Officer Douglas Campbell's Charged with Sexual Assault has been Fired

A police officer arrested in October on allegations of sexual assault by a public servant, official oppression and theft has been fired.

Douglas V. Campbell’s indefinite suspension from the Fort Worth Police Department took effect Dec. 23, according to Civil Service documents obtained Monday by the Star-Telegram.

Campbell, 33, is accused of sexually assaulting a prostitute, threatening another that he would take her to jail if she did not engage in sexual activity, and stealing $2 from an abandoned vehicle.

He was indicted on the sexual assault and official oppression cases Dec. 18 and remains free on bail awaiting trial in all three cases, according to Tarrant County court records.
“Officer Campbell, of course, denies those accusations in the indictments and looks forward to his day in court,” said Jim Lane, his defense attorney.

Campbell has appealed his termination. His attorney in the appeal, Craig Driskell of the Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas, declined to comment Monday.

The department’s special investigation unit began investigating Campbell after receiving information in August from other officers that Campbell was possibly having sex with prostitutes.

Investigators began conducting surveillance of Campbell, then interviewing women with whom he had contact.

One prostitute told officers that Campbell had removed his penis from his pants and had told her to engage in sexual contact with him or he would take her to jail. She said the conversation stopped, however, when another officer drove up, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Another prostitute told investigators that Campbell had touched her and pulled her G-string between her legs, causing her pain, the affidavit states.

According to the disciplinary letter signed by Police Chief Jeff Halstead, Campbell admitted paying for sexual acts at least five times since being commissioned as a Fort Worth officer in 2007.

The theft charge stems from allegations that Campbell removed $2 from an abandoned vehicle that he had been dispatched to, then give it to a female friend whom he had arranged to meet there. The incident was recorded, according to the disciplinary letter.

Campbell also did not accurately report the chain of custody of narcotics found inside the van, the disciplinary letter states.

Halstead said an internal investigation sustained eight allegations of misconduct against Campbell.

“His actions are a disgrace to our department, our city, and the policing profession,” Halstead said in an emailed statement. “I will continue to hold all employees accountable for any violations of policy that jeopardize the level of public trust within our community.”

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/01/06/5464201/fort-worth-officer-charged-with.html#storylink=cpy

Officer Matthew Ashmore Charged with Sexual Exploitation of Child

Memphis police say an officer has been charged with sexual exploitation of a minor.

The Memphis Police Department said Friday that 26-year-old officer Matthew Ashmore has been relieved of duty with pay pending the outcome of an administrative investigation.

The department says officers received a complaint from someone who had found a cellphone at a business Thursday. While looking through the phone, the person who found it saw images of unknown adult men having sex with girls believed to be between the ages of 2 and 6.

Investigating officers said they discovered the phone belonged to Ashmore.

Online court records show Ashmore is out of jail on $15,000 bond. The records do not show if he has a lawyer.

Officer Markeith Council Charged with Beating Inmate to Death

A Wake County corrections officer who faces charges of voluntary manslaughter in relation to an incident in which an inmate died defended himself in court Wednesday.

Markeith Council, 27, told the court he had a conversation with Shon Demetrius McClain some time before the incident while Council was handing out sheets.

Council testified, "McLain said, 'You almost shoved my [expletive] hand in this trap.' Well, I said, 'If you didn't want your hand in the [expletive] trap, get your hands out of the trap.'"

Council said people started urging McClain, 40, to fight during the part the surveillance video shows. Council said he called McClain over.

"I said, 'Don't let your friends boost you up, pump you up,'" Council recalled. "I said, 'This is not the place to be tough.'"

Council said he thought he was going to be punched when McClain raised his hand. He said he didn't have enough time to call for help.

Council said his goal is to be a warden and is on track to be a sergeant. He is now a master detention officer, and is on suspension.

A video released in court Tuesday shows a fatal altercation between Council and an inmate in June. Court documents show Council was involved an incident with  McClain at the Wake County Detention Center June 4.

