Former Chief Andrew Demers Charged with Unlawful Sexual Contact with Child

A former chief of the Maine State Police faces charges of unlawful sexual contact with a child younger than 12 years old.

Andrew E. Demers, 73, of New Gloucester turned himself in to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office at 9 a.m. Monday. He was charged with unlawful sexual contact — a Class B crime — then released on $5,000 cash bail, according to Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce.

The incidents that led to Demers’ arrest allegedly took place during the past several months. The alleged victim was a young member of Demers’ family, Joyce told the Bangor Daily News by phone Monday.

A tip from a previous employee of Demers’ at the Maine State Police spurred the investigation, according to Joyce.

During the past week, detectives from the sheriff’s office investigated reports of “an ongoing unlawful sexual contact situation,” and in recent days interviewed witnesses and a suspected victim, according to a release from Joyce.

If convicted, Demers could serve up to 10 years in prison and face a maximum fine of $20,000.

Demers served 26 years with the Maine State Police and held the position of chief from 1987 to 1993, when he retired.

In 2003, Demers was the most decorated officer in state police history and was named a “Legendary Trooper,” the Sun Journal reported at the time.

A condition of Demers’ release is that he not have contact with anyone younger than 16 years old.

On Monday, Col. Robert Williams, chief of the Maine State Police, released the following statement:

“The state police are stunned at the allegation and saddened for the victim and their family. Our thoughts and concerns are with them. We learned of the allegations last Monday and immediately referred the case to the Cumberland County district attorney’s office. To avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest, we suggested that the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office investigate, and we have had no further involvement in the investigation.”

Tamara Getchell, spokeswoman for the Cumberland County district attorney’s office, said Monday afternoon that the case remains under investigation and nothing has been filed in court.

In recent years, two other former state troopers — one who served on Maine’s force and one from Massachusetts — were convicted of sex crimes in Maine.

In April 2012, Gregory Vrooman of Nobleboro, a 24-year veteran of the Maine State Police, was convicted of 12 sex crimes against a girl younger than 14 years old. He was sentenced to five years in prison with all but 21 months suspended.

In October 2011, retired Massachusetts State Trooper Joseph Silva of Newburyport, Mass., was convicted of gross sexual assault and two counts of aggravated assault against a woman in a Kittery motel. He will serve a total of 10 years in prison, with 10 years probation, WMTW TV reported at the time.

While declining to comment on the specific allegations, Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault spokeswoman Cara Courchesne said Monday that child sexual abuse is always perpetrated by someone who has more power and control than the child does, but when the perpetrator is a respected member of the community, that power often makes it more difficult for a victim to disclose the abuse.

“Take Jerry Sandusky,” she said. “He was a pillar in the community, and then it turns out he’s been sexually abusing boys for a number of years. The part of this that makes child sexual abuse cases more difficult than they already are is the cases often involve someone who people really respect and people really trust. … With people who abuse children, an aspect of their behavior is they are able to gain the trust of the adults around the child and end up being able to perpetrate the abuse. In cases where there is an ongoing pattern of abuse, that is often the case.”

Retired Officer Walter Sasse Arrested for Sexual Assault of Teen Girl

A retired Philadelphia police officer has been arrested and charged with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl.

According to Philly, Walter Sasse was charged on Wednesday with a number of crimes, including unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors, sexual assault and indecent exposure. In total, he has been charged with nine crimes.

The charges stem from an alleged sexual assault that happened in 2011. However, authorities believe that the 75-year-old had a relationship with the teen for years.

WPVI has reported that Sasse met the victim when she was 15-years-old at Courtesy Stables, where she rode horses. The retired cop was employed by the stables and investigators said that the girl also began working there and that's when the alleged sexual contact started.

Police would not release any further details about the victim because of her age.

Sasse, who is a 20-year veteran of the force, was most recently assigned to the PPD’s mounted unit. He was released on $50,000 bond and is scheduled to be back in court on March 25th.

Officer Thomas Allen Charged with Taking Pictures of Girls Underwear

A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer who led some of the department’s youth programs has been charged with secretly taking pictures of girls’ underwear as they participated in physical activities in a program for youth curious about law enforcement careers.

