Showing posts with label Washington DC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Washington DC. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Officer Aisha McCrary Charged with Insurance Fraud

A D.C. police officer is facing insurance fraud and attempted theft charges related to alleged damage to police equipment.

Aisha McCrary has been indicted in Prince George's County, the office of State's Attorney Angela Alsobrooks announced Monday.

According to Alsobrooks' office, McCrary is accused of filing an insurance claim that her work radio, a personal laptop and other items were damaged from a water leak in her home in July 2013.

McCrary sent a letter to the Metropolitan Police Department from a tech supervisor who an insurance adjustor later determined does not exist. She provided the same letter a second time and then tried to withdraw her claim.

An investigation found that McCrary's radio was not damaged and she had not reported any damage to the equipment.

An arraignment is scheduled for March 21.

Friday, January 31, 2014

Veteran Officer Rodney Williams Charged with Stealing from Evidence Room

A D.C. police officer with 24 years on the force was charged Thursday with stealing property from an evidence room, according to the department.

Officer Rodney Williams was charged with one count of second-degree theft and has an appearance scheduled in D.C. Superior Court on Feb. 20. He was issued a criminal citation and set free.

Officer Araz Alali, a D.C. police spokesman, said members of the Internal Affairs Division arrested Williams on Thursday after a tip from another police employee. He said the theft occurred from the Evidence Control Branch, located in Southwest Washington, where the officer had been assigned.

Police would not disclose which items were stolen. The evidence branch handles about 100,000 items that are either seized or recovered by police throughout any given year. Items include evidence from crime scenes, found property and possessions from a person found deceased.

The arrest comes just days after D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier testified before the D.C. Council’s public safety committee about a spate of recent arrests of officers that includes one charged with running a prostitution ring involving minors out of his apartment. Another officer was recently charged with taking semi-nude pictures of a teenaged girl; his body was found in the Washington Channel last month in what police have said was an apparent suicide.

Lanier has complained that several officers she has fired were ordered back during an appeals process, and she asked lawmakers to help change the law to strengthen her ability to terminate officers convicted of crimes. She also has said many officers recently arrested graduated from the academy in 1989 and 1990, a time when hiring standards were lowered to quickly boost the size of the force. Williams was in the 1990 class.

The chief has said many of the officers hired then would not be hired under tougher standards in place today. At the Council hearing Jan. 24, Lanier said 47 District officers have been convicted of crimes since 2009. There were four in 2013, eight in 2012, 20 in 2011, 10 in 2010 and five in 2009.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Officer Linwood Barnhill Investigated for Teen Prostitution Ring & Child Porn

A Washington D.C. police officer is under investigation for allegedly running a prostitution ring out of his apartment.

Officer Linwood Barnhill, 47, has not been arrested but is on paid administrative leave after police found a missing 16-year-old girl in his home Tuesday who told police Barnhill had arranged for her to have sex for money.

The girl told police that Barnhill had arranged for her to engage in sex acts with a man for $80 and that he told her that her working name would be ‘Juicy.’

Incredibly, a Photobucket account belonging to Linwood Barnhill discovered in an online search contains numerous pictures of scantily clad young women, a photograph that clearly shows a large amount of marijuana, a police officer in uniform handling piles of cash and several blank spaces that Photobucket has removed as inappropriate content.

Barnhill brazenly used his full name for the account, which has photographic evidence of potentially illegal behavior.

The girl told police that Barnhill took nude pictures of her and that six other women had also prostituted themselves for Barnhill.

A search warrant affidavit filed in federal court alleges sex trafficking of a minor and production of child pornography.

The Washington Times reports that in the apartment, located at 3066 Stanton Road Southeast near St. Elizabeth’s Hospital police also found marijuana along with a large number of condoms and nine pairs of women’s high heeled shoes.

Linwood Barnhill is a 24-year veteran of the city’s 7th District Police Department.