 

Council was indicted in August and turned himself into the Wake County Detention Center soon after.

McClain died from blunt force trauma to the head, neck, spinal and brain, damage that was sustained during the fight with Council, according to an autopsy. The inmate died 13 days after the incident.

McClain was in jail on misdemeanor drug charges when the assault occurred. According to the Department of Public Safety, McClain's convictions include possession of stolen goods, breaking and entering, larceny, indecent liberty with a child, failing to register as a sex offender and obstructing justice.

The jury deliberated for part of the day Wednesday but adjourned until 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

Former Corrections Officer Leon Brooks Sr Arrested for having Child Porn

A former JSO corrections officer is facing charges related to child pornography.

Leon Perry Brooks Sr., 39, is facing two counts of receipt of child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography.

The indictment shows the reported offenses took place between June 19, 2012, and May 20, 2013, and involve a number of computer files showing minors engaged in sexually-explicit conduct.

Brooks' next court date is Dec. 27 at 3:30 p.m.

Brooks was employed with the agency from April 20, 2000, until his resignation on Nov. 1, 2013.  Brooks resigned, according to JSO, with an undisclosed medical disability.

He is the second JSO corrections officer to be arrested this week.  Prosecutors indicted Harold Walbey III a week ago for tax fraud. Investigators say he took seven names to file tax returns for 2010 and 2011.  Walbey also faces wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges.

Corrections Officer Markeith Council Charged with Manslaughter

A Wake County corrections officer who faces charges of voluntary manslaughter in relation to an incident in which an inmate died defended himself in court Wednesday.

Markeith Council, 27, told the court he had a conversation with Shon Demetrius McClain some time before the incident while Council was handing out sheets.

Council testified, "McLain said, 'You almost shoved my [expletive] hand in this trap.' Well, I said, 'If you didn't want your hand in the [expletive] trap, get your hands out of the trap.'"

Council said people started urging McClain, 40, to fight during the part the surveillance video shows. Council said he called McClain over.

"I said, 'Don't let your friends boost you up, pump you up,'" Council recalled. "I said, 'This is not the place to be tough.'"

Council said he thought he was going to be punched when McClain raised his hand. He said he didn't have enough time to call for help.

Council said his goal is to be a warden and is on track to be a sergeant. He is now a master detention officer, and is on suspension.

A video released in court Tuesday shows a fatal altercation between Council and an inmate in June. Court documents show Council was involved an incident with  McClain at the Wake County Detention Center June 4.

Council was indicted in August and turned himself into the Wake County Detention Center soon after.

McClain died from blunt force trauma to the head, neck, spinal and brain, damage that was sustained during the fight with Council, according to an autopsy. The inmate died 13 days after the incident.

McClain was in jail on misdemeanor drug charges when the assault occurred. According to the Department of Public Safety, McClain's convictions include possession of stolen goods, breaking and entering, larceny, indecent liberty with a child, failing to register as a sex offender and obstructing justice.

The jury deliberated for part of the day Wednesday but adjourned until 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

Officer Linwood Barnhill Investigated for Teen Prostitution Ring & Child Porn

A Washington D.C. police officer is under investigation for allegedly running a prostitution ring out of his apartment.

Officer Linwood Barnhill, 47, has not been arrested but is on paid administrative leave after police found a missing 16-year-old girl in his home Tuesday who told police Barnhill had arranged for her to have sex for money.

The girl told police that Barnhill had arranged for her to engage in sex acts with a man for $80 and that he told her that her working name would be ‘Juicy.’

Incredibly, a Photobucket account belonging to Linwood Barnhill discovered in an online search contains numerous pictures of scantily clad young women, a photograph that clearly shows a large amount of marijuana, a police officer in uniform handling piles of cash and several blank spaces that Photobucket has removed as inappropriate content.

Barnhill brazenly used his full name for the account, which has photographic evidence of potentially illegal behavior.

The girl told police that Barnhill took nude pictures of her and that six other women had also prostituted themselves for Barnhill.

