Officer Tony Towery Arrested for DUI

A Moore police officer was arrested on a complaint of driving under the influence.

Police say 13-year veteran officer Tony Towery was arrested Saturday after running into the back of another car.

He was off-duty at the time of the crash.

Right now, Towery is on paid administrative leave.

Officer Mary O'Callaghan Charged with Felony Assault

A Los Angeles police officer has been charged with assaulting a woman under arrest, Alesia Thomas, who lost consciousness in a patrol car and was declared dead soon thereafter, prosecutors announced Thursday.

Mary O'Callaghan, 48, was charged a day earlier in a felony assault case, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

The prosecutor's office said it will request $35,000 bail for the officer who, if convicted, could spend three years in state prison.

Tyler Izen, president of the Los Angeles police union,in a statement said "the alleged actions of the officer are incongruous with her reputation as an officer who was known to be diligent, courteous and ethical." O'Callaghan's lawyer Robert Rico describes his client, an 18-year veteran of the department, as "devastated."

"As an officer, a Marine and a mother, she's used to fighting and defending others," Rico said. "And she will fight and defend herself in a court of law to prove her innocence."

The charge stems from an incident July 22, 2012, when police investigating a possible child abandonment went to Thomas' home.

This was after Thomas had dropped off her two children at a police station because she felt her drug abuse had made her an unfit parent, according to Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. 

At the mother's home, police talked with Thomas and arrested her.

It was then that O'Callaghan arrived on the scene, helping her fellow officers put Thomas -- then wearing handcuffs and leg restraints -- in a patrol car.

Video captured what happened next, the prosecutor's office said, including "O'Callaghan kicking Thomas in the stomach and groin area and pushing her in the throat."

Thomas lost consciousness in the patrol car, then was transported by paramedics to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Prosecutors said they didn't file involuntary manslaughter charges against O'Callaghan because it couldn't be proven that she directly caused Thomas' death.

Her official cause of death was "undetermined," according to a coroner's report.

Thomas's relatives, though, believe O'Callaghan is responsible, family spokesman Najee Ali said Thursday.

The family is grateful for the charge filed this week, added Ali. But they're not satisfied yet, pushing for the public release of the video showing Thomas' final moments.

"We want to have the whole truth of what happened to Alesia Thomas," Ali said. "... This is not over with."

Three Officers Under Investigation in Bikers' Clash with SUV Driver

Three bikers have been indicted in connection with a well-publicized clash with a New York SUV driver, the Manhattan District Attorney's office said Friday.

Craig Wright, 29, and Reginald Chance, 37, were indicted Friday, according to the district attorney's office. A third man, Robert Sims, 35, was indicted on Thursday, it said.

Authorities say Alexander Lien was chased by bikers after he initially bumped one during a biker rally on September 29. When his SUV was surrounded by several bikers, Lien called 9-1-1, told police he feared for his life and drove off, running over bikers and critically injuring one.

Lien's wife and 2-year-old daughter were in the vehicle with him. Lien has not been charged.

 

The chase that followed ended in traffic. Police say Lien's windows were smashed; he was dragged out of the SUV and beaten. He was treated and released from a hospital.

Officials did not detail the formal charges against the three men. In New York, charges in an indictment are not announced until defendants have been arraigned and can enter a plea.

Chance was accused of using his helmet to smash the SUV window, according to police. The lawyer for Chance concedes his client "overreacted," but claims he did not take part in beating the driver.

Authorities arrested Wright for allegedly hitting the SUV driver through the window of his vehicle.

 

Sims was accused of stomping on the driver after he was pulled from his SUV, authorities said.

Wright, Chance and Sims are scheduled to be arraigned on October 30, according to the district attorney's office.

At least seven people have been arrested, including the three who were indicted.

Authorities, who have appealed for the public's help in identifying people in photos, haven't ruled out more arrests or charges.

Meanwhile, a New York Police officer who works in Internal Affairs joins the ranks of at least two others with the NYPD who waited several days to tell their superiors they were at the rally where the SUV driver was beaten and kicked, according to the lawyer for the officer.

"He did what he had to do (by coming forward)," the officer's attorney, Pat Bonanno, told CNN.

