Officer Michael Welch Charged with DWI

A Shreveport police officer has been charged with driving while intoxicated.

Shreveport police officer Michael Welch, 32, was charged Saturday with first-offense DWI, a misdemeanor, in connection with an incident that occurred in the 6200 block of Bert Kouns Industrial Loop.

Welch was off duty but was driving a marked police car when he was arrested, police said.

At approximately 3:30 a.m., Shreveport police received a complaint from a concerned citizen regarding a marked patrol unit being operated in a careless manner on Bert Kouns. Officers were immediately sent to the area and soon found Welch.

According to his booking report, he was found asleep behind the wheel of his police cruiser with the engine still running. After investigation, he was arrested just after 4 a.m. and booked into the Shreveport City Jail. He later was released on a $1,086 bond.

Welch, a three-year veteran assigned to the Uniformed Services Division, of the 6200 block of Bert Kouns, has been placed on administrative leave by Chief Henry Whitehorn pending an internal investigation.

More Information: http://www.ktbs.com/news/SPD-officer-arrested-22364/

Charges Against Seven People Dropped After Officer Andrew Collins Arrest

ST. JOSEPH, Mich.

The Berrien County prosecutor says drug charges against seven people will be dismissed after further investigation into possible misconduct by a former police officer.

Former Benton Harbor narcotics officer Andrew Thomas Collins was arrested Dec. 2 and faces one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 5 grams of crack cocaine.

The South Bend Tribune in Indiana says an indictment filed by the U.S. attorney's office in Grand Rapids claims the 26-year-old Collins used his position to keep seized drugs. The indictment also says he reported fictitious drug sales to improperly gain search warrants and embezzle police funds.

Police didn't have information about whether Collins had an attorney.



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Information from: South Bend Tribune, http://www.southbendtribune.com

Several Inglewood Officers Involved in Sex-Related Scandals

Inglewood police officers have repeatedly been embroiled in sex-related scandals over the last five years, according to court documents, law enforcement records and interviews.

In May 2004, Officer Ron Navarreta, a 13-year veteran, was fired after FBI agents discovered that a suspect in a child pornography investigation had e-mailed explicit images to Navarreta's AOL account, according to court records. Investigators found that Navarreta's AOL account included a screen name called "PlyGRoUndObsver." An agent alleged that the screen name's user prowled the Internet seeking a relationship with a mother and daughter and listed "teaching vey yng fem students about love" as a hobby, according to internal affairs records that Navarreta's attorney included in a civil court case filed to get his job back.

Navarreta denied receiving the images e-mailed to him by the child-porn suspect. FBI agents were unable to examine the computers he used because they had been sold or reported stolen.

An arbitrator found there was not enough evidence to prove Navarreta knowingly received child porn but concluded that he lied to the FBI and Inglewood investigators and should be fired. A judge upheld his termination.

Later that year, an anonymous letter sent to the department's Internal Affairs Bureau prompted a sexual harassment investigation of traffic Officer James Manzi.

Manzi, according to an internal affairs report included in court records, played for on-duty colleagues a videotape and an audio recording of himself having sex. Manzi was suspended for 20 days but retired on disability before the discipline was imposed. He declined to comment.

In January 2006, another officer was accused of taking a cellphone photograph of an inmate during a strip search. The officer was suspended and then fired for unrelated misconduct.

Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks said supervisors now monitor strip searches. "That's one of the circumstances where we have to be exceedingly careful because it has the potential to be interpreted as something very demeaning," she said.

In December 2006, a woman visiting from Florida claimed that an on-duty Inglewood officer raped her and forced her to perform sexual acts while he kept his hand on his holstered gun.

According to a district attorney's report, the woman was standing on a street corner wearing a miniskirt and fishnet stockings when Officers Donvey Lindsey and Brandon Beak pulled up, suspecting she was a prostitute.

The officers followed the woman back to her motel and confirmed she was a registered guest, according to the report. Lindsey then followed her to her room, telling Beak that he would check her identification, Beak told authorities.

The woman, in a statement to the FBI, claimed she complied with Lindsey's orders to perform sexual acts because he threatened to arrest her.

Prosecutors declined to file charges, saying it would be difficult to prove the case because the woman had been arrested for prostitution in her home state. The woman has filed a federal civil rights suit against the city. The suit is pending.

Seabrooks said Lindsey has been fired. He did not return a call seeking comment.

Just two months after the rape claim, the city was shaken by allegations that other officers visited prostitutes at massage parlors. Among them was six-year veteran Officer Richard Correa. According to civil court records, a prostitute who worked at a massage parlor on La Brea Avenue told investigators that she had performed a sex act on Correa while he was on duty and in uniform. She implicated other officers who she said frequented the massage parlor for sex and promised to alert her to police raids.

Correa told internal affairs investigators that he had sex with an employee at a different massage parlor on Manchester Boulevard while in uniform, court records show. He denied paying her and said it happened only once.

"That was a bad decision on my part, and it's stupid," he told investigators. He was fired in March 2007.

A department spokesman said seven officers were fired for allegedly visiting the massage parlors or covering for officers who did.

