Officer Carlos Antonio Wilson Charged with Kidnapping

An employee of The Medical Center of Central Georgia’s police department was charged Wednesday with multiple crimes after allegedly firing shots at his ex-wife and another man, and later ramming their car.

The Bibb County sheriff’s office said in a news release Wednesday night that 39-year-old Carlos Antonio Wilson is accused of following his ex, 41-year-old Reeshema Wilson, and Hiram Simmons, also 41, while they were driving on Mercer University Drive about 1 a.m. Wednesday.

The sheriff’s news release detailed the encounter:

After Reeshema Wilson and Simmons noticed a vehicle following them, they pulled over at the Food Mart at 4381 Mercer University Drive. Carlos Wilson got out of his 2006 Chevrolet Equinox and started firing a gun at the pair. They drove away, but Carlos Wilson followed them down Log Cabin Drive where he rammed their car at Napier Avenue, causing the cars to wreck.

Carlos Wilson flashed his handgun and pulled Reeshema Wilson from the vehicle about the time sheriff’s deputies arrived. Carlos Wilson fled on foot.

About 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Carlos Wilson turned himself over to the Southeastern Regional Fugitive Task Force, according to the news release. He was jailed in Bibb County on multiple warrants, including two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated assault family violence, kidnapping, aggravated stalking, violation of oath of office and possession of a handgun during commission of a felony.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Bibb Sheriff’s Office at 478-751-7500 and ask to leave a message for the on-call investigator.

Former Officer Jeffrey Copeland Arrested for Misconduct

A former City of Greenville police officer was arrested by SLED agents on Wednesday and charged with misconduct in office and unlawful possession of a sawed-off rifle.

According to a warrant, the former officer, Jeffrey Scott Copeland, 36, of Greenville, responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle. He's accused of taking a Glenfield .22. caliber rifle with a sawed off barrel and two knives from the vehicle's occupant.

No arrest was made after the seizure, and the warrant accuses Copeland of keeping the items.

Copeland was booked at the Greenville County Detention Center.

The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by SLED at the request of the City of Greenville Police Department. The case will be prosecuted by the Thirteenth Circuit Solicitor's Office.

Officer Christopher Stafford Arrested for DUI

A Metropolitan Nashville Police officer has been decommissioned and placed on administrative assignment following his arrest Wednesday night on DUI and gun charges.

Christopher Stafford, a North Precinct Officers, was off-duty at the time of his arrest. Officers were called to an apartment complex on Edmondson Pike at 6:40 p.m. by an acquaintance of Stafford, who said he appeared to be intoxicated and involved in an argument with another motorist.

Police said the 42-year-old had driven to the apartment complex in a Dodge pickup truck with his young child.

Officers said Stafford smelled of alcohol and field sobriety tests showed he was impaired.

He also had a loaded pistol in his car at the time.

Stafford, a 13-year veteran of the department, was charged with DUI and possession of a handgun while under the influence.

He was released on $6,000 bond.

Deputy Richard Heverly Charged with Bringing Weapon to Court

A San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy facing criminal charges for allegedly holding a gun to a man's head while off duty has been charged with an additional felony for allegedly bringing his service weapon to court on his trial date.

Richard Charles Heverly, 43, of La Verne arrived last week at the Larson Justice Center in Indio in full uniform, with his duty belt and service weapon, according to an arrest declaration written by the bailiff in the courtroom.

His trial date was postponed, and a new court date was set for Monday. Prior to the Monday court appearance, prosecutors filed criminal charges against Heverly for unlawful possession of a weapon in a public building.

When Heverly returned to the court, he was arrested on the gun charges. He was released from custody after posting $20,000 bail.

Heverly appeared in court on Wednesday to be arraigned on the new charge, but the hearing was postponed to Feb. 9. A jury trial in Heverly's prior case is also set for that date.

Heverly remains employed by the Sheriff's Department and is assigned to work at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, sheriff's spokeswoman Arden Wiltshire said.

"He is not on any type of paid administrative leave or anything like that," Wiltshire said.

In August 2008, Heverly was arrested by California Highway Patrol officers after he allegedly held a gun to a tow truck driver's head and threatened to kill him in an apparent off-duty road rage incident.

Prosecutors have charged Heverly with four felonies for his role in the incident, which occurred on the 10 Freeway about 50 miles east of Indio.

One of the officers who arrested Heverly testified in a preliminary hearing last year that Heverly claimed he felt threatened by the tow truck driver and said he was acting in self-defense.

Law enforcement officers are allowed to carry weapons in courthouses and other public buildings if they are there carrying out their official duties. Heverly allegedly violated the law because he was armed during an appearance in a case where he was the defendant.

Heverly and his attorney did not return calls seeking comment Wednesday.

Former Officer Monte Montalvo Sentenced to One Year in Prison

A U.S. District judge sentenced a fired Buffalo police officer to one year in prison today for his conviction on unlawful possession of a firearm while subject to an order of protection involving his former spouse.

Monte R. Montalvo, 39, of Cheektowaga, also is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday in state court for his guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of attempting to commit a criminal sexual act involving sodomy.

That reduced charge stemmed from allegations that he tried to molest a 19-year-old college student on Dec. 2, 2007. He was fired a year ago from the police department.

Federal Judge William M. Skretny sentenced Montalvo today.

Under federal statutes, law enforcement personnel cannot possess a weapon outside of their work shift if they are subject to a court order involving a domestic situation, authorities explained.