A law enforcement source, with knowledge of the case, told CNN the Internal Affairs officer didn't report he was at the rally for at least a week.

CNN is withholding the officer's name, who worked for Internal Affairs for five years, because he has not been charged with any wrongdoing at this time. The story was first reported by DNAInfo.com, a site specializing in crime news.

Bonanno says the officer belongs to a motorcycle club and was riding with hundreds of bikers who participated in the September 29th rally, but insists he didn't witness the assault on Lien.

"He wasn't aware of anything of the nature posted on YouTube and he doesn't have any firsthand knowledge of what was going on," Bonanno said.

"Once all the videos are reviewed and witnesses interviewed, we'll find that my client has no culpability for anything that happened that day."

Bonanno offered no explanation as to why the officer waited so long to tell his superiors he was there. "That will be addressed in an appropriate time and manner," he said.

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, tells CNN authorities are investigating his account.

Law enforcement sources have told CNN there were no on-duty police officers riding with the bikers in an undercover capacity.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner John McCarthy declined comment as did the Manhattan District Attorney's office.

At least two other officers are under investigation.

One of them is Detective Wojciech Braszczok, who faces three felony counts including gang assault. Prosecutors say the off-duty cop is on video allegedly using his fist to bash in the rear window of Lien's SUV and kick it.

Braszczok's lawyer has denied his client did anything wrong and says video will exonerate him.

Officer Dan Hamlin Arrested for Grand Theft

A JSO officer has been arrested on 26 counts of official misconduct and grand theft.

JSO said officer Dan Hamlin was arrested after a warrant was issued Wednesday.

Undersheriff Dwain Senterfitt said Hamlin was fraudulently claiming overtime. Senterfitt said Hamlin claimed he was consulting with the State Attorney's Office on pre-trial cases but listed a state attorney on his timesheet who was no longer at the office.

According to JSO, this case has been under investigation since June. Senterfitt said Hamlin was made aware at the time, and the overtime stopped.

Senterfitt said Hamlin has resigned.

Officer Andrew Alan Haney Charged with Sending Obscene Material to Child

A West Columbia police officer was charged in federal court after sending explicit photos of himself to a 13-year-old girl in Iowa last month, authorities said.

Andrew Alan Haney, 30, was charged with interstate commerce of obscene materials to a person under 16, according to court records. He was appointed a public defender.

According to court records, Haney was involved in chatting with the girl in Polk County, Iowa from Sept. 22-28. The girl said she met Haney through a social media website.

Authorities identified Haney as a suspect after he sent the girl a photo with his police badge with the state seal visible in the photo, according to court records.

West Columbia Police Chief Dennis Tyndall said Haney was fired.

Tyndall said the situation was an "embarrassment" for the department. 

Haney was being held in the Lexington County Detention Center awaiting a bond hearing.

Officer John Marcus Weber Arrested for Giving Alcohol to Minors

A Sallisaw police lieutenant turned himself in Friday after an investigation into alcohol-related misconduct led to a warrant.

John Marcus Weber was booked on two felony counts and one misdemeanor count of furnishing alcohol to a minor Friday morning. Weber, 29, allegedly provided hard liquor or high-point beer and 3.2 beer to teenagers.

The warrant, issued Thursday and signed Friday morning, came about after the Sequoyah County Sheriff's Office requested that the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation look into complaints against the officer.

Weber's bail was set at $10,000 for which he has made bond.

Officer Julio Pagan Arrested for Sexual Battery

Another sex scandal at the Lakeland Police Department, and this time, the officer involved faces criminal charges.

Officer Julio Pagan, 31, was arrested today on two counts of sexual battery and one count of stalking.

"There are simply no words to describe my shock, my outrage, my disgust about this," said Chief Lisa Womack.

Chief Womack says the investigation dates back to a time right in the middle of the department's highly publicized sex scandal.

Investigators say Officer Pagan responded to a July 4th call near a trailer park and that's where he first met the alleged victim.

Six weeks later, during another call, the woman says Pagan coerced her to have sex with him in her bathroom while he was still armed, in uniform, and on duty.

Asked if this will only promote talk of persistent culture problems now under her command as well at Lakeland P.D., Chief Womack was clearly frustrated.