Seabrooks said she and her predecessors have moved swiftly to rid the department of officers who commit serious misconduct. She said the 195-officer force should not be judged based on the conduct of a relative handful of officers.

"It is unfortunate that these things seemed to have plagued us," she said. "In any barrel, you're bound to find some bad apples that touch each other, and you're going to find the vast majority that are just fine."

more information: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-inglewood28-2008dec28,0,5305146.story

Officer Rory Rogers Arrested for Assaulting Ex-Girlfriend

A San Antonio Police Officer is arrested for assaulting his ex-girlfriend. The officer, Rory Rogers, is out of jail tonight. He’s accused of pushing down his ex-girlfriend at a Stone Oak Parkway bar.

Police say there was broken glass on the dance floor and she cut her arms, knees, and side. Sergeant Gabe Trevino with the San Antonio Police Department says they collected all the evidence they could before issuing a warrant.

“You can imagine at a club like that there are a lot of people that are there that saw what happened and we’re going based on that, and if he wants to tell us something later on, then certainly we will listen to that.”

Rogers is placed on administrative leave pending an outcome in the case.


More Information: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/36790389.html

Former Trooper Robert Breeding Arrested for Burglary

CUMBERLAND, MD

A former Maryland State Police trooper is behind bars after he allegedly broke into a woman's home on Christmas Eve.

Robert Breeding is being accused of breaking into his estranged wife's home, on Louisiana Ave., and stealing her personal property.

Witnesses, at the scene, told police that Breeding had fled into the woods on foot.

Officers checked the areabut were unable to find him.

Four hours later, a Cumberland Police K-9 unit located Breeding walking near Byrd Avenue towards Louisiana Avenue.

The officer approached Breeding and told him he was under arrest.

Breeding refused to stop and tried to run from the officer.

The Police K-9 was released after him, but was called off when Breeding stopped running.

As police tried totake Breeding into custody, officers sayhe was resisting and attempted to pull an unknown object from his pants pocket.

A Taser was deployed to take Breeding down.

Breeding was then transported to Police Headquarters and charged.

The former trooper has already been in trouble with the law.

Court documents show he's already been convicted on assault and theft charges.

Police say, because of his extensive criminal history, he's being held on almost a half million dollars bond.

Officer Adam Gallegos Accused of Being a Peeping Tom

An off-duty and possibly intoxicated Santa Fe police officer was caught earlier this month allegedly trying to peek into the house of a woman from whom he had taken a burglary report days earlier, The New Mexican reported.

A friend of the woman told police he confronted Officer Adam Gallegos, 37, at the scene and tried to keep him there until officers arrived, saying whatever the officer was doing "wasn't cool," according to police reports.

"It just wasn't right," said Luis Flores, 28, a Santa Fe construction worker and bartender. "Honestly, it's pretty creepy. That dude should not be a cop."

Deputy Police Chief Benjie Montano told The New Mexican that the department is awared of the allegations against Gallegos and is conducting an investigation of the incident.

City, county and State Police officers responded to the scene on Dec. 13 after a radio dispatcher alerted them that a Santa Fe police officer had reported he was being attacked by two men, but when officers arrived, Gallego was gone, The New Mexican said.

A State Police officer who ultimately handled the investigation of the incident said Gallegos told him he had driven to his home in Villanueva after the incident, the paper reported.

Gallegos allegedly told the State Police investigator that he had been at a holiday party that night, dropped off some friends, then drove to the Contenta Ridge neighborhood to visit another friend -- an area where he'd taken two burglary reports a few days before, The New Mexican said.

"He stated that he drove by (the woman's) house so he could check on it," the investigator's report said.

State Police spokesman Peter Olson told The New Mexican the report has been forwarded to the District Attorney's Office, which will decide whether any charges are warranted.

Officer Andrew Cummings Charged with Stealing Motorist's Laptop

PINEVILLE, Mo.

A southwest Missouri police officer is charged with stealing a motorist's laptop computer during a traffic stop.

Southwest City officer Andrew Cummings of Anderson is free on $7,500 bond after felony theft charges were filed Tuesday in McDonald County. Authorities say the 25-year-old was working for Pineville police when the alleged theft on July 4, 2007.

Cummings is currently a part-time officer with Southwest City police and a reserve officer with Noel police.

Court documents say Cummings had arrested a woman for suspected DWI when he put her laptop it in his patrol car, later denying that he had it.

This week Cummings left the laptop at the Noel marshal's office to have software installed, and a staffer discovered the computer had been reported stolen.

Information from: The Joplin Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com

Former Trooper Brian Smith Goes on Deadly Shooting Rampage, then Shoots Himself

DALLAS

Police say a former Utah State Trooper is responsible for a deadly shooting rampage that left two Texas motorists dead and a third person injured on Monday.

Former Utah state trooper Brian Smith is on life support after shooting himself as police tried to arrest him after a deadly shooting rampage in the Dallas area.

"I certainly think he is going to be linked to the three shootings in Dallas," Dallas police Lt. Craig Miller said on Tuesday. "Right now I can't say definitely say he's involved in the Garland shooting."

The rush hour rampage began in Garland, Texas on monday.

