GREENBURGH, N.Y.
A retired New York City policeman has been accused of drugging a woman in a Bronx bar and then raping her in a Westchester County motel.
Police in Greenburgh say 46-year-old Jose Arroyo is charged with second-degree kidnapping and first-degree rape and has been sent to the Westchester County Jail.
A call to Arroyo's lawyer, Todd Lamond, was not immediately returned Monday.
Police say Arroyo, a property manager and nightclub bouncer from the Bronx, met the 31-year-old woman Nov. 14 in the bar and drugged her drink. The police account says that while the woman was helpless, Arroyo took her to the Alexander Motel in White Plains and raped her. She awoke and fled the next morning.
Arroyo was arrested Friday. Bail was set at $200,000.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Officer James Post Arrested for Drunk Driving
A Myrtle Beach Police officer is no longer on the force after being pulled on suspicion of drinking and driving.
James Post, 38, of Myrtle Beach resigned and now faces a driving under the influence charge.
Highway Patrol says just after midnight on Friday, a trooper spotted Post weaving in and out of traffic on River Oaks Drive in Myrtle Beach.
The trooper did a field sobriety test and then arrested Post, and took him to jail.
He was released Saturday morning.
More information:
http://www.scnow.com/scp/news/local/grand_strand/article/mb_officer_charged_with_driving_under_the_influence/27475/
Deputy Standric Choice & Two Others Charged with Stealing Cocaine
DALLAS
Standric Choice, a Dallas Sheriff's Deputy, Terry Kemone Anderson and Charlie Lee Hill were arrested Friday afternoon on federal drug charges outlined in a criminal complaint that was filed late Friday evening, announced James T. Jacks, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. The three defendants will make their initial appearance this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul D. Stickney in U.S. District Court in Dallas. The government plans to ask the Court to detain all three defendants.
The complaint charges Anderson, 29, Hill, 31, and Choice, 36, with knowingly and intentionally possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine, and knowingly and intentionally conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute in excess of five hundred grams of cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section(s) 846, 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)B). The maximum statutory penalty for this offense is 80 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to the complaint, on January 7, 2009, agents of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force (HIDTA) group received information from a reliable Confidential Informant (CI) that a Dallas County Sheriff's Officer, DSO Standric Choice, was involved with an individual, Charles Lee Hill, believed to be his brother-in-law, in distributing narcotics. A meeting was held with the CI in which the CI described a narcotics transaction he referred to as "trading licks" (stealing narcotics from the drug supplier). After meeting with the CI, agents advised the CI to arrange a meeting with Hill and the DSO to finalize plans for a drug deal.
The CI and Hill finalized details of the proposed drug deal at a meeting the following day. At that meeting, the CI told Hill that he was a narcotics distributor. The CI and his cocaine source planned to meet at the TA Truck Stop/Burger King on I-20 and Bonnie View Road in Dallas to complete a four kilogram cocaine transaction. Hill agreed that after he saw the CI and his supplier (an undercover agent) meet, he would call DSO Choice. They planned that Choice would drive into the parking lot to investigate the car, and that upon finding the four kilograms of cocaine, DSO Choice would arrest the CI and release the undercover agent. Choice would then take the four kilograms and the CI to a second predetermined location where Hill would be waiting and release the CI. The CI would meet with Hill and the two (the CI and Hill) would split the drugs stolen from the drug supplier (the undercover agent).
On January 9, 2009, surveillance revealed that a single DSO squad car, identification number SE 419, pulled into TA Truck Stop/Burger King at 7751 Bonnie View Road at I-20 and Bonnie View Road and pulled in behind the undercover agent's and CI's vehicle and turned on the overhead emergency lights. Deputy Choice exited the squad car and approached the CI and undercover agent. Deputy Choice asked the undercover agent a few questions and told him to leave and then placed the CI into custody. After securing the CI in the backseat, Deputy Choice retrieved a duffle bag containing four kilograms of cocaine from the vehicle and placed it in the trunk of his squad car.
Deputy Choice then left the truck stop and drove southbound on Bonnie View Road. Through surveillance, a gray Nissan Pathfinder, occupied by Charlie Lee Hill and Terry Kemone Anderson, and the DSO squad car were seen together in a deserted area on Cleveland Road just west of Bonnie View Road. The vehicles were then observed traveling northbound on Bonnie View Road. The DSO vehicle was then followed until it arrived at the Dallas Sheriff's Department, 133 North Industrial, in Dallas. Choice was then taken into custody.
The Nissan Pathfinder was observed re-entering the TA Truck stop where the vehicle stopped briefly, and the CI exited the vehicle. Two kilograms of cocaine were then retrieved from the CI. The Nissan Pathfinder left the TA Truck Stop and traveled northbound on Bonnie View Road where Desoto Police Department tactical operators conducted a felony car stop, and Hill and Anderson were arrested. Two kilograms of cocaine were retrieved by the Irving Police Department from the front passenger seat floor board.
While stating that the investigation is ongoing, acting U.S. Attorney Jacks praised the cooperative investigative efforts of the North Texas HIDTA, FBI, IRS-CI, the Irving Police Department and the Desoto Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanna Etessam is prosecuting the case.
More information: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6207395.html
Standric Choice, a Dallas Sheriff's Deputy, Terry Kemone Anderson and Charlie Lee Hill were arrested Friday afternoon on federal drug charges outlined in a criminal complaint that was filed late Friday evening, announced James T. Jacks, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. The three defendants will make their initial appearance this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul D. Stickney in U.S. District Court in Dallas. The government plans to ask the Court to detain all three defendants.
The complaint charges Anderson, 29, Hill, 31, and Choice, 36, with knowingly and intentionally possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine, and knowingly and intentionally conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute in excess of five hundred grams of cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section(s) 846, 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)B). The maximum statutory penalty for this offense is 80 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to the complaint, on January 7, 2009, agents of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force (HIDTA) group received information from a reliable Confidential Informant (CI) that a Dallas County Sheriff's Officer, DSO Standric Choice, was involved with an individual, Charles Lee Hill, believed to be his brother-in-law, in distributing narcotics. A meeting was held with the CI in which the CI described a narcotics transaction he referred to as "trading licks" (stealing narcotics from the drug supplier). After meeting with the CI, agents advised the CI to arrange a meeting with Hill and the DSO to finalize plans for a drug deal.
The CI and Hill finalized details of the proposed drug deal at a meeting the following day. At that meeting, the CI told Hill that he was a narcotics distributor. The CI and his cocaine source planned to meet at the TA Truck Stop/Burger King on I-20 and Bonnie View Road in Dallas to complete a four kilogram cocaine transaction. Hill agreed that after he saw the CI and his supplier (an undercover agent) meet, he would call DSO Choice. They planned that Choice would drive into the parking lot to investigate the car, and that upon finding the four kilograms of cocaine, DSO Choice would arrest the CI and release the undercover agent. Choice would then take the four kilograms and the CI to a second predetermined location where Hill would be waiting and release the CI. The CI would meet with Hill and the two (the CI and Hill) would split the drugs stolen from the drug supplier (the undercover agent).
On January 9, 2009, surveillance revealed that a single DSO squad car, identification number SE 419, pulled into TA Truck Stop/Burger King at 7751 Bonnie View Road at I-20 and Bonnie View Road and pulled in behind the undercover agent's and CI's vehicle and turned on the overhead emergency lights. Deputy Choice exited the squad car and approached the CI and undercover agent. Deputy Choice asked the undercover agent a few questions and told him to leave and then placed the CI into custody. After securing the CI in the backseat, Deputy Choice retrieved a duffle bag containing four kilograms of cocaine from the vehicle and placed it in the trunk of his squad car.
Deputy Choice then left the truck stop and drove southbound on Bonnie View Road. Through surveillance, a gray Nissan Pathfinder, occupied by Charlie Lee Hill and Terry Kemone Anderson, and the DSO squad car were seen together in a deserted area on Cleveland Road just west of Bonnie View Road. The vehicles were then observed traveling northbound on Bonnie View Road. The DSO vehicle was then followed until it arrived at the Dallas Sheriff's Department, 133 North Industrial, in Dallas. Choice was then taken into custody.
The Nissan Pathfinder was observed re-entering the TA Truck stop where the vehicle stopped briefly, and the CI exited the vehicle. Two kilograms of cocaine were then retrieved from the CI. The Nissan Pathfinder left the TA Truck Stop and traveled northbound on Bonnie View Road where Desoto Police Department tactical operators conducted a felony car stop, and Hill and Anderson were arrested. Two kilograms of cocaine were retrieved by the Irving Police Department from the front passenger seat floor board.
While stating that the investigation is ongoing, acting U.S. Attorney Jacks praised the cooperative investigative efforts of the North Texas HIDTA, FBI, IRS-CI, the Irving Police Department and the Desoto Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanna Etessam is prosecuting the case.