The Washington Post reports that investigating officers stayed at the Southeastern Washington DC apartment Tuesday night and most of Wednesday, and after obtaining the search warrant confiscated various items including women’s lingerie, computers and cell phones.

Court documents state that the girl told officers she had been to the apartment at least twice. Barnhill took nude pictures of her in sparkly high heels and showed them to a potential customer, who was scheduled to meet with the girl and pay $80 for sex.

Barnhill would keep $20, she said, and also pay for her to have her hair done and new clothes and shoes.

It’s not clear whether the girl had actually met with the customer.

D.C. Police Chief Cathy L Lanier said in a statement that the department ‘is very concerned about the recent allegations of egregious conduct.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Sgt. Aisha Hackley Arrested for Scamming Elderly Woman

A District of Columbia police officer was charged Tuesday with scamming an elderly woman she was assigned to help, authorities said.

Sgt. Aisha Hackley was arrested on a theft charge at the police department’s Second District headquarters, where she works. The 35-year-old was released on personal recognizance and is due back in court later this month.

Hackley forged the signature of an 85-year-old woman she met last December during a fraud investigation, depositing 10 checks from the woman’s Bank of America account that totaled more than $43,000, according to court charging documents. Eight of the checks were made payable to Aisha Jackson, which authorities say is another name for Hackley, and two were written out to Kevin Jackson, her son.

The older woman contacted Bank of America on or about May 31 after noticing a series of suspicious checks charged against her account. She later told a fraud investigator that the signature on eight of the checks was not hers, that she would not have authorized the checks for the amounts written and that she did not know Aisha Jackson or Kevin Jackson, according to court records.

Hackley, when questioned by a bank investigator, said she had met the woman last December after the woman reported being a victim of a lottery scam. Hackley visited the woman’s home several times over the next few months and even helped her open a new PNC Bank account, the documents say.

Hackley’s attorney, Kenneth Auerbach, did not immediately return a call seeking comment. D.C. police spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump said Hackley’s police powers have been revoked and that Hackley came under investigation after the Internal Affairs Division received a tip from a police officer in April.
Hackley’s next court date is June 30.

Hackley was recognized in December 2003, at the Capital Hotels Award Metropolitan Police Service Award Luncheon, for arresting two teenagers who were in a stolen car after she saw the vehicle make an illegal turn.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Former Officer Nelson Salinas Wanted for Aggravated Sexual Battery on Minor


U.S. Marshals are on the hunt for a former Peruvian police officer accused of molesting his friend's daughter, and authorities want to catch him before he leaves the country.

"Time is of the essence," said Rob Fernandez, commander of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. "We want to get this guy before he runs back to his homeland."

Nelson Salinas, 54, is wanted by Fairfax County police on two counts of aggravated sexual battery on a minor.

Authorities said Salinas and the victim's father were police officers in Peru before both families immigrated to the United States and settled in the Alexandria and Arlington area.

The girl's family temporarily stayed with Salinas' family. Police said Salinas snuck into the girl's bed twice and touched her inappropriately. She was about 11 years old.

Salinas was charged with sexual battery after the victim conducted a phone sting and the man admitted to the accusations, police said.

A warrant was issued for his arrest, and police would like the public to provide information to help bring him to justice.

Salinas is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall and 175 pounds with gray hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information on Salinas' whereabouts is urged to call the U.S. Marshals Service at 800-336-0102. The Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, run by the U.S. Marshals Service, comprises 30 federal, state and local agencies from Baltimore to Norfolk. Since its creation in 2004, the unit has captured more than 29,000 wanted fugitives.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Capt. Travis Mosher Accused of Stealing Fire Chief's Vehicle

A top-ranking member of the Manassas Park police department has been accused of stealing a fire department battalion chief's vehicle during an awards banquet for volunteer firefighters, Prince William County police said.

Capt. Travis D. Mosher was the Manassas Park police department's operations commander, but he resigned Sunday, the day after he turned himself in to police, InsideNova.com reported. A dispatcher at the Manassas Park police department said no one was available to speak to the news media Monday regarding the incident and could not confirm that Mosher had stepped down.