20-year-old Jorge Lopez was shot for no apparent reason, as was truck driver and Desert Storm veteran William Miller.

Two other truck drivers, who asked not to be identified were also shot at along 635, but not seriously hurt.

Police say preliminary ballistics tests point to Smith as the triggerman.

Officers pulled him over Monday night for outstanding warrants, but heard a gunshot as they approached his vehicle.

Utah Highway Patrol records indicate Smith had been suicidal in the past.

In may he resigned after allegations of theft, DUI and prescription drug use surfaced.

The former officer is now the sole suspect in a rampage that left two dead and thousands of other drivers in fear.

Four Officers Accused of Stealing from Toys for Tots

Four D.C. police officers are suspected of stealing toys donated to the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program, police said Wednesday.

No arrests have been made in the incident, which is still under an internal investigation, according to Metropolitan Police Department spokeswoman Traci Hughes. The four officers were operating out of the Sixth District Station in Southeast. They have been taken off the street and put on “non-contact status.”

A Toys for Tots spokesman could not be reached Wednesday.

The charity, which has existed since 1947 and operates nationwide, collects toys and distributes them to needy families who cannot afford to buy Christmas gifts for their children. It operates drop-off points throughout the district.

The Metropolitan Police Department has come under fire from community leaders in the crime-ridden sixth district for closing a substation on Pennsylvania Avenue, even as violent crimes are on the rise in the district. The 6th District, which encompasses the area east of the Anacostia River between Good Hope Road and Eastern Avenue, is one of the city’s most dangerous.

More Information: http://www.examiner.com/a-1762079~DC_police_officers_accused_of_taking_donated_toys.html

Officer Patricia Tidd Charged with Drunk Driving

Montville, Conn.

A New London police officer was charged Tuesday with drunken driving in connection with her Sept. 7 off-duty motorcycle accident.

Patricia Tidd, 38, of Bloomingdale Road in Quaker Hill was arrested at 1 p.m. Tuesday by state police in Montville where she turned herself in. She is charged with failure to drive in proper lane, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and reckless driving.

Police said Tidd was injured in the motorcycle crash on Interstate 395.

Free on a $2,500 bond, Tidd is scheduled to appear Jan. 6 in Norwich Superior Court on Jan. 6.

Three Richmond Officer Charged with Covering up Crime

Three Richmond police officers charged with a crime. Now the Commonwealth's Attorney is admitting his office made mistakes handling the case.

It all stems from a Shockoe Bottom bar fight nearly one year ago. Now a special prosecutor is being asked to figure out whether two Richmond police officers covered up a crime for a brother in blue. And whether one of the City's top lawyers broke the law while handling this case.

According to court papers, off-duty Richmond Police Officer Ian McCloskey got mad at an ex-girlfriend inside "Wonderland Bar" and hits a man sitting with her. Two police officers respond.

They're now accused of filing an incomplete report -- covering up what happened. And allowing McCloskey intimidate witnesses.

When the fight came to light, McCloskey should have been charged with a felony in the courts but he wasn't...

"The average citizen would have likely been staring at felony exposure for that assault. That is something that we should not have allowed to happen. I should not have allowed my subordinates to go forward on a misdemeanor charge," says Mike Herring, Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney.

And Herring says, according the law, police officers charged with a misdemeanor cannot pay an accuser's medical bill, a fact that Herring says no one was aware of.

Now, Herring is hiring a special prosecutor to come in and take over this case.

" But it doesn't look right to people to know a police officer is covering up an illegal action by another police officer regardless of how benign it may be," says Herring.

Now we spoke to the Richmond Police Department to find out if those three officers are working out on the streets, but they said they can't tell us because it's a personnel matter.

Sheriff Jimmie Williamson Charged with Fraud

Telfair County Sheriff Jimmie W. Williamson has been charged with “honest services fraud” in connection with allegations he embezzled county money and accepted bribes, according to federal court documents.

Williamson, 48, is accused of embezzling fine and bond money paid by people arrested in Telfair County and using the money for his personal use instead of turning the money over to the county court system, according to a news release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Southern District of Georgia.

He also is accused of accepting bribes from people arrested in Telfair County in exchange for reducing or dismissing pending charges and for granting special privileges for people housed in the county jail, according to the release.

Williamson also is accused of using sheriff’s office money to buy items for his personal use, including an all-terrain vehicle, according to a document filed Monday in federal court. That document was filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring charges against an individual in lieu of an indictment or arrest, said Edmund A. Booth Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

On Dec. 2, 2005, Williamson mailed a letter from the Telfair County Sheriff’s Office to Lendmark Financial Services with a check drawn from the sheriff’s office’s inmate account fund to make a monthly payment on a loan for the all-terrain vehicle, according to the court records.

Ashley McLaughlin, Williamson’s attorney, said the sheriff has cooperated with investigators.

“He’s been straight with them since day one,” he said.

McLaughlin said the sheriff is guilty of “ignorance, not malice.”

He explained that the sheriff’s office didn’t utilize a “lock box” until the past couple of years. When a fine was paid to the sheriff’s office, the money was clipped to the back of the citation.

“There were times when anybody could have access to (the money),” McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin said the sheriff denies accepting any bribes.