More information: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6207395.html
Former Officer Ryan Warme Was Getting into Trouble Long Before He Became a Cop
A federal prosecutor has called him “the poster boy for detention.”
An ever-lengthening list of witnesses has appeared before a federal grand jury in Buffalo to detail their complaints against him.
Now, an investigation has revealed that suspend Niagara Falls Police Officer Ryan Warme was getting into trouble long before he became a cop.
Warme, 27, already faces charges on a federal criminal complaint that include cocaine trafficking, violating the civil rights of two women and using his police-issued firearm while committing those crimes. Prosecutors have hinted that when the grand jury finishes its work, the list of felony charges will be even longer.
While the three-and-a-half-year veteran of the Falls police force had admitted to having sex with at least two women while he was on duty, he has pleaded not guilty to the charges he currently faces and is being held without bail by the U.S. Marshals.
Warme’s arrest by his fellow officers and federal agents on Dec. 2 was not the first time he’d felt handcuffs on his wrists. In the falls of 2000, while he was attending Western New England College and playing on the school’s football team, Warme was arrested on an assault charge.
Law enforcement sources say the charge stemmed from a fight following a football game. Warme was suspended from the team for four games and was given an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal on the assault charge.
That disposition meant that if Warme “stayed out of trouble,” the charge would be dismissed and removed as a criminal record.
When Falls police detectives investigated Warme’s background prior to his appointment to the Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy in August 2005, they were aware of the arrest but did not disqualify him for it.
“He was given an ACD, if you translate the charge to New York state law, (it’s relatively minor),” Niagara Falls police Superintendent John Chella said. “At that time, it didn’t alert us to the point where he was disqualified.”
Chella also said Warme’s father’s former position as a captain and chief of detectives in the Falls Police Department played no role in the determination not to disqualify his son from a police appointment.
“We would have handled it the same way for any candidate at that point,” Chella said. “We did with him what we’ve done with others.”
The investigation has also shown that a post football game fight wasn’t the only trouble Warme got into during his college days. During the course of a federal court hearing, prosecutors revealed that Warme had been expelled from his college ROTC program “for cheating on an exam.”
Federal investigators learned of the ROTC incident from U.S. Air Force criminal investigators who had handled a probe into Warme’s application to attend Officer Candidate School while he was a member of the Air Force Reserves. On his application for the officer’s school, Warme “checked the (no) box that asked if he had ever been rejected for military service for any reason.”
“The Air Force determined he had lied,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Bruce said in court. “That is a flat out lie.”
Yet that lie was never uncovered by Falls police during Warme’s background investigation.
“There was no evidence of the ROTC issue in his (police) application,” Chella said. “We only verified that he had 60 hours of college credit to come on the job.”
Warme’s father, testifying in federal court, admitted that his son had been kicked out of ROTC “for violating the honor code.” However, he said his son never told him he had cheated on an exam.
Warme had another run-in with the law, roughly a year before his appointment to the Falls police force.
“We have had contact with (Warme) in the past,” Cheektowaga Police Captain John Glascott said. “It was in early August 2004 and it had to do with a domestic situation.”
Glascott declined to comment any further on Warme’s case. Other law enforcement sources indicted that Warme was arrested, though the exact charges were not known.
Like the college assault charge, the Cheektowaga incident apparently resulted in another adjournment in contemplation of dismissal and the case was ultimately sealed. It’s unclear if Falls police were aware of the Cheektowaga incident before Warme’s appointment to the force.
Chella said Warme passed both a psychological evaluation and a polygraph test prior to joining the force.
“We put a lot of weight in those,” he said. “He passed the psych evaluation and he was given a lie detector test to determine if everything on his application was truthful and he passed that.”
Federal prosecutors have suggested that Warme is proficient at lying. Even after his arrest, they say he lied to federal probation officers about why he left the Air Force Reserve in the spring of 2008.
Warme told federal pre-trial services investigators he left the reserves “based on the fact he could make more money working part-time jobs.” However, Warme’s resignation letter indicts that he left the military prior to the start of discharge proceedings against him.
The discharge proceedings followed an incident at a Texas Air Force base where Warme had reported for training in December 2007. Warme was scheduled to be in training until May or June 2008, but in April went AWOL for a period of roughly seven hours.
According to sources with knowledge of the incident, Warme was scheduled to report for drills at 8 a.m., but failed to show up at the base until 3 p.m. Warme told a superior officer that he had “been out drinking the night before, passed out and missed the drill.”
He also told the officer that he “had been afraid to report after waking up, because he knew he would be in trouble.”
By the time of the military incident, Falls police had already begun their investigation into Warme.
There was still another warning sign, prior to Warme’s working on the street, that the young officer might not be qualified. While Warme was attending the police academy, he was the subject of a criminal complaint filed with Amherst police.
In a November 2005 incident in the parking lot of the Marriott hotel, Warme was accused of stealing a woman’s cell phone after a domestic dispute. Chella said Falls police became aware of the incident but had trouble investigating it because the victim was uncooperative.
“She didn’t want to get (Warme) in trouble,” Chella said. “She said she was mad, but didn’t want to get him kicked out of the academy.”
An ever-lengthening list of witnesses has appeared before a federal grand jury in Buffalo to detail their complaints against him.
Now, an investigation has revealed that suspend Niagara Falls Police Officer Ryan Warme was getting into trouble long before he became a cop.
Warme, 27, already faces charges on a federal criminal complaint that include cocaine trafficking, violating the civil rights of two women and using his police-issued firearm while committing those crimes. Prosecutors have hinted that when the grand jury finishes its work, the list of felony charges will be even longer.
While the three-and-a-half-year veteran of the Falls police force had admitted to having sex with at least two women while he was on duty, he has pleaded not guilty to the charges he currently faces and is being held without bail by the U.S. Marshals.
Warme’s arrest by his fellow officers and federal agents on Dec. 2 was not the first time he’d felt handcuffs on his wrists. In the falls of 2000, while he was attending Western New England College and playing on the school’s football team, Warme was arrested on an assault charge.
Law enforcement sources say the charge stemmed from a fight following a football game. Warme was suspended from the team for four games and was given an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal on the assault charge.
That disposition meant that if Warme “stayed out of trouble,” the charge would be dismissed and removed as a criminal record.
When Falls police detectives investigated Warme’s background prior to his appointment to the Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy in August 2005, they were aware of the arrest but did not disqualify him for it.
“He was given an ACD, if you translate the charge to New York state law, (it’s relatively minor),” Niagara Falls police Superintendent John Chella said. “At that time, it didn’t alert us to the point where he was disqualified.”
Chella also said Warme’s father’s former position as a captain and chief of detectives in the Falls Police Department played no role in the determination not to disqualify his son from a police appointment.
“We would have handled it the same way for any candidate at that point,” Chella said. “We did with him what we’ve done with others.”
The investigation has also shown that a post football game fight wasn’t the only trouble Warme got into during his college days. During the course of a federal court hearing, prosecutors revealed that Warme had been expelled from his college ROTC program “for cheating on an exam.”
Federal investigators learned of the ROTC incident from U.S. Air Force criminal investigators who had handled a probe into Warme’s application to attend Officer Candidate School while he was a member of the Air Force Reserves. On his application for the officer’s school, Warme “checked the (no) box that asked if he had ever been rejected for military service for any reason.”
“The Air Force determined he had lied,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Bruce said in court. “That is a flat out lie.”
Yet that lie was never uncovered by Falls police during Warme’s background investigation.
“There was no evidence of the ROTC issue in his (police) application,” Chella said. “We only verified that he had 60 hours of college credit to come on the job.”
Warme’s father, testifying in federal court, admitted that his son had been kicked out of ROTC “for violating the honor code.” However, he said his son never told him he had cheated on an exam.
Warme had another run-in with the law, roughly a year before his appointment to the Falls police force.
“We have had contact with (Warme) in the past,” Cheektowaga Police Captain John Glascott said. “It was in early August 2004 and it had to do with a domestic situation.”
Glascott declined to comment any further on Warme’s case. Other law enforcement sources indicted that Warme was arrested, though the exact charges were not known.
Like the college assault charge, the Cheektowaga incident apparently resulted in another adjournment in contemplation of dismissal and the case was ultimately sealed. It’s unclear if Falls police were aware of the Cheektowaga incident before Warme’s appointment to the force.
Chella said Warme passed both a psychological evaluation and a polygraph test prior to joining the force.
“We put a lot of weight in those,” he said. “He passed the psych evaluation and he was given a lie detector test to determine if everything on his application was truthful and he passed that.”
Federal prosecutors have suggested that Warme is proficient at lying. Even after his arrest, they say he lied to federal probation officers about why he left the Air Force Reserve in the spring of 2008.
Warme told federal pre-trial services investigators he left the reserves “based on the fact he could make more money working part-time jobs.” However, Warme’s resignation letter indicts that he left the military prior to the start of discharge proceedings against him.