Officer Thomas E. Allen, a CMPD officer for 18 years, was arrested Wednesday and charged with four counts of secretly using a photographic imaging device to view another’s body or undergarments, and with possessing the photographs, according to police.

Allen, 42, was interviewed by detectives Wednesday and later released from Mecklenburg jail on $15,000 bond. The department has begun proceedings to fire him, CMPD Chief Rodney Monroe said.

And police say they are trying to contact more than 700 students who participated in the department’s high school academy, Explorer Posts or other youth-oriented programs that Allen was involved in over the past 12 years to see whether similar incidents occurred.

“Allen’s behavior is totally unacceptable,” said CMPD Chief Rodney Monroe during a 22-minute news conference at police headquarters. “It violates the public trust. If we think one of our officers goes against the public’s trust ... we will use whatever resources we have available.

“We’re hoping that anyone who believes (Allen) may have had inappropriate contact will come forward and we will look to investigate.”

Monroe said the four victims were all girls between the ages of 14 and 18 participating in CMPD’s high school academy at the police training center in south Charlotte. Allen, who frequently photographed events for the department’s youth programs, took the pictures with a 35-millimeter camera while the girls were exercising, then kept the images.

Investigators have combed through “thousands and thousands of photos,” Monroe said. They found no child pornography and no further questionable photos, he said.

Allen could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. It is unclear if he has hired a lawyer. According to Monroe, he is married but has no children.

Allen has worked for CMPD since March 1996 and began working as a recruiter at the Police Training Academy in 2002. His annual salary is $67,876.38, according to city records.

He was involved in several programs the department runs for youth interested in police careers, including the department’s Explorers program and the CMPD High School Academy. He also was the department’s organizer of the Explorers Christmas Project for several years.

Explorers meet at the police academy for two hours twice a month to learn about various jobs in the police department.

The High School police academy is a weeklong program that puts teens through a mock academy, covering topics such as traffic stops, building searches, and “the responsibilities of wearing the badge,” according to the CMPD website. Students are also required to participate in basic physical fitness activities during the academy.

Monroe said the department takes photos of many such activities, and it was not unusual for an officer to photograph youth activities.

The investigation began in October. Monroe released few details on what started it, but said at least one of Allen’s supervisors had suspicions. More details were unearthed during subsequent interviews.

Allen’s arrest comes on the heels of another high-profile arrest of a police officer. Last September, Officer Randall Kerrick was charged with voluntary manslaughter in connection with the shooting of Jonathan Ferrell, an unarmed motorist who may have been looking for help after a car wreck.

In December 2010, former police officer Marcus Jackson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years in prison for sexually assaulting six women while on duty in 2009. Investigators say he assaulted people during traffic stops.

Former Ohio Officer Charged with Sex Crimes Against Minor

A former Ohio police officer has been charged with multiple sex crimes against a minor.

Media outlets report Friday's charges of rape, unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and eight other counts stem from his relationship with a woman who was a minor when he allegedly began sexually abusing her.

The reports say the 43-year-old Heath man used to be an officer in Hebron and Union Township in central Ohio.

He is accused of having a decade-long sexual relationship with a girl, now 26, when she was 8 and he was an officer.

Officials handling a child support case became suspicious when they learned the oldest of the couple's three children was 10.

The Associated Press is not naming the man to avoid identifying a suspected victim of sexual assault.

Former Officer Wilbert Jamison Jr Accused of Beating Son Wants Jury Trial

GAFFNEY, S.C.

A former Gaffney police officer accused of beating his 10-year-old son formally pleaded not guilty Monday morning and requested a jury trial.

Wilbert Jamison Jr. was indicted on Jan. 13 on three counts of unlawful conduct towards a child. He is also charged with criminal domestic violence, accused of injuring his wife.

Monday, he was in court for a preliminary hearing, that quickly turned into a bond hearing.

Jamison's attorney had asked the judge to let his client remain out on the $5,200 bond Jamison had already paid in connection with a domestic violence charge. But the judge set a bond for the abuse charges at $50,000

The judge ordered that Jamison be tracked by GPS monitoring and not leave his home except to go to work, to church, to meet with his lawyer or to go to the doctor.