With no money in the budget for an all-terrain vehicle, Williamson purchased one with his own funds with the thought that the county would pay him back when funds became available, McLaughlin said.

“He thought that was OK,” McLaughlin said.

The four-wheeler always was used for sheriff’s office purposes, commonly when deputies searched for marijuana fields, he said.

Booth said Williamson has not been arrested and doesn’t anticipate the sheriff will be arrested. Instead, Booth said Williamson will be summoned to appear in court in January for an initial appearance and arraignment.

The GBI launched an investigation into allegations of fraud and financial impropriety against Williamson in May following a request from the Oconee Circuit District Attorney’s Office. A search warrant was served at Williamson’s home in November.

At the time of the search warrant, GBI agents said they couldn’t estimate how much money was involved or what time span during which the alleged thefts occurred.

The federal court documents filed Monday indicate the alleged embezzlement, bribery and improper purchases began in January 2004.

If convicted, Williamson faces a maximum 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years on supervised release, according to court records.

Williamson, a two-term sheriff, did not run for re-election this year because of the county’s two-term limit.

Johnny O. Smith, the incoming sheriff, said he plans to bring credibility back to the sheriff’s office once he takes office in January.

“We’re going to work hard to make the people proud of us,” he said.

Information from The Telegraph’s archives was included in this report.

Deputy Michael McCroskey Accused of Domestic Violence Fired Today

CANTON

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

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

Swanson declined further comment.

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

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

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

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

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

A disciplinary hearing was held Monday.

Officer Randi Hieb Arrested for Firing Her Weapon at House

ASHLAND, Neb.

An Ashland police officer has been arrested for allegedly firing her weapon at her home.

Saunders County Attorney Scott Tingelhoff says the officer was arrested Sunday on two felony weapons charges.

He says the woman and her boyfriend got into a fight in Omaha. When they returned to their home in Ashland, she fired a gun and hit the house. Tingelhoff says the gun was her off-duty back-up weapon.

The officer has been with the Ashland Police Department for two years.


Information from: KETV-TV, http://www.ketv.com
More Information: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28370224/

Officer Royderick Oliver Charged with Raping 14-year-old

A 20-year veteran of the UAB Police Department has been charged in connection with the rape of a 14-year-old girl, according to Homewood police.

Royderick Undray Oliver, 45, was arrested this morning on two counts of rape second degree and one count enticing a minor for immoral purposes.

Oliver, a resident of the Mayfair apartments in Homewood, was arrested after a joint investigation by the Homewood and UAB police departments. He had been held on $45,000 in bonds and has now been released.

Homewood police arrested Oliver at 1 a.m. at his residence, said Sgt. Andrew Didcoct. A victim's relative contacted police about the allegations last week. The victim is not related to Oliver.

Oliver met the victim in an online chatroom, Didcoct said.

Officer James Clayton Arrested on 5 Counts of Misconduct

North Las Vegas Police Detectives arrested 40-year-old James Vernon Clayton Tuesday morning.

Clayton has over three years of service with the North Las Vegas Police Department.

He was arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center on five counts of misconduct of a public officer (felony), two counts of oppression under color of office (felony), and one count of open and gross lewdness (gross misdemeanor).

Clayton was arrested on a warrant obtained after a five month investigation conducted by North Las Vegas Police Department Investigators.

That investigation was prompted by third party allegations of misconduct on Clayton's part while he was on duty as a patrol officer for the department.

Clayton has been on paid administrative leave during the investigation and remains in that status.

More Information: http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_11309109?nclick_check=1

Couple Suing Police for Beating their 12-year-old Daughter

A Galveston couple is suing three police officers who they say arrested and beat their 12-year-old daughter after mistaking her for a prostitute.

The officers have filed documents saying their conduct was reasonable in light of the facts they had at the time. Named as defendants are Galveston Police Sgt. Gilbert Gomez and Officers David Roark and Sean Stewart.

Bill Helfand, an attorney for the officers, stressed that the lawsuit allegations have yet to be proven.

"If you go to the courthouse and read any complaint, the allegations are always bombastic," Helfand said. "There's nothing about the allegations that makes them true, just because they've been made."

The suit was filed against the officers individually, not the city of Galveston or the Police Department, on August 22, the last day to file before the statute of limitations ran out.

According to a lawsuit filed in federal court in Galveston, Dymond Larae Milburn went outside her home in the 2000 block of 24th to flip a circuit breaker about 7:45 p.m. on Aug. 22, 2006.

Responding to a call that three white prostitutes were soliciting in the neighborhood, the plainsclothes officers jumped out of an unmarked van on Gomez's orders and one of them grabbed the girl, who is black, the lawsuit states.

The girl contends that the officers did not identify themselves as police and that the officer who grabbed her, later identified as Roark, told her, "You're a prostitute. You're coming with me."

Her parents, Wilfred and Emily Milburn, heard her cries for help and came outside to see the hysterical girl hanging on to a tree and screaming "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" while two officers hit her in the head, face and throat, the family alleges.

One officer hit the girl in the back of the head with a flashlight during the incident, the lawsuit alleges. The police then left the scene.

