Officer Kevin Corcoran Charged with Unlawful Restraint of War Veteran

A veteran of Philadelphia's police force could lose his job after being charged with misdemeanor counts of unlawful restraint and false imprisonment for an alleged attack on a war veteran.

The charges against Officer Kevin Corcoran stem from an Easter morning incident in which Corcoran was caught on camera roughing up a man before taking the man on a 16-minute ride, according to Philadelphia Police.

The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office alleges Corcoran, a 9.5-year veteran of the force, began yelling at a group of people near 13th and Lombard Streets in the early morning hours of March 31, 2013.

Someone in the group, which included Roderick King, had questioned Corcoran after he allegedly made an illegal turn with his patrol car, according to prosecutors.

King’s own lawyer Kevin Mincey identified his client saying that they filed a lawsuit against the city, police department and Corcoran.

Corcoran, in full uniform, allegedly exited his vehicle and began to yell at King’s group prompting witnesses to videotape the encounter.

Witnesses said that Corcoran slapped the phone out of one person’s hands and then began to berate King saying “Don’t f##?!g touch me,” according to prosecutors. An incensed Corcoran continued to approach King -- who claimed he never touched the officer -- who continued to make an effort not to touch the officer.

"My first thought was that I was getting ready to get beat up," King said through a release from his attorney. "It’s dark, I don’t know where I am, I feared for my safety."

According to prosecutors, Corcoran grabbed King by his chest, threw him against the police SUV, cuffed him and put him in the back of the vehicle.

Authorities allege that Corcoran then drove King somewhere off North Broad Street -- the opposite direction of the 17th District officer’s station -- telling King that he was under arrest for public intoxication.

King told Corcoran that this was the first time he had been arrested and that he was an Iraqi War veteran having served in the U.S. Air Force.

After learning about King’s service, Corcoran drove to 13th and Rodman Streets where he uncuffed the victim and let him go without charges.

In total, King remained in cuffs for about 16 minutes.

Corcoran surrendered Wednesday on the misdemeanor charges and was arraigned. He was released after posting bail. He is scheduled to appear in court on March 21.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said he suspended Corcoran for 30 days with the intent to dismiss.

Officer Brent Schade Arrested for Forcible Rape of Minor

    Chillicothe Police Officer Brent Allen Schade who had been on unpaid administrative leave since Jan. 24 was arrested today (Wednesday) for alleged forcible rape, forcible sodomy and two counts of supplying intoxicants to a minor.

    On Tuesday, the Livingston County Sheriff’s office began an investigation into an alleged rape, sodomy, unlawful restraint and supplying intoxicants to a minor. The incident was reported to have taken place over the night of March 3 and into the early morning or March 4 in the 300 block of Cherry Street in Chillicothe.

    Schade, 40, of Chillicothe, was arrested early today.

    A variety of evidence has been collected and/or is currently being sought, according to Livingston County Sheriff Steve Cox.

    “A second person of interest was identified and we are seeking that individual at this time for questioning,” Cox said. “Several people have been interviewed and the investigation continues.”

    Schade has been on the police force since August 2007 and is currently on unpaid administrative leave, stemming from an incident last year.

    Schade was charged Jan. 24 with hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence by Brady Kopek, special prosecuting attorney of Livingston County.

    According to the probable cause statement, Missouri State Highway Patrol Cpl. J. Pithan investigated a traffic accident on Aug. 18 on Route V near Chillicothe involving two individuals. During the course of the investigation, Pithan reportedly discovered both occupants of the crashed vehicle walked to a nearby residence and called Schade. The investigation suggests Schade drove to their location and provided transportation to both subjects before returning to the scene of the accident. Schade allegedly assisted with the recovery of personal items belonging to both subjects, including cell phones and a bottle of Captain Morgan. Schade allegedly did not report the accident to authorities and transported the two individuals to his residence in Chillicothe.

    Schade remains incarcerated in the Daviess Dekalb County Regional Jail pending filing of formal charges. Kopek is also the special prosecuting attorney on this most recent case.