According to Prince William County police, the 30-year-old was attending an awards banquet for the Occoquan-Woodbridge-Lorton fire station at 1300 F St. in Woodbridge on Saturday evening, when he allegedly stole a 2005 Ford Excursion assigned to a Prince William County fire department battalion chief.

Investigators say they saw Mosher stealing the SUV on surveillance videos. The vehicle was recovered a little more than three miles from the banquet near the intersection of Golansky Road and Prince William Parkway in Woodbridge, police said. No one was injured, and no accidents were reported.

Mosher, police said, turned himself in Saturday night, and he was charged with grand larceny and petit larceny. He was released on his own recognizance with a Feb. 10 court date.

Calls to Mosher were not returned Monday.

The Manassas Park police department's Web site says Mosher joined the force as a patrol officer in 1997 and was promoted to captain and head of operations for the 35-member force in 2006. Before that he spent one year as a patrol sergeant.

His profile in LinkedIn.com, a social networking Web site, says he is enrolled in Northern Virginia Community College's criminal justice degree program.

Mosher described himself as a "dedicated proactive law enforcement professional with over twelve years of extensive experience in crisis management, budgeting and administration" on his LinkedIn page. He concluded that he is an "outstanding leader with a firm but fair attitude and a reputation for honesty, loyalty and integrity."

Saturday, January 09, 2010

Lt. Ronald Netter Has Service Weapon Stolen for the Third Time

Authorities are searching for a D.C. police lieutenant’s service weapon that went missing after a carjacking in Prince George’s County, multiple police sources said.

Veteran police officer Lt. Ronald Netter told investigators that his weapon was stolen while his vehicle was stopped late Wednesday near Temple Hills, law enforcement sources told The Examiner.

Police used K-9 units Wednesday night and Thursday to try sniff out the missing gun.

A teenage boy has been taken into custody in the case, police said. The teenager denied stealing the gun and said he knew Netter personally, said police sources familiar with the ongoing investigation.

The loss of his gun could be a problem for Netter because this is the third time he has lost his service weapon, according to two sources within the Metropolitan Police Department.

Around 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Netter called Prince George’s County police from a 7-Eleven convenience store on the 5400 block of Silver Hill Road in Temple Hills to say that he had been carjacked by a black male, according to Prince George’s police Officer Henry Tippett. Netter said the suspect took off with his 1995 gold Lexus and was armed with a handgun. Police sent out a K-9 unit and found the suspect but had not found the car as of late Thursday, Tippett said.

Police officers are responsible for their service weapons and can be terminated for losing them through improper safekeeping or making poor personal choices.

The teenager was going to be charged in the carjacking, police said.

Netter had recently been transferred from a top manager in the 6th District in Southeast Washington, where he was lauded by Hillcrest residents . He now heads up the central cellblock, the jail in the basement at downtown police headquarters.

Before working on the other side of the Anacostia, he had been a sergeant in the 5th District in Northeast Washington.

Friday, January 08, 2010

Former Officer Bruce Webster Sentenced to 19 Years

A former Fairfax County police officer, whose wife was slain in 1991, was sentenced Friday to 19 years in prison for abducting her twice in the months before her death, but he has not been charged with killing her.

Bruce Webster, 69, a former patrol officer in the Mount Vernon Police District, met Joann Allison when she was waiting tables at Elsie's Magic Skillet, a Route 1 diner and regular hangout for officers. Webster and Allison were married in the diner in October 1988.

Webster, a Vietnam War veteran, spent 18 years as a Fairfax officer, resigning in January 1990. The couple then moved to Alabama. But not long after, Joann Webster decided to separate from her husband, return to Fairfax and resume waitressing at the Skillet, according to former owner Elsie Plues's trial testimony in August.