The discharge proceedings followed an incident at a Texas Air Force base where Warme had reported for training in December 2007. Warme was scheduled to be in training until May or June 2008, but in April went AWOL for a period of roughly seven hours.
According to sources with knowledge of the incident, Warme was scheduled to report for drills at 8 a.m., but failed to show up at the base until 3 p.m. Warme told a superior officer that he had “been out drinking the night before, passed out and missed the drill.”
He also told the officer that he “had been afraid to report after waking up, because he knew he would be in trouble.”
By the time of the military incident, Falls police had already begun their investigation into Warme.
There was still another warning sign, prior to Warme’s working on the street, that the young officer might not be qualified. While Warme was attending the police academy, he was the subject of a criminal complaint filed with Amherst police.
In a November 2005 incident in the parking lot of the Marriott hotel, Warme was accused of stealing a woman’s cell phone after a domestic dispute. Chella said Falls police became aware of the incident but had trouble investigating it because the victim was uncooperative.
“She didn’t want to get (Warme) in trouble,” Chella said. “She said she was mad, but didn’t want to get him kicked out of the academy.”
Officer Michael Spilman Arrested for Sexual Assault
Allegations of sexual assault have prompted the resignation and arrest of Murray police officer Michael Spilman.
A complaint led West Valley City police to book Spilman for aggravated sexual assault and forcible sexual abuse.
Spilman, a 10-year veteran of Murray's police force, is sitting in the Davis County Jail for his own protection. Police fear possible reprisals from Salt Lake County Jail inmates recently arrested by Spilman.
Police say they're releasing very little information about the case to protect the victim.
Officer Ken Hammond Resigns After Allegations of Sexual Misconduct
The Ogden police officer many called a hero for helping to stop the Trolley Square shooter has resigned his post after allegations of sexual misconduct.
Officer Ken Hammond resigned on Friday, but we didn't learn about that resignation until today when the Ogden Police Department sent us a one-sentence statement.
The statement didn't say much, simply that Hammond resigned effective Jan. 9. We asked Ogden police for further comment and were told that's "the only thing the police department has to say."
Hammond had been placed on paid leave since October, when police began investigating allegations of sexual misconduct. Two months later, charges were filed against Hammond alleging he had an improper relationship with a teenager back in 2005.
"It appears he has a long history of inappropriate behavior," said attorney Alyson Carter.
Carter represents Natasha Child, the woman who filed a civil suit last month against Hammond after she says he used excessive force and assaulted her during her husband's arrest last year. At that time, Ogden police defended Hammond.
Natasha Child speaking with an attorney. "Keep in mind, this is a constant thing with law enforcement officers. You can go to any police department and find numerous allegations against officers by people. Some of these allegations occasionally have found true; most do not," Ogden Assistant Police Chief Randy Watt said in a Dec. 10 interview.
Now the police department isn't saying much, and neither is Hammond's attorney, Brenda Beaton. Beaton did, however, say Hammond left the department after it became clear he would not be paid on leave or he'd be outright fired.
Beaton also said Hammond felt like he'd given a "lot of dedicated years" to the Ogden Police Department and that the department was not extending that same courtesy to him, which is why he submitted his resignation.
Hammond has reportedly been offered another job, but Beaton won't say where. Some speculate it will not be in law enforcement.
"I'd be surprised if another police department would hire him, just because they would be exposing themselves to so much liability with his history," Carter said.
Hammond faces a third-degree felony count of unlawful sexual conduct. His first court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 27.
Previous Story: http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=5185711
Officer Ken Hammond resigned on Friday, but we didn't learn about that resignation until today when the Ogden Police Department sent us a one-sentence statement.
The statement didn't say much, simply that Hammond resigned effective Jan. 9. We asked Ogden police for further comment and were told that's "the only thing the police department has to say."
Hammond had been placed on paid leave since October, when police began investigating allegations of sexual misconduct. Two months later, charges were filed against Hammond alleging he had an improper relationship with a teenager back in 2005.
"It appears he has a long history of inappropriate behavior," said attorney Alyson Carter.
Carter represents Natasha Child, the woman who filed a civil suit last month against Hammond after she says he used excessive force and assaulted her during her husband's arrest last year. At that time, Ogden police defended Hammond.
Natasha Child speaking with an attorney. "Keep in mind, this is a constant thing with law enforcement officers. You can go to any police department and find numerous allegations against officers by people. Some of these allegations occasionally have found true; most do not," Ogden Assistant Police Chief Randy Watt said in a Dec. 10 interview.
Now the police department isn't saying much, and neither is Hammond's attorney, Brenda Beaton. Beaton did, however, say Hammond left the department after it became clear he would not be paid on leave or he'd be outright fired.
Beaton also said Hammond felt like he'd given a "lot of dedicated years" to the Ogden Police Department and that the department was not extending that same courtesy to him, which is why he submitted his resignation.
Hammond has reportedly been offered another job, but Beaton won't say where. Some speculate it will not be in law enforcement.
"I'd be surprised if another police department would hire him, just because they would be exposing themselves to so much liability with his history," Carter said.
Hammond faces a third-degree felony count of unlawful sexual conduct. His first court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 27.
Previous Story: http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=5185711
Officer John Lewis Facing New Charges of Fighting With His Brother
SCHENECTADY, N.Y.
A Schenectady police officer already facing charges is in even more trouble with the law.
John Lewis, 38, of Schenectady was arrested early Sunday morning after his mother called police saying that he was destroying the house and physically fighting with his brother, who is a police officer in Albany.
Lewis was charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief and released on his own recognizance.
Schenectady police said Lewis is currently suspended for 30 days without pay related to his arrest on Dec. 27 for DWI. Police said Lewis will face administrative consequences related to the most recent incident once the current 30-day suspension expires.
Lewis was also arrested in November on stalking and aggravated harassment charges stemming from an incident with his wife. He was also charged with harassment earlier this year in a separate incident with his wife.
Lewis was also fired 10 years ago after using a racial slur but was later reinstated.
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WTF??? This ASSHOLE needs to be off the streets before he kills someone.
A Schenectady police officer already facing charges is in even more trouble with the law.
John Lewis, 38, of Schenectady was arrested early Sunday morning after his mother called police saying that he was destroying the house and physically fighting with his brother, who is a police officer in Albany.
Lewis was charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief and released on his own recognizance.
Schenectady police said Lewis is currently suspended for 30 days without pay related to his arrest on Dec. 27 for DWI. Police said Lewis will face administrative consequences related to the most recent incident once the current 30-day suspension expires.
Lewis was also arrested in November on stalking and aggravated harassment charges stemming from an incident with his wife. He was also charged with harassment earlier this year in a separate incident with his wife.
Lewis was also fired 10 years ago after using a racial slur but was later reinstated.
Previous Post:
http://whathappenedtoprotectandserve.blogspot.com/2008/12/officer-john-lewis-arrested-againthis.html
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WTF??? This ASSHOLE needs to be off the streets before he kills someone.
Detective George McNally Charged with Drunk Driving Accident
ALBANY
A veteran detective who helped crack the case of a burglar who killed his partners was charged with drunken driving in an off-duty hit-and-run accident.
Detective George McNally, 54, was suspended for 30 days without pay after his arrest Sunday night, police said.
Police said McNally hit a parked car near the intersection of New Scotland Avenue and Sycamore Street and then drove off. Witnesses provided police with information that led to McNally's arrest. The detective also received a traffic ticket for leaving the scene of a property-damage accident.
Officials from the Office of Professional Standards went to McNally's Delmar home where police say he refused to submit to an alcohol breath test.
McNally was arraigned Monday morning in City Court. He was released without bail and is scheduled to return to court Jan. 22.
"I am extremely disappointed with the arrest of one of our members for allegedly being involved in a alcohol-related accident," Police Chief James Tuffey said in a prepared statement. The chief said he expected city police officers to act professionally "at all times, and they will be held accountable for their actions,"
McNally is the second member of the department in recent weeks to face charges after allegedly leaving the scene of an accident.
Officer Max Etienne was charged with striking three parked cars with his personal vehicle on Dec. 28. He ticketed on charges of failing to keep right and leaving the scene of a property damage accident.
McNally, an Albany police officer for 28 years, has been involved in some high-profile cases.
In 1998, McNally's work was credited with helping identify Gary Evans as the killer of one of his associates, Timothy Rysedorph, 39. At the time, McNally routinely collected forms from antiques shops to help identify cases where stolen merchandise was being sold. When Rysedorph disappeared, McNally visited a shop and was told the victim and Evans often sold merchandise to an antiques dealer.
That led McNally to a pair of stolen cuff links that Evans and Rysedorph had fenced, a critical piece of information that led to a nationwide manhunt, Evans' confession to killing three men he'd known since childhood and his fatal leap off the Menands Bridge after escaping from police custody.