Two hours later, Dymond Milburn was examined at the University of Texas Medical Branch emergency room and doctors found she had a sprained wrist, two black eyes, a bloody nose and blood in an ear, according to the lawsuit.

Weeks later, the girl was arrested during classes at Austin Middle School, where she was an honors student, the lawsuit states. She was tried a year later on a charge of resisting arrest, but the judge declared a mistrial on the first day, according to the lawsuit.

Anthony Griffin, the attorney for the Milburns, said the mistrial stemmed from a remark by an officer on the witness stand. A new trial is scheduled for February.

Wilfred Milburn was arrested the next day for interfering with police and assaulting an officer in connection with the incident involving his daughter. Police also found drugs in Milburn's car, Griffin said. He said Milburn pleaded guilty to possession of drugs in exchange for having the other charges dropped.

The Milburn family is asking for unspecified damages for physical injuries and emotional problems.

Helfand said the actions were justifiable, given what the officers knew at the time.

Because the Milburn family never filed any complaint with the police department, the incident was not investigated. The officers remain on the force, a spokesman said.

Former Officer Michael Johnson Accused of Raping Woman Takes His Own Life

A Pennsylvania municipal official accused of raping a woman in Baltimore was found dead yesterday after an apparent suicide in upstate New York, authorities said.

Michael L. Johnson Jr., 40, of York, Pa., shot himself in the head and chest after fleeing U.S. marshals and hiding in the closet of an apartment in Cohoes, N.Y., law enforcement officials said.

Federal authorities and local police were closing in on Johnson when they heard gunshots come from a room the fugitive had locked himself into, according to Gary Mattison, supervisor of the Albany, N.Y., division of the U.S. Marshals Service.

About an hour later, officers knocked down the door and found Johnson, Mattison said. He is believed to have died at the scene, authorities said.

Johnson, president of the Penn Township Board of Commissioners, disappeared about two weeks ago after he was released on $100,000 bail after being charged with raping a Baltimore woman. Police eventually linked Johnson to two other rapes in York, where he had served as a police officer. In each incident, he is accused of posing as a police officer and raping a woman in a minivan.

According to court documents, Johnson, a York police officer from 1994 to 1999, was born in Baltimore and was an Army veteran. He was also a married father of two who ran for Congress in 2002.

Police said Johnson picked up a 21-year-old woman in the Baltimore Highlands area Nov. 2 and told her he was arresting her for prostitution as part of a sting operation. According to court records, he handcuffed her to the back seat of a minivan, drove her to an industrial area in the rear of the 4400 block of E. Monument St. and sexually assaulted her.

The victim gave investigators a license plate number and a description of the silver van, information that led to Johnson's arrest after a two-hour standoff. Although he was released on bail, Johnson was to turn himself in after allegations of the two other rapes. But he failed to do so and had been on the run since.

Mattison said police didn't know why Johnson was in New York.

Previous Post: http://whathappenedtoprotectandserve.blogspot.com/2008/12/former-officer-michael-johnson-charged.html

http://whathappenedtoprotectandserve.blogspot.com/2008/12/former-officer-michael-johnson-still.html

Nathan Vaughn Dies After Being Tasered

A man died Saturday after a Sonoma County sheriff's deputy responding to a violent attack in a Santa Rosa home stunned him three times with a Taser, according to the sheriff's office.

Nathan Vaughn, 39, was throwing and breaking things in a home on Brighton Drive when the deputy arrived at the house, the sheriff's office said in a statement Sunday. The deputy stunned Vaughn once, then hit him twice more when Vaughn continued to fight.

The deputy, who has not been named, was able to handcuff Vaughn, but shortly thereafter Vaughn showed signs of medical problems, according to the sheriff's office. An ambulance crew already on the scene treated Vaughn and took him to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The incident started at about 10:30 a.m. Saturday when Vaughn's mother, Doris Vaughn, called 911 and told a dispatcher that her son was very violent and was destroying the house and hitting his dad, according to the sheriff's department.

Vaughn's father, Ronald Vaughn, suffered multiple cuts and bruises in the incident, none of which required immediate medical attention, according to the sheriff's department.

Investigators later learned that deputies had responded to another disturbance at the same house at 4:30 a.m. Friday. No one was arrested in that incident, but Nathan Vaughn was taken from the home to stay with friends.

Shortly after deputies left Vaughn, he went to a pay phone and made several calls to 911 but hung up on dispatchers, according to the sheriff's office. Deputies then arrested Vaughn for making repeated, unnecessary emergency calls. Vaughn was cited and released from Sonoma County Jail at about 1:30 p.m. Friday.

Vaughn had an extensive history of arrests and convictions in a 15-page criminal history report, according to the sheriff's office. He had been convicted multiple times for drug possession and being under the influence. He also had several theft-related convictions and had served time in state prison for burglary, according to the sheriff's office.

Because Vaughn's death happened while he was in custody of the sheriff's department, the incident is being handled by another law enforcement agency, the Petaluma Police Department.

Former Trooper Jesus Larrazolo Relatives Offering to Post His Bond

BROWNSVILLE

Relatives of a now former state trooper arrested last month on allegations of trying to distribute cocaine are offering to use personal property as collateral to post his $500,000 bond.