He was also ordered to have no contact with his son or his wife.

A trial date has not yet been set.

According to a grand jury indictment, Jamison used handcuffs and a belt to abuse his son -- on one occasion locking him in a closet face-down while he was handcuffed.

According to a warrant, Jamison also shoved his wife, causing her to fall to the ground and hit her head.

Jamison was a Gaffney police officer starting in the late 1990s, and he served as both a patrol officer and a school resource officer at Gaffney Middle School.

Jamison resigned late last year, citing personal reasons. The alleged abuse took place while Jamison was an active duty officer.

The indictment says that between April 1 and Aug. 30, 2007, Jamison handcuffed his son and forced him to run back and forth in the yard while Jamison beat him with a belt, causing him severe physical and mental injury.

In the second count, the indictment alleges that between Jan. 1 and April 30, 2007, Jamison handcuffed the boy, and locked him faced own in a closet.

The third count of the indictment says that between Dec. 6 and Dec. 8, 2006, Jamison beat the child with a belt, and the belt and buckle caused severe injury to the boy's ankle and foot.

Current Gaffney Police Chief Rick Turner said that he cannot comment on why Jamison continued to work for the department during the investigation because he was not chief at the time.

Jamison's wife, Teresa Jamison, said that she still married to Jamison, but is seeking a divorce so she and her son can move on.

Teresa Jamison said, "We've formed … a new family without the abuse. And any time you get rid of abuse, it can only go up from there."


Previous Story: http://whathappenedtoprotectandserve.blogspot.com/2009/01/forjmer-officer-wilbert-jamison-jr.html

Former Officer Wilbert Jamison Jr Charged with Abusing His Son

GAFFNEY, S.C.

A former Gaffney police officer who served as a resource officer at a middle school was arrested and charged with criminal domestic violence after an earlier indictment of abusing his son.

Wilbert Jamison Jr. was charged with criminal domestic violence. According to a warrant issued earlier Tuesday, Jamison shoved his wife, causing her to fall to the ground and hit her head. Earlier Tuesday morning, he was indicted and accused of handcuffing his 11-year-old son while beating him.

A Cherokee County grand jury indicted Jamison Tuesday on three counts of unlawful conduct towards a child.

Jamison was a Gaffney police officer starting in the late 90s, and he served as both a patrol officer and a school resource officer at Gaffney Middle School.

Jamison resigned about a month ago, citing personal reasons. The alleged abuse took place while Jamison was an active duty officer.

The indictment says that between April 1 and Aug. 30, 2007, Jamison handcuffed his son and forced him to run back and forth in the yard while Jamison beat him with a belt, causing him severe physical and mental injury.

In the second count, the indictment alleges that between Jan. 1 and April 30, 2007, Jamison handcuffed the boy, and locked him faced own in a closet.

The third count of the indictment says that between Dec. 6 and Dec. 8, 2006, Jamison beat the child with a belt, and the belt and buckle caused severe injury to the boy's ankle and foot.

Current Gaffney Police Chief Rick Turner said that he cannot comment on why Jamison continued to work for the department during the investigation because he was not chief at the time.

Turner said he was not made aware of an official investigation by the S.C. Attorney General's Office.

Turner said that in the future, accusations against officers will be handled on a case-by-case basis, and if the accusation bleeds over into the officer's official responsibilities -- such as a child abuse charge against an officer who works with children -- the officer could be reassigned until the investigation is completed.

Tuesday, the State Law Enforcement Division filed a warrant against Jamison for criminal domestic violence, first offense. The warrant said that on April 25, 2008, Jamison shoved his wife, Teresa Jamison, causing her to fall to the floor.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Jamison was not in custody.

His wife said she is still married to him, but she is seeking a divorce so she and her son can move on.

Teresa Jamison said, "We've formed … a new family without the abuse. And any time you get rid of abuse, it can only go up from there.

"We're doing much better. I feel a sense of relief that finally justice will be served."

Other Information: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/575/story/742254.html