Judge Seals Ex-Police Officer John Marra Conviction in 2008 teen-sex case

  

    John L. Marra, 37, had made the request to seal the conviction on the dereliction of duty charge, a second-degree misdemeanor.

    Marra, who now is police chief of Brady Lake in Portage County, had pleaded no contest to the charge. He was sentenced to probation for two years and ordered to resign as a Uniontown police officer.

    Marra served as a part-time/auxiliary Uniontown officer. He was hired July 11, 2005, and resigned May 28, 2008.

    According to the complaint, while on duty, Marra kissed and fondled a teenage girl. He also engaged in inappropriate text messages, the court record said.

    In addition, Marra “failed to perform his duties by going to Subway restaurant while on duty, to engage in a sexual relationship with (the girl).”

     The girl was 16 and 17 during that time, records said.

    At Thursday’s court hearing, Judge John Poulos said it appeared that Marra’s conviction qualified to be sealed under state law. The conditions include the time since the conviction occurred, the level of crime and the offender’s criminal record.

    Poulos’ ruling means the conviction will be sealed and no longer appears in public court records.

    Following the brief hearing, Marra declined comment.

    The city prosecutor’s office had objected to Marra’s request.

    The prosecutor’s office cited multiple reasons for the objection, including that Marra should be held to a higher standard as a police officer.

    Marra has been interim police chief of Brady Lake since March, court records said.

    The prosecutor’s office also said that state law prevents the sealing of convictions where the victim of the offense was a minor under age 18 and the charge is a first-degree misdemeanor.

    “Although (Marra) is not charged with a misdemeanor of the first degree, the court should still treat this offense as such because the facts of this case make it substantially similar to other serious crimes such as importuning and sexual battery,” the court filing reads.
A judge has sealed the record of a former Uniontown police officer who was convicted in 2008 of a misdemeanor stemming from having sex with a teenage girl while he was on duty.

Former Officer Heriberto Calles Accused of Destroying Evidence

Police have arrested a former Greenville officer accused of destroying evidence.

According to the Greenville Police Department, they arrested former officer Heriberto Calles, 40, of Winterville, Wednesday morning and charged him with obstruction of justice, altering, destroying or stealing evidence of criminal conduct, and willfully failing to discharge duties.

Police said when Calles was a Greenville police officer. He "destroyed photographic evidence and obstructed justice to minimize a domestic disturbance case he was responding to."

Greenville Police Sergeant Joe Friday said as far as police know Calles does not have any relationship to the two people involved in the domestic dispute case. According to Sgt. Friday the day after Calles responded to the disturbance someone came in with more evidence. He said the evidence didn't match up with Calle's report, and that fact sparked and internal affairs investigation.

“He just basically destroyed or deleted evidence of that should be included in a report,” Sgt. Friday said.

The GPD doesn't think he was covering up a crime but just cutting corners.

“That type of behavior is unacceptable and it actually is criminal in nature,” Sgt. Friday said.

According to the warrant, Calles told the two parties involved in the domestic dispute that, “this never happened and that we the police were never here... You need to settle this on your own."

Investigators said when they developed information about Calles' alleged actions, they presented the case to the State Bureau of Investigation in early March. Calles police powers were removed and he was suspended. He then resigned from the police force, according to GPD.

Calles was arrested Wednesday morning at the Pitt County Magistrate's Office and was given a $10,000 unsecured bond, police said. Calles was hired by the Greenville Police Department in January 2010.

Chief of Police Hassan Aden released the following statement:

"The arrest of Officer Calles serves as reminder that the law enforcement community in our city is not above the law and that the investigative process is intact and unbiased.

"I want our community to know that the Greenville Police Department holds itself accountable to the highest ethical standards and all laws that govern our society. This case was self-discovered and pursued by the Internal Affairs Division of the Greenville Police Department.

"I want to reaffirm that maintaining the public's trust is a top priority of my administration.  I want to thank the State Bureau of Investigation and the Pitt County District Attorney's Office for assisting us in the proactive pursuit of justice-even when the offender is a law enforcement officer."

