Officer Lance Bennett Resigns After being Accused of Peeping into Womans Window

A Nebraska City police officer accused of peeping into a window to watch a woman take a bath has resigned from the force.

Lance Bennett submitted his resignation last week, days after he entered a written not guilty plea in Otoe County Court to a charge of second-degree criminal trespass, a misdemeanor. According to the criminal complaint, Bennett improperly went onto the property of Erik and Brenda Cunningham sometime around 10 p.m. on Aug. 6, 2008.

That night, Erik Cunningham went outside and found Bennett crouched on his back porch, wearing his police uniform. The officer had parked his police cruiser more than a block from the couple's house.

A next-door neighbor later told the Cunninghams that he had seen a man looking through a lighted window at the back of the couple's house. Brenda Cunningham, 32, was in the couple's bathroom taking a bath at the time.

Attempts to reach Bennett have been unsuccessful. His attorney, John Voelker of Nebraska City, did not return calls seeking comment.

Bennett, 29, had worked as a Nebraska City police officer since 2006.

On March 12, the city put Bennett on unpaid suspension after the Nebraska Attorney General's Office charged him with trespassing. He had spent more five months on paid administrative leave while the matter was under investigation, Police Chief David Lacy said Tuesday.

Officer Adam Gallegos Accused of Being a Peeping Tom

An off-duty and possibly intoxicated Santa Fe police officer was caught earlier this month allegedly trying to peek into the house of a woman from whom he had taken a burglary report days earlier, The New Mexican reported.

A friend of the woman told police he confronted Officer Adam Gallegos, 37, at the scene and tried to keep him there until officers arrived, saying whatever the officer was doing "wasn't cool," according to police reports.

"It just wasn't right," said Luis Flores, 28, a Santa Fe construction worker and bartender. "Honestly, it's pretty creepy. That dude should not be a cop."

Deputy Police Chief Benjie Montano told The New Mexican that the department is awared of the allegations against Gallegos and is conducting an investigation of the incident.

City, county and State Police officers responded to the scene on Dec. 13 after a radio dispatcher alerted them that a Santa Fe police officer had reported he was being attacked by two men, but when officers arrived, Gallego was gone, The New Mexican said.

A State Police officer who ultimately handled the investigation of the incident said Gallegos told him he had driven to his home in Villanueva after the incident, the paper reported.

Gallegos allegedly told the State Police investigator that he had been at a holiday party that night, dropped off some friends, then drove to the Contenta Ridge neighborhood to visit another friend -- an area where he'd taken two burglary reports a few days before, The New Mexican said.

"He stated that he drove by (the woman's) house so he could check on it," the investigator's report said.

State Police spokesman Peter Olson told The New Mexican the report has been forwarded to the District Attorney's Office, which will decide whether any charges are warranted.

Officer Lonnie Edwards Accused of being a Peeping Tom

AUSTIN

A 15 year APD veteran officer is under investigation-- accused of being a peeping tom.

Lonnie Edwards' attorney says-- his client allegedly peeped through a window of a home on San Gabriel Street last month.That's in the West Campus area where thousands of college students live.A woman inside that home called police.

Some UT students say they can't believe an uniformed officer would do such a thing. UT junior, Rachel Coco says,"that's creepy cause that's supposed to be an authority figure."

UT sophomore, Matthew Hardin says, "it's a cop, it's somebody who's supposed to be protecting us and he's creeping in on windows. It's kind of weird."

And UT sophomore Daniel Bell-Garcia says, "that people think they are above the law once they are in that position and they use that position to their advantage which is unfair and kind of scary."

There is an internal affairs investigation open.

Edwards is on paid administrative leave and could face possible criminal and disciplinary action.


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