Officer Naaman Adcock Arrested for Holding Gun to 5-year-old's Head

A Fort Smith police officer who was arrested after Sequoyah County Sheriff's Office deputies said he fired a gun inside his home and held a gun to a five-year-old's head has resigned.

Naaman Adcock resigned from the Fort Smith Police Department early Wednesday, according to KFSM, the CBS affiliate in Fort Smith.

Adcock was arrested Tuesday on complaints of suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm while intoxicated, reckless conduct with a firearm, felonious pointing a firearm and child endangerment.

Deputies also arrested his wife, Tabatha Adcock, on complaints of failure to protect a child, child endangerment, possession of a firearm while intoxicated and reckless conduct with a firearm.

The sheriff's office told KFSM both fired guns inside their rural Sequoyah County home with at least two children inside.

Deputies confiscated nine guns found in the home.

KFSM says Fort Smith Police had placed Adcock on administrative leave with pay while the department conducted an internal investigation.

Jail records show Naaman Adcock's bond was set at $24,000, while Tabatha Adcock's bond was $14,000.

Sheriff Ron Lockhart says their report has been turned over the Sequoyah County district attorney's office.

Officer Mark Ridley Jr Released on Bond

A Muskogee police officer who is facing several felony charges was released from jail Friday after a $50,000 bond was set.

Mark Vernon Ridley Jr., 39, of Oktaha had been held without bond in the Muskogee County/City Detention Facility since his arrest last month.

Ridley was arrested after he allegedly crashed his truck into his wife’s car and kidnapped her at gunpoint.

On Jan. 31, he was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, kidnapping, forcible sodomy and possession of a firearm during commission of a felony.

Ridley was placed on paid administrative leave in December after allegations of assault, abuse, stalking and harassment surfaced.

Muskogee County District Attorney Larry Moore said Ridley had tried to commit suicide while in custody at the jail.

Larry Langley, special district judge for Sequoyah County District Court, set Ridley’s bond at $50,000 and ordered Ridley to be under 24-hour supervision with the understanding that the person providing supervision will insure that Ridley takes his prescribed medication. The judge also ruled that Ridley could not have access to firearms and was ordered to not have contact with his wife or witnesses in the case.

Langley was assigned to the case after Muskogee County’s Special District Judge Robin Adair recused himself.

In requesting a reduction in bond Friday, defense attorney Donn Baker told the judge that Ridley was unstable initially, but no longer poses a risk.

Baker said a Feb. 17 letter from a nurse practitioner at a local health facility who had evaluated Ridley proved “he is much more stable and doing a lot better.” Ridley was “not in danger to himself or anyone else,” Baker said.

In the Feb. 17 letter, Michael S. Smith, a Certified Nurse Practitioner (CNP) and Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) with Muskogee Family Care, states, “Though he was quite unstable, and even suicidal, initially upon his entry into the jail, he has now become much more stable and, in my opinion, does not represent any danger to himself or others.”

The letter continues, “Additionally, I have discussed his case with the mental health provider from Green Country Behavioral Health, who interviewed Officer Ridley, who likewise believes that he does not represent any threat to himself.”

Ridley’s father and other individuals were willing to provide 24-hour supervision if Ridley was free on bond, Baker said.

The office of Eddie Wyant, district attorney for Delaware and Ottawa counties, was named to prosecute the case after Muskogee County District Moore recused himself.

Jennifer Ellis, an assistant district attorney in Ottawa County, said the state objected to the bond for Ridley.

“Our position is one of safety” for Ridley and Ridley’s wife, she said.

If Ridley was released on bond, then the only benefit would be a “reactive situation” if Ridley violated the conditions of bond and that Ridley could harm himself or others.

“We feel the risk is just too high,” she said.

She added that the state believes that Ridley should remain incarcerated in jail or be placed in a mental health facility until the preliminary hearing.

