State Trooper Eric Roberts Arrested for Sexual Assault

Eric Roberts was arrested Monday in Creek County. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper was jailed in connection with sexual assault and kidnapping complaints.

The leader of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said his agency is sickened after the arrest Monday of a trooper on sexual assault complaints.

Trooper Eric Roberts, 42, was arrested Monday morning on complaints of sexual assault and kidnapping. Roberts was booked at the Creek County jail, officials said.

Roberts was released from jail Monday afternoon on a $66,000 bond. Formal charges had not been filed against the trooper as of Monday afternoon.

An investigation was being presented to the Creek County district attorney’s office for review, Col. Ricky Adams, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol’s chief, said during a news conference Monday afternoon in Oklahoma City.

“This particular matter sickens us as an agency,” Adams said.

The incident marks the second high-profile case during recent months in which a law enforcement officer was arrested on sexual assault complaints.

Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw was arrested last month and accused of groping and raping several women while he was on duty in northeast Oklahoma City.

In Roberts’ case, the patrol started an internal investigation after a woman called the agency on July 23 and reported that she had been sexually assaulted during a traffic stop, Adams said.

Roberts was suspended with pay July 24.

The patrol is moving forward with termination proceedings, Adams said Monday.

Patrol investigators have identified three potential victims, Adams said.

Two of the women are considered victims of rape, and the third woman is considered a victim of inappropriate physical contact during a traffic stop, patrol Capt. George Brown said in an email.

The incidents in question occurred during the daytime in the Sapulpa area, Adams said, adding that during all of the stops, Roberts turned off his camera and his microphone.

In a civil lawsuit filed last month, one woman accused Roberts of raping her during a traffic stop in July.

The lawsuit alleges that Roberts made the woman get into his patrol car and asked her inappropriate questions before driving to a secluded area and assaulting her.

The lawsuit was later amended to include a second woman who came forward with similar allegations.

The woman contended that Roberts made inappropriate comments to her during a traffic stop in July and drove her to a secluded location where he sexually assaulted her, according to an amended complaint.

Attorneys’ responses

Roberts’ attorney, Gary James, said the criminal allegations that were made against his client are untrue.

“He is innocent of these allegations,” James said.

Kevin Adams, an attorney for the women in the civil case, said Monday “it’s about time” Roberts was arrested.

“They allowed a guy that they have alleged is a serial sex offender to be out on the street for two months,” Kevin Adams said.

“To me, that’s a little troubling. I think if he would not have been law enforcement, that they would have arrested him a long time ago.”

James suggested Roberts did not receive special treatment.

“I think he was actually probably treated harsher because he was law enforcement,” James said.

Another case

Roberts is the second trooper in a little more than a year to face sexual assault allegations.

Last year, former Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Patrick Venable pleaded guilty to a felony count of aggravated assault and battery after he was accused of having sex with a woman he stopped while on duty.

Trooper Stratford Young Charged with Sodomy of Minor & Rape

Kenton Smith, attorney for former Kentucky State Police trooper Stratford Young, filed the motion Thursday in Meade Circuit Court in Brandenburg.

Young is charged with two counts of third-degree sodomy and one count of third-degree rape.

According to Young’s indictment, the offenses with a then-15-year-old girl occurred “on or about May 22, 2013, through July 31, 2013.”

All of Young’s charges claim he was a “person in a position of authority or position of special trust” when he engaged in sex acts, including intercourse, with the underage girl as a result of his position of authority.

The motion calls into question the definition of a person in a position of authority or position of special trust in a Kentucky Revised Statute subsection, of which Young is charged.

The statute defines position of authority to mean parents — biological, adoptive, foster or step — adult youth leader, teacher, school employee and others. It does not list a police or law enforcement officer.

Smith said because the statute neglects to list police officers, it is unconstitutionally vague, which is grounds for dismissal.

“Essentially, they are trying to put a square peg in a round hole,” he said of the Commonwealth’s charges in an interview following the hearing. “The motion is well taken in law and fact. We’re cautiously optimistic the charges will be dismissed.”

Jefferson County As­sist­ant Commonwealth’s Attorney Sarah Farmer, special prosecutor for the case, said she anticipated the motion.

“We expected it to come,” she said. “We’re not surprised.”

Farmer now has 45 days to file a response to the motion and Smith was given 30 days following Farmer’s response to file his. Once both responses are filed, then the Judge Bruce Butler will make a determination.

No future court date was set in the case.