McNally also investigated the 1992 killing of a woman whose boyfriend strangled her and then hung her body out a Washington Avenue window. He also handled the 1997 investigation of the death of an 11-year-old boy in the Albany YMCA wave pool.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Officer Karen Dula Arrested for DWI
A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer was arrested this morning for driving while impaired, the department said this afternoon.
Officer Karen Dula, 27, was arrested after a traffic stop around 1:30 a.m. by a trooper with the N.C. Highway Patrol near the intersection of Seventh and McDowell streets, police said in a news release. Dula was off-duty at the time.
The department said Dula, who was hired by CMPD in September 2003, will be placed on administrative duties pending an internal investigation.
“It is unfortunate that a member of the CMPD has been arrested for driving while impaired, but we will continue to hold our officers responsible for their actions on and off-duty,” Police Chief Rodney Monroe said in the news release.
Officer Karen Dula, 27, was arrested after a traffic stop around 1:30 a.m. by a trooper with the N.C. Highway Patrol near the intersection of Seventh and McDowell streets, police said in a news release. Dula was off-duty at the time.
The department said Dula, who was hired by CMPD in September 2003, will be placed on administrative duties pending an internal investigation.
“It is unfortunate that a member of the CMPD has been arrested for driving while impaired, but we will continue to hold our officers responsible for their actions on and off-duty,” Police Chief Rodney Monroe said in the news release.
Officer Christopher Miner Accused of Aducting Woman
NEWPORT NEWS, Va.
The first time Newport News Police Officer Christopher Miner, 37, appeared on WAVY News 10 nearly four years ago, he had been given the "Award of Valor."
Officer Miner is in the news again, but this time he's been arrested and charged with abducting a woman.
According to court documents, the woman says she was having a "social evening" with the officer at his house in Newport News.
She claims she laid down in his bed and then he tied her to his headboard using leather restraints and took pictures of her. The woman says the officer threatened to post the pictures on the internet if she did not spend the night.
She went on to allege Miner blocked the door and would not let her leave. Finally, she says, he let her go and that's when she called the police.
Newport News Police Chief James Fox sat down for an exclusive interview with WAVY.com.
"It hurts. We talk about the badge and tarnishing the badge," said Chief Fox. "We teach ethical behavior. We teach character and that's what the public expects from us."
Chief Fox said he must wait for the completion of the investigation and judicial process, but he understands, this case has already hurt the public's trust in the department.
"Officer Miner might have made a mistake. He'll have to deal with the mistake. We will deal with the mistake and we will move on," said Fox.
Officer Miner's attorney told WAVY.com, "Once the evidence is thoroughly investigated by the police department and reviewed by the commonwealth's attorney Chris Miner will be completely exonerated."
Officer Miner is the second Newport News officer in the last two weeks to be arrested.
Lt. Ronald Hendrickson was arrested on Christmas night for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman.
"You worry about your image and you know that the last couple of weeks have not been good weeks for our image," said Fox.
Image is not the Chief's only worry right now. He says city leaders have instructed him to start preparing for budget cuts and the possibility of laying off police officers.
"That's a possibility, depending on how deep the budget cuts go. We are prepared to have to deal with that."
The chief says despite the looming budget woes and the recent arrests of two of his officers, he has a good department, with dedicated officers.
"We will continue to serve with our heads up. We've got great people here and they are truly committed to making the city safe," said Chief Fox.
Both Officer Miner and Lt. Hendrickson are on administrative leave.
Video and More Information:
http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_wavy_newport_news_officer_arrested_20090112
The first time Newport News Police Officer Christopher Miner, 37, appeared on WAVY News 10 nearly four years ago, he had been given the "Award of Valor."
Officer Miner is in the news again, but this time he's been arrested and charged with abducting a woman.
According to court documents, the woman says she was having a "social evening" with the officer at his house in Newport News.
She claims she laid down in his bed and then he tied her to his headboard using leather restraints and took pictures of her. The woman says the officer threatened to post the pictures on the internet if she did not spend the night.
She went on to allege Miner blocked the door and would not let her leave. Finally, she says, he let her go and that's when she called the police.
Newport News Police Chief James Fox sat down for an exclusive interview with WAVY.com.
"It hurts. We talk about the badge and tarnishing the badge," said Chief Fox. "We teach ethical behavior. We teach character and that's what the public expects from us."
Chief Fox said he must wait for the completion of the investigation and judicial process, but he understands, this case has already hurt the public's trust in the department.
"Officer Miner might have made a mistake. He'll have to deal with the mistake. We will deal with the mistake and we will move on," said Fox.
Officer Miner's attorney told WAVY.com, "Once the evidence is thoroughly investigated by the police department and reviewed by the commonwealth's attorney Chris Miner will be completely exonerated."
Officer Miner is the second Newport News officer in the last two weeks to be arrested.
Lt. Ronald Hendrickson was arrested on Christmas night for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman.
"You worry about your image and you know that the last couple of weeks have not been good weeks for our image," said Fox.
Image is not the Chief's only worry right now. He says city leaders have instructed him to start preparing for budget cuts and the possibility of laying off police officers.
"That's a possibility, depending on how deep the budget cuts go. We are prepared to have to deal with that."
The chief says despite the looming budget woes and the recent arrests of two of his officers, he has a good department, with dedicated officers.
"We will continue to serve with our heads up. We've got great people here and they are truly committed to making the city safe," said Chief Fox.
Both Officer Miner and Lt. Hendrickson are on administrative leave.
Video and More Information:
http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_wavy_newport_news_officer_arrested_20090112
Saturday, January 10, 2009
New Orleans Officers shoot Man in Back 12 Times
A man's death from gunshot wounds fired by New Orleans police officers has prompted outraged protests for what family members are calling a "murder."
The man, 22-year-old Adolph Grimes III, traveled to his grandmother's home near the French Quarter in order to celebrate New Year's Eve with his fiance and their 17-month-old son.
Three hours after arrival, at about 3 a.m., he was found dead a block from the front door.
The Orleans Parish coroner said Grimes was shot 14 times, including 12 times in the back.
"This violence has to stop. My child's death will not be meaningless. He did not die in vain," said Grimes' mother, Patricia Grimes.
An editorial in The Times-Picayune said the shooting "demands answers."
Despite the fact that the seven officers involved in the incident have been reassigned, Superintendent Warren Riley has refused to answer "fundamental questions" about the shooting and maintains that Grimes fired upon his men first.
Several dozen people protested the New Orleans Police Department on Thursday morning to demand justice for Grimes' death.
A mix of people walked paced in front of a police station carrying signs with slogans like "Down with the government" and shouting to passers-by "You could be next!"
A group of black ministers and advocates has called for the department to be purged of "trigger-happy" officers and the Grimes family's attorney, Richard Jenkins is certain an investigation will show rogue cops and sloppy police work.
"I just think it was some bad officers who were out there and imposing their will on the community," Jenkins said.
The man, 22-year-old Adolph Grimes III, traveled to his grandmother's home near the French Quarter in order to celebrate New Year's Eve with his fiance and their 17-month-old son.
Three hours after arrival, at about 3 a.m., he was found dead a block from the front door.
The Orleans Parish coroner said Grimes was shot 14 times, including 12 times in the back.
"This violence has to stop. My child's death will not be meaningless. He did not die in vain," said Grimes' mother, Patricia Grimes.
An editorial in The Times-Picayune said the shooting "demands answers."
Despite the fact that the seven officers involved in the incident have been reassigned, Superintendent Warren Riley has refused to answer "fundamental questions" about the shooting and maintains that Grimes fired upon his men first.
Several dozen people protested the New Orleans Police Department on Thursday morning to demand justice for Grimes' death.
A mix of people walked paced in front of a police station carrying signs with slogans like "Down with the government" and shouting to passers-by "You could be next!"
A group of black ministers and advocates has called for the department to be purged of "trigger-happy" officers and the Grimes family's attorney, Richard Jenkins is certain an investigation will show rogue cops and sloppy police work.
"I just think it was some bad officers who were out there and imposing their will on the community," Jenkins said.
Deputy Standric Choice Arrested by FBI
Federal authorities arrested a Dallas County sheriff's deputy while he was on patrol duty Friday afternoon. Neither the FBI nor the U.S. attorney's office would say why Standric Choice, 36, was arrested, citing an ongoing investigation. He was being held at the Mansfield Law Enforcement Center, which also houses federal prisoners, but officials there would not release details on his case.
Kim Leach, spokeswoman for the Dallas sheriff, would not talk about the case in detail but released a statement: "The sheriff's department will not tolerate any misconduct or illegal activity from anyone in our department. If an employee is found to be engaged in any criminal activity, or violation of departmental code of conduct policies they will be dealt with accordingly. We take any violation seriously and will act swiftly to take action."
Choice began working for the Dallas County sheriff's office as a jailer in the 1990s and became a deputy in 2000, county officials said.