A status hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Feb. 28, and a preliminary hearing has been scheduled for 9 a.m. May 16. At the conclusion of the preliminary hearing, a judge will determine if Ridley should stand trial.

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Officer Brandon Valdez & Officer Patrick Fitzgerald Arrested for Assault

LAPD Officer Brandon Valdez, 29, and LAPD Officer Patrick Fitzgerald, 38, were arrested Tuesday night by Whittier police on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after the victim was hospitalized with head trauma. The elite LAPD Metro Division officers, who have been with the department since 2002, were immediately placed on administrative leave.

"The victim suffered serious injuries to his head as a result of assault," Whittier Officer Mike Dekowski said. The 31-year-old man was treated at a hospital and released.

Reached by phone, Valdez, who along with Fitzgerald was released on $30,000 bail, declined to comment. The incident began when Valdez got into an argument with his girlfriend about 8 p.m. Tuesday outside a Panera Bread restaurant in the 15600 block of Whittwood Lane, according to Dekowski. Witnesses told police that the officer took issue with a bystander who was watching the altercation while talking on his cellphone, and struck the bystander in the face.

A fight ensued, during which Valdez "pulled out a handgun and began hitting the victim in the head," police said.

The 31-year-old victim was able to break free, but both off-duty officers chased him and tackled him, and continued to attack, police said.

The victim escaped by running into a nearby store just as Whittier police took the LAPD officers into custody. Authorities believe the LAPD officers may have been drinking before the incident.

Valdez was featured prominently in a November 2007 Times front page story on the work of gang beat officers in South Los Angeles. Valdez displayed a mild manner and polite personality, even as he stopped and quizzed gang members.

Valdez also saw combat in Iraq in 2004 as a Marine reservist in Ramadi. He returned to the U.S. after being wounded by a roadside bomb.

In the second off-duty incident, which occurred about 1:20 a.m. Wednesday at Figueroa Street and Avenue 60, an unidentified female sheriff's deputy and another woman began fighting outside a cocktail bar. The 29-year-old deputy was cut with a sharp object, while her 25-year-old opponent was shot with a handgun.

A relative of the deputy, Taylor Olivarez, 20, was booked on charges of attempted murder, police said. A handgun belonging to the deputy was recovered at the scene.

Baltimore Officer Charged with Raping His Wife at Gunpoint

A Baltimore police officer has been suspended from the force after his arrest on charges that he raped his wife at gunpoint during an argument over her marital infidelity, according to court charging documents.

The 37-year-old officer, an Iraq war veteran, is charged with felonies that include rape, assault and using a handgun in the commission of a violent crime. The officer, whom The Baltimore Sun is not naming to shield the woman's identity, is being held at the Baltimore City Detention Center on $500,000 bail.

The officer joined the Police Department in February 2001 and was most recently assigned to the Special Operations Section.

The officer's attorney, Shaun Owens, declined to comment on the case.

Officer Edward Krawetz in Court for Kicking Woman

A suspended Lincoln police officer accused of kicking a woman in the face while she was handcuffed, pleaded not guilty Wednesday morning in Providence County Superior Court.

Officer Edward Krawetz, 40, of 429 River Rd., Lincoln, was arraigned on a felony charge of assault with a dangerous weapon — his foot.

Judge Kristin Rodgers released him pending a pretrial hearing April 6.

A spokesman for the attorney general’s office, Michael J. Healey, said last month that Donna Levesque, 45, a Massachusetts resident, was sitting on a curb with her hands cuffed behind her back at the Twin River slot parlor when Krawetz allegedly kicked her on May 31.

Krawetz and Officer Russell Enos were working in uniform and off-duty on a security detail at Twin River when Levesque began acting in a disorderly manner and was escorted outside by the two officers, according to Healey. The officers took Levesque into custody on a disorderly conduct charge in a bar at the slot parlor, he said.

Healey said Levesque has no memory of the incident and did not seek treatment for any injury. He said she later pleaded no contest to the disorderly conduct charge.