Robert Schaefer, attorney for former Brandenburg police officer Todd Matti, said he is awaiting the outcome of the motion made in Young’s case to file one of his own.

He also said in court a plea offer was made to his client, but he did not disclose the details.

Matti is charged with two counts of third-degree sodomy.

According to Matti’s indictment, the offenses occurred “on or about Nov. 16, 2012, in Meade County,” six days after the girl turned 15.

The second count charges third-degree sodomy by a “person in a position of authority or position of special trust” when Matti engaged in “deviate sexual intercourse” with the underage girl as a result of his position of authority.

An indictment is an allegation, not proof of guilt.

The motion Smith made could be “terminal” to the Commonwealth’s case against Young based on precedent and it applies to one of his client’s charges, Schaefer said.

The next appearance for Matti is a pre-trail conference at 9 a.m. June 19.

Both men have entered not guilty pleas and requested court files, including documents from the investigation, be sealed. The Commonwealth’s did not object. Matti and Young remain free on a 10 percent of $10,000 cash bond.

Schaefer and Smith said they had to supply an external hard drive to the Commonwealth attorney for discovery.

“The investigators in the case did a thorough job,” Smith said. “The information provided is voluminous.”

Because of all the in­formation, Schaefer said the process will be lengthy.

“It takes time to work through all that for rel­evant information,” Schaefer said. “I’m going to continue to work through discovery on this.”

KSP Post 4 spokesman Jeff Gregory said the case originally was brought to the post July 31 with a complaint of a KSP trooper from Post 4 having inappropriate relations with an underage girl. The investigation, which is ongoing, uncovered additional allegations against another KSP trooper, a Brandenburg police officer, a Breckinridge County sheriff’s deputy and an adult male in another state.

In an interview March 3, Jefferson County Com­monwealth’s Attorney Tom Wine, whose office has been assigned as special prosecutors in the case, said indictments would be sought against four individuals during the grand jury presentation Monday. Only cases against Matti and Young were presented.

Information regarding former trooper Jerry Clanton and former Breckinridge County Sheriff’s deputy Chris Woosley have not been presented to the grand jury and Farmer said she has no intentions of presenting those cases while the other two are ongoing.

“We do not have an intention to present anything else,” she said. “We are focusing on this case.”

Clanton admitted to sexual relations with the girl during a KSP Trial Board in early January appealing his termination.

Farmer said the cases are moving normally through the court system.

“It’s our judicial process,” she said. “We’re moving as timely as we can.”

Matti resigned Oct. 15 and Woosley resigned Sept. 5. Young and Clanton were terminated from employment Sept. 13.

Trooper Kelly Cruz Acquitted of Stomping Handcuffed Man

(No Protect and Serve going on here.)

A Pennsylvania state trooper accused of stomping a handcuffed man in the head during a botched 2009 drug raid was acquitted Monday of a federal civil rights violation charge.

Cheers and applause erupted in the courtroom from more than two dozen of Kelly Cruz's law enforcement colleagues as the jury delivered its verdict to U.S. District Judge Mary A. McLaughlin. It took less than two hours for the panel of five men and seven women to come to its decision.

A visibly relieved Cruz declined to comment. His lawyer, Christian J. Hoey, described the verdict as "a good decision."

"Nobody celebrates the fact someone was injured," he said. "But he's a heck of a law enforcement officer and an asset to the United States."

Cruz, 44, of Oxford, never denied that he caused the injuries sustained by 22-year-old Zachary Bare during an August raid on the man's home in Chester County. He testified Friday that he did not realize Bare was handcuffed at the time and thought he was trying to stand to attack him.

He told jurors that he pinned Bare's shoulder with his foot in an attempt to keep him on the ground - all while Bare was screaming obscenities and rolling on the floor.

"I responded the way I was trained to respond," he testified Friday. "I reacted to what I saw. If I fail, I don't come home to my family."

Prosecutors described a vastly different incident - involving a kick to the back of Bare's head, witnessed by at least one police officer, as the man lay handcuffed and prone on his kitchen floor.

The impact left Bare with shattered teeth, a broken nose, and two facial fractures.

Cruz was working as a liaison to a Chester County drug task force and assisting the West Whiteland Police Department on what was to be a surprise assault on a suspected meth lab in an Exton house. When officers arrived, the men inside spotted them and tried to escape.