According to court documents, Jesus Rafael Larrazolo's aunt and uncle said they were willing to pledge land valued at $454,842 as collateral for his release.

Larrazolo, 35, the now former Texas Department of Public Safety trooper, is set to be arraigned next month on a count of possession with intent to distribute following his Dec. 18 indictment by a federal grand jury.

According to the indictment, the violation involved five kilograms or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine.

Larrazolo was arrested Nov. 21 in the parking lot of Best Buy in Brownsville as he was loading his car with cocaine. He had just received the cocaine from another man, who fled the scene, Brownsville police said.

Brownsville police were conducting an unrelated surveillance when they saw Larrazolo with suspicious suitcases that carried the cocaine, according to police.

Larrazolo's relatives, Jorge Emilio Larrazolo Rubio and Concepcion Elisa Martinez Islas said they would not pledge their property if they believed their nephew was a flight risk, according to court documents.

The real estate property is the only U.S. assets the aunt and uncle have, court documents state.

"Mr. and Mrs. Larrazolo would not pledge their property to post defendant's bond unless they were absolutely sure the defendant will present himself in court to answer the charges that are pending against him," the document reads.

As of Dec. 15, Larrazolo's family had raised $5,000 in bond money.

The motion to reconsider bond was filed before U.S. Magistrate Felix Recio. As of Monday, Recio had not ruled on the motion.

Although pre-trial services during a Nov. 26, detention hearing recommended Jesus Rafael Larrazolo's bond be set at $100,000, Recio declined the recommendation and set the $500,000 bond.

During that hearing, assistant U.S. Attorney James Lancaster asked that the former trooper be held without bond because of fears he would flee to Mexico.

FBI authorities earlier said that Jesus Rafael Larrazolo's family ties in Mexico are powerful and wealthy enough that they would allow him to disappear.

Trooper Bruce Wrzosek Arrested for Abducting Man & DUI

Baltimore County Police have arrested a Maryland State trooper for allegedly abducting a man and driving while intoxicated.

Police say Trooper Bruce Wrzosek abducted a man at a Taco Bell in Towson early Saturday morning. When police caught up with the trooper near his home, police say he had alcohol on his breath.

The county's investigation showed there was no reason for Wrzosek to force the 20-year-old man into his car at the restaurant's parking lot. The trooper is charged with DUI, false imprisonment and eluding police.

State police spokesman Greg Shipley says Wrzosek has been fired.

During the incident, police say Wrzosek was dressed in plain clothes but was driving his police car.

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Information from: WBAL-AM, http://www.wbal.com
More Information: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_county/bal-md.trooper23dec23,0,6065350.story

Former Officer Kam Ng Faces Federal Charges

COLUMBUS, Ohio

A former Columbus police officer faces charges after a federal investigation uncovered alleged schemes to rob armored trucks and restaurants.

According to the FBI, investigators had been watching Kam Ng for more than a month after receiving tips from informants.

An informant told investigators that Ng, 53, had said that he wanted to rob a restaurant before Christmas to "spread some holiday cheer," Kocot reported. Ng also allegedly told the informant that his "training as a police officer" would give him a "big advantage."

Ng worked as an officer with the Columbus Division of Police until 1985.

The FBI said that Ng was plotting to hold up armored cars because he knew the best time and day to strike "when police presence is light," Kocot reported.

Federal agents also claimed that Ng conducted surveillance at nearly half-dozen Asian restaurants and wanted to obtain a .22-caliber pistol with a silencer. Court records allege that Ng told an informant that he would use a weapon if robbery victims failed to follow his orders.

Ng was arrested Saturday outside a Columbus restaurant. The FBI said he was in possession of a loaded handgun, a ski mask and a stun gun at the time of his arrest, Kocot reported.

Agents said that Ng told them that the alleged scheme was nothing more than a "big joke." An informant said that Ng said he was broke and needed money, according to the FBI.

Ng remained in custody Monday and faces federal charges of attempted armed robbery.

More information: http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/12/23/robbery_foiled.ART_ART_12-23-08_A1_0FCALAJ.html?sid=101

Former Deputy Russell Burton Accused of Engaging in Sexual Acts with Daughter

A former Kentucky sheriff's deputy accused of engaging in sexual acts with his daughter pleads not guilty to the charges.

Forty-four-year-old Russell Burton appeared in Pulaski Circuit Court Thursday.

In October, Burton was indicted on ten counts of first-degree sexual abuse and one count of sodomy, and turned himself in.

The Commonwealth Journal reports the complaint also alleges the girl was under 12 years old when the incidents took place.

Burton retired from the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department three years ago.

Sheriff Robert Chavez Charged with Aggravated DWI

Santa Rosa

State Police arrested Robert G. Chavez Sheriff of Guadalupe County for charges of Aggravated DWI.

Early Friday morning Officers from the New Mexico State Police were advised of a 911 report of a possible drunk driver in a blue Chevy pick-up in the Santa Rosa area, Officer White while patrolling Old Route 66 just after 2:00 AM observed the reported vehicle with New Mexico license plate GGD460.