Former Officer Jay Simon Will be Allowed to Speak with His Children

A former Gurnee police officer accused of molesting two preteen girls will be allowed to speak with his children over the holidays - if the children elect to do so.

A Lake County circuit court judge on Monday granted the request of Jay Simon, 37, of Round Lake Park, to speak with his sons during the holidays, provided the sons contact Simon first.

Simon was arrested in June 2008 and charged with predatory criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal abuse for, authorities said, molesting the two girls following an investigation by the Lake County Children's Advocacy Center.

The girls, who were under the age of 13, were molested in three separate attacks dating to November 2006, prosecutors said.

He was also charged with aggravated unlawful restraint, official misconduct and aggravated assault following a 2007 incident in which he identified himself as a police officer and used his duty handgun to threaten a man linked to his estranged wife, authorities said.

Simon has pleaded not guilty. He faces the possibility of multiple prison sentences of up to 30 years if convicted of all the most serious charges.

Simon has been released on $1 million bond since his arrest but is under a 24-hour home confinement and is allowed to leave only to go to court or to meet with his lawyer.

His trial is expected to begin Jan. 15.

Officer Nigel Hodges Charged with Indecent Assault

Robinson Township officials are reviewing a criminal case against one of their police officers charged with sex offenses but haven't yet decided on what action to take against him.

Richard Charnovich, township manager, said today that the matter is under "legal advisement" but wouldn't say any more about Nigel Hodges, who was arrested on indecent assault charges on Saturday in connection with an incident on Oct. 7 at a North Fayette bar.

Township commissioners are meeting tonight and the issue will probably be discussed there.

Officer Hodges, 51, was charged with two counts of indecent assault and one count of indecent exposure, unlawful restraint, official oppression and harassment after an encounter with a 20-year-old bartender at the Tavern with the Lights bar.

In an affidavit, Allegheny County detectives said he tried to force himself on the young woman after the bar had emptied, then masturbated in front of her and grabbed her hand and sucked on her fingers.

The woman reported the incident to North Fayette police on Oct. 9, and officers there contacted county police for help.

According to the affidavit, the woman waited two days because Officer Hodges is a police officer, but a friend in whom she confided persuaded her to report the incident.
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http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/pennsylvania/20091012_ap_paofficerchargedwithexposingselftobarmaid.html

Officer Christopher Sullivan Arrested for Domestic Violence

An off-duty Hartford police officer was arrested early Friday by Vernon police on domestic violence charges.

Christopher Sullivan, 34, of Old Town Road, was arraigned Friday in Superior Court in Rockville on charges of first-degree burglary, third-degree assault, second-degree threatening, breach of peace and unlawful restraint.

Vernon police said they were called at 2:33 a.m. to an apartment on South Street on a report of a domestic violence assault. The woman they met told them that she and Sullivan had been in an argument that escalated into an assault. She told officers that Sullivan held her down and threatened her.

The woman told police that she asked Sullivan to leave several times. He finally did, and she locked the door behind him, she told police. Sullivan then broke the door open and assaulted her again, police said.

Police found Sullivan at his apartment and took him into custody. His bail was set at $250,000.

Hartford Assistant Police Chief Neil Dryfe said Friday afternoon that Sullivan, according to department policy, has been suspended from his duties without pay. Sullivan has been a Hartford police officer for seven years.

Hearing Postponed for Officer Anthony Maio

A court hearing on whether to grant a special form of probation to a police officer accused of groping two women was postponed Wednesday, as the city, police union and the officer’s lawyer discuss a potential deal under which he would leave the force.

Officer Anthony Maio, 41, came to court with his wife and several colleagues who might have been called as character witnesses in the 13-year veteran’s application for accelerated rehabilitation, but at the last minute the hearing was postponed until May 26.

In the hallway afterward, Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Eugene Calistro explained that there were still some aspects of the case that needed to be examined. He also indicated that the two alleged victims, in conversations with him and the court victim advocate, had voiced conditions they wanted to have met before they would support accelerated rehabilitation — commonly referred to as A.R. — which would leave Maio without a criminal record if he successfully completes the probation.

“They have set a position, but because it’s a pending case I’m obligated not to disclose it,” said Calistro.