More Information:
http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/01/dallas-county-hush-hush-about.html
Kim Leach, spokeswoman for the Dallas sheriff, would not talk about the case in detail but released a statement: "The sheriff's department will not tolerate any misconduct or illegal activity from anyone in our department. If an employee is found to be engaged in any criminal activity, or violation of departmental code of conduct policies they will be dealt with accordingly. We take any violation seriously and will act swiftly to take action."
Choice began working for the Dallas County sheriff's office as a jailer in the 1990s and became a deputy in 2000, county officials said.
More Information:
http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/01/dallas-county-hush-hush-about.html
Law Enforcement Agencies Trying to Clean Up Their Act?
When the news broke last month that Niagara Falls Police Officer Ryan Warme had been arrested, reactions across the community were mixed.
Some were surprised that a police officer — a man charged with protecting residents — would find himself on the other side of the law.
Other more jaded residents pointed to the arrest as just another example of someone on the force abusing their power.
For local law enforcement officials, the prevailing mood was one of disappointment.
“You’re let down,” Sheriff James Voutour said. “You take an oath of office, and you trust the people you’re working with respect that oath. When someone lets you down like that, it does give a black eye to law enforcement.”
Warme, 27, was arrested Dec. 2 by his fellow Falls police, along with federal agents. Warme was charged with raping and tormenting women and buying cocaine on duty.
Warme has now been suspended from the Falls police, and he remains in custody.
He will return to court Jan. 23.
Lockport Police Chief Larry Eggert said when a law enforcement official goes corrupt, officers throughout the area feel the effects.
“Generally, what the repercussions are, of course, are the eroding of the public trust,” he said. “I like to think we have a pretty clean department here, and I wouldn’t tolerate anything else, but the perception the public sometimes gets is that, ‘Well, gee, if he’s dirty, then everybody else is.’ ”
Court records accuse Warme of providing information about undercover Falls police to cocaine dealers. He allegedly gave a crack cocaine dealer a heads-up about police investigation.
That charge, in particular, was upsetting to Voutour.
“It was very difficult to swallow, because of the danger he put his fellow officers in,” Voutour said. “(Telling the criminals) who the undercover drug officers are, what cars they’re driving, that even goes beyond criminal.”
Repercussions
Far away from Niagara Falls, in the small village of Barker, the reverberations of incidents like the one in Niagara Falls are still felt.
“Anytime a police officer does an act like that, it does put a black mark on officers,” Barker Police Chief Ross Annable said. “I think everybody takes a hard look at police officers because of the job, and you get singled out a little more than the average job.”
According to a 2006 Harris Interactive poll, 76 percent of Americans trust police officers to tell the truth. The profession was ranked fourth in trustworthiness, behind doctors, teachers and scientists.
Even with such a high ranking, the Internet abounds with Web sites keeping track of police activities, with addresses such as www.PoliceCrimes.com and www.PoliceAbuse.com.
If a police officer is arrested or suspected of a crime, it can erode the community’s trust to the point where that officer is no longer effective, Annable said.
“If you work at some manufacturing company, and you get arrested for something, you go back to work on Monday,” Annable said. “At a law enforcement agency, you get arrested for something and Monday’s a whole new ballgame. It’s going to change your life.”
Background checks
The Lockport Police Department hired two new officers — Ryan Adams and Tricia Denny — on Wednesday.
Earlier in the week, four binders full of stacks of paper sat on a chair in Eggert’s office, each one containing background check information for all eight candidates for the two positions.
“Each candidate’s got a quarter-inch stack of paper,” Eggert said.
The background checks include interviews with people in all aspects of the candidate’s lives: Parents, spouses, former and current bosses, teachers, neighbors and others.
Interviewers go back as far as high school transcripts, looking at how many times the candidate was marked late or how many absences they had.
“People generally don’t change the way they are,” Eggert said. “If you go back far enough, you can kind of determine what kind of person they are.”
He said the department is also considering running psychological exams on potential officers before they are hired.
In the past year, City of Tonawanda Police Chief Cindy Young has instituted a separate, psychological evaluation for her department's potential officers. The evaluations are conducted by Dr. Jay Supnick of Law Enforcement Psychological Associates in Rochester.
At the sheriff’s department, Voutour said they also do extensive background checks, checking financial histories for any sign the candidate has problems with money.
“(If they do), they have more tendency to maybe be corrupt,” Voutour said. “It’s difficult to predict the future character of a person, and the only way you can predict the future is to look at the past.”
In smaller communities like Barker, the application process also includes a background check, but the applicants are usually locals who are already known by the agency, Annable said.
No matter how much preparation is done, things can change. Eggert said there’s always an “unknown quantity” that can make otherwise good people go bad.
“Sometimes things happen in people’s lives. Bankruptcy, bad marriage, a hundred different things that could trigger an unintended problem,” he said.
Taking complaints
So far, the background checks and intense interview process have proven successful, Eggert said.
Still, complaints from the public are a common instance, and Eggert said each complaint that comes into the LPD is treated equally.
“No matter who comes in, or for what reason, or what condition they’re in, we take the information from them,” he said. “They get attention. There’s no, ‘Come back and see the guy tomorrow,’ or ‘We don’t do those.’ If someone comes in to file a complaint, we are bound by the rules to do it.”
Depending on the complaint, there are different avenues it may take. Some complaints are simple — for instance, a driver complaining an officer was rude during a traffic stop — while others may be more complex or serious.
The complaints go up the chain of command. Depending on the seriousness, they may result in a verbal warning, or they could potentially result in an investigation by an outside agency.
People who are uncomfortable going to the LPD to complain about an officer can go to the Niagara County District Attorney’s Office. Some law enforcement agencies, including the New York State Police, have internal affairs units that deal specifically with complaints and allegations of misconduct within that department.
“There’s a lot of different options that people have,” Eggert sad. “The DA’s office, they have investigators, and they’ll entertain the complaint the same as we will.”
District Attorney Michael Violante could not be reached to comment on how his office handles complaints and allegations of police misconduct.
At the sheriff’s department, anyone with a complaint should call dispatch and ask to speak to a shift supervisor, Voutour said.
He said they entertain a variety of complaints.
“We’ll look at it and get both sides of the story,” he said. “Obviously, if it’s just, ‘The officer was short with me,’ that may be handled at the shift supervisor level. Anything (at a) criminal level will come to me quickly.”
In Barker, Annable said, anyone who has a complaint is welcome to file it in person and sign a statement — but most of the time, people who call just want to blow off some steam.
“I’ve found 90 percent of the people will call and complain, and you invite them to come down and they never show up,” he said. “We do take complaints seriously.”
Some were surprised that a police officer — a man charged with protecting residents — would find himself on the other side of the law.
Other more jaded residents pointed to the arrest as just another example of someone on the force abusing their power.
For local law enforcement officials, the prevailing mood was one of disappointment.
“You’re let down,” Sheriff James Voutour said. “You take an oath of office, and you trust the people you’re working with respect that oath. When someone lets you down like that, it does give a black eye to law enforcement.”
Warme, 27, was arrested Dec. 2 by his fellow Falls police, along with federal agents. Warme was charged with raping and tormenting women and buying cocaine on duty.
Warme has now been suspended from the Falls police, and he remains in custody.
He will return to court Jan. 23.
Lockport Police Chief Larry Eggert said when a law enforcement official goes corrupt, officers throughout the area feel the effects.
“Generally, what the repercussions are, of course, are the eroding of the public trust,” he said. “I like to think we have a pretty clean department here, and I wouldn’t tolerate anything else, but the perception the public sometimes gets is that, ‘Well, gee, if he’s dirty, then everybody else is.’ ”
Court records accuse Warme of providing information about undercover Falls police to cocaine dealers. He allegedly gave a crack cocaine dealer a heads-up about police investigation.
That charge, in particular, was upsetting to Voutour.
“It was very difficult to swallow, because of the danger he put his fellow officers in,” Voutour said. “(Telling the criminals) who the undercover drug officers are, what cars they’re driving, that even goes beyond criminal.”
Repercussions
Far away from Niagara Falls, in the small village of Barker, the reverberations of incidents like the one in Niagara Falls are still felt.
“Anytime a police officer does an act like that, it does put a black mark on officers,” Barker Police Chief Ross Annable said. “I think everybody takes a hard look at police officers because of the job, and you get singled out a little more than the average job.”
According to a 2006 Harris Interactive poll, 76 percent of Americans trust police officers to tell the truth. The profession was ranked fourth in trustworthiness, behind doctors, teachers and scientists.
Even with such a high ranking, the Internet abounds with Web sites keeping track of police activities, with addresses such as www.PoliceCrimes.com and www.PoliceAbuse.com.
If a police officer is arrested or suspected of a crime, it can erode the community’s trust to the point where that officer is no longer effective, Annable said.
“If you work at some manufacturing company, and you get arrested for something, you go back to work on Monday,” Annable said. “At a law enforcement agency, you get arrested for something and Monday’s a whole new ballgame. It’s going to change your life.”