Officer Jeffrey McCloskey told jurors last week he saw Bare running nearby and followed him to a house five doors down. He ordered Bare to the floor as another officer handcuffed him. Another West Whiteland officer, Glenn Cockerham, testified he witnessed Cruz kick Bare - a use of force he later described in an investigative report as "totally unnecessary."

Investigators eventually determined that Bare was not at the drug house at the time of the raid and he was never charged in the case.

Hoey contended throughout the six-day trial that the West Whiteland officers sought to shift blame for Bare's botched arrest onto Cruz.

"We're obviously disappointed," Linwood C. Wright Jr., one of the assistant U.S. attorneys who tried the case, said Monday. "We believe in the West Whiteland Police Department."

Monday's verdict came three years after a Chester County grand jury declined to indict Cruz over the same incident and two years after the Pennsylvania State Police settled a lawsuit from Bare for $125,000.

Cruz was suspended without pay shortly after a federal grand jury indicted him in August 2013. He is expected to return to his job as a corporal in the state police's Avondale barracks, Hoey said.

Trooper Marvin Norfolk Sr Charged with Child Abuse

A Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper is indicted on child abuse charges. Trooper Marvin Norfolk Sr. is facing charges of child abuse and filing a false police report in a December 2009 criminal investigation conducted by the Tipton County Sheriff's Office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Children's Services.

The investigation surrounded a December 2009 allegation of physical abuse of a 9 year old family member at the Norfolk's home in Brighton, TN. Police say the child was at the home during a court approved visitation for the Christmas holidays. According to investigators, the child had bruising to the face, back, upper torso, arm, thighs, legs and groin area. The child was treated and released at Baptist Memorial Hospital after the incident.

During the investigation, Marvin Norfolk denied the allegation along with his wife, Dawn Norfolk who was present during the incident. The investigation revealed Marvin Norfolk and his wife lied about their role in the incident. Dawn Norfolk was indicted for filing a false police report.

The couple is scheduled to appear in court March 4th.

Lt Richard Bolduc Admitts to Conduct Unbecoming an Officer

A state police lieutenant has admitted he acted in a manner unbecoming a police officer when he left his department-issued gun unlocked in a bureau inside his Sandwich home 18 months ago, a state police spokesman said.

Lt. Richard Bolduc, 52, of Sandwich accepted responsibility for the lapse just as his case was set to go before a state police trial board Tuesday, state police spokesman David Procopio said yesterday. The trial board is a military-style court used by the state police to hear internal cases.

In June 2008, the veteran trooper's son, who was 12 at the time, grabbed Bolduc's Sig Sauer P226 .40-caliber handgun from an unlocked bureau, took it to a neighbor's house, pointed it at a 5-year-old girl and pulled the trigger. The gun was not loaded, according to Sandwich police, but during their investigation, police found a loaded clip in the same unlocked drawer.

Procopio refused to say what punishment Bolduc was given.

But a law enforcement source said Bolduc, who earns a base salary of $90,564.76, was allowed to give up 20 vacation days for violating two department regulations — the policy requiring guns to be safely stored and conduct unbecoming a police officer. By avoiding a suspension, Bolduc doesn't lose any seniority, said the source, who is familiar with state police discipline.

Procopio said Bolduc gets 25 vacation days annually.

The veteran trooper could have faced anything from a letter in his file to being terminated for his actions, Procopio said. Procopio said state police policy prohibits him from disclosing the punishment, but acknowledged forfeiting time off is one of the punishments allowed by the state police. "I can't confirm or comment on the discipline of any department member," he said.

Procopio also refused comment on whether Bolduc expressed any remorse for the incident, which terrorized the young girl and her sisters.

Reached yesterday, Bolduc refused comment. "Never call my phone again," he said.

Bolduc is assigned to the state police barracks in Holden.

Brian Cunha, who represents the girl's family in a civil suit against Bolduc, declined to comment on the trooper's punishment, but said the girl has been undergoing psychological treatment since the incident.

"Having a gun pointed at your head and having the trigger pulled has to be one of the most traumatic things in your life," Cunha said. "She's traumatized, no doubt about it."

Sandwich police charged Bolduc with improper storage of a firearm, which is a felony, but that case was dismissed by a judge citing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that called the constitutionality of gun storage laws into question. He could have faced up to 10 years in prison if he had been convicted of that charge.

Last month, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court heard testimony in a gun storage case similar to the Bolduc case but has not yet issued a decision. District attorneys across the state, including Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe, signed on in support of the Middlesex County appeal and are awaiting the ruling from the state's highest court.