Rodgers ordered Krawetz not to have any contact with Levesque. He remains suspended from the force without pay.

Enos was not accused of any wrongdoing.

State police became involved on July 21 after the Lincoln police chief asked them to investigate the alleged assault, state police Capt. David Neill said Wednesday. Lincoln Police Lt. Chris Tuffy worked with state police detectives, Neill said.

The evidence against Krawetz includes a videotape obtained from Twin River security, Neill said. He said the state police will not release the videotape because it is evidence in the ongoing case.

“The videotape corroborates the fact that the officer did strike the female with his foot,” Neill said. “The video corroborates the alleged assault.”

It was not known who brought the alleged assault to the attention of the Lincoln police.

Neill said he could not comment on when or why the Lincoln police began investigating the incident, but he believes that investigation began shortly after the incident.

Lincoln Police Chief Brian Sullivan said that the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights prevents him from talking about the case. He said the department is referring all questions to Providence lawyer Vincent Ragosta Jr. who is representing the Lincoln police. Ragosta also cited the Bill of Rights and would not comment on the case.

Six years ago, the town settled out of court on a claim filed by a teenager that Krawetz had struck him and damaged his teeth during an arrest. The teenager was later cleared of charges of assault and resisting arrest. The amount of the settlement was not disclosed.

Sgt Darcy Taylor Charged with Assault with Weapon

A veteran city police officer is facing an assault charge in an incident last summer.

Sergeant Darcy Taylor was today charged with a count of assault with a weapon for allegedly striking a man in the chest with a baton and knocking him down.

The incident last August 23 came during a police response to a 2:15 a.m. fight in central Vancouver that prompted the officer, who has 20 years experience and was first on the scene, to call for emergency cover.

The alleged victim was not injured.

Inspector Mario Giardini of the force's professional standards office told a news conference that regional crown counsel laid the charge today based on information gathered by a Vancouver police investigation into the matter.

Asked what made the confrontation egregious enough to warrant charges, Insp. Giardini urged reporters to read the criminal code.

“It really doesn't take much to commit an assault,” he said.

The inspector described the matter of an officer being charged with assault as rare.

He declined further comment on the case because the matter is before the courts.

The inspector said the sergeant continues to work in “non-operational” duties.

Officer David Reeves Charged with Armed Robbery

An ex-Riverside police officer accused of carrying out several off-duty armed robberies in Moreno Valley and Riverside while still on the force pleaded not guilty today to multiple felony charges.

David R. Reeves, 28, of Moreno Valley, is charged with four counts of armed robbery, two counts of attempted armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, attempted kidnapping, burglary, being in possession of stolen property and enhancements alleging the use of a gun in the commission of a felony.

He's being held in lieu of $500,000 bail at the Robert Presley jail in Riverside.

Reeves, along with his two lawyers, appeared before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Richard Fields, who set a felony settlement conference in the case for Dec. 12.

The defendant was arrested Oct. 14 after allegedly trying to rob an AutoZone on Sunnymead Boulevard in Moreno Valley. He was terminated from the Riverside police force, after seven years on the job, the day after his arrest.

"These alleged crimes are extremely serious," Riverside police Sgt. Jaybee Brennan said when Reeves was charged. "Quite frankly, if the allegations are true, nobody here will be standing by him. A lot of people are upset. It's a shock."

The first robbery occurred Oct. 13 at an AutoZone at 19486 Van Buren Blvd. in south Riverside.

The criminal complaint alleges that the following day, Reeves robbed three men, one of whom he allegedly tried to abduct, and then broke into and attempted to rob the AutoZone at 23510 Sunnymead Ave. in Moreno Valley, where he was apprehended.

He was carrying a stolen Itratec 9 mm handgun at the time of his arrest, according to court papers.

If convicted on all counts, Reeves could face more than 30 years in prison.