Officer Erick Supplee Arrested for Failure to Obey

An off-duty Bend police officer was arrested in Pullman, Wash., over the weekend on a charge of failure to obey an officer, Bend's police chief confirmed Monday afternoon.

Erick Supplee, 32, was arrested early Saturday morning and taken to the Pullman city jail on the misdemeanor charge, then released on his own recognizance, a police officer said.

An officer said he was on foot patrol on College Hill when he saw a man driving the wrong way on Ruby Street. The officer says he approached the vehicle and yelled at the man to stop, at which times he allegedly sped off.

Other police patrol cars stopped the driver minutes later, a few blocks away.

Officers say Supplee smelled of alcohol but noted he did not appear intoxicated. Supplee refused to take a Breathalyzer or field sobriety test, they said.

Bend Interim Police Chief Sandi Baxter said Supplee has been on the force for just over 5 ½ years.

"He is continuing to work," she said. "There are two different processes. One is a criminal investigation. That is to be completed up there (in Pullman). We are initiating an internal affairs investigation."

"We are not making any pre-judgments here," Baxter said, noting they were in the "initial stages of investigation" regarding the incident.


From KTVZ.COM news sources

http://kohd.com/page/56252

**********************

How about the charge of Drunk Driving?!?

Former Officer Robert Pavlovich Jr Trial to Begin for Molesting Children

Jury selection for a former Marysville police officer accused of propositioning and molesting girls ages 12 to 19 is to begin today in Perry County Court, despite attempts by the former officer's attorney to have the trial moved.

President Judge Kathy A. Morrow said she was not convinced the media coverage in the case involving Robert J. Pavlovich Jr., 40, of Lower Allen Twp., has been "inherently prejudicial."

"The court believes defendant has not shown that he is unable to impanel a fair and impartial jury from residents of Perry County," Morrow wrote last week in a two-page opinion.

Pavlovich's trial is to begin Wednesday and last for three days.

Morrow said that the judge presiding over the jury selection -- Senior Judge C. Joseph Rehkamp -- will have the final say over whether the trial should be moved. That would happen if it is demonstrated that potential jurors cannot be impartial during interviews today, Morrow said.

The test for moving the trial is whether the publicity regarding the case has been "sensational, inflammatory or slanted towards conviction rather than factual and objective," Morrow said.

Pavlovich was charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with minors, sexual assault and 21 other counts from between July 2002 and March 2003.

Morrow refused a request by Pavlovich's attorney, P. Richard Wagner, to throw out eight of the 24 charges against his client, including one involving a girl who claims she blacked out at a drinking party and didn't remember anything sexual occurring with Pavlovich.

In September 2006, Perry County District Attorney Charles Chenot asked the state attorney general's office to investigate complaints about Pavlovich, who worked in Marysville from 2001 to 2007, records state.

Pavlovich was arrested in October 2007 and was fired by Marysville the next month. He is free on $250,000 bail.


http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1224552305215640.xml&coll=1

Officer Shanita McKnight Accused of Letting Man Smoke Weed in her Car

A former police officer is accused of letting a man smoke marijuana in her patrol car.

Deshawn Wallace, who is serving time for gun charges, testified that former Lake City Officer, Shanita McKnight, let him smoke pot in her patrol car as well as let him drive the vehicle.


Last summer, McKnight, was indicted on Federal Drug Dealing Charges and using her position as a police officer to make people pay her money.

Officer David B Young III Charged with DUI

A Newark police officer has resigned after being charged with driving under the influence, reckless endangerment and other charges.

David B. Young III, a police officer for seven years, resigned Oct. 6, spokesman Lt. Brian Henry said.

Young was driving a vehicle that skidded through a sobriety checkpoint Oct. 5 near Smyrna, sending officers scrambling for safety, said Lt. Norman Wood, of the Smyrna Police Department.

Smyrna and Clayton police jointly were conducting the DUI checkpoint Oct. 5 on Del. 300 west of Underwoods Corner Road.

At about 1 a.m., Young's vehicle sped toward the checkpoint, braked and skidded through the site, then attempted to speed away, Wood said.

Young was stopped after a brief police chase.

None of the officers at the scene recognized Young but "he told us he was a police officer," Wood said.

Young, 31, of Clayton, was charged with eight counts of first-degree reckless endangering, resisting arrest, failure to stop on command, and driving under the influence of alcohol.

This arrest comes just over a year after Young was arrested on drunken driving charges after crashing a Newark city-leased car into a concrete barrier south of the Biddles Corner toll plaza on Del. 1.

In Newark, Young attained the rank of corporal, and served most recently in the patrol division of the 65-member force, Henry said.

Young was arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court 7 and released after posting a $5,500 secured bond to await another court appearance.

Former Officer and Sheriffs Son Face Federal Charges

HOUSTON

Cameras were there when Jack Heard Jr. walked out of the federal court house late Thursday afternoon.

A judge had just read a long list of criminal charges against him. If his face looks familiar, maybe it's because you remember his dad.

The accused is the son of former Harris County Sheriff Jack Heard Sr., who died in 2005 after a long and distinguished career in law enforcement.

Heard Junior spent seven years as a Houston police officer, and he's been a fixture in this community. At least twice he's spent thousands of dollars helping young people by outbidding others at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

But now it seems he needs some help. He said he has hired prominent defense attorney Dick DeGuerin to help him fight a federal indictment.

According to the indictment, Heard has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States of employment taxes, bribing a government official, trying to obtain government contracts, failure to pay prevailing wages and a couple of other charges, including tax evasion.