Background checks
The Lockport Police Department hired two new officers — Ryan Adams and Tricia Denny — on Wednesday.
Earlier in the week, four binders full of stacks of paper sat on a chair in Eggert’s office, each one containing background check information for all eight candidates for the two positions.
“Each candidate’s got a quarter-inch stack of paper,” Eggert said.
The background checks include interviews with people in all aspects of the candidate’s lives: Parents, spouses, former and current bosses, teachers, neighbors and others.
Interviewers go back as far as high school transcripts, looking at how many times the candidate was marked late or how many absences they had.
“People generally don’t change the way they are,” Eggert said. “If you go back far enough, you can kind of determine what kind of person they are.”
He said the department is also considering running psychological exams on potential officers before they are hired.
In the past year, City of Tonawanda Police Chief Cindy Young has instituted a separate, psychological evaluation for her department's potential officers. The evaluations are conducted by Dr. Jay Supnick of Law Enforcement Psychological Associates in Rochester.
At the sheriff’s department, Voutour said they also do extensive background checks, checking financial histories for any sign the candidate has problems with money.
“(If they do), they have more tendency to maybe be corrupt,” Voutour said. “It’s difficult to predict the future character of a person, and the only way you can predict the future is to look at the past.”
In smaller communities like Barker, the application process also includes a background check, but the applicants are usually locals who are already known by the agency, Annable said.
No matter how much preparation is done, things can change. Eggert said there’s always an “unknown quantity” that can make otherwise good people go bad.
“Sometimes things happen in people’s lives. Bankruptcy, bad marriage, a hundred different things that could trigger an unintended problem,” he said.
Taking complaints
So far, the background checks and intense interview process have proven successful, Eggert said.
Still, complaints from the public are a common instance, and Eggert said each complaint that comes into the LPD is treated equally.
“No matter who comes in, or for what reason, or what condition they’re in, we take the information from them,” he said. “They get attention. There’s no, ‘Come back and see the guy tomorrow,’ or ‘We don’t do those.’ If someone comes in to file a complaint, we are bound by the rules to do it.”
Depending on the complaint, there are different avenues it may take. Some complaints are simple — for instance, a driver complaining an officer was rude during a traffic stop — while others may be more complex or serious.
The complaints go up the chain of command. Depending on the seriousness, they may result in a verbal warning, or they could potentially result in an investigation by an outside agency.
People who are uncomfortable going to the LPD to complain about an officer can go to the Niagara County District Attorney’s Office. Some law enforcement agencies, including the New York State Police, have internal affairs units that deal specifically with complaints and allegations of misconduct within that department.
“There’s a lot of different options that people have,” Eggert sad. “The DA’s office, they have investigators, and they’ll entertain the complaint the same as we will.”
District Attorney Michael Violante could not be reached to comment on how his office handles complaints and allegations of police misconduct.
At the sheriff’s department, anyone with a complaint should call dispatch and ask to speak to a shift supervisor, Voutour said.
He said they entertain a variety of complaints.
“We’ll look at it and get both sides of the story,” he said. “Obviously, if it’s just, ‘The officer was short with me,’ that may be handled at the shift supervisor level. Anything (at a) criminal level will come to me quickly.”
In Barker, Annable said, anyone who has a complaint is welcome to file it in person and sign a statement — but most of the time, people who call just want to blow off some steam.
“I’ve found 90 percent of the people will call and complain, and you invite them to come down and they never show up,” he said. “We do take complaints seriously.”
Bank Teller Who Helped Former Officer Christian Torres to Rob Bank Sentenced to Jail
A bank teller who helped a rookie cop pull off two downtown Manhattan bank heists that netted $118,000 was sentenced Friday to 2-1/2 years in jail.
Christina Dasrath burst into tears as she told Manhattan Federal Judge Laura Taylor Swain that ex-NYPD cop Christian Torres walked into a Sovereign bank branch in June 2007 and gave her a note threatening to "start shooting."
"I was duped by my first love," Dasrath said, as her parents, who had opposed her relationship with Torres, wept. "I am 21 years old....They need me at home."
Dasrath met Torres when they were classmates at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She's been working as an emergency medical technician since her arrest. "Every day I help people," she said. "I try my best to make it up in that manner."
Two former co-workers who were forced into a bank vault and tied up told Swain they're still traumatized.
Isabel Sanchez said Torres repeatedly threatened her, leaving her fearing for her life. She said Dasrath watched as she walked into the vault, her legs trembling uncontrollably. "Everything goes through your mind, everything," Sanchez said.
For five months - until after Torres pulled the second robbery in November 2007 - Dasrath never let on that she knew Torres. "She looked at us in the face like nothing happened," Sanchez said.
Swain said Dasrath should have gone to the authorities after the first robbery, but instead took some of the money. "She continued to cover up and deceive people she had put at risk over several months," Swain said.
Deputy Mark Martin Accused of Sexually Assaulting Woman
A former Poweshiek County deputy is in trouble with the law. Thirty-seven-year-old Mark Martin is accused of assaulting and trying to sexually assault a woman in Grinnell last fall.
Investigators say it happened October 3 at Midwest Ambulance Service in Grinnell. The woman said Martin confronted her and then tackled her after she refused his advances.
The sheriff would not comment on the case, except to say Martin resigned on December 31. He said Martin planned to pursue other career opportunities.
While officials declined to talk, some others in the community have plenty to say.
"If you can't trust your policeman or sheriff department, who can you trust? That's the sad part of it. Because you believe in these people," said Gary Gibson of Grinnell.
The Mahaska County attorney is handling the case. Martin is scheduled to be arraigned on January 23.
Investigators say it happened October 3 at Midwest Ambulance Service in Grinnell. The woman said Martin confronted her and then tackled her after she refused his advances.
The sheriff would not comment on the case, except to say Martin resigned on December 31. He said Martin planned to pursue other career opportunities.
While officials declined to talk, some others in the community have plenty to say.
"If you can't trust your policeman or sheriff department, who can you trust? That's the sad part of it. Because you believe in these people," said Gary Gibson of Grinnell.
The Mahaska County attorney is handling the case. Martin is scheduled to be arraigned on January 23.
Former Jailer Accused of Sexually Assaulting Inmate
Durant, Oklahma
A former Bryan County jailer has been accused of sexually assaulting a female prisoner at the auxiliary jail in 2007.
Twenty-year-old Andrew Duane Sloan was charged Wednesday with sexual battery. Court papers say Sloan, while serving as a jailer, groped a 25-year-old inmate in August 2007.
Sloan was fired that month, but no charges were filed at that time.
He was later charged with unrelated sex crimes. In July 2008, he was charged with raping a woman and in August he was charged with sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 14.
Picture and Other Information: http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/37349204.html
A former Bryan County jailer has been accused of sexually assaulting a female prisoner at the auxiliary jail in 2007.
Twenty-year-old Andrew Duane Sloan was charged Wednesday with sexual battery. Court papers say Sloan, while serving as a jailer, groped a 25-year-old inmate in August 2007.
Sloan was fired that month, but no charges were filed at that time.
He was later charged with unrelated sex crimes. In July 2008, he was charged with raping a woman and in August he was charged with sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 14.
Picture and Other Information: http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/37349204.html
Friday, January 09, 2009
Another Taser Death-- No Charges Filed Against Officer J.J. Baird
MOBERLY, Mo.
A Howard County prosecutor says no criminal charges will be filed in the death of a suspected drunken driver killed after a police officer fired a Taser at him.
Prosecutor Mason Gebhardt says Moberly police officer J.J. Baird was justified in using a Taser to try to arrest 23-year-old Stanley Harlan of Moberly during a traffic stop in August.
Gebhardt says he reviewed reports and a video of the incident to determine Harlan was resisting arrest.
Baird made the stop, suspecting Harlan was driving drunk and placed him under arrest. Police say when Harlan resisted, the officer deployed his Taser twice to subdue him.
The first Taser shock lasted five seconds and the subsequent shock was only one second. Harlan became unresponsive soon thereafter.
Officers started CPR until an ambulance arrived.
Harlan was pronounced dead at a hospital.
A Howard County prosecutor says no criminal charges will be filed in the death of a suspected drunken driver killed after a police officer fired a Taser at him.
Prosecutor Mason Gebhardt says Moberly police officer J.J. Baird was justified in using a Taser to try to arrest 23-year-old Stanley Harlan of Moberly during a traffic stop in August.
Gebhardt says he reviewed reports and a video of the incident to determine Harlan was resisting arrest.
Baird made the stop, suspecting Harlan was driving drunk and placed him under arrest. Police say when Harlan resisted, the officer deployed his Taser twice to subdue him.
The first Taser shock lasted five seconds and the subsequent shock was only one second. Harlan became unresponsive soon thereafter.
Officers started CPR until an ambulance arrived.