Bolduc's son was charged in juvenile court, but those cases are not open to the media.

Procopio said Tuesday's admission by Bolduc ends the internal investigation. The Times requested a copy of that investigation in September but was told it was still considered an active investigation until a resolution was reached. The newspaper again requested a copy of the state police report yesterday but has not yet received it.

Trooper Alexis Hayes Alleges She was Sexually Assaulted by Commanding Officer

A New Jersey state trooper alleges she was sexually assaulted by a commanding officer, sexually harassed in the academy by a female commander and repeatedly abused at the hands of colleagues.

In a federal lawsuit filed late Tuesday, Trooper Alexis Hayes makes sweeping allegations against six individuals and the state police administration, saying it conducted an internal investigation to humiliate her while never taking appropriate action in the case.

"The State Police have turned Hayes - the victim - into an object of disdain and have subjected her to repeated hostile interrogations while implying that Hayes somehow bore ill will against her tormentors," the lawsuit said. "In consequence, Hayes suffered deep emotional trauma."

Hayes, 29, of Berlin, is seeking monetary damages, dismissal of the accused abusers and reform within the agency. Her lawsuit alleges the agency, with 3,035 members, hazed those in training, ignored sexual misconduct and closed ranks when she sought help.

Dave Jones, president of the State Troopers Fraternal Association, called the allegations "troubling" and said he intends to make sure they are "fully vetted."

"The allegations are of grave concern to me, from the onset of her career until now, and the victimization's that took place demand a complete and thorough investigation," Jones said.

State officials said Wednesday they were aware of the allegations, but could not comment on pending litigation.

"The New Jersey State Police treats any allegation of misconduct very seriously. As with all allegations of misconduct, these allegations will be vigorously and thoroughly investigated," State Police Capt. Gerald Lewis Jr. said in a written statement released late Wednesday.

Lee Moore, spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, said as a matter of practice, officials do not comment on pending litigation.

The lawsuit alleges the Attorney General's Office has been aware of the initial allegations since 2006, when an anonymous complaint was filed with the state's Equal Opportunity Office.

According to the lawsuit, filed by Moorestown attorney William Buckman, Hayes had been subjected to abusive and demeaning practices since she joined the academy in 2005.

That year, one of the academy instructors, Sgt. Christine Shallcross, who called Hayes "Peanut," repeatedly demeaned her, the suit said. One time, Shallcross aggressively grabbed Hayes' necktie with such force that the clasp broke. Another time Hayes was ordered to stand at attention while Shallcross drew on her face with a black permanent marker, the suit said.

"(Hayes) was required to remain standing at attention while Shallcross then chased another female trooper around and stabbed that other trooper in the neck with the marker, leaving a bruise," the lawsuit said.

After a graduation celebration, Hayes alleges Shallcross attempted to give Hayes her phone number, whispered in her ear, "Hayes, I love you," and kissed her on the cheek as Hayes was attempting to leave with her sister.

Shallcross, now working internal affairs investigations for the state police, said Wednesday she was familiar with the allegations, but could not comment.

During an internal affairs investigation, the lawsuit alleges Hayes was subjected to "lengthy questioning" numerous times and officials tried to convince Hayes that Shallcross' treatment was nothing more than mere "camaraderie."

When she was assigned to the same tactical unit in South Jersey as Lt. Thomas King, the lawsuit says, King began sending her text messages at all hours and once showed up unannounced at her house earlier this year.

Hayes alleges she was sexually assaulted by King, an acting captain, in April, when she was assigned to a detail of 49 officers sent to participate in funeral services for three officers slain in Pittsburgh.

During a night of drinking, she alleges, King "continually" made sure that Hayes had a full drink and Hayes returned to her hotel room "woozy from so much alcohol," the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit says King "somehow obtained" a copy of Hayes' room key and while Hayes was in bed, "inebriated," King sexually assaulted her. The lawsuit says she became pregnant as a result of the assault, and later terminated the pregnancy.

King could not be reached for comment.

On numerous other occasions, she alleges, he made sexual advances. In June, the lawsuit alleges, King assaulted Hayes with pepper spray in front of others, who did nothing to stop it, the lawsuit said.

Buckman, Hayes' attorney, said Hayes reported the alleged assault to local authorities in the Pittsburgh area and attempted to get a job transfer. It was unclear when the alleged assault was reported and how it was handled.