A search warrant affidavit filed in federal court alleges sex trafficking of a minor and production of child pornography.

The Washington Times reports that in the apartment, located at 3066 Stanton Road Southeast near St. Elizabeth’s Hospital police also found marijuana along with a large number of condoms and nine pairs of women’s high heeled shoes.

Linwood Barnhill is a 24-year veteran of the city’s 7th District Police Department.

The Washington Post reports that investigating officers stayed at the Southeastern Washington DC apartment Tuesday night and most of Wednesday, and after obtaining the search warrant confiscated various items including women’s lingerie, computers and cell phones.

Court documents state that the girl told officers she had been to the apartment at least twice. Barnhill took nude pictures of her in sparkly high heels and showed them to a potential customer, who was scheduled to meet with the girl and pay $80 for sex.

Barnhill would keep $20, she said, and also pay for her to have her hair done and new clothes and shoes.

It’s not clear whether the girl had actually met with the customer.

D.C. Police Chief Cathy L Lanier said in a statement that the department ‘is very concerned about the recent allegations of egregious conduct.

Officer Damon Broussard Charged with Rape & Molestation of Juvenile

A Lake Arthur police officer has been charged with aggravated rape and molestation of a juvenile, state police said.

Troop spokesman Stephen Hammons said 37-year-old Damon Broussard, of Egan, was arrested Tuesday following an investigation.

"During the investigation, detectives found that Broussard engaged in sexual activity several years ago with a child who was under 15," Hammons said in a news release. "Detectives also discovered that Broussard engaged in sexual activity with a different child, who under 13."

Hammons said that there is no indication the alleged incidents occurred during Broussard's duties as an officer.

Former Officer Timothy Burns Charged with Murder Dies

A former Durham police officer charged with murder in his wife's death died Friday at Rex Hospital.

Jail officials said Timothy W. Burns, died of a heart attack.

The Durham County Sheriff's Office said Burns was in custody at Central Prison when the decision was made to transport him to Rex Hospital in Raleigh.

He had been transferred from the Durham County Jail because his medical needs "were beyond [the jail's] capability to provide."

Burns was in police custody on a murder charge for stabbing his wife Maxine to death in November in their home.

Burns left the Durham Police Department in the 1990s

Officer Jackie Neal Rapes Teen in Back of Squad Car

Friday morning. On duty. Full Uniform. Marked Squad Car. Officer Jackie Neal, 40, made a traffic stop and then allegedly sexually assaulted a 19-year-old woman, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

Police said the 11-year veteran pulled the victim over on the south side and managed to get her to stand behind his squad car. San Antonio police Chief William McManus described the events that followed as “unthinkable.”

An investigation was opened after the victim contacted police. According to a statement issued by the department, Neal was taken into custody by SAPD Special Victims’ Unit detectives after officers pulled him over around 2 a.m. Saturday. He was arrested on a warrant for sexual assault, a second-degree felony.

“I am angry. I am outraged. It’s a punch in the eye to the police department, this kind of conduct,” McManus said. “We won’t tolerate it for a second. And I think the swiftness of the investigation and the arrest is indicative of that.”

Neal has been placed on administrative leave with pay, in accordance with department protocol. If indicted, the pay would cease. He was released from custody Saturday morning at 7:25 a.m.

He was suspended in September, according to an agenda for the San Antonio Police and Firefighter Civil Service Commission, but circumstances surrounding that suspension have not been made clear.

Retired Officer Joseph Ferrante Charged with Sharing Child Porn

A retired Peabody police officer has been charged with storing and sharing child pornography on his computer.

Joseph Ferrante, 60, of 30 Bresnahan St., Peabody, is scheduled to be arraigned this morning in Peabody District Court on charges stemming from an investigation by the state police Internet Crimes Against Children unit, according to court papers.

Ferrante was arrested at his home on Monday after troopers obtained a search warrant that allowed them to seize and examine Ferrante’s computers. A preliminary search confirmed that among the items on the computer’s hard drive was a video of two boys engaging in sexual activity.

