecutor from Carroll County will take on the case.
---------------------------------------------
http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/223684
Johnnie Self, Jr. turned himself in earlier this week after he was accused of assaulting his girlfriend late Saturday.
He was released on a $100,000 bond. The Blacksburg Police Department says Self is now on leave from the department.
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Department has taken over the investigation. A special prosecutor from Carroll County will take on the case.
---------------------------------------------
http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/223684
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Capital Police Officer Thomas McMahon Arrested for Passing out Drunk in Woman's Bed
Police arrest a U.S. Capitol Police Officer after a woman came home to find him passed out drunk in her bed.
The woman lives in northern Virginia in the City of Arlington.
Police say 34-year-old Thomas McMahon was still sleeping when officers arrived at the home early Sunday morning. They arrested him and charged him with unlawful entry.
Police don't know why McMahon picked the woman's apartment to sleep in because he lives in Reston which is about 15 miles away.
He's on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
The woman lives in northern Virginia in the City of Arlington.
Police say 34-year-old Thomas McMahon was still sleeping when officers arrived at the home early Sunday morning. They arrested him and charged him with unlawful entry.
Police don't know why McMahon picked the woman's apartment to sleep in because he lives in Reston which is about 15 miles away.
He's on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
------------------------
Monday, September 21, 2009
Air Force Officer James Fondren on Trial for Providing Secret Military Information to Chinese Spy
A former Air Force officer is on trial for providing secret military information to a New Orleans furniture salesman who turned out to be a Chinese spy.
Prosecutors told a jury in federal court in Alexandria on Monday that James Fondren of Annandale, Va., sold "opinion papers" containing classified information about U.S.-China military relations to Tai Shen Kuo, a New Orleans businessman.
Kuo gave those papers to an agent working with the Beijing government.
Kuo has already pleaded guilty to espionage and been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison. Kuo was the first witness Monday against Fondren.
The defendant's lawyer Asa Hutchinson told jurors that Fondren was one of many people who was fooled by Kuo.
-----------------------------
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/ap/retired_af_officer_goes_on_trial_in_china_spy_case-60052687.html
Prosecutors told a jury in federal court in Alexandria on Monday that James Fondren of Annandale, Va., sold "opinion papers" containing classified information about U.S.-China military relations to Tai Shen Kuo, a New Orleans businessman.
Kuo gave those papers to an agent working with the Beijing government.
Kuo has already pleaded guilty to espionage and been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison. Kuo was the first witness Monday against Fondren.
The defendant's lawyer Asa Hutchinson told jurors that Fondren was one of many people who was fooled by Kuo.
-----------------------------
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/ap/retired_af_officer_goes_on_trial_in_china_spy_case-60052687.html
Officer J.L. Crain Arrested for DUI After Crash
Officers arrest one of their own who's accused of breaking the law.
Police say Henrico County Officer J.L. Crain was involved in an accident early Sunday morning on Interstate 64 at Gaskins Road.
Police say he rear-ended another car, and the person inside was treated for injuries and released.
Officers responding to the crash arrested Crain for DUI and court records show his blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.
We are told he was in his own vehicle and was not on duty.
Crain has been with the Henrico Police Department since 2001. Police there won't comment on his status, other than to say he's not working right now.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Former Officer Robert Miller Arrested for Impersonating Officer
Former South Charleston Police Officer Robert Miller is in trouble for pretending to still be on the job -- a scheme authorities said he repeatedly has used to make money.
Charleston Police said Miller has an extensive history of pulling the same scam -- often telling people that he's a police officer in a bind. His stories usually involve a forgotten wallet, a tow truck and that he's an off-duty police officer.
Miller served as an officer in South Charleston for a couple of years in the early 90s and is the son of former South Charleston Police Chief J.C. Miller. The man who used to put people behind bars, however, is in jail again, having been arrested for similar schemes in the past.
In 2000, Miller was arrested for using schemes to feed a drug addiction. During his most recent scheme, Miller has only been charged with a misdemeanor, so police fear he'll get out of jail and then be right back at it.
Police said any officer who's legitimate would never ask for money. They also recommend to see a badge if there is a question about an officer being valid or not. If you have additional concerns, call 911.
Charleston Police said Miller has an extensive history of pulling the same scam -- often telling people that he's a police officer in a bind. His stories usually involve a forgotten wallet, a tow truck and that he's an off-duty police officer.
Miller served as an officer in South Charleston for a couple of years in the early 90s and is the son of former South Charleston Police Chief J.C. Miller. The man who used to put people behind bars, however, is in jail again, having been arrested for similar schemes in the past.
In 2000, Miller was arrested for using schemes to feed a drug addiction. During his most recent scheme, Miller has only been charged with a misdemeanor, so police fear he'll get out of jail and then be right back at it.
Police said any officer who's legitimate would never ask for money. They also recommend to see a badge if there is a question about an officer being valid or not. If you have additional concerns, call 911.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Officer Jonnie Hicks Arrested for Assaulting Woman
A Newport News police officer was arrested early Friday morning and charged with assaulting a woman in her home.
Johnnie Hicks, 30, assigned to the South Precinct High Impact Patrol Unit, is charged with assault and battery and brandishing a firearm. He has been with the Newport News police almost two years.
Hicks has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal and criminal investigation.
Police spokeswoman Holly McPherson said Hicks was arrested about 1:48 a.m. on Youngs Mill Lane.
She said officers responded to the address after receiving reports of a person with a gun.
She said investigators determined that, while off duty, Hicks got into "a confrontation" with a 30-year-old Newport News woman, described as "a neighbor," in her residence.
During the incident, he assaulted her and brandished a firearm, McPherson said.
Johnnie Hicks, 30, assigned to the South Precinct High Impact Patrol Unit, is charged with assault and battery and brandishing a firearm. He has been with the Newport News police almost two years.
Hicks has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal and criminal investigation.
Police spokeswoman Holly McPherson said Hicks was arrested about 1:48 a.m. on Youngs Mill Lane.
She said officers responded to the address after receiving reports of a person with a gun.
She said investigators determined that, while off duty, Hicks got into "a confrontation" with a 30-year-old Newport News woman, described as "a neighbor," in her residence.
During the incident, he assaulted her and brandished a firearm, McPherson said.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)