Buckman said rather than help Hayes, State Police authorities used their internal affairs investigation as "a mechanism" to stop the complaints about superiors and other troopers.

"Their real job is to whitewash things," Buckman said.

Buckman is recognized nationally for his role in exposing racial profiling on the New Jersey Turnpike, where minorities were disproportionately targeted for traffic stops and searches. He also went after the Lords of Discipline, a reputed secret society of state troopers who allegedly hazed others in their ranks. Though the state denied the group existed, it disciplined seven officers and settled harassment lawsuits that exceeded $1 million.

In her lawsuit, Hayes says she went to see the director of the State Police Employee Assistance Program, a confidential counseling service. Instead, the lawsuit said, she received a call from a lieutenant colonel, who told Hayes she "had to bear up with the imperfect conditions of the New Jersey State Police and go about her duties."

Eventually, Hayes went out on sick leave after suffering a "nervous breakdown," the lawsuit said.

But when she was involved in a car accident in October, the lawsuit said state police officials met her at a hospital and "refused to let (Hayes) obtain treatment until they forcibly extracted blood from her in an apparent effort to charge (Hayes) with intoxicated driving."

The lawsuit asks for an independent monitor of the State Police "in light of the outrageous and corrupt method by which the New Jersey State Police abuses its powers against its members, and then uses its internal affairs mechanisms to cover up those abuses."

Trooper Casey Myers Arrested for DUI

What happens in Pullman obviously doesn't stay in Pullman.

A State Patrol trooper who works in King County is on administrative leave after being charged with drunken driving near Washington State University earlier this month.

Casey Myers, 26, was arrested for DUI shortly before 3 a.m. on Oct. 9, according to the Moscow-Pullman Daily News. According to the newspaper report, Myers was stopped by Pullman police for failing to stop at a stop sign.

State Patrol Capt. Jeff DeVere tells The Seattle Times that Myers was on vacation when he was stopped. When Myers returned to work on Oct. 16 he was placed on administrative leave with pay.

Myers has been with the State Patrol for four years, DeVere said. The trooper will remain on administrative leave until after the State Patrol completes its own investigation, DeVere said.

Myers was the arresting officer in several pending DUI cases in King County, said Dan Donohoe, spokesman for King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg. The cases won't likely be impacted by his arrest, Donohoe said.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol Has Yet to Release Dashboard Video

It’s been three weeks since two state troopers were involved in a controversial arrest at Holdenville, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol has yet to release video taken from their vehicles’ dashboard cameras.

The two troopers were put on paid administrative leave while the OHP’s internal-affairs team investigates complaints made against them.

The Tulsa World made a request on Oct. 5 to obtain copies of the videos.

One of those troopers, Daniel Martin, has already been in the national spotlight for a scuffle he had with a Creek Nation paramedic in Okfuskee County, which led to the officer’s suspension for five days in July.

On Friday, Lt. George Brown and Capt. Chris West, both spokesmen for the OHP, said they didn’t know when the videos would be released, noting that investigators are still reviewing the footage.

West said the videotapes would be released to the public eventually.

The OHP took less time to release the dashboard video in the previous incident involving Martin in Okfuskee County.

That scuffle, which captured the nation’s attention, happened at Paden on May 24. On June 12, the OHP released the video.

The Holdenville incident occurred on Oct. 3. Trooper Tommy Allen, along with Martin as backup, arrested Kristopher Douglas, 28, of Holdenville, for not heeding their commands to stay away from a traffic stop.

That stop was located in front of Douglas’ uncle’s home. Douglas, who lived nearby, told the officers he was going to his uncle’s home to help him install drywall.

However, Martin, in his report, said he told Douglas three times to stand by the street until the officers were finished with the traffic stop.

Eventually, Allen went to arrest Douglas, grabbing him around the neck to bring him to the ground, while Martin struck Douglas in back with a baton.

Douglas was arrested and charged with obstructing an officer, a misdemeanor.

Douglas’ uncle, Jerry Ford, witnessed the arrest and said the troopers overreacted and used excessive force.

In the May 24 incident in Paden, Martin has stated he thought the ambulance crew had given him an obscene finger gesture.

The subsequent scuffle with paramedic Maurice White had been captured on a cell-phone video, which became a popular played on the YouTube Web site.

Martin had tried to arrest White for obstructing an officer.

White has stated he repeatedly told Martin that his crew was taking a woman to the hospital and asked to continue the traffic stop there.