There was an implication, however, that the women’s concerns might be resolved by the ongoing discussions between the city and Maio.

Maoi’s defense attorney, Tim Pothin, said his client and the city are working on the framework of an agreement that he believes is in Maio’s best interest and would “put me in a better position to argue for A.R.”

Maio, of Durham, doesn’t have enough time on the job to retire. Under the union contract, an officer can receive an age annuity pension after 20 years on the force, although officers with as few as 15 years can trade in unused sick time to make up the difference. Maio remains about 1 1/2 years shy of the minimum threshold, but in one recent case involving another officer facing criminal charges, the city and union struck a deal for the detective to serve a one-year unpaid suspension so he could get a pension.

Craig Manemeit, the city’s director of labor relations, wouldn’t say whether the city was considering a similar deal for Maio, but did confirm that the city is “speaking with the union and Maio’s employment counsel and we are trying to come up with a resolution that’s best for all parties.”

Contacted Wednesday afternoon, Calistro said if a deal was struck that would remove Maio from the force, “it may address the conditions that the two young women were looking for.”

Maio is accused of leading the two women, both college students, upstairs while he was on duty and in uniform at an extra duty assignment at Bar, a nightclub at 245 Crown St., and groping them inside an employee bathroom. He faces two counts each of fourth-degree sexual assault and unlawful restraint.

Maio has denied the allegations and has remained on paid administrative leave from the department since his arrest last June.

The department has brought internal charges for departmental violations against Maio but, even if it wanted to, can’t move forward with a disciplinary hearing before the Board of Police Commissioners until the criminal case is adjudicated.

“I can’t hold a hearing,” said Manemeit, referring to Rule 16 of the department manual, which states that if an accused officer is a defendant in a directly related criminal case, the department “shall not hold a hearing to handle the civilian complaint” unless the accused officer agrees, which Maio has not.
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http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2009/04/maios_deal_on_h.php

Trooper Joseph Ryle Arrested for Kidnapping

CHEYENNE

Federal authorities have arrested a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper on a criminal complaint alleging the unlawful arrest and kidnapping of a person in January.

The U.S. Department of Justice issued a statement saying that trooper Franklin Joseph Ryle was arrested late Thursday in Douglas.

Ryle was scheduled to appear in federal court Friday afternoon in Casper.

Col. Sam Powell, administrator of the Wyoming Highway Patrol, confirms the arrest but declined comment on the investigation.

Powell says Ryle has been on paid administrative leave during the investigation.

No other information was immediately available.

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http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-27-2009/0004996064&EDATE=

Sgt William Edwards Arrested on Sexual Charges Against Boy

NEW LONDON, Conn.

New London's police chief says he has fired a sergeant arrested in January on sexual assault charges involving a boy.

The chief says William Edwards, who had been suspended without pay since his arrest, was notified in person late Monday afternoon.

Edwards is accused of sexually assaulting a boy who told authorities he had four or five encounters with the officer when he was between 5 and 7 years old.

The chief says that Edwards was brought up on charges of violating the department's rules and regulations, such as alleged drug use, untruthfulness and conduct unbecoming an officer.

Edwards is charged with third-degree sexual assault, unlawful restraint, tampering with a witness and two counts of risk of injury to a minor.

Prosecutors have moved his case to Windham County.

Information from: The Day, http://www.theday.com

Officer William Edwards Sr Charged with Sexual Assault of Child

New London Community Police Officer William R. Edwards Sr. appeared in Norwich Superior Court this morning on charges related to the sexual assault of a child.

Edwards, 45, has been charged with third-degree sexual assault, second-degree unlawful restraint, tampering with a witness and two counts of risk of injury to a minor. He was arrested this morning by state police at Troop E in Montville.

New London Police Chief Bruce Rinehart suspended Edwards without pay following Edwards' arrest.

The suspension was effective immediately, said Rinehart, and will be in effect pending the outcome of the court case. Rinehart had been unable to suspend Edwards until his arrest because Edwards had been hospitalized since early December.