But in May 1990, Joann Webster went to a bank near the Skillet and withdrew $9,000 while her estranged husband watched. She then ran to the Skillet and told Plues that her husband had "tied her to a chair, threatening to kill her," and forced her to withdraw the money, Plues testified.

Bruce Webster's attorneys said that his wife had fled Alabama with $15,000 from their joint account, leaving him penniless.

Plues urged Joann Webster to report the incident to police. She did, but refused to prosecute.

Seven months later, on New Year's, a bloodied Joann Webster turned up at a 7-Eleven store in Woodbridge, claiming that she had been abducted and tied up by her estranged husband, witnesses testified. This time she agreed to prosecute, and Bruce Webster was charged with abduction.

On Feb. 15, 1991, divorce papers were served on Bruce Webster. The next day, Joann Webster didn't show up for work at the Skillet. She was found fatally stabbed in her apartment in Sacramento Square, wearing her waitress uniform, police said. She was 44.

Several days later, Bruce Webster did not appear for his preliminary hearing on the abduction charge. Prosecutors, without their complaining witness, did not pursue the case. Homicide detectives said they investigated Webster closely in the death of his estranged wife but couldn't make a case.

In 2007, Fairfax cold case homicide detectives revisited the slaying and tracked down Webster, who was living in a one-room apartment in Las Vegas. During several long, taped conversations, Webster denied killing or kidnapping his wife. But he did say, "When I get angry, people get seriously hurt or they die."

A Fairfax grand jury indicted Webster in May of last year for both abduction incidents and use of a gun in one of them. A trial jury convicted him of the three counts, recommending eight-year sentences on both abduction counts and three years for using a gun. Webster did not testify.

At his sentencing hearing, Joann Webster's daughter, Tammy Magouirk, testified that "it's something that doesn't go away. It has colored my relationships. How do you trust people when things like this happen to your mom? I was in a bad relationship, but I was terrified to end it. I stayed in that relationship for 15 years."

Bruce Webster declined to make a statement to Fairfax Circuit Court Judge Jonathan C. Thacher. Webster's attorney, Deputy Public Defender Dawn M. Butorac, said he was not remorseful because he maintains that he did not kidnap or kill his wife.
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Thursday, January 07, 2010

Officer Reginald Jones Changes His Story

An on-duty D.C. police officer charged with murder in a street robbery gone wrong initially told supervisors that he was at police headquarters writing search warrants the night of the Dec. 1 shooting, a homicide detective told a D.C. Superior Court judge Tuesday.

But, the detective testified, Officer Reginald Jones changed his story after a suspect in the case said Jones was involved in the crime. Jones then told police that he was at the scene of the shooting, sitting in his marked patrol car. But Jones told them that he was alone, investigating a tip about illegal guns. He has denied involvement in the shooting and robbery.

Prosecutors have charged Jones, 40, a six-year member of the department, with felony murder in the shooting death of Arvel S. Alston, 40, during the robbery in the 4200 block of Fourth Street SE. One of the co-defendants, Rashun M. Parker, 27, of Temple Hills, the first of five suspects arrested in the case, identified Jones as being involved in planning to rob a suspected drug dealer. Parker has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and conspiracy.

Jones, his ankles and wrists shackled, sat next to his attorney during the three-hour hearing.

Also seated at the defense table was Arvel Crawford, 19, Alston's son. Parker has said Crawford accidentally killed Alston during a scuffle with the intended robbery victim. Police said Alston had about $4,200 in cash stuffed in his pockets.

The courtroom was filled with family members of the victim and the suspects, as well as uniformed police officers and detectives. Jones, of Upper Marlboro, was assigned to the department's narcotics and gun recovery unit.
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Also charged in the case are Jarvis Clark, 19, of Temple Hills and Lynn Daniel Wilkerson, 33, of Hyattsville.

Detective Anthony Greene testified Tuesday that police recovered from Wilkerson's home two police-issued bulletproof vests, one of which had "property of R. Jones" written inside, portable flashing red lights and a home-invasion battering ram that was marked "gun recovery unit."