Trooper Elton Jones Arrested for Breaking into Home

An Indiana state trooper is facing criminal charges after he allegedly broke into a Lansing home and attacked a homeowner, police said.

State Trooper Elton D. Jones, 28, of Valparaiso, faces armed robbery, home invasion and weapons charges in connection with the Sunday night burglary.

Police think Jones and two other men, ages 19 and 30, broke into a Lansing cou-ple's home while they were sleeping, according to WILX-TV in Lansing. The homeowner was assaulted when he came downstairs af-ter hearing noises, police said. The men held the cou-ple at gunpoint while the home was ransacked, WILX-TV reported.

The homeowner was able to escape, and the attackers fled soon after, taking only a briefcase with them, the television station reported.

The suspects were arrested a few hours later by police, the station reported.

Jones was working as a trooper based in South Bend. He was appointed to the state police in August 2008. He graduated from the state police academy in December 2008.

The Indiana State Police fired Jones Tuesday after-noon as a result of the charges. If convicted on all three, he could face life in prison.

Trooper William Grissom Charged with Falsifying Documents

A Florida Highway Patrol Trooper was arrested Wednesday evening for official misconduct and has been placed on administrative leave from his job.

According to court records, 29 year old William Lee Grissom was charged with a felony count of "Public Servant Falsifying Official Documents." He was booked into the Leon County Jail and promptly released on his own recognizance.

According to the arrest warrant, Grissom's friend contacted him after receiving a speeding ticket from another trooper on August 14th. The warrant says Grissom completed a Notice of Dismissal, signed the other trooper's name on it and wrote "My radar failed end of shift test." The warrant says Grissom filed the notice with the Leon County Clerk's Office on September 4th.

The trooper who originally wrote the ticket, Matthew Rabun, told investigators that Grissom later realized the severity of what he'd done, called his friend and told him to pay the ticket and then called Rabun to tell him what had happened. Rabun says Grissom claimed his friend was having financial difficulties and needed the money to travel to see a sick family member.

According to FHP Spokesman CAPT Mark Welch, Grissom is on paid leave pending an internal review. Welch says Grissom has worked with FHP since June of 2005 and has no other disciplinary history.

Trooper Jeremy Fountain Arrested for Domestic Violence

A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper who was hailed as heroic last year has been arrested for assault/family violence.

According to trooper Jean Dark, the Tyler District public information officer, Jeremy Fountain, a trooper stationed in Henderson since 2003, was taken into custody by Texas Rangers Wednesday on the third-degree felony charge of assault/family violence.

Dark said Fountain posted a $10,000 bond and was released from the Rusk County Jail later Wednesday.

“He has been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation,” she said.
Fountain was highlighted in the news last October when he was dragged down the highway at speeds topping 50 mph after attempting to arrest an individual.

Despite the harrowing ordeal, Fountain was able to hang onto the fleeing vehicle and pull his gun forcing the man to pull over.

Once the vehicle was stopped, Fountain learned the person driving was wanted on felony warrants and the car was stolen.

A Rusk County jury found Gabriel Dewayne Lewis, 22, of a first-degree felony aggravated assault of a peace officer for the incident and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.
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http://www.news-journal.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/10/08/10082009_trooper_arrested.html

Trooper Jeffery Jerman Charged with Delivery of Controlled Substance

The Texas Rangers arrested a Boerne Trooper Friday on charges of delivery of a controlled substance.

Highway Patrol Trooper Jeffery Jerman, 33, a nine year veteran of the Texas Department of Public Safety, was suspended as the investigation continues.

Jerman was taken to the Kendall County jail and his bond was set at $15,000.
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More Information: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/59070237.html

EMT Says Trooper Daniel Martin Should Be Reassigned

An ambulance driver who was at the heart of a traffic stop that led to a scuffle between a state trooper and a paramedic believes the officer should be reassigned elsewhere.

Paul Franks said Trooper Daniel Martin should be reassigned to the Panhandle or to southeastern Oklahoma's Little Dixie.

Though Martin lives north of Okemah and patrols the Okfuskee County area, he works for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol's Troop D, which is based in McAlester, the reputed capital of "Little Dixie."

Troop D covers Okfuskee, Seminole, Hughes, Pittsburg, Latimer and LeFlore counties.

On Wednesday, the OHP announced it had suspended Martin for five days without pay for "conduct unbecoming an officer" in connection with a May 24 traffic stop of a Creek Nation ambulance, driven by Franks.

The suspension is in effect through next Tuesday.