All the allegations are associated with a security company Heard owns called Superior Protection, Inc.

Three other men, Gary Lambert, William Lane and John Bailey were also indicted. They all work for Heard.

A closer look at the indictment reveals allegations that Heard failed to pay employment taxes on more than $5.7 million going back as far as 1987. He also failed to provide the required firearms training to his security guards, nor did he properly pay the guards.

Agents from the IRS, ATF and the Department of Homeland Security said they spent years investigating this case.

If he's convicted, the son of a longtime sheriff could spend up to 15 years in prison.

Corrections Officer Patrick Gee Found Guilty of Having Sex with Inmates

A guilty verdict against a former Fluvanna County corrections officer accused of sex crimes against inmates.

Patrick Gee was found guilty of four counts of carnal knowledge of an inmate.

The jury recommend two and half years in jail for each count. This conviction was for the accusations made by one inmate.

Gee will stand trial for accusations made by two other inmates starting next week.

Three inmates at the Fluvanna Correctional Center for women accuse Patrick Gee of sexual abuse, alleging it happened over a two-year period.

Officer Russell Mecano Arrested for Forcing Women to Have Sex with Him

A Los Angeles police officer is under investigation for allegedly trying to force women he met while on duty to have sex with him, law enforcement sources said Friday.

Police officials confirmed that Officer Russell Mecano, an eight-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, was arrested earlier this week on suspicion of soliciting a sex act, but declined to release further details in the case, saying a judge had ordered that court records in the ongoing probe remain secret. Specifically, the judge has ordered that a criminal indictment against Mecano be sealed.

Mecano, 40, was taken into custody at the West Los Angeles police station, where he worked as a patrol officer, LAPD spokesman Lt. John Romero said. He was released a short time later in lieu of $127,000 bail. Mecano is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 6.

Two law enforcement sources familiar with the case said the alleged victims were young women Mecano had met while on duty last summer. The sources said Mecano allegedly attempted to coerce women to engage in sex acts with him in exchange for not pursuing some sort of law enforcement action against them.

In one incident, detectives were investigating allegations that Mecano sexually assaulted a woman behind a building, sources said. In another incident, Mecano allegedly tried to force a woman to go to a motel with him, the sources said.

District attorney officials said they could not comment on the Mecano investigation because the case remains under seal.

Los Angeles Police Commission President Anthony Pacheco, who said he had been briefed on the probe, also declined to comment.

LAPD officials said they have ordered that Mecano be assigned to home pending the resolution of the investigation. A person answering the telephone at Mecano's residence Friday said he was not there.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_10751122

LAPD Arrested Innocent People

Police have arrested innocent people due to faulty fingerprint analysis but have not determined how many cases were affected by such errors, police officials said.

A confidential police report details two cases in which charges were dropped after problems with the fingerprint analysis were discovered, the Los Angeles Times reported late Thursday. Police blame shoddy work and poor oversight for the mistakes.

"This is very, very serious," said Rhonda Sims-Lewis, chief of the Police Department's administrative and technical bureau. "We feel very compelled to take quick action when something like this arises. Guilty people can be set free and innocent people can be jailed."

One fingerprint analyst, who was involved in both the mishandled cases, was fired and three others were suspended last year after internal investigations, Sims-Lewis said. Two supervisors in the department's latent print unit were replaced.

"This is something of extraordinary concern," said Michael Judge, public defender for Los Angeles County. "Juries tend to afford the highest level of confidence to fingerprint evidence. This is the type of thing that easily could lead to innocent people being convicted."

The report details the case of a pregnant hospital technician who was charged with breaking into a store in February 2006 because of an erroneous fingerprint identification. The department said prints in that case were lost and could not be re-examined. The charge was dropped.

In another case, a man was extradited from Alabama to face burglary charges after an analyst matched his prints to those found at the scene. Two reviewers missed the mistake before a third caught it while preparing to testify at the trial.

The department has 78 forensic print specialists who run prints from a crime scene through automated databases to analyze possible matches. Two other analysts check each match for accuracy.

Department officials described a poorly run operation in which records and evidence were lost or misplaced.

"People were reviewing the work of friends and just rubber stamping it without really reviewing it," said Yvette Sanchez-Owens, commanding officer of the department's scientific investigation division.

Critics said the internal report challenges a belief that forensic matches are reliable.

Jack Weiss, chairman of the City Council's public safety committee, said there was "nothing more basic and more bread and butter than fingerprints. You have to be able to take each one of them to the bank." He said he will hold hearings on the issue and call fingerprint lab employees to testify.

"We want to know the extent of it and whether it affects any other cases. We want to know how far back it goes," he said.

Police officials had initially planned to hire an outside expert last year to review the fingerprints unit but could not get the $325,000 to $450,000 to fund the effort.

Sim-Lewis said she believes no innocent people have been convicted of crimes due to fingerprint mistakes by her department, but she acknowledged there was no way to be sure without a full review.

"We still want outside eyes to come in and make sure we're doing things right," she said.

Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for district attorney's office, said her office was investigating how prosecutors could better guard against faulty evidence.

Family Wants Trooper Dale Derr Fired

The family of a Finksburg man who died in a 2006 collision with a Maryland State Police trooper on Md. 140 has asked the governor to remove the trooper from the state police force after an alleged incident with the dead man’s brother Sunday.