After the officer made contact with the reported vehicle the driver was observed violating a couple traffic infractions. The officer initiated a traffic stop and the driver was positively identified as Robert G. Chavez.

Officer White had Mr. Chavez perform a few standardized field sobriety tests and subsequently arrested Mr. Chavez for the following;

- Aggravated driving while under the influence of an intoxicating liquor or drug 1st offense.

- Failure to stop at a posted stop sign

- Open containers

- Failure to wear a seatbelt.

Mr. Chavez was transported to the De Baca County jail in Fort Sumner, NM where he was booked into jail.

Officer Johnny Baltazar Investigated for Smuggling Handguns

A department veteran allegedly bought guns at the Police Academy and sent them to Belize, where he runs a security firm.

A veteran Los Angeles police officer who operates a security company in Belize is under federal investigation for allegedly smuggling handguns into the Central American nation, according to law enforcement sources and internal LAPD documents.

Officer Johnny Baltazar is accused of purchasing eight .40-caliber Glocks from the LAPD Academy store and secretly shipping them, along with two other guns and 1,530 rounds of ammunition, to Belize where he runs a company called Elite Security, according to documents obtained by The Times.

Baltazar, 49, who was assigned to the West Los Angeles Division, has been accused administratively by the LAPD with exporting firearms without a license, failing to declare firearms he exported and failing to notify his LAPD superiors that he was under federal investigation, documents show. He has been suspended with pay pending a disciplinary hearing that could result in his firing.

Such hearings, which were open to the public for decades, have been conducted in secret since a 2006 state Supreme Court ruling that limited access to police personnel information.

Baltazar, who serves on the board of directors of the Oscar Joel Bryant Foundation, an association of African American employees of the Los Angeles Police Department, could not be reached for comment.

Beyond the current charges, LAPD officials are also seeking additional information about his security company and specifically what it does.

"The question is what was he doing in Belize?" said one police official, who asked to remain anonymous because of the confidential nature of the investigation. The official said Baltazar did not have a department-issued off-duty work permit, which is required for officers who work second jobs.

The official added that Baltazar had been working a compressed work schedule in which officers work either 10 or 12 hours a day, three or four days a week, and that he told fellow officers he had been traveling to Belize.

Michael Gennaco, head of the Office of Independent Review at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, said most major law enforcement agencies have strict policies regarding outside work by officers "because they don't want their people engaged in illegal activity or activity that's detrimental to the reputation of the department."

When officers working second jobs don't obtain permits, it makes it difficult for department officials to assess whether the work they are doing is consistent with the principles of their law enforcement day jobs, Gennaco said.

Federal authorities are continuing to investigate the allegations against Baltazar and are expected to present their findings to a grand jury, according to documents.

The documents state that Baltazar bought the handguns from the academy store in February 2007. In July 2007, he placed them in a safe, along with a pair of 9-millimeter handguns and the ammunition, and arranged to ship them to Belize with a company called Amerijet.

The officer did not declare the guns or ammunition in paperwork associated with the shipment and allegedly told Amerijet employees the safe was empty. Baltazar declared the value of the safe at $231.84, the documents show, but insured the shipment for $6,000 -- the approximate value of the guns and ammunition.

Importing handguns larger than 9 millimeters is banned in Belize under a 2002 law, according to the police documents.

Law enforcement sources said officials in Belize somehow discovered the guns were inside the safe and determined they were not legal. The safe was returned to the U.S.

The safe and guns were seized by customs officials on their arrival in the U.S., according to documents.

Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, would not confirm or deny that Baltazar was under investigation and declined to comment for this article.

Former Officer Mark Standen Arrested for Drug Conspiracy Says he's going Insane

FORMER top cop Mark Standen, arrested over a $120 million drug conspiracy, is being driven to the edge of mental illness by his life in prison, a court heard yesterday.

Spending almost every day of his remand isolated in a maximum security cell, the one-time NSW Crime Commission assistant director has been verbally abused by other inmates.

As he asked for bail at Central Local Court yesterday, Standen's defence barrister Greg Farmer said Standen was subjected to "an onerous type of custody brought about merely by the fact that he is who he is. There is a risk that if it continues he will suffer a psychiatric illness."

Court documents reveal how the former crime fighter has been spending his time at Long Bay Jail since he was arrested in June, charged with conspiring to import enough pseudoephedrine to make $120 million worth of the drug ice.

He spends most days alone in his cell. When he uses a larger yard or the gym, he is locked in alone.

"His activities in the yard are limited to throwing a basketball and chasing it, hitting a tennis ball against a wall and jogging around," according to an affidavit sworn by his solicitor Gordon Elliot.

Standen, 47, is due to sit his final law exams in March, but has no access to computers, educational activities or the library.

But magistrate Allan Moore refused his bail application, saying it was "a substantial case" and Standen's knowledge of police methodology made him a flight risk. He will face court again in February.

*****

Deal with it bitch!!!...isn't that what he's told other 'prisoners' before? You can do the crime, you can do the time?...remember those words.

More information: http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/let-me-out-top-policemans-jail-hell/2008/12/22/1229794326853.html

Richard Laude Speaks out About Traffic Stop

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

A man spoke out for the first time Friday about a traffic stop involving a Tennessee state trooper.