Officer Chad Dojack Pleads No Contest to Snooping on Sarah Jessica Parker

Chad Dojack, the second Ohio police chief charged with snooping on Sarah Jessica Parker’s surrogate, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor, according to Wonderwall

On Thursday Dojack entered the plea to a charge of dereliction of duty. Dojack is chief of Bridgeport Police Department in eastern Ohio. Prosecutors dropped charges of complicity to burglary and complicity to receiving stolen property.

Dojack and the ex-chief of Martins Ferry Police were accused of taking things from Parker’s surrogate’s home to sell to the paparazzi.

Dojack is facing a 90-day jail sentence. Sentencing will take place next week.

Former Deputy Accused of Forcing Inmate to Rub his Genitals on Another Inmates Sandwich Pleads Guilty

A former deputy accused of forcing an inmate to rub his genitals in a sandwich and then watch another inmate eat it pleaded guilty to two counts Wednesday.

Former deputy Joseph Cantwell, 38, pleaded guilty to two health-code violation counts Wednesday.

He originally was charged with four counts: dereliction of duty, operating without a license, disorderly conduct and health-code violation. The other charges were dropped as a part of the plea deal.

He was given a 90-day sentence, which was suspended, five years of probation and a fine of $500 plus court costs.

Cantwell told the court he was sorry for the shame and embarrassment he caused.

Todd Tripplett, who is in jail on a theft charge, was forced to rub his genitals on another inmate’s sandwich, according to Columbus attorney Byron Potts.

Former deputy Phillip Barnett, 26, also was accused in the incident. Barnett was not charged with a crime.

Both Cantwell and Barnett were dismissed from their duties at the Franklin County Jail in May. They were reassigned to the Franklin County Control Center during the investigation and then both were later fired.

Potts alleged the deputies took cell pictures of the other inmate as he unknowingly ate the alleged sandwich.

Officer Dana Brown Disciplined for Ignoring Underaged Drinking

OCALA

An Ocala police officer was disciplined for reportedly ignoring underage drinking at a party three months ago.

Following an internal Police Department investigation, Officer Dana Brown, 34, was charged with conduct unbecoming and dereliction of duty. He received a 60-hour suspension and was placed on a year's employee probation.

Police said they could not prove a separate allegation that Brown had sex with a 19-year-old woman at the party.

The officer declined an interview request Tuesday.

The investigation found that Brown, who was on duty Jan. 24, went to the home of a family friend, where there was a party. Brown frequently stopped at the home to check up on the residents although, at the time, he was assigned to patrol the northwest portion of the city.

When questioned about the incident, Brown initially told investigators he was working a traffic detail on State Road 200. He reportedly admitted going to the house, however, after investigators reviewed his log activity and saw he was not working a traffic detail.

He said that he had just arrived when he got a call, returned to his patrol vehicle and left. Witnesses said Brown did arrive at the residence and was there for about 20 seconds before receiving a call and leaving.

The young woman who told officials she had sex with Brown later that day said that when Brown arrived he saw people with drinks in their hands and talked with people who had alcohol. The woman said Brown was there for five to 10 minutes before receiving his call and leaving.

Brown said he didn't see anyone drinking or in possession of alcohol.

The call was canceled and Brown returned to the residence. The young woman, who said she had been drinking, said they talked for a while, then she met him upstairs and they had sex.

In his interview, Brown told investigators that he was alone upstairs and did not have sex with the woman.

Brown and the woman both took polygraph tests, according to the report. Sgt. Chas Maier, who administered Brown's test, said that in his opinion Brown "was not being truthful."

Maier said the 19-year-old woman "showed signs of being truthful" but that the test was inconclusive because her score was not high enough "to absolutely say she was being truthful."

Deputy Chief Rodney Smith said the department could not prove Brown and the woman had sex, so he was not disciplined for it. The suspension and probation were levied because the officer did not address the underage drinking at the residence.

"We hope he learns his lesson," Smith said.

According to Brown's personnel record, he has been on the job close to three years, has a few letters of praise and some minor disciplinary action. He was credited with saving the life of a woman who overdosed a year ago.
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