A lawyer for Joseph Blizzard, whose brother Randy Rakes died after being struck by trooper Dale Derr’s patrol car while he was walking across Md. 140 in November 2006, has asked Gov. Martin O’Malley to terminate Derr after Derr allegedly confronted Blizzard after he’d been arrested Sunday.

According to the letter to O’Malley from lawyer David Ellin, who represents Rakes’ family, Derr responded to the scene where Blizzard was being detained by other troopers, then verbally and physically confronted Blizzard before throwing him to the ground, allegedly breaking Blizzard’s thumb.

Blizzard’s arrest involved allegations of forging checks, Ellin said.

Randy Rakes’ death is the subject of a $15.8 million wrongful death suit between the family and the state police.

State police have received the complaint and are investigating the allegations, said spokesman Greg Shipley.

The agency will thoroughly investigate the complaint and, if warranted, take appropriate action, he said.

In a phone interview Thursday, Ellin said that because of the nature of the allegations and the history of the case, Derr should be suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.

No charges were filed against Derr in the Nov. 29, 2006, incident that resulted in Rakes’ death.

A report by the state police crash team determined Derr was driving 83 mph when he struck Rakes on Md. 140 near the intersection of Sandymount Road.

State police initially said Derr was on his way to back up another trooper on a call, but Derr told investigators he’d finished his shift and was on his way back to the Westminster barrack to turn in paperwork when the crash occurred.

Rakes had been drinking the night of the incident, according to the report.

Prosecutors decided in May 2007 there wasn’t enough information to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Derr’s speed was the cause of the collision, said Kirsten Brown of the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office, who handled the case.

Officer John Kersley in Jail for Aggravated Assault

Kansas

A WaKeeney police officer remains in the Trego County jail pending the filing of aggravated assault charges.

Authorities, however, have yet to divulge details surrounding his arrest.

Formal charges have not yet been filed against officer John Kersley, 41, according to WaKeeney Police Chief Terry Eberle. Bond has been set at $50,000. He has been an officer with the WaKeeney Police Department since November 2005, Eberle said.

Kersley was arrested at about 1 a.m. Tuesday in connection with an incident in WaKeeney.

Assistant Trego County Attorney Dave Basgall said he has been given until 10 a.m. Wednesday to file charges in connection with the incident.

Although he said he likely would file the charges before then, he said no additional information would be provided until that happens.

"As soon as charges are filed, if any, we anticipate doing a press release," he said.

Eberle also declined to provide any details concerning the nature of the incident or even where it happened, instead referring questions to Basgall.

Basgall said the Kansas Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident.

"I have not seen an official police report yet," Basgall said.

Eberle said Kersley is being kept in isolation in the Trego County jail.

Sheriff Reymundo Guerra Helped Aid Mexican Gulf Cartel

McALLEN, Texas

A South Texas sheriff arrested this week on drug trafficking charges made it easier for the Mexican Gulf Cartel to operate in his county and endangered fellow law enforcement agents by sharing names of confidential informants, a federal prosecutor said Friday.

FBI agents arrested Starr County Sheriff Reymundo Guerra on Tuesday at his office in Rio Grande City. Guerra faces three counts of a sprawling 19-count indictment implicating him and 14 others in a drug smuggling conspiracy.

At his arraignment Friday, Guerra pleaded not guilty.

Federal prosecutor Toni Trevino asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Dorina Ramos to hold Guerra without bond until his trial, contending the sheriff was a danger to the community.

"This is an issue of trust and he's shown he's willing to violate that trust," Trevino said.

Of particular concern to Ramos was that Starr County Judge Eloy Vera had said Guerra could resume his duties as sheriff pending trial.

Guerra's attorney Philip Hilder said Friday that Guerra would be willing to take a leave of absence if granted bond.

Guerra's wife, Severita Guerra, testified that her husband of 26 years was a devoted family man and active member of their Catholic church in Rio Grande City. She and two of Guerra's stepdaughters would guarantee his bond if the judge would grant it, Hilder said.

The judge said she would issue her ruling on the bond question Monday.

An indictment accuses Guerra of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana; accessory after the fact, for an alleged suggestion he made to a co-defendant to use false documents to avoid apprehension; and, facilitating the drug trafficking conspiracy through use of a telephone.

The first count alone carries a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life as well as a $4 million fine.

FBI agent Katherine Gutierrez testified about recorded phone conversations between Guerra and co-defendant Jose Carlos Hinojosa, a Mexico native living in Roma, Texas. Investigators allege Hinojosa worked for a member of the Zetas — the Gulf Cartel's enforcers.

Hilder said that Guerra shared information with Hinojosa because he believed he worked for the Mexican equivalent of the district attorney's office. Hinojosa had helped Guerra locate fugitives in the past, Hilder said.

But Gutierrez said the recorded conversations were not like those between fellow law enforcement officers.

Senior Constable Arrested for Drunk Driving

Australia

A police officer will appear in court next month after today being charged with a traffic offence after an incident at Bligh Park this week.

Shortly after 1am on Tuesday 14 October, police from Hawkesbury Local Area Command were conducting patrols of the Bligh Park area when they received reports a motorcycle was being ridden erratically.

Officers spotted the motorcycle a short time later and attempting to stop the machine.

The cycle was then followed at low speed before it eventually stopped at a house in Guardian Crescent.

The rider was arrested and taken to Windsor Police Station where he was identified as being a police officer attached to Penrith Local Area Command.

Late this afternoon, the 33-year-old senior constable was issued a court attendance notice for the offence of driving under the influence.