Richard Laude said he told Trooper Jimmy Knowles he had the wrong guy when he was pulled over for speeding, but he said he was cited and even roughed up anyway.

Laude was pulled from his motorcycle by a Tennessee state trooper following a traffic stop on Oct. 4.

"I kept telling him, 'You have pulled over the wrong vehicle. It wasn't us,'" Laude said.

Laude was on his motorcycle with girlfriend Angela Cousens.

Knowles is under investigation.

"We're looking at the situation as a whole," said Col. Mike Walker of the Tennessee Highway Patrol. "We need to know everything involved in that traffic stop."

That night, Knowles said he clocked about a half-dozen motorcyclists speeding on Interstate 40 in Wilson County. He said they were going at least 133 mph.

Laude said he saw the speeding motorcycles, too, but wasn't part of the group.

"Another motorcycle passed me in excess of 130 miles per hour on the shoulder," said Laude.

The pursuit had gone on for nearly 30 miles when Knowles spotted Laude and pulled him over. Lebanon police cruiser video shows Laude on the side of the interstate.

"He instantly jerked me off the motorcycle, threw me onto the ground. He put his knee in my back," Laude said.

The video only shows Laude being pulled from his motorcycle.

Laude wasn't arrested, but he said the reckless endangerment citation could force him to lose his commercial driver's license. He's been driving trucks for more than 20 years.

The THP is investigating what happened, but Laude said he wants his day in court and Knowles off the job.

Cousens said Knowles forced her to sign a false statement about what happened.

Knowles has been with the THP for six years with no disciplinary problems.

Trooper Andrew Mohan Arrested for Theft

BALTIMORE

Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler today announced the arrest of Maryland State Police trooper Andrew A. Mohan, 36, following his indictment in Prince George’s County on charges of theft of money from the Maryland State Police and Misconduct in Office. The indictment alleges that Mohan stole money from the Maryland State Police (MSP) totaling over $3,200.

It is also alleged that TFC Mohan misused his official police duties to improperly access and disseminate restricted criminal records information and motor vehicle registration information in State and federal data systems. The pending case was investigated by the Maryland State Police and the Criminal Division of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office.

No trial date has been set.

While an indictment is merely an accusation of wrongdoing and every individual is presumed innocent unless the State proves the charges beyond a reasonable doubt, felony theft is punishable by a maximum sentence of 15 years or a fine of $25,000, or both. Misconduct in Office, a Common Law misdemeanor, is punishable by any sentence deemed not cruel and unusual.

Source: Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler

Officer Ernest Fimiano Jr Arrested for Assaulting His Girlfriend Will Avoid a Criminal Record

A former Forks Township police officer accused of assaulting his girlfriend was readmitted Friday into a state probationary program for first-time offenders, a move that will again allow him to avoid a criminal record.

Ernest D. Fimiano Jr., 44, of Palmer Township had been booted earlier from the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program after Northampton County Judge Paula Roscioli said she was unaware he was in law enforcement and had a drunken-driving charge pending in another county.

Fimiano was charged with simple assault and criminal mischief in the Dec. 24, 2007, fight with his girlfriend at her Forks Township home. He was accused of pushing Patricia Reilly into walls and breaking her cell phone during the dispute.

Fimiano was accepted into ARD in Columbia County in October, about a year after he was arrested on charges he led state troopers on a 40-mile chase east on Interstate 80 through Union, Northumberland, Montour and Columbia counties.

In Friday's hearing, Assistant District Attorney Jacqueline Taschner said someone placed into ARD for drunken driving is not ineligible for the program on other first-offense charges.

Reilly, who is now Fimiano's ex-girlfriend, wrote a letter also asking that he be let into the program. She said he has already been punished through the loss of his reputation, his livelihood and his driver's license.

''Isn't that enough?'' Reilly asked.

Forks police suspended Fimiano, a member of the force since 1999, after the drunken-driving arrest. He resigned a month after he was charged with assaulting Reilly.

In court, his attorney, Gregory Paglianite, said he doubts Fimiano will return to law enforcement soon, given the charges that were against him. He said the police chase was not as serious as has been described, and noted that Fimiano was hit by a car in April in an accident that landed him in the hospital.

Roscioli said she was satisfied that the probationary program was appropriate for Fimiano. She stressed that he is no longer a police officer, saying she had worried he had access to guns.

''That makes a big difference to me,'' Roscioli said. ''That was a major concern that I had.''

The ARD program allows first-time offenders to have the charges against them dropped provided they complete a period of probation and community service and pay fines and court costs. Roscioli also ordered Fimiano to have no weapons.

Sheriff Robert Chavez Arrested for Drunk Driving

The sheriff of Guadalupe County was arrested Friday morning in Santa Rosa and charged with drunken driving.

A state police spokesman says that Sheriff Robert Chavez was pulled over after running a stop sign.

Officials report that Chavez was not wearing a seatbelt and had open containers of alcohol in the car.

Chavez was booked into the De Baca County jail and charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated.

More information: http://www.koat.com/news/18318442/detail.html?rss=alb&psp=news