Martin had stopped the ambulance at Paden after he thought Franks had made an obscene finger gesture, which the trooper felt was an "act of defiance."

Franks denied ever making such a gesture.

A few minutes earlier, on U.S. 62 east of Paden, Martin had encountered the ambulance, which was taking a woman from Boley to the hospital in Prague. The ambulance was not running with its emergency lights or siren.

Martin's cruiser, however, had its lights and siren on, and he was heading to an officer-needing-assistance call on a stolen-car report at Paden.

The ambulance didn't immediately yield to Martin's car, prompting a radio-to-radio warning from Martin that the ambulance crew should be more observant.

Once he was at Paden, Martin saw the ambulance pass by and decided to give chase after he thought the driver made the gesture.

As Martin approached Franks at the stop to discuss the earlier failure to yield and the supposed gesture, paramedic Maurice White Jr. came out of the ambulance.

White repeatedly told Martin that they were taking a woman to the hospital, and asked if they could continue the dispute there.

But Martin told White to back off, and then tried twice to arrest White for obstructing an officer. Those two arrest attempts led to two scuffles between the pair.

Much of the incident — which led to a national furor — was captured on cell-phone video by one of the patient's family members, who was following the ambulance.

The OHP also released the video from Martin's dashboard camera.

In its ruling on Martin, the OHP said Martin had probable cause to stop the ambulance for failure to yield, and he was justified in trying to arrest White.

However, the OHP said Martin should have allowed the ambulance to go to the hospital once he learned a patient was on board.

The patrol took aim, though, at Martin's demeanor and language in dealing with Franks, which it called "unprofessional and contrary to what is expected of an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper."

Reflecting on his encounter with Martin, Franks said Thursday, "I was basically shocked and surprised by the entire incident.

"I never saw anything like it in my life. I'm still amazed by what happened," said Franks, 48, who has been an emergency medical technician for a year.

Before becoming an EMT, Franks said, he operated a small convenience store in Okemah, and "I never had a bad dealing with an officer until then. Ever."

After the scuffles between Martin and White, the ambulance was allowed to continue to the hospital. White was never arrested; Franks was given a warning for failure to yield.

Franks said he should never have received the warning because the entire stop was built on the supposed gesture.

"A person can give the finger with both hands — not that I ever would. That's not illegal. It's free speech."

Franks was noncommittal on whether the OHP went far enough in disciplining Martin.

He said he just felt that in addition to the suspension, Martin should patrol some other area.

One thing he knows for certain, the entire controversy won't go away anytime soon.

Pointing out that White has already filed a lawsuit against Martin in federal court, Franks said the saga will drag on for some time.

"I'll probably be subpoenaed, past records will be called up, and things will get ugly," Franks said.
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YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KluItc365hU

Oklahoma Paramedic Sues Trooper Over Scuffle Caught on Video

A paramedic has sued an Oklahoma highway police officer over a scuffle that occurred while a patient waited inside the paramedic's ambulance, FOX News has learned.

Paramedic Maurice White is seeking punitive and compensatory damages against Trooper Daniel Martin in a case that rose to national prominence this summer after a cell phone video of the conflict appeared on YouTube — showing Martin at one point grabbing White by the neck.

The suit claims that Martin used unreasonable force while seizing White and criticizes the Oklahoma Highway Patrol for failing to take action on the matter over the course of the past two months.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is preparing this week to announce how it will deal with Trooper Martin, who has been on administrative leave since June 1, FOX News has learned.

Click here for a squad video excerpt.

Martin stopped the ambulance May 24 for failing to yield to his squad car.

White says he got out of the ambulance to tell the trooper they were taking a patient to the hospital. The argument quickly escalated into a scuffle and Martin put White in an apparent choke hold.

Martin's attorney says the trooper either didn't hear that there was a patient in the ambulance or it didn't register. He says White failed to comply with the trooper's orders.

Click here for the YouTube video.

Officer Faces Charges of Sexual Exploitation of Child

DENVER

A Colorado State Patrol officer arrested Friday faces charges of sexual exploitation of a child and Internet luring of a child.

Fort Lupton police said they arrested Justin Tolman at his home in Colorado Springs. Inside Tolman’s home, investigators collected evidence in an Internet sting operation that began in early May.

A Fort Lupton police detective posed online as a 14-year-old girl and was sent sexually explicit photos of men and woman in sexual acts, allegedly by Tolman.