He will appear at Parramatta Local Court on November 28.


http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news

Former Trooper Richard Keener Now Accused of Drunk Driving

A former state police trooper from Bellefonte who was on probation for assaulting a woman in Clinton County is now accused of crashing his car into a utility pole while driving drunk, seriously injuring his wife.

Spring Township police say 40-year-old Richard Scott Keener was standing outside his vehicle on the 1200 block of Airport Road covered in blood around 9 p.m. Sept. 6 when police arrived at the scene.

Keener denied being the driver of the car, refused medical treatment, and told officers that his wife — who was laying across the front seat, unconscious, bloody and had a noticeably broken arm — was “just sleeping,” police said.

His wife, Brenda Keener, wasn’t sleeping. Police say her brain was bruised and bleeding, she had a broken arm, cuts on her face and shoulder, and her pelvis, vertebrae and two ribs were fractured.

Keener smelled like alcohol and told police he had two beers, police said. Two beer cans were found at the scene and Keener, who refused any field sobriety tests, was arrested and later found to have a blood alcohol level of .234 percent.

Two witnesses to the crash told police Keener was in the driver’s seat when they stopped to check on the car’s occupants.

Keener, who lives at 102 Marble Lane, was a trooper in the Lamar barracks when he was accused last year of raping a woman in her apartment. He pleaded guilty to lesser offenses of simple assault, indecent assault of unlawful restraint in exchange for no jail time, but nearly nine years of probation.

He is now in jail for violating his probation.

“Obviously this was a very serious accident in which he almost lost the life of his wife and even his actions after the accident indicate no real concern for her,” said District Attorney Michael Madeira. “So, we’re going to push hard on this one.”

Keener waived his preliminary hearing Wednesday and will face trial on aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI and other related charges.

His wife is still hospitalized at a HealthSouth rehab center.

Officer Robert Forman Arrested for Sexually Assaulting Three Women

A Riverside police officer is under arrest, accused of committing sex crimes while on duty and in uniform, according to the Riverside police department.

Three alleged victims have accused Officer Robert A. Forman of sexually assaulting them in separate incidents in attacks that spanned from February to April, 2008

Forman, who is 38 years old, was arrested Wednesday and booked into Robert Presley Detention Center. Bail has been set at $50,000, according to officials. He faces charges of committing a sex act by using his authority as a public official and one count of sexual battery, according to officials with the Riverside County Superior Court.

Forman is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 12.

Police are asking anyone with information about the case to call Lt. Robert Meier at 951-353-7112.
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More Information: http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_W_wpolice17.496d8ad.html

Former Deputy David Pennington Accused of Unauthorized Use of LE Database

NEWARK

Almost a year after his case was dismissed because of its conflict with a federal probe, a fired Licking County Sheriff's Office deputy has been indicted again.

David E. Pennington, who was fired June 12, 2007, has been accused of unauthorized use of a law-enforcement database, a fifth-degree felony, in connection with running license plates through the LEADS system between March 18, 2007, and March 27, 2007.

He allegedly ran the plates for a friend, who was under federal scrutiny, and would identify if the registration came back as "not in file" and advised that such a classification could indicate the plates belonged to law enforcement, according to an unsuccessful motion against sealing the dismissed case last year.

At that time, Licking County Prosecutor Ken Oswalt said agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had refused to share the information with local prosecutors on the grounds it could compromise their investigation.

Without that information, Oswalt said he was concerned about not being able to provide full discovery to the defense. The case was killed in November 2007.

Oswalt declined to comment Friday except to say, "We received information that we needed and as a result the case was presented to grand jury."

A summons was issued for Pennington to make an initial appearance Nov. 3 at the courtroom in the Licking County Justice Center.

Former Officer Masaru Shinya Resigns

An ex-Forest Grove police officer agreed never to work in law enforcement again in a deal struck in August with prosecutors.

Masaru Shinya, who patrolled the streets of Forest Grove from 2002 until his resignation two months ago, stepped down after his ex-girlfriend told police he abused her.

Washington County prosecutors said the case started in June, when the woman disappeared. Her family filed a missing person's report and police found her at a domestic violence shelter in Salem.

She told police Shinya abused her and prosecutors started to investigate.

The district attorney said Shinya consistently denied the abuse and said all sexual contact was consensual. However, he admitted to having an anger problem and officials said he also has issues with alcohol.

However, investigators said there's not enough evidence to prove the allegations. When Shinya agreed to resign, prosecutors agreed to drop the case.

Shinya's last known address is an apartment complex on Maywood Drive, but neighbors said he moved out three months ago. Virginia Thorne said Shinya is an honest man and can't imagine him committing the crimes.

"He was very sweet and nice," Thorne said. "He was always friendly and he offered to do anything he could for me."

Forest Grove residents said they have mixed opinions about the deal that was struck.

"I think they need to know all the details before they could assume that would all be correct," said Kurt Copp, who lives in Forest Grove. "And everybody has to be careful because those are large allegations."

"Those are people that we're supposed to be able to count on and then something like that happens," said Jeff Gilstrap, another Forest Grove resident. "It breaks that trust."

According to the resignation documents, the agreement doesn't mean Shinya admitted to the crime.

Officer Brian Slotte Arrested for Having Sex while on Duty

ASTORIA, Ore.

An Astoria police officer accused of having sex with a woman while he was on duty faces misconduct charges.

The State Police say 32-year-old Brian Slotte (slah-tee) was arrested Tuesday on 10 counts of official misconduct, a misdemeanor that carries a year of jail time as a maximum sentence.