Harlan was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Officer James Crespo III Arrested for DWI
An off-duty New Orleans police officer was arrested this week and charged with driving while intoxicated on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.
James Crespo III, 52, was headed northbound Monday around 2:30 a.m. when a Causeway police officer spotted him speeding on the bridge a few miles from the north shore, said Causeway Police Chief Nick Congemi.
The officer, who was using radar equipment, pulled Crespo over at the north toll plaza in Mandeville, Congemi said.
He asked for Crespo's information and that he step out of his vehicle, he said. It is unclear whether Crespo, who lives in New Orleans, was driving an unmarked squad car or his own personal vehicle.
Crespo, an administrative sergeant who has been with the NOPD since 1978, appeared unsteady as he walked to the rear of his vehicle, then upon reaching the rear of the vehicle, leaned against the rear for balance, Congemi said.
He removed his wallet, which contained his New Orleans police commission, and handed the officer his driver's license, he said. However, Crespo refused the officer's request that he submit to a field sobriety test, Congemi said.
The officer asked whether Crespo was carrying a weapon, and Crespo said that he had a gun and that it was in the vehicle, he said.
He then retrieved Crespo's gun, which apparently was his personal weapon, as opposed to his service revolver, Congemi said.
The officer then handcuffed Crespo and arrested him before taking him to Louisiana State Police Troop L, he said. Crespo refused to take a breathalyzer test at Troop L.
In addition to DWI, Crespo is charged with driving 77 mph in a 65-mph zone, Congemi said.
Crespo's age and address were not immediately available from Causeway police.
Congemi said he expects the charges to be filed Monday with the St. Tammany Parish district attorney's office.
James Crespo III, 52, was headed northbound Monday around 2:30 a.m. when a Causeway police officer spotted him speeding on the bridge a few miles from the north shore, said Causeway Police Chief Nick Congemi.
The officer, who was using radar equipment, pulled Crespo over at the north toll plaza in Mandeville, Congemi said.
He asked for Crespo's information and that he step out of his vehicle, he said. It is unclear whether Crespo, who lives in New Orleans, was driving an unmarked squad car or his own personal vehicle.
Crespo, an administrative sergeant who has been with the NOPD since 1978, appeared unsteady as he walked to the rear of his vehicle, then upon reaching the rear of the vehicle, leaned against the rear for balance, Congemi said.
He removed his wallet, which contained his New Orleans police commission, and handed the officer his driver's license, he said. However, Crespo refused the officer's request that he submit to a field sobriety test, Congemi said.
The officer asked whether Crespo was carrying a weapon, and Crespo said that he had a gun and that it was in the vehicle, he said.
He then retrieved Crespo's gun, which apparently was his personal weapon, as opposed to his service revolver, Congemi said.
The officer then handcuffed Crespo and arrested him before taking him to Louisiana State Police Troop L, he said. Crespo refused to take a breathalyzer test at Troop L.
In addition to DWI, Crespo is charged with driving 77 mph in a 65-mph zone, Congemi said.
Crespo's age and address were not immediately available from Causeway police.
Congemi said he expects the charges to be filed Monday with the St. Tammany Parish district attorney's office.
Officer Bobby Hoese Charged with Aggravated Battery
EDWARDSVILLE
A Pontoon Beach police officer was charged with two felonies -- aggravated battery and mob action -- on Friday in Madison County Circuit Court.
Sheriff's deputies took police Officer Bobby D. Hoese, 29, of Granite City, into custody on Wednesday after a fight outside the Inn Between Tavern in Granite City that left one man with facial fractures, according to Capt. Brad Wells, chief of detectives.
The argument between the off-duty officer and the victim, stemmed from a previous confrontation over a woman.
"We had understood that there was a problem in the past between Hoese and the victim over a female," Wells said.
After the argument inside the bar, Hoese called Dennis M. Barbee, 60, of Highland, from the bar and told him about the argument.
Barbee arrived at the bar on 5200 Maryville Road and he and Hoese followed the victim to the parking lot.
The victim was treated at a hospital and released.
Barbee was also charged with aggravated battery and mob action.
A bar patron told investigators that Hoese grabbed him by the throat and threw him to the ground when he tried to go outside and check on the victim.
Hoese also was charged with battery, which is a misdemeanor.
Both men surrendered at the Madison County Jail on Friday. Each man had bail set at $50,000, and both men posted bond by late Friday afternoon.
A news release issued by Pontoon Beach Police Chief Charles Luehmann stated Hoese was placed on administrative leave.
"Depending on the outcome of our internal investigation, we will establish the level of disciplinary action commensurate with the charges that are found to be true," stated the press release.
Information on whether Hoese would be paid while on leave was not available Friday evening.
Former Officer James Anthony Rodriguez Charged with Aggravated Sexual Assault
HOUSTON
A former Houston police officer is charged with aggravated sexual assault after a woman accused him of raping her while he was on patrol.
The Houston Chronicle reports 27-year-old James Anthony Rodriguez also is accused of brandishing a firearm during the Sept. 6 rape.
The incident allegedly occurred during a traffic stop while he worked as a patrol officer.
Police spokesman John Cannon says the victim reported the incident that day and the Houston Police Department immediately began an investigation.
The Harris County District Attorney's Office filed the charge against Rodriguez Dec. 15.
It wasn't immediately clear tonight whether Rodriguez had an attorney and a telephone number for him could not be found.
Rodriguez, who resigned from the police department on Nov. 22, was released on a $40,000 bond.
More Information:
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=6594211
A former Houston police officer is charged with aggravated sexual assault after a woman accused him of raping her while he was on patrol.
The Houston Chronicle reports 27-year-old James Anthony Rodriguez also is accused of brandishing a firearm during the Sept. 6 rape.
The incident allegedly occurred during a traffic stop while he worked as a patrol officer.
Police spokesman John Cannon says the victim reported the incident that day and the Houston Police Department immediately began an investigation.
The Harris County District Attorney's Office filed the charge against Rodriguez Dec. 15.
It wasn't immediately clear tonight whether Rodriguez had an attorney and a telephone number for him could not be found.
Rodriguez, who resigned from the police department on Nov. 22, was released on a $40,000 bond.
More Information:
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=6594211
Queensland Officer Accused of Assault
A Queensland police officer has been stood down from operational duties pending an investigation into an alleged assault.
A police statement said the 36-year-old sergeant from Brisbane's Metro North Region had been stood down on Thursday in relation to an alleged on-duty assault on December 21.
The officer will work in a non-operational position until the Ethical Standard Command investigation is finished.
No other information was given.
A police statement said the 36-year-old sergeant from Brisbane's Metro North Region had been stood down on Thursday in relation to an alleged on-duty assault on December 21.
The officer will work in a non-operational position until the Ethical Standard Command investigation is finished.
No other information was given.
Officer Duhamel Torres Accused of Sexually Assaulting Woman While on Duty
A Cleveland police officer is accused of sexually assaulting a woman while he was on duty.
Duhamel Torres, a 2nd District patrolman, faces kidnapping, rape and sexual battery charges, said Lt. Thomas Stacho, a police spokesman. Torres surrendered Thursday morning after investigators obtained an arrest warrant.
Stacho gave this description of the incident:
The woman was walking home and Torres offered her a ride. But he then drove past her house to a secluded area on Scranton Road and assaulted her.
The woman, who is acquainted with numerous police officers, told them about the assault. Those officers relayed the information to the department's Internal Affairs Unit.
Investigators received results from DNA tests Wednesday and consulted with prosecutors, Stacho said.
The city recently finished installing automatic-vehicle locators in its police cars. Investigators were able to confirm parts of the woman's story by using the locator in Torres' police car, Stacho said.
Torres has been on the force since October 2006 and was a Cleveland patrolman for about five years in the early 1990s but resigned, only to later rejoin the force.
He will be suspended without pay, Stacho said.
Steve Loomis, head of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, said the union was working to post bond and get Torres released from jail. The public shouldn't rush to judgment on Torres, Loomis said.
"Everybody is innocent until proven guilty," he said. "We look forward to our day in court."
Duhamel Torres, a 2nd District patrolman, faces kidnapping, rape and sexual battery charges, said Lt. Thomas Stacho, a police spokesman. Torres surrendered Thursday morning after investigators obtained an arrest warrant.
Stacho gave this description of the incident:
The woman was walking home and Torres offered her a ride. But he then drove past her house to a secluded area on Scranton Road and assaulted her.
The woman, who is acquainted with numerous police officers, told them about the assault. Those officers relayed the information to the department's Internal Affairs Unit.
Investigators received results from DNA tests Wednesday and consulted with prosecutors, Stacho said.
The city recently finished installing automatic-vehicle locators in its police cars. Investigators were able to confirm parts of the woman's story by using the locator in Torres' police car, Stacho said.
Torres has been on the force since October 2006 and was a Cleveland patrolman for about five years in the early 1990s but resigned, only to later rejoin the force.