Greene said the suspects discussed the plan to rob Tyrone Herring, 45, while hanging out at an auto detailing shop in Suitland owned by Wilkerson and frequented by Jones. Greene testified that detectives recovered surveillance video from the auto shop that showed Jones there, sitting at a computer, while the other men were discussing the robbery and distributing guns.

After his arrest in the shooting, Parker accompanied a detective in a stakeout of the auto shop and saw Jones drive up. Parker then identified Jones as the officer involved in the robbery's planning.

Herring, who was also shot during the robbery but suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, was charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute after police said they found 31.4 grams of crack in his pants while he was being treated for the gunshot wound at a hospital. Investigators said Herring told them that he was robbed of nearly $5,000.

According to charging documents, Parker told detectives that Jones drove his cruiser on the night of the shooting through the courtyard of the housing complex in Washington Highlands to shoo away loiterers who might see the planned robbery. He then parked his car at the end of the driveway near the complex and sat on the driver's side, the documents state.

Greene testified that the other men approached Herring at the apartment complex, struck him over the head and tried to push him into a car with Alston in the driver's seat. Herring tried to wrestle away from his attackers. During the struggle, Crawford's gun accidentally went off, striking his father in the upper right chest, according to the documents and Greene's testimony.

Attorneys for Jones and Crawford urged Judge Michael L. Rankin to release their clients, saying Parker had a criminal history and was biased because he was cooperating with prosecutors after pleading guilty. The attorneys also argued that Herring, another witness, was a known drug dealer.

Rankin said the evidence presented at the hearing was "strong" and ordered Jones and Crawford to remain held in the D.C. jail until trial. Another judge signed an order allowing Jones to be separated from other inmates.

Jones is on paid indefinite suspension, said Assistant Police Chief Michael Anzallo. Department policy is to suspend an officer's pay 30 days after felony charges are filed, Anzallo said. Jones was arrested and charged in the fatal shooting Dec. 15.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Officer Draws Gun During Snow Ball Fight

A senior police official in Washington DC has said an off-duty officer who drew a gun at a snowball fight behaved in a "totally inappropriate" way.

Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier said video footage left "no doubt" the officer drew his gun after his vehicle, a Hummer, was pelted with snowballs.

The footage showed an angry crowd gathering, chanting: "You don't bring a gun to a snowball fight".

Ms Lanier said the officer had been placed on desk duty.

She said he had not denied the allegations.

Is a statement, Ms Lanier said she had reviewed all the video footage of the incident taken by the public and it was "very obvious" the officer had drawn his police-issue gun "in response to the snowballs hitting his vehicle".

"I have no doubt about this, nor has the officer denied the accusations," she said.

"Let me be very clear in stating that I believe the actions of the officer were totally inappropriate!

"In no way, should he have handled the situation in this manner."

Assistant Police Chief Peter Newsham told reporters the detective, who has not been officially named, had more than 25 years of experience.

"He has a very good reputation," he told the Associated Press.

'Disturbing'

The incident took place on Saturday, as a large crowd of people were taking part in a mass snowball fight in the US capital during a blizzard.
Snow in Washington DC, US (19 December 2009)
Washington DC has been hit by the worst snow storms in years

Snowballs were thrown at the man's car and as he got out he exposed his gun briefly, always pointing towards the snow on the ground.

Panicked residents can be heard shouting, "He's got a gun," but others continue to throw snowballs his way.

At one point on the video - shown on YouTube - the man identifies himself as a "detective", but refuses to give his full name.

Then he proceeds to admit to pulling his gun.

"Yes I did because I got hit by snowballs," he tells angry residents who demand to know his badge number.

He challenges them to "throw another snowball".

The confrontation ended only when other policemen were despatched to the scene, and managed to calm everyone down.

Ms Lanier said the officer's actions "in no way, reflects the training and the standards" of the Washington DC Police Department.