Local police say he also faces departmental discipline. He was released from jail and is on unpaid administrative leave.

A prosecutor says the affair went on for a lengthy period, with trysts in the woman's apartment.

Outside investigators and prosecutors were brought into the case, which is routine in such invesigations.

___

Information from: The Daily Astorian, http://www.dailyastorian.com

Several Tucson Officers Lose Certification to Work

A former Tucson police sergeant accused of drinking and gambling on the job lost his certification to work as a peace officer in Arizona Wednesday.

Robert Lund worked for the Tucson Police Department for more than 20 years before retiring in March.

The incident occurred Jan. 29 when someone called 911 to report a possibly impaired driver near South Harrison Road and East 22nd Street.

Officers found a 1999 Ford Taurus — an unmarked city police car — in a parking lot on the corner, police said at the time.

Lund was asked to give breath samples because officers believed he was intoxicated. The tests yielded blood-alcohol levels of 0.202 and 0.183, far exceeding the DUI level of 0.08. He was arrested on a variety of DUI charges, including extreme DUI.
An internal-affairs investigation determined Lund drank beer at the beginning of his shift and later on in the day while he was gambling on dog races.

Lund also admitted to drinking a bottle of tequila while on duty in his unmarked police car, the documents say.

Octavio Garcia — a former Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputy — also lost his certification due to a conviction for attempting to smuggle an illegal immigrant into the country.

He worked for the Sheriff's Office from January 2004 until October 2007 when he was fired.

The incident occurred Sept. 25, 2007, when a Mexican man who was riding in Garcia's truck applied for entry into the country at the Nogales port of entry.

Customs and Border Protections officers suspected that the man might have been trying to enter the country illegally, so he was referred for more questioning, according to court documents.

The man admitted that he had no documents to come into the U.S. and that a friend made arrangements for him to be smuggled, court documents show.

He was picked up at a casino near the border by Garcia, who told him to tell officers at the port of entry that he and Garcia were friends and had known each other for two months.

Garcia was indicted on charges of attempted transportation of an illegal immigrant for profit and bringing in an illegal for profit.

He took a plea deal and was sentenced to three years' probation.

The board on Wednesday also voted to initiate proceedings for a former Tucson police officer accused of lying on his application when he didn't disclose information about his connection to a homicide that occurred more than a decade ago.

Frank A. Soto was fired from the Tucson Police Department in October 2007 after working for the agency for three years.

The accusation surfaced in 2005 when a Tucson police sergeant working an off-duty job recognized Soto and recalled that in 1995 he had been implicated in a gang-related drive-by shooting, according to the documents.

One gang member was killed and another was wounded. Soto was not arrested, but one of his passengers was, documents show.

When Soto applied at the Tucson Police Department, he did not answer truthfully about his involvement in serious crimes.

The following questions were asked on the TPD pre-employment questionnaire:

● Did you ever accompany any person who committed any serious crime?
● Have you ever done anything, that if found out, would embarrass this department?
● Has a police officer, detective or any other law enforcement ever questioned you about any incident (whether as a witness, victim, suspect, or arrestee), even an incident for which you were not charged or arrested?
● Have you ever committed or been present during the commission of any criminal offense other than those disclosed in response to prior questions, whether or not detected or reported?

To all of the questions, Soto responded "No."

The sergeant who recognized Soto from the homicide reported his concerns to a supervisor that Soto was a Tucson police officer given his past association with the Brown Mexican Pride gang.

The report made by the sergeant was not acted upon until approximately two years later in 2007.

Upon being confronted, Soto admitted that he should have been truthful to questions regarding his presence in past criminal activity and gang associations, the documents state. However, because he was not accused or charged with a crime, Soto thought it was not relevant.

He was fired for being untruthful, the documents said. He appealed the termination, but it was upheld.He has since re-enlisted in the Army, documents show.

Also under scrutiny is former Pima County Attorney investigator Cecilia I. Sene, who worked for the office for only three months before she resigned, according to Arizona Peace Officer and Standards Training Board documents.

Her resignation stemmed from an Aug. 27, 2006 incident, when Sene was seen drinking a bottle of beer in a vehicle in the parking lot of a local casino, documents state.
When she was approached, Sene became belligerent toward security and responding police officers.

She was arrested on charges of impersonating a public servant and consuming spirituous liquor in a public place after she refused to show identification and identify herself as a police officer, documents say.

The case was turned over to the Pima County Attorney's Office but was sent to the Tucson Municipal Court due to conflict of interest, documents say.

She entered a diversion program and was ordered to attend counseling. Upon completion, the charges were dismissed.

As a result of her actions, Sene was informed that she would be failing her initial probationary period at the Pima County Attorney's Office.

Since then, Sene was arrested again in July on a disorderly conduct charge for a fight with two women at Coach's Bar in Sahuarita.

Sene reportedly was bumping into people on the dance floor and used her purse to strike two women. She also reportedly choked one of them.

The women declined to press charges.

Sene entered into another diversion program in August and if completed, would have the charges dismissed.

Police Chief Conlin Payne Indicted for Child Abuse

LIPSCOMB, Ala.

Lipscomb’s Police Chief Conlin Payne is on unpaid administrative leave following Thursday’s child abuse indictment.

Hoover Police say the 36 year old Payne is accused of abusing an acquaintances child in October of 2007.

Originally a report was filed with Birmingham Police through D.H.R. and Children’s Hospital last October.