He will be suspended without pay, Stacho said.
Steve Loomis, head of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, said the union was working to post bond and get Torres released from jail. The public shouldn't rush to judgment on Torres, Loomis said.
"Everybody is innocent until proven guilty," he said. "We look forward to our day in court."
More Informtaion:
Officer Michael North Charged with Buying Illegal Prescription Pills
McDONALD, Pa.
A municipal police officer in Washington County faces charges of drug possession following his arrest yesterday in McDonald.
Michael Andre North, 29, of McDonald, is charged with buying what he believed were oxycodone pills, a painkiller legally sold only by prescription.
He obtained the counterfeit drug from a police informant, according to an affidavit.
Mr. North remains on the roster as a part-time officer in Donora, where he was hired in 2003, and Smith Township, which hired him in 2005. Officials in the two municipalities said Mr. North will be off the job while the case is pending.
Mr. North was arraigned yesterday by District Judge David W. Mark in Canonsburg on charges of possession of a counterfeit controlled substance and attempting to possess a controlled substance.
He was freed on his own recognizance, with a preliminary hearing set for 9:45 a.m. Thursday before Judge Mark.
According to the affidavit, Mr. North had an ongoing arrangement to provide transportation to a pharmacy for an informant who regularly obtained prescriptions for oxycodone. The informant would share the pills with the officer.
On Thursday, state and county investigators arranged to record a conversation between the suspect and informant as they made arrangements for the next purchase, the affidavit said.
The two agreed that the informant would obtain transportation and leave Mr. North's share of the drugs in the informant's mailbox.
On his way home from work Thursday, Mr. North retrieved what he believed were oxycodone pills from the mailbox. Police followed the officer to his residence, where he was arrested.
Officials in Smith and Donora said they saw no indication Mr. North used the drugs while on duty.
More Information: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28580707/
A municipal police officer in Washington County faces charges of drug possession following his arrest yesterday in McDonald.
Michael Andre North, 29, of McDonald, is charged with buying what he believed were oxycodone pills, a painkiller legally sold only by prescription.
He obtained the counterfeit drug from a police informant, according to an affidavit.
Mr. North remains on the roster as a part-time officer in Donora, where he was hired in 2003, and Smith Township, which hired him in 2005. Officials in the two municipalities said Mr. North will be off the job while the case is pending.
Mr. North was arraigned yesterday by District Judge David W. Mark in Canonsburg on charges of possession of a counterfeit controlled substance and attempting to possess a controlled substance.
He was freed on his own recognizance, with a preliminary hearing set for 9:45 a.m. Thursday before Judge Mark.
According to the affidavit, Mr. North had an ongoing arrangement to provide transportation to a pharmacy for an informant who regularly obtained prescriptions for oxycodone. The informant would share the pills with the officer.
On Thursday, state and county investigators arranged to record a conversation between the suspect and informant as they made arrangements for the next purchase, the affidavit said.
The two agreed that the informant would obtain transportation and leave Mr. North's share of the drugs in the informant's mailbox.
On his way home from work Thursday, Mr. North retrieved what he believed were oxycodone pills from the mailbox. Police followed the officer to his residence, where he was arrested.
Officials in Smith and Donora said they saw no indication Mr. North used the drugs while on duty.
More Information: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28580707/
Deputy Christopher Barnes Arrested for Prescription Drug Trafficking
On Friday, January 9, 2009, a Walton Co. Sheriff Deputy was arrested and charged for prescription drug trafficking.
Deputy Sheriff-Investigators of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office arrested and charged Deputy Christopher J. Barnes with 1 count of trafficking in Oxycontin, 1 count of trafficking in hydrocodone, 1 count of obtaining prescriptions by fraud and 1 count of doctor shopping.
All counts are in violation of Florida State Statutes Chapter 893.
Christopher J. Barnes was a deputy with Walton Co. Sheriff’s Department at the time of the suspected criminal activity leading to the arrest.
Deputy Sheriff-Investigators of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office arrested and charged Deputy Christopher J. Barnes with 1 count of trafficking in Oxycontin, 1 count of trafficking in hydrocodone, 1 count of obtaining prescriptions by fraud and 1 count of doctor shopping.
All counts are in violation of Florida State Statutes Chapter 893.
Christopher J. Barnes was a deputy with Walton Co. Sheriff’s Department at the time of the suspected criminal activity leading to the arrest.
Sheriff Greg Bartlett Gives up Making Profit so Prisoners Can be Properly Fed
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.
An Alabama sheriff imprisoned after admitting he legally pocketed about $210,000 from his jail kitchen while providing skimpy meals to inmates agreed to give up future profits from the operation, a judge said Friday.
An order from U.S. District Judge U.W. Clemon shows that Morgan County Sheriff Greg Bartlett has promised to use all government funding he receives for food to actually feed prisoners in the county lockup, which holds about 300 men and women.
That's a change from the past, when Bartlett — like other Alabama sheriffs — kept any profits generated by the kitchen under a state law dating to the 1920s.
Aside from forgoing the money, Clemon's order said Bartlett promised to follow USDA guidelines and provide inmates with meals that include fresh fruit and milk: two items prisoners said they rarely or never received in the past.
Clemon jailed Bartlett overnight this week in a federal prison after ruling he purposely fed prisoners inadequately to maximize his personal profits under Alabama's unusual feeding system.
Clemon called windfalls under the law "reprehensible," but he stopped short of addressing whether it violated the constitutional rights of prisoners.
A lawyer for inmates said she hoped the decision would lead to better meals in the Morgan County Jail and changes in the law statewide.
"We hope this will encourage the Legislature to revisit the statute that allows sheriffs to keep profits from feeding inmates," said attorney Melanie Velez of the Atlanta-based Southern Center for Human Rights.
Bartlett issued a statement Friday saying he had received only 15 complaints about food after serving almost 330,000 meals in 2008. He speculated that some of the complaining inmates might have been shorted by other inmates serving them.
He also said sheriffs can lose money under the jail food funding system.
"I agree that on the surface, Alabama state law on the feeding system is hard to understand and to defend," he said. "If a sheriff makes $4,000 or $1 in a month's time it's called starving inmates, if an inmate gains weight it's called wasting tax payer dollars feeding criminals that murdered, robbed, raped and molested the citizens of our community."
Because Alabama's law makes sheriffs responsible for feeding inmates, rather than the counties where they work, some have to pay out of pocket to cover shortfalls.
An Associated Press review last year found that sheriffs in 55 of Alabama's 67 counties operate under a Depression-era system that allows them to make money operating their jail kitchens.
Several sheriffs who agreed to speak to AP about their feeding operations said they were receiving small profits from the system, but none would disclose an exact amount.
Bartlett testified that he pocketed some $212,000 in kitchen profits over the last three years, reporting the money as income on his personal tax returns. Bartlett's profit margin last year was about 50 percent, based on his testimony.
"That's just an astronomical amount of money for a county," said Velez, the lawyer for prisoners.
The state pays sheriffs $1.75 a day for each prisoner they house and lets the elected officers keep any profits they can generate. Bartlett and some other sheriffs also receive a smaller state supplement, money from their counties and payments from the U.S. government for housing federal prisoners.
Clemon reviewed practices in Morgan County because of a 2001 settlement in a federal lawsuit over conditions in the jail. In that agreement, the jail is required to provide prisoners with "nutritionally adequate" meals — something Clemon said Bartlett had failed to do.
The judge's order dealt only with Morgan County, but the head of the Alabama Sheriff's Association, Bobby Timmons, said the case could have a statewide impact on jailhouse practices.
In his decision, Clemon said Morgan County would be responsible for any shortfall if the jail kitchen begins operating at a deficit.
**********************
I just don't understand how this fucker can still be running the jail...shouldn't he be locked up for theft? And then never allowed to work at the jail again?
An Alabama sheriff imprisoned after admitting he legally pocketed about $210,000 from his jail kitchen while providing skimpy meals to inmates agreed to give up future profits from the operation, a judge said Friday.
An order from U.S. District Judge U.W. Clemon shows that Morgan County Sheriff Greg Bartlett has promised to use all government funding he receives for food to actually feed prisoners in the county lockup, which holds about 300 men and women.
That's a change from the past, when Bartlett — like other Alabama sheriffs — kept any profits generated by the kitchen under a state law dating to the 1920s.
Aside from forgoing the money, Clemon's order said Bartlett promised to follow USDA guidelines and provide inmates with meals that include fresh fruit and milk: two items prisoners said they rarely or never received in the past.
Clemon jailed Bartlett overnight this week in a federal prison after ruling he purposely fed prisoners inadequately to maximize his personal profits under Alabama's unusual feeding system.
Clemon called windfalls under the law "reprehensible," but he stopped short of addressing whether it violated the constitutional rights of prisoners.
A lawyer for inmates said she hoped the decision would lead to better