Meanwhile, State Supreme Court Justice John L. Michalski is scheduled to sentence Montalvo on the state charge. Montalvo's plea in that case forced him to register with the state as a convicted sex offender.

Michalski could sentence Montalvo to up to a year in jail.

Montalvo, a decorated former police officer, has been living on a state disability pension due to knee injuries suffered on the job.

The investigation into the weapons charge involved local FBI and Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents, with assistance from city police.

Officer John Cumberland Arrested for Drunk Driving Resigns

A Metro Police officer arrested last month for drunk driving and possession of a gun while intoxicated resigned from the force today, police said.

East Precinct Officer John Cumberland was decommissioned by the police department on Sept. 24, one day after he crashed his unmarked police vehicle into a ditch on Newsome Station Road while off duty.

Cumberland, 32, registered 0.12% on a breath alcohol test. A person is considered legally drunk with a reading of 0.08%.

Police had been conducting an internal investigation of Cumberland. They say it ends with his resignation. He had been with the force five years, police said.

Former Detective Daniel Griffin Charged with Illegally Carrying Firearm

Former Kingston police Detective Daniel Griffin is in trouble with the law again.

The ex-cop who already faces charges of impersonating a cop was illegally in possession of a loaded handgun when he was apprehended earlier this month in Wilkes-Barre, city police said Tuesday.

Griffin now faces a charge of carrying a firearm without a license.

The 45-year-old was a police officer in Kingston for 22 years before being fired in 2007 for forging a superior’s signature to but a specialty shotgun.

This is now the third time he has been charged with a crme in less than two years.

Griffin was captured May 13 in downtown Wilkes-Barre on an arrest warrant filed by Fleetwood Borough police in Berks County.

The warrant claims he pulled a badge and identified himself as a cop on May 7 when police pulled him over in a personal vehicle customized to look like an unmarked police car.

The 2003 gray Ford Crown Victoria Interceptor “appeared to be an unmarked police vehicle,” according to arrest papers. The car had a black front license plate that says “POLICE” and red “K-9” decals on the trunk.

Wilkes-Barre police impounded the vehicle when Griffin was arrested on the warrant in the city. A loaded pistol was later seized from the car, police said. Police determined Griffin does not have a permit to carry a firearm in Pennsylvania, police said.

Earlier this month, Griffin insisted he was never fired, but retired from the police force and still does police work on the side. He said his convictions for the 2007 charges have been “stayed,” pending an appeal. He called his arrest on the Berks County charges a “political issue” being drummed up as revenge by Kingston officials.

In an unrelated matter, Swoyersville police on Friday issued Griffin a summary citation regarding stray and unattended dogs, according to court records. Details about the citation could not be obtained Tuesday.

Griffin remains free on bail.

Former Deputy Brandon Claggett Arrested for Domestic Violence

A former Clackamas County sheriff's deputy was arrested late Monday night after an incident in Oregon City.

Officers were called to a home near the intersection of South Meyers and Deer Meadows roads at about 7:30 p.m. after a report of a domestic situation. A woman had run away from the home and called police from the nearby Haggen grocery store, according to authorities.

She told police that she had been injured in a fight with her estranged husband Brandon Claggett, who was suicidal, authorities said.

A standoff ensued at the home, but police said they later reached Claggett on his cell phone and learned that he had left his home and was in Salem to pick up his children. Officers said they convinced Claggett to meet them at the Haggen's grocery store, where he was arrested without incident.

Neighbors described the situation as hectic during the brief standoff.

"There was cops up and down the road and like 30 minutes later there was ten more cop cars. We saw them running back and forth between the street and Haggens," neighbor Nicole Beach said. "They had every street blocked in the neighborhood. My mom could not even come up. They made her turn around and leave."

Police returned to his house Tuesday with search warrants and reported recovering evidence along with several guns and one from his truck.

Claggett made his first court appearance by camera in Oregon City on Tuesday. His charges include kidnapping, menacing, unlawful use of a weapon and assault. His bail was set at more than $250,000.

Claggett, who was a 14-year deputy with the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, resigned in October 2008 after being accused of inappropriately touching a 20-year-old woman who was participating in a ride-along with him. An internal investigation into the incident was suspended when Claggett resigned.
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Video: Ex-Sheriff's Deputy Arrested In Oregon City
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Former Officer Brian Hinkel Faces Several Charges Including Theft

Brian Hinkel, accused of keeping an arsenal of weapons at his Gloucester County home and grabbing for a gun in front of state troopers, has been charged in connection with a theft ring, police said.

Authorities say they believe Hinkel, 59, was involved in an operation that stole up to $75,000 worth of tractors and other equipment from farms. He was charged last week with receiving stolen property.

The former Vineland, N.J., police officer has been held in the Gloucester County Jail since Feb. 4, with bail set at $250,000. He also is charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, possession of assault rifles, possession of a destructive device, and possession of high-capacity magazines.

When two troopers went to Hinkel's Franklinville home last month to question him about his ties to two burglary suspects, he ran from them and picked up a gun from his kitchen before the troopers subdued him, police said.

Police later found 259 handguns and rifles on Hinkel's property, including some hidden in a makeshift bunker, they said. He also had gunpowder, a tear-gas canister, and a live grenade, police said.

Police have arrested several other men in the farm-equipment thefts. Anthony D'Alessandro, 42, of Williamstown, and Peter Monteleone, 44, of Folsom, N.J., are charged with burglary and theft. Carl D'Argenzio, 43, of Turnersville, is charged with fencing and receiving stolen property.

Police are investigating connections between Hinkel and the other men.