The case was then referred to Hoover Police seven months later.

Lipscomb Mayor Deborah Miller announced Thursday Payne has been placed on unpaid leave pending an internal investigation and the criminal case against him.

“Very disappointed in the Chief. I understand this was something done not on duty and on his own time, but I’m still disappointed,” Miller said outside City Hall Thursday.

Lipscomb’s Police Department included 5 officers in addition to the Chief.

Payne has served as Lipscomb’s chief since 2004.

Chaplain Jady Pipes will take over Payne’s duty in the meantime.


http://www.nbc13.com/vtm/news/local/article/breaking_news_police_chief_arrested_for_child_abuse/41425/#When:18:15:00Z

Deputy James Doyle Arrested for Lewd act with Minor

Police arrested a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy on suspicion of conducting lewd acts with a 15-year-old girl.

Wednesday afternoon, detectives of the Brea Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arrested LA County Sheriff's Deputy James Doyle, 45, of Long Beach. Doyle was released after posting $20,000 bail.

On June 20 at 9:30 p.m., Doyle was driving the 15-year-old girl westbound on the 91 freeway near the Gypsum Canyon off ramp in Yorba Linda, said Sgt. Bill Smyser of the Brea Police Department that also serves Yorba Linda. Doyle is a friend of the family.

As they drove, Doyle allegedly touched the 15-year-old inappropriately, Smyser said. The victim told the suspect to stop touching her, which he did, Smyser said.

After she was dropped off at her home the incident was reported to Orange County Child Protective Services who reported the incident to the Brea Police Department, Smyser said.

The victim's identity was not released because of her age and nature of the alleged incident.

Doyle has been relieved of duty with pay, said LA County Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.

“Internal affairs (for the LA County Sheriff's Department) will monitor the criminal investigation conducted by the Brea Police Department,” Whitmore said. “At the conclusion of that investigation, internal affairs will begin their own investigation.”

Whitmore said: “this incident could lead to this deputy's termination.”

Sergeant Uthai Dechawiwat Arrested for Murder

A Thai police sergeant charged in the shooting death of a Calgary man was remanded into custody Wednesday.

Leo Del Pinto, 25, died in January after being shot twice in the northern Thai town of Pai. His friend, Carly Reisig, was also shot but survived.

Sgt. Uthai Dechawiwat, off duty at the time of the incident, was arrested and charged with premeditated murder. However, he remained at his job and was transferred to another district.

On Wednesday, Dechawiwat was transported about 800 kilometres from northern Thailand to Bangkok, where he was denied bail and remanded into custody, said freelance reporter Andrew Drummond.

Drummond reported that the trial will be held in Bangkok rather than in northern Thailand.

Del Pinto's family in Calgary has been leading a high-profile campaign to ensure that the shooting be treated seriously in Thailand and that the judicial process be transparent.

Leo Del Pinto, shown in an undated family photo, was shot in the torso and face in northern Thailand. (Ross Fortune) Ernie Del Pinto, Leo's father, said he has mixed feelings on hearing of the officer's jailing.

"Just because he goes to jail is not a closing to me. Closing to me is when the trial ... is done then it's going to be some sort of a close. I've been waiting for this for the longest time," he said.

"It's eight months too late. It should have been done eight months ago, but I'm happy with the results of today's report."

He said the family plans to fly to Thailand for the trial.

Shortly after the shooting, Dechawiwat said he was trying to break up a fight and was struggling with Del Pinto for the gun in self-defence when it accidentally discharged.

Local police collected witness statements in the tourist town that corroborated Dechawiwat's version of events.

But two witnesses stepped forward with a different account. They alleged Reisig was pistol-whipped and then shot in the chest.

According to the two, the gun was then turned toward Del Pinto while he had his hands in the air, Drummond reported.

The witnesses are in protective custody.

In February, Thailand's human rights commission published a report suggesting police botched their investigation into the shootings.

http://www.canadaeast.com/front/article/449804

Officer Scott Geving Charged with Sexual Assault

A 10-year veteran of the Stillwater police force is facing criminal sexual assault charges after he allegedly inappropriately touched a woman while in uniform.

Scott Geving, 49, of Marine on St. Croix, was charged with fourth- and fifth-degree attempted criminal sexual conduct and two counts of misconduct of a public officer after he allegedly made unwanted sexual contact with a woman in a Stillwater hotel in the early morning hours of Aug. 20.

To avoid any conflict of interest, the case is being investigated and charged by Dakota County Attorney's Office.

"Charging a police officer with crimes of this nature while on duty is very rare and disturbing occurrence," Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom wrote in a prepared statement.

A 46-year-old female, a front desk employee of the hotel, reported the incidents to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

According to a press release, Geving arrived at the hotel because he had to do a "walk through." He later kissed the victim on the mouth and then "pushed her against a washing machine ... grabbed her hand and attempted to put her hand on his privates," according to authorities. The victim told police she then pulled away.

Geving told the victim he was done working at 3 a.m. and that he would be back, according to the release. He returned to the hotel around 3:30 a.m., dressed in shorts and a T-shirt and began to ask about the price of a hotel room and asked if she would show him the side doors, according to authorities. The victim told him he needed to leave, at which point he left the hotel room.

Reached by phone, Stillwater Police Chief John Gannaway said they are "just allegations" at this point and that Geving will have his day in court. He said Geving's alleged actions should in no way reflect on the Stillwater Police Department.