She said it was disturbing that the "negative actions of one officer" had eclipsed the work of the police force during the blizzard

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Officer Reginald Jones Charged with Murder

An on-duty D.C. police officer charged with murder and accused of acting as a lookout in a street robbery gone fatally wrong also was present during the planning of the holdup and drove some of the participants to the crime scene, authorities said in a court affidavit.

Officer Reginald Jones, charged with felony murder in the Dec. 1 robbery in Southeast Washington, was parked a short distance from the shooting that night in a marked patrol car, according to an affidavit made public Tuesday in D.C. Superior Court. When shots were fired and a witness ran toward the police cruiser seeking help, Jones drove off "and left the area," the affidavit says.

The robbery victim, accused of being a drug dealer, survived a bullet wound. But police said the group of assailants included a 19-year-old man who fired an apparently errant shot that killed his father, an accomplice in the holdup.

Jones, 40, a six-year member of the force, is not accused of pulling the trigger. However, because he is accused of playing a role in the robbery, in the 4300 block of Fourth Street SE, he can be held legally culpable for the fatal result, authorities said. On Wednesday, a Superior Court judge ordered Jones, of Upper Marlboro, held without bail pending a Jan. 5 preliminary hearing.
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The affidavit says Jones, a uniformed member of the department's gun-recovery unit, shooed away loiterers who might see the crime by driving the patrol car through the courtyard of a housing complex in Washington Highlands shortly before the robbery occurred there.

"The worst thing an officer can do is betray the public trust," D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said in announcing Jones's arrest Tuesday night. "In this case, the officer went far beyond that. He did so carrying our badge and wearing our uniform."

The unit to which Jones was assigned is part of the police Narcotics and Special Investigations Division. On Wednesday, reacting to Jones's arrest, Lanier transferred several supervisors in the division to less prestigious patrol commands, two police sources said.

The holdup victim, Tyrone D. Herring, 45, was charged with possessing cocaine with intent to distribute after police allegedly found 31.4 grams of crack in his pants while he was being treated at a hospital. Investigators said he told them that he was robbed of nearly $5,000.

Herring said $700 was in his pants pocket and about $4,000 was in the console of his car.

In court affidavits, police said Jones was present Nov. 30 at an auto detailing shop in Suitland when several men planned the robbery. Jones drove at least two of them to the housing complex in his cruiser on the night of the crime, police said.

They said Herring told them that he was walking along Fourth Street, near where his black Infiniti was parked, shortly before 9 p.m. when several men with guns accosted him, demanding money. As the robbers tried to force him into his car, Herring told investigators, he began to struggle because he feared he was about to be killed.

Police said one of the alleged robbers, Arvel Crawford, fired a shot that hit his father, Arvel S. Alston, 40, in the right side.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Officer Reginald Jones Arrested for Fatal Shooting

A D.C. police officer was arrested Tuesday and charged with felony murder in connection with a fatal shooting about two weeks ago in Southeast Washington, police officials said.

In a case that appeared to be without recent precedent, police said Reginald Jones, who has been a member of the force for six years, was arrested in the death of Arvel S. Alston, 40.

Police said Jones "basically served as a lookout" and did not shoot Alston, who was killed in the 4300 block of Fourth Street on Dec. 1. A police source said Alston had been attempting a robbery that went awry.

Jones was on duty at the time and was at the scene in a patrol car assigned to the gun-recovery unit that he works for, a police source said. He fled when shots were fired, the source said.

Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier called Jones, 40, "a disgrace to the uniform."

"We will not allow this department to be judged by one bad apple," she said in brief remarks during a news conference at police headquarters.

Rather, she said, "we should be judged on how we handled that bad apple."

Alston and at least one other man were to carry out the robbery, according to police sources. However, the sources said, the intended victim resisted, and in the ensuing moments, Alston was fatally shot.

Three police sources said the shot that killed Alston was fired by his son.

In addition to Jones, two other men have been arrested in Alston's death, and police sources identified one of them -- Arvel Crawford -- as Alston's son.