The chief and New London Police Capt. Margaret Ackley met Edwards at Troop E where state police processed him.

“It's an unfortunate thing,'' Rinehart said. “Law enforcement is one big family and when these things happen to our brothers and sisters, these things affect us all.''

He said the department is also conducting an internal investigation into the allegations.

Edwards was accompanied in court by his attorney, Paul Guernsey, and by his brother, Kenneth Edwards, a former New London police officer. He posted $100,000 bond.

Judge Barbara Jongbloed issued a full protective order forbidding William Edwards from having any contact with the victim and added the condition that he cooperate with the Institute of the Living, a psychiatric institution in Hartford, where he had been hospitalized since early December.

His case has been transferred to Danielson Superior Court and his next appearance is scheduled for Feb. 11

Deputy Michael McCroskey Accused of Domestic Violence Fired Today

CANTON

Stark County Sheriff Tim Swanson today fired a deputy who is accused of domestic violence.

Swanson said Michael D. McCroskey, 34, can appeal his decision. “But, as of this morning, I gave him his letter, and he’s done,” he said.

Swanson declined further comment.

McCroskey has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor counts of domestic violence and unlawful restraint.

The charges stem from a Dec. 5 incident in Jackson Township. His next court date is Dec. 30 in Massillon Municipal Court.

According to court documents, McCroskey pushed a woman while she was holding their infant son, then threatened to kill her and commit suicide.

McCroskey had been employed with the Sheriff’s Department since April 19, 2007, working in the county jail.

McCroskey also was arrested for domestic violence involving the same woman Aug. 25,. He was found guilty on a lesser charge of disorderly conduct.

A disciplinary hearing was held Monday.

Officer William Edwards Sr Charged with Sexual Assault Against Minor

New London

State police have obtained an arrest warrant charging William R. Edwards Sr., a well-known city patrolman, with sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.

Edwards, 45, has been hospitalized under psychiatric care for several days, preventing state police from serving a warrant that charges him with risk of injury to a minor, third-degree sexual assault, unlawful restraint and tampering with a witness, according to several law enforcement sources. Details of the alleged crimes are not available.

Over the weekend, New London City Manager Martin Berliner sent an e-mail to members of the City Council to inform them of the pending charges. Berliner wrote that police Chief Bruce F. Rinehart informed him on Dec. 4 that state police were investigating Edwards for an off-duty incident. The city manager said he did not plan to tell the councilors until Edwards was arrested “in fairness to Officer Edwards.”

”Unfortunately, since the process has taken so long, you may have heard about this situation from someone else. For that I am sorry,” Berliner wrote. “At this point, a signed arrest warrant is on file with state police. You will be informed when the warrant is executed.”

Rinehart said Edwards requested and is currently on paid leave. He said he could not comment on the allegations since the investigation is ongoing.

Edwards is a 20-year veteran of the police department who serves as the city's crime prevention officer, working with various groups of city residents, including children, the elderly, neighborhood watch groups and business owners. His family is well known in New London, where Edwards' father, Kenneth W. Edwards Sr., is a retired deputy fire chief, and his brother, Kenneth W. Edwards Jr., is a retired police captain.

Members of the police union discussed the situation at a meeting on Tuesday so officers would be aware of Edwards' impending arrest and be prepared to respond to any backlash they might hear during the course of their duties in the community, according to a police source.

Edwards is the president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association and was in charge of its finances, according to a source, who said a committee of patrolmen are checking the PBA's finances. He is also a past president of the New London Rotary Club.

Edwards is married and has two children. Court records indicate that Deutsche Bank foreclosed on the family home at 68 Cedar Grove Ave. in July and that the bank repossessed the home.

The New London Police Department and the county's state's attorneys have not been involved in the investigation. To avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, state police detectives at Troop E investigated the allegations involving Edwards and presented a warrant affidavit to be signed by officials in Windham County.

More Information on Ray DeCamillo

NORWALK

The trial of former Norwalk police officer Ray DeCamillo, charged with fondling a 20-year-old woman during a traffic stop, continued Thursday with a sergeant saying DeCamillo failed to report the stop to the dispatcher.