Geving is on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure for a case of this matter. Gannaway said he had not other disciplinary issues on his record and that he would not comment any further on the case.

http://ksax.com/article/stories/S620011.shtml?cat=10230

Border Patrol Officer Joseph Giuliano Arrested for Child Rape

One of the top U.S. Border Patrol officials in Washington state has been arrested on child rape charges.

The Whatcom County sheriff's office said deputies arrested Joseph W. Giuliano, the deputy chief patrol agent at the agency's Blaine sector, on Thursday at his home.

The 55-year-old man had been charged Wednesday in Whatcom County Superior Court with raping a 14-year-old girl who was staying in his home. Prosecutors charged him with three counts of third-degree child rape.

Giuliano made an initial court appearance Thursday afternoon; bail was set at $50,000.

He was ordered to surrender his passport, have no contact with witnesses or the alleged victim and remain in Whatcom County unless he had court permission to leave. It was not immediately known if he was represented by a lawyer.

As deputy chief, Giuliano had been the public face of the agency as it expands its operations on the state's border with Canada. The Border Patrol has been criticized for operating sporadic checkpoints on several Washington state roads and ferry runs since the start of the year.

Giuliano often met with city and county councils and gave interviews to the media.

"U.S. Customs and Border Protection leadership has placed great emphasis on integrity and does not tolerate actions that would tarnish or diminish the reputation of our agency," Blaine Chief Patrol Agent John Bates said in a statement.

The agency will cooperate fully with any investigation, said Agent Michael Bermudez, spokesman for the Border Patrol's Blaine sector.

The Border Patrol is part of Customs and Border Protection.

Charging documents alleged Giuliano admitted to investigators having sex with the girl at least 24 times, beginning on a family trip to Arizona. At times, he told the girl it was wrong and feared he would get caught, the court documents said.

The girl moved into Giuliano's home after her parents separated in late February or early March. She was not part of the state's foster care system.

The sheriff's office learned of the alleged abuse this week when the girl told some Bellingham High School classmates, who called authorities, The Bellingham Herald reported. The alleged abuse had been going on since spring, the newspaper reported.

Giuliano is on "indefinite suspension" from the agency, Bermudez said.


More Information: http://mexicotrucker.com/2008/10/17/deputy-chief-border-patrol-agent-charged-with-child-rape/

Former Officer Quietly Being charged with Crime

A former Christchurch police officer has appeared in court charged in a rare private prosecution stemming from an arrest she made.

The woman was granted name suppression when she appeared in the Christchurch District Court yesterday, Christchurch Court News reported.

Defence counsel assigned by the Police Association, Steve Hembrow, told Judge David Holderness that the woman had been a police officer at the time of the alleged incident, but had since resigned.

The judge granted the order for name suppression, saying there was no public interest in her name being published at this point.

The prosecution has been brought by a friend of a man the officer arrested at what began as a traffic stop. A dispute took place in a person's driveway.

The prosecution is seeking police disclosure of notebooks and records.

The judge said he had no jurisdiction to order a defendant to make documents available through discovery. The application will have to be made directly to the police.

The judge remanded the woman for a status hearing.

Special Operations Officers Given New Court Dates

One of the indicted former Special Operations Section cops had a court date Wednesday at the Cook County criminal courthouse. As usual, nothing happened.

Assistant State's Atty. David Navarro walked into Courtroom 404, compared calendars with Officer Frank Villareal's lawyer and then agreed on a next date—Nov. 25. That was it, and it's been like that for a year.

The SOS cases are bogged down because of an ongoing federal probe into the scandal. It remains unclear when Villareal and the other six officers will face trial at 26th and Cal on charges of home invasions and robberies.

This uncertainty has been nearly unbearable for a handful of cops formerly in the once-elite unit who were never charged with crimes but lost their badges because of some connection to the allegations.

Those who believe they did nothing wrong say their careers are slipping away while they languish in administrative limbo. It's unlikely the Police Department will let any of them return to the street while the criminal investigation continues.

"We were all just a bunch of good police officers who actually cared about the citizens of this city and fighting crime!" Greg Insley, a former SOS officer, wrote to me in an e-mail last week. "So I am sure that I will remain stripped for a couple more years until these court cases play out . . . and then I'll be reinstated as a patrolman in a district until I retire. . . . Everything I had as a police officer is gone."

Insley was listed as the arresting officer on a report falsifying a 2004 drug bust, but he insists his name was forged and he wasn't even there.

Insley is caught up in a complex mess that has little to do with whether he took part in misbehavior. Since summer 2007, the U.S. attorney has been investigating whether Chicago police brass engaged in a coverup to protect the SOS officers.

It is unclear when the federal investigation will conclude, but it is certain that the Cook County prosecution of the seven officers won't go forward until the feds make a move.

The news last week that Supt. Jody Weis was putting a version of SOS back together, albeit with a different name, prompted Insley's e-mail. Weis noted in his plans that former SOS officers would have first crack at joining the new Mobile Strike Force—but only if they weren't "subject to any serious disciplinary matters."

It was just one more reminder to cops such as Insley that they'll have a cloud hanging over their heads for the foreseeable future.


http://www.chicagotribune.com

Seminole Officer Charged with Sexually Assaulting Daughter

A Seminole Police officer charged with trying to have sex with his 17-year-old daughter has been fired, a tribal spokesman said today.

The 46-year-old man, who the SunSentinel is not identifying to protect the girl's privacy, had been a member of the Seminole Police Department since December 2006.

"He has been terminated as a result of the arrest," Seminole Tribe spokesman Gary Bitner said.