Tolman didn't hide he was a state trooper, said Fort Lupton Detective Crystal Schwartz.

"The first conversation he sent a picture," Schwartz said.

"The picture was of a male in a Colorado State Patrol uniform standing next to a Colorado State Patrol vehicle,” said Fort Lupton Chief of Police Ron Grannis.

"I asked if he was a cop and he said, 'guilty,'" Schwartz said.

Detectives said Tolman instant-messaged the undercover detective and made graphic sexual statements in reference to what would happen when they met.

Fort Lupton police contacted the Colorado State Patrol about their suspicions, and the patrol “cooperated on all levels with the investigation,” Grannis said.

“Our children are our most valuable resource. We must do all we can to protect them from predators. The Internet has unfortunately become the stalking grounds of sexual predators,” he said.

Tolman was booked into the Weld County Jail.

"He is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation," Colorado State Patrol Sgt. John Hahn told 7NEWS reporter Lane Lyon Friday.

Hahn said Tolman passed an extensive background check at the time he was hired in July of 2007.

Tolman graduated from CSP's training program and was assigned to the State Patrol office in Colorado Springs in December of 2007, Hahn said.

Former Trooper Pleads Guilty, Avoids Trial

A former state trooper accused of rape will not have a trial or go to jail in Clinton County.

Court officials said Richard Keener pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges just a day before he was trial was supposed to start.

Instead of sexual assault, Keener pleaded guilty to unlawful restraint and indecent assault.

A judge sentenced the former trooper to ten years probation and a $1,000 fine.

Police said keener raped a woman he met in a bar in Lock Haven.

Keener served as a state trooper in central Pennsylvania for 12 years.

SC Trooper used his car to ram suspect fleeing on foot

COLUMBIA, S.C.

Videos have surfaced showing two members of the South Carolina Highway Patrol using their cruisers to ram fleeing suspects, just weeks after two leaders of the agency resigned because of a furor over a trooper's use of a racial slur.

In one of the two new dash-cam videos, which were first reported Wednesday by The Post and Courier of Charleston, Lance Cpl. Steven C. Garren drives after a man on foot, striking him when he crosses in front of Garren's cruiser. The man flips over the car's hood and into high grass on the roadside.

"Yeah, I hit him. I was trying to hit him," Garren, who is white, can be heard telling another trooper.

In the other, Lance Cpl. Alexander Richardson drives between apartment buildings, on sidewalks and past onlookers in an attempt to run down a suspect. After about a minute, Richardson's car bumps the man, who grabs the vehicle in an attempt to steady himself. The man doesn't fall and takes off running again.

Sid Gaulden, a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, said neither trooper was available for comment. A message left at a number for an Alexander Richardson was not immediately returned. Garren did not have a listed phone number.

The videos depicted isolated events, and the troopers involved had been punished, Gaulden said.

Garren received a three-day suspension, which he has appealed. Richardson was reprimanded and completed a stress management course, disciplinary records show.

Geoffrey Alpert, a University of South Carolina criminal justice professor who consults with police on pursuit policies, said using cars as battering rams shows poor decision making.

"They're just lazy," Alpert said. "Rather than get out of their car or get in a foot race, or tackle someone ... they'll just hit them with the car door, with the bumper, and hope they don't run them over."

Alpert said he had never seen any training materials that advised authorities to use cruisers to hit suspects on foot.

The suspects in both of the new videos are black. One of the troopers involved is white, and the other is black, Gaulden said.

The Post and Courier's report about the videos comes three weeks after Highway Patrol Col. Russell Roark and his boss, Public Safety Director James Schweitzer, submitted their resignations over their handling of an incident in which a white trooper used racial slur during a traffic stop.

"You better run," then-Lance Cpl. Daniel C. Campbell said, using a derogatory term for blacks, "because I'm fixin' to kill you."

Campbell was reprimanded, suspended and ordered to undergo anger and diversity training. After Roark resigned, Campbell was reassigned to administrative duties. Gov. Mark Sanford said he should have been fired.

Schweitzer has said he would step down after his replacement is confirmed.

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Another typical, lazy ass cop disgraceful cop that needs to have his badge shoved up his ass. Thank goodness for dash-cams. Suspicion of crime and/or running from the police is no authorization to abuse suspects of any race.

Cops are only hurting themselves by doing this; the more they do this, the more people are going to hate them.

And this, my friends, is the epitome of why I don't respect cops as a whole anymore.

Video Link... http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/20/sc.troopers.investigation/