The charge of felony murder, which faces the officer, Alston's son and the third suspect, may be brought when a death occurs during the commission of a serious felony. The death need not be intentional and may be accidental.

The intended victim of the robbery was wounded and taken to a hospital. The robbery victim's name has not been released.
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More Information: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/15/AR2009121504412.html

Monday, December 14, 2009

DC Officer Accused of Hit and Run

Police are saying little about an incident in which a D.C. police cruiser apparently hit a teenager during a chase -- and then left the scene.

Dominic Turner, 18, suffered broken ribs, internal bleeding and a back injury when he was hit Saturday night. He returned home Monday afternoon, with a walker, after two days in the hospital.

"It was hard and fast. It caused me to vomit (from) the impact," Turner said. "I'm just glad I'm still here."

It all began, according to Turner's family, when a group of men, including Turner, were standing outside a family gathering holding cups. Police saw them and told them to drop the cups. That somehow evolved into a police chase. Turner was struck about 8:30 p.m. Saturday in an alley near 20th and Newton streets NE.
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A witnesses told the family the police cruiser hit Turner and the officer got out of the cruiser, walked over to the teen, grabbed him and then got back in the cruiser and took off.

"They were the people who were supposed to look out for me, but I became a victim," Turner said.

Witnesses went to get Turner's parents a the family gathering. The parents and relatives ran to the scene, finding Turner doubled over in pain, they said. The police and police cruiser were gone.

"When we arrived, it was the first responders there: ambulance and fire. And then, like 10 minutes later, the police were back," said Turner's mother, Darhisha Jackson Milton.

Milton and her husband, Gregory Milton, Turner's stepfather, said they were stunned by the police's alleged behavior.

"He should have done something instead of just leaving him there," Gregory Milton said. "He didn't do anything. He just hit him and then left."

According Turner's mother, their relatives, who had gathered at the scene, asked the police officers "'Who hit him?'" She said one officer -- after about 10 minutes -- said, "'Ma'am, I'm the one who hit your son.'"

Turner's relatives photographed the damaged cruiser when it returned to the scene Saturday night.
Jackson Turner said she didn't get the officer's name. Relatives took pictures of the damaged cruiser, number 5023. There was a long impact mark on the right side, including a broken side-view mirror.

"The mirror that was broken on the side of the car, was on my ribs and my stomach was on a light post," Turner said.

D.C. police did not directly confirm or deny the allegations. Gwendolyn Crump, the acting director of the MPD's Office of Communications issued a written statement:

"Multiple statements were taken following the incident and there are discrepancies over what occurred. The matter and the allegations are being investigated by the Internal Affairs Division. We cannot comment further. "

Turner graduated in May from Washington Math, Science, and Technology High School. He says he plans to start classes at Prince George's Community College next month.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

DC Mother Says Her Son Was Shot Because He Was Playing With Toy Gun

An outraged D.C. mother says her son was shot by D.C. police officers because, in part, he was playing with a toy gun.

The incident occurred on the 1400 block of Shepherd Street Northwest at around 6 p.m. May 4.

The 12-year-old boy and his dog Boss walk the streets of their neighborhood, but not without fear according to the child's mother, LaShawn English.

"I still can't believe that this happened to my son," she said.

English says the family's dog got out without his leash so her son chased after him down an alley, carrying a plastic Airsoft toy gun that shoots small pellets.

The toys are plastic, but from some online photos, they look quite real. The family suspects someone called the police when they saw what appeared to be someone armed in the alley.

Neighbor Lorena Marshall says she saw the child comply when the officer with his own gun drawn, ordered the child to drop the gun.

"I can hear him say, 'Get down, get down, get down,'" said Marshall. "And then when he cuffed him and I came over here I said, Can't you see it? It's a toy.'"

Police say the dog then charged the officer who shot and wounded the animal. Marshall, however, disputes that account. "No, the dog did not charge. The dog came over in a crouching position," she said.