That is the same video Sgt. Michael Hill found when he visited a file-sharing network in September.

The video, with the name “bibcam,” (short for “boys in bedroom”) depicted adolescent boys, 12 and 14, engaging in sexual acts. It was one of the videos listed on the file-sharing site as being available from a specific computer within the group.

Hill also found another video showing a boy under the age of 10 engaging in sexual activity with an older male. As the investigation continued, Hill was able to link directly to the same computer and found another video, this one described as a “preteen hard-core” video of an 8-year-old girl.

Using the IP address of the computer, prosecutors sought a subpoena from Comcast and learned the identity of the subscriber, Ferrante.

On Monday, they showed up at Ferrante’s home with a search warrant.

Trooper James Dowling confronted Ferrante, who initially acknowledged only that he had “passed by” child porn.

Ferrante admitted to using the file-sharing service and admitted that he had both searched for and viewed child pornography. But he allegedly told investigators he did not believe there was child pornography on his computer.

A trooper who did a preliminary search found, in addition to the video of the two adolescent boys, files with names that suggested that they also contained child pornography. Police took the computer for a full search.

Ferrante, who is divorced, was released late Monday on $5,000 bail set by an assistant clerk magistrate following his arrest.

Ferrante is facing charges of possession and dissemination of child pornography. The possession charge carries up to a five-year prison term, but dissemination of child pornography carries a minimum mandatory 10-year term and up to 20 years in prison.

Officer Manuel Williams Arrested for Child Molestation

DeKalb County police on Wednesday confirmed that one of their officers was arrested and charged with child molestation.

It was alleged in a news conference that Officer Manuel Williams, 49, touched the 13-year-old victim while she was visiting his home.

The teen's father reported the incident on Oct. 12, when his daughter told him it happened in September of 2012.

Williams offered his resignation after an investigation was launched.

Williams is charged with one count of child molestation.

"It's very disheartening," said DeKalb County Chief of Police Cedric Alexander. "It's very hurtful for all of us here at DeKalb anytime we have an officer who goes outside of the law."

Williams served 18 years with the DeKalb Police Department, working most recently out of the south precinct.

Officer Daniel Talbot Arrested for DUI

A Moore police officer in training was arrested on DUI charges on Sunday, November 4 in Norman.

OU campus police arrested Daniel Talbot just before 2 a.m. Sunday. Officers say a vehicle driven by Talbot was going the wrong way in the 700 block of Buchanan Avenue.

Police stopped Talbot in the 400 block of W. Boyd Street. They say they could smell an odor of alcohol coming from Talbot's breath and person. Talbot reportedly admitted to drinking prior to driving.

Officers also found a loaded firearm, a glock .22 generation 4, in Talbot's vehicle.

Talbot was then taken into custody on charges of DUI, and carrying a weapon under the influence of alcohol.

Talbot resigned from the Moore Police Department on Tuesday, November 5. He was also a former officer at the McAlester Police Department.

Just last month, another Moore officer was arrested for DUI following an off-duty car accident. Police say 13-year veteran officer Tony Towery was arrested after running into the back of another car.

Officer Patrick Williams Arrested for Worthless Checks

A Shreveport police officer has been placed on administrative leave following his arrest on a felony charge of issuing worthless checks.

According to the Shreveport Police Department, 23-year-old Patrick Williams was arrested Tuesday as a fugitive on an outstanding warrant obtained by the Bossier Parish District Attorney's Office.

Williams joined the Shreveport Police Department in July 2012.

In a brief statement released Tuesday afternoon regarding the arrest, Chief of Police Willie Shaw placed Williams on leave "as required by the rules and regulations of the Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board which states: 'When an employee is charged with a felony he shall, and if a misdemeanor he may, be immediately relieved of duty and placed on "departmental leave' for up to one week at full pay and with continuing seniority."

Williams was booked into the Caddo Correctional Center.