"This is not a departmental issue," she said pausing for moment, "You want to know how I feel about it? Fed up," she said.

The alleged victim says three weeks later, Pagan, again on-duty, was back, asking her for a "quickie" according to the police report.

Surveillance video shows Pagan's cruiser pulling up to a nearby Circle K store, where images, say detectives, show the woman buys alcohol before both return to her house.

Investigators say Pagan then came back a second time on that same date,August 29th, but that the woman made an excuse to fend off his advances and called police to complain about Pagan's visits.

However the dispatcher, identified as Christinia Jordan, now on administrative leave, never sent an officer.

"I have no valid explanation as to at this point why that that did not occur," said Chief Womack. An investigation into the matter was "about 90%" complete, she said.

The victim, who never had a police officer respond, got another uninvited visit from Pagan about three weeks later.

Relatives called to complain yet again, and this time Lakeland sent an investigator.

Austin Garcia, a neighbor, says a short time later, the trailer park area was visited by multiple officers.

"I did see a couple of squad cars go over there and stuff, like about 5 or 6 of them," he said, "They stayed there about an hour or two and left."

Chief Womack says she knows the public is already commenting about how this may yet again be an example of the "culture" within Lakeland P.D., but she took issue with that assertion.

This was not a departmental culture issue, she said -it's a crime.

Pagan, she said,will likely be formally fire dover the next couple of days.

He faces life in prison if convicted.

Deputy Darrell Mathis Arrested for Selling Marijuana Out of His Police Car

An undercover sting operation nabbed an Atlanta-area sheriff's deputy who was selling marijuana out of his patrol car and in uniform, federal authorities say.

Newton County Deputy Darrell Mathis told an informant that he could sell pot without fear because "he drives safely and flashes police credentials to get out of tickets if stopped," according to court papers. Mathis, a five-year veteran deputy, was freed on bond after his arrest last week, the FBI said.

"This defendant used his position as a police officer to openly violate the very laws that he was sworn to uphold," U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said in a written statement.

"Selling marijuana out of his police car while wearing a badge and uniform is outrageous. This case is a reminder that no one is above the law."

Mathis has been charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and with carrying a firearm during a drug offense -- a charge that could bring a possible life sentence if convicted. He did not immediately return messages seeking comment Sunday.

Newton County is about 30 miles east of Atlanta. Sheriff Ezell Brown said Mathis has been placed on administrative leave, and his office is cooperating with the investigation.

"This is an embarrassment to the Newton County Sheriff's Office, as well as law enforcement in general," Brown said in a joint statement with Yates.

According to the charges against him, Mathis attracted the attention of the FBI in April after what officials called a "social visit" by a person who went on to become a confidential informant. The informant visited Mathis at his apartment and saw large bags of what was "believed to be marijuana" on the living room table.

The complaint states that Mathis told the informant that he wasn't concerned about getting caught, because of his safe driving and police credentials.

Apparently unnerved by the exchange, the informant went to the authorities and offered to help with an investigation. The FBI then set up a half dozen meetings among Mathis, the informant and eventually two undercover agents, court papers recount.

Mathis and the informant discussed a drug sale during their next meeting, the charges state. Mathis sold the informant an ounce of marijuana later that day, showing up for the deal in his cruiser, in uniform and carrying his service pistol.

After that, an undercover agent got involved -- and the amounts of marijuana increased.
In June, as the agent bought a pound of pot, Mathis boasted, "I do my little 10 to 15 a week" -- a phrase the agent "understood to mean selling 10 to 15 pounds a week," the arrest affidavit states.

Then in early August, according to the complaint, Mathis met with another undercover agent, a supposed cocaine dealer. The two agents and Mathis sat down at a restaurant to discuss buying and transporting marijuana and cocaine, according to the complaint.

While the three spoke, Mathis allegedly pulled out his badge and told the undercover agent, "Don't worry, I'm on your side." By the end of the meeting, the complaint alleges, Mathis had agreed to run marijuana and cocaine from Alabama to North Carolina at the behest of the undercover agent.

Federal agents found a pound of pot on Mathis when he was arrested last week, the FBI said.