English says a bullet fragment ricocheted and struck her son in the head. "I was floored. I was stunned. I was shocked," she said.

English says her son was treated and released from the hospital, but police say no injuries were reported to the officer.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Secret Service Officer Arrested in Prostitution Sting

A United States Secret Service officer has been arrested in Washington, D.C. after allegedly soliciting a prostitute for sex. The prostitute turned out to be an undercover D.C. police officer. The Secret Service officer was using his official Secret Service patrol car, which was marked, and was also in full uniform at the time of the arrest.

The unnamed Secret Service officer, a sergeant, was arrested after allegedly agreeing to pay the undercover police officer US $20 to receive oral sex. After agreeing on a price, the undercover officer told the Secret Service officer to drive around the corner, where the sex act would take place. When he stopped his car, he was arrested by police officers.

Police say they were performing a normal sting when the Secret Service officer pulled up. The unnamed officer thought the Secret Service officer was going to tell her to get off the streets, but instead told the officer that she had "nice thighs".

In D.C., soliciting a prostitute for sex holds a maximum sentence of 180 days in jail. The Secret Service officer was released pending charges and was suspended from his job pending an internal investigation.


http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/11/secret-service.html

Saturday, November 08, 2008

D.C. Officer Arrested in Prostitution Sting

WASHINGTON

District of Columbia police say they have arrested a Secret Service officer during a prostitution sting.

WUSA-TV reports D.C. police Inspector Brian Bray says his squad was conducting a prostitution sting around 11th and K streets in northwest Washington early Saturday. He says a marked Secret Service Uniformed Division patrol car pulled up to speak with an undercover female officer posing as a prostitute.

The Secret Service sergeant, who was in uniform, allegedly inquired what sex acts the undercover officer would perform. They agreed on a price of $20, and he drove to meet her. But then D.C. police arrested and charged him with solicitation for the propose of prostitution.

Darrin Blackford, a Secret Service spokesman, says the agency's internal affairs division is investigating the matter. He says the officer, whose name was not released, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

Information from: WUSA-TV, http://www.wusatv9.com

Friday, July 04, 2008

D.C. Officer Arrested for Assault, Abduction, and Rape

A Metropolitan Police Department officer is in jail facing charges of attempted rape, assault and abduction after police said they caught him going after his former girlfriend.

Officer Kelvin Barksdale, a tremendously popular patrol officer on Capitol Hill, is held without bond in the Prince William County jail. Many people expressed shock at the news of his arrest, while others who witnesses the attack, including a Virginia police officer who helped stop it, said it could have been worse.

"I had pulled up at that intersection, Williamstown Drive and Old Triangle and heard all the commotion, all the screaming and yelling." A woman was fighting for her life when Dumfries police detective Mark McCoy jumped out to help. He saw a man, allegedly Barksdale, who is accused of trying to abduct his former girlfriend at gunpoint, possibly using his service weapon.

"Take her to the wooded area over here where he made the threats to kill her and her family, her children." Neighbors credited detective McCoy and others for interrupting the attack and perhaps saving the woman's life. She reportedly had ended a personal relationship with Barksdale a few days earlier.

"I mean, come on. He is a police officer. He should know better than that.," neighbor Dorothy Dye said.

44-year-old Barksdale is a much decorated, veteran officer based out of the First District Police Station. He's well-known and well-liked as a beat cop in Capitol Hill neighborhoods. It was his own department who helped Dumfries Police take him into custody. "They contacted him and at some point encouraged him to come down and turn himself in," McCoy said.

Witnesses said there was such rage involved in the assault, at first they thought the man was a stranger, not someone who could have ever cared about the person he was attacking. "There are crazy people out there in the world who don't have their head on straight. They're in law enforcement and politics and school and everywhere," neighbor Lakisha Ferguson said.

Officer Barksdale will stay behind bars until his hearing at the end of August. Meantime, he's on administrative leave from the Metropolitan Police Department.