The woman, now 23, told police DeCamillo that the incident occurred two years ago on Silvermine Avenue.

DeCamillo, who was fired in May 2007, is charged with fourth-degree sexual assault and unlawful restraint. If convicted of both charges during his trial in state Superior Court in Norwalk, he faces a maximum sentence of two years.

During the fourth day of testimony Thursday, the main witness was the lead investigator, Detective Bureau Sgt. Arthur Weisgerber.

Weisgerber said he examined dispatch records and could find no indication that DeCamillo called in the traffic stop at 3:15 a.m. July 5, 2006.

He said he checked the records of the National Crime Information Center and found that the woman's license plate was not checked by dispatchers that night, as it would have been if the stop was called in.

Weisgerber said the woman had a phone number, which she said was given to her by "Officer Ray," in hopes she would call him later.

Weisgerber said the cell phone number was the one DeCamillo gave to the police department for when he needed to be reached for extra-duty work.

During cross-examination, Weisgerber told DeCamillo's defense attorney, William Pelletreau, that the woman could not pick DeCamillo's picture out of a photo array of 41 officers.

Weisgerber said the woman described "Officer Ray" as olive-skinned and husky with black hair about one inch long.

DeCamillo is black and shaves his head.

Investigators were unable to find DeCamillo's fingerprints on the woman's car, Weisgerber said, but a light rain fell that night and could have affected that.

Weisgerber said he interviewed DeCamillo on July 18, 2006, and DeCamillo admitted pulling a car over on Silvermine Avenue. DeCamillo volunteered that he "made a mistake" by not calling the stop in to the dispatcher, Weisgerber said.

After his testimony, Assistant State's Attorney Michael DeJoseph rested the state's case.

Pelletreau said he had as many as three more witnesses to call today before resting his case.

Officer Slawomir Plewa Arrested for Trying to Frame Woman

CHICAGO

A Chicago police officer and another man have been charged with taking part in a scheme to arrest the man's estranged wife after planting drugs and a gun in her car.

Slawomir Plewa, 30, faces charges of perjury, obstruction of justice, official misconduct, unlawful restraint and other charges. He was ordered held in lieu of $250,000 bail by Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. during a hearing Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court.

Bogdan Mazur, 48, of Crystal Lake was arrested on false reporting, obstruction of justice as well as drug and gun conspiracy charges. He was also ordered held in lieu of $250,000 bail Tuesday.

Mazur was angry with his estranged wife over money and "some of her parenting decisions" and hatched a plan with Plewa, whom he met through a mutual friend, to frame her, according to court documents filed by the Cook County state's attorney's office.

The documents say Mazur admitted to taking part in the scheme with Plewa and an uncharged coconspirator and that he and the uncharged coconspirator agreed to split a corporation owned by Mazur and his wife "after the victim was arrested and presumably convicted and sent to jail."
On April 1 of last year Mazur was with the couple's two young children in a Chicago garage when he called his wife, told her his vehicle wouldn't start, and asked her to pick up their children, officials said. Mazur and the coconspirator had already placed drugs and the gun into the spare tire compartment of the woman's car.

When she arrived at the garage, Plewa and other officers were waiting.

"Plewa provided false information indicating that an anonymous individual walked into the police station and provided information that led to the stop and arrest of the victim," according to prosecutors in the document, a motion to set bail.

When the woman arrived, Plewa asked if he could search the vehicle — a search that revealed the hidden items, prosecutors alleged.

The woman was arrested on drugs and weapons charges. She was acquitted of the charges during a trial in which Plewa allegedly provided false testimony, prosecutors said.

Plewa's attorney, Dan Herbert, said after Tuesday's hearing that his client was innocent and followed standard police procedure.

"He gathered information and made an arrest based on that information," Herbert said.

"His relationship with Mazur was a typical relationship between a police officer and if, in fact, there was a set up, Officer Plewa had no way of knowing of this," he said.

The case marks the latest embarrassment for Chicago's police department, which has tried to restore public confidence after a string of allegations of police brutality and misconduct.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-chicago-cop-arrest-10-bothsep10,0,5995079.story