Lt Marcus LeMacks Accused of Stealing from Sears

A Dawson Police officer who also worked part-time for Warwick, was booked into the Dougherty County jail Thursday night, accused of stealing from Sears in the Albany Mall, and it's not his first arrest.

42-year-old Lt. Marcus LeMacks resigned his Warwick post Friday afternoon, and remains suspended in Dawson.

LeMacks worked part-time at Sears. Store loss prevention officers investigated him for two months before Albany Police arrested him a little before 5:30 p.m.

They say surveillance video shows LeMacks taking items from the store and putting them in his vehicle. Investigators believe he stole about $1,200 worth of merchandise. They plan to search his home to try to recover items.

Dawson Police Charlie Whitehead says officer Marcus LeMacks has been suspended without pay until his legal case is adjudicated, and he has been notified of his suspension.

Chief Whitehead added that LeMacks' POST certification had just come off probation in June, after his misdemeanor conviction of supplying alcohol to minors.  In 2009 LeMacks was fired from the Leesburg Police Department after being charged with providing alcohol to people under age 21.

Chief Whitehead says LeMacks has been employed by the Dawson Police Department since 2009.

Officer Randall Kerrick Accused of Shooting Jonathan Ferrell

A North Carolina police officer accused of shooting and killing an unarmed man who had apparently been in an automobile wreck is scheduled to appear in court today to face a voluntary manslaughter charge.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Randall Kerrick is charged in the case.

Twenty-four-year-old Jonathan Ferrell, a former Florida A&M University football player, was killed early Saturday.

Charlotte-Meckleburg police say he had sought help at a nearby house. A woman answered the door and called 911 when she didn't recognize the man.

Officers responding to the breaking and entering call found Ferrell nearby. Ferrell ran toward the officers, who tried to stop him with a Taser. Police said he continued to run toward them when officer Randall Kerrick fired his gun, hitting Ferrell several times.

Ferrell died at the scene.

Cpl. David Turner Arrested for Prostitution Near School

A Tulsa police officer was arrested for soliciting a prostitute within 1,000 feet of a school Thursday afternoon. Cpl. David Turner also faces a charge of possession of a firearm in commission of a felony.

A source close to the situation said Turner was taken into custody at the Executive Inn at 11th and Garnett just after 3 p.m. following an undercover operation performed by TPD and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics. "The Tulsa Police Department received information regarding alleged criminal activity involving Turner and in return launched an investigation which included the Tulsa Police Departments Special Investigations Division and agents with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs," Chief of Police Chuck Jordan said in a release.

Turner was released on bond less than two hours after being booked in the Tulsa jail. He was placed on paid administrative leave pending further investigation.

Correctional Officer Cory Colvin Arrested for Sexual Assault on Child

An East Texas correctional officer is behind bars and is charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child.

According to Upshur County records, 33-year-old Cory Colvin was arrested Monday, and is charged with Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child.

Texas Department of Corrections Public Information Officer Jason Clark said that Colvin is a correctional officer at the Telford Unit, which is located in New Boston, Texas.

Upshur County District Attorney Billy Byrd said that Colvin confessed the assault to authorities in the Upshur County Sheriff's Office and was arrested on site.

He is being held in the Upshur County Jail on one hundred Thousand dollars bond.

Officer Calvin Aaron Jr Arrested for Sexting with Juvenile

Investigators from the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations/Alexandria Field Office arrested Zwolle Police Officer Calvin L. Aaron Jr., 33, of Zwolle, LA, Wednesday.

Aaron Jr. is accused of pornography involving juveniles, indecent behavior with juveniles, obstruction of justice, and malfeasance in office.

In July 2013, Louisiana State Police received information and a request from the Sabine Parish Sheriff's Office in reference to investigating alleged inappropriate conduct and behavior that was/is sexual in nature, between a Zwolle Police Officer and a juvenile.

The investigation revealed that Aaron Jr. and a female juvenile (16 yrs) were using cell phones to transmit sexually explicit and/or lewd images of each other to one another.

The investigation also revealed that Aaron Jr. had engaged in indecent behavior with the juvenile and attempted to destroy evidence of their activities after knowing that an investigation into the matter had begun.

Wednesday, Aaron Jr. was arrested and booked into the Sabine Parish Detention Center on the above listed charges.