According to a Sunrise arrest report, the man's mother walked in on him in the kitchen of their Sunrise home Thursday afternoon and saw him grabbing parts of the girl's body.

Both the suspect and the daughter were fully clothed.

The man's mother "started to make a lot of noise and [the suspect] continued touching [his daughter] as if there was no one else in the room," the report said.

The suspect's mother phoned her other son, a Pembroke Pines police officer. He called Sunrise police.

When police interviewed the girl, she told them her father had been giving her Ambien sleeping pills over the past several years and that "after she falls asleep, she doesn't know what happens," the report said.

The girl was examined by a nurse and sent to live with her uncle.

The man was charged with five counts of using or allowing a child to engage in sex, two counts of sexual battery of a victim between 12 and 18 by a custodian, two counts of sex offense against a child over 12 and one count of lewd and lascivious exhibition.

He is being held on $25,000 bail for each of the charges except the last one, for which he's being held on $3,500. The total bail comes to $228,500.

According to public records, the suspect was a police officer in Miami Springs from January to August 2004, then in Golden Beach from July 2005 to December 2006.

He has no prior arrests in Florida, according to state records.

Former Officer Armando Duenez Fails to Appear for Court

A former police officer who failed to appear for arraignment on firearms charges has been indictment for failing to appear as ordered, United States Attorney Don DeGabrielle announced today. The indictment was returned on Tuesday.

Armando Duenez, 26, formerly employed as a police officer with the Rio Hondo City Police Department was charged by criminal complaint on July 9 for allegedly making materially false statements to obtain firearms and unlawfully selling firearms without a license. He was arrested.

On July 10, he was ordered released on a $30,000 unsecured bond with the condition he appear as ordered at any future court proceedings. On August 5, a federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment charging Duenez and Ramon Martinez, 37, also formerly employed as a police officer with the Palm Valley Police Department with conspiring to and selling firearms without a license and for making materially false statements to acquire firearms.

Both Duenez and Martinez were ordered by the court to appear for arraignment on the charges on August 14. Duenez failed to appear for the scheduled hearing and a bench warrant has issued for his arrest.

The federal charge of failing to appear as required by conditions of release carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

Anyone having information regarding the whereabouts of Duenez is asked to contact the U.S. Marshals Service at (956) 548-2519 or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives at (956) 687-5207.


More Information: http://www.kgbt4.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=207392

Officer Matthew Travis Arrested for DUI

State Police say a Mount Zion police officer was caught drinking and driving... and he's still on the force.

27 year old Matthew Travis is facing DUI charges.

Police stopped him at a red light last week in Decatur, where they determined he'd been drinking.

Travis has been with the police department for two years.

The Mount Zion Police Department says they'll wait and see what's proven in court before deciding on repercussions for Travis.

Officer Mark Lewis Accused of Stealing Tires from Police Cruiser

A police officer accused of stealing tires from city police cruisers and installing them on his own car has resigned in lieu of being charged with a felony.

Mark Lewis, 40, could lose his police certification, said police Lt. William Glennon.

Lewis, who resigned June 6, has since repaid Sunrise $411 for the tires. He could not be reached for comment.

He became a Sunrise officer in 2004.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will review Lewis' case later this month.

Lewis initially denied taking the tires, the report said. When investigators told Lewis each tire has a number that shows the year it was made, Lewis admitted to stealing the tires.


http://www.tirereview.com/default.aspx?type=wm&module=4&id=2&state=DisplayFullText&item=12766

Sheriff Reymundo Guerra Indicted on Drug Charges

Starr County Sheriff Reymundo Guerra was indicted on drug charges and arrested by FBI agents Tuesday at his Rio Grande City office.

The 52-year-old sheriff, also known as "Tio," is a defendant in an indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury earlier this month.

The 19-count indictment alleges Guerra and 14 others were part of a conspiracy to move hundreds of pounds of marijuana and cocaine through the remote Mexican border county.

Guerra is charged with three counts, including conspiracy, acting as an accessory by suggesting a co-defendant use fake lease documents to avoid apprehension, and using a telephone in the conspiracy.

He faces 10 years to life in prison plus a $4 million fine on the conspiracy charge, up to 20 years in prison plus a $2 million fine on the accessory charge, and up to four years in prison plus a $250,000 fine on the third charge.

The burly, mustachioed sheriff told U.S. Magistrate Judge Dorina Ramos he understood the charges at an initial appearance Tuesday. Ramos ordered him to remain in custody pending an arraignment Friday.

His attorney, Philip Hilder of Houston, said he was innocent.

"We will answer the charges in a court of law," Hilder said.

If convicted, Guerra will join a list of Texas border officials to go down for drug trafficking or corruption.

Among them, Eugenio "Gene" Falcon, a predecessor in the Starr County sheriff's office, went to prison in 1998 for taking kickbacks from a bail bondsman.

Zapata County Sheriff Romeo Ramirez, pleaded guilty in 1998 to accepting bribes from federal agents posing as drug dealers.

Former Cameron County Sheriff Conrado Cantu is serving more than 26 years for using his badge to extort money from drug dealers and other criminals.

And former Laredo Police Chief Agustin Dovalina is behind bars for taking bribes to protect illegal eight-liner gambling parlors.

"We are hopeful that this type of investigation will prove to be a deterrent to those who are considering engaging in violations of the law while enjoying the public's trust," FBI Special Agent Ralph Diaz said Tuesday.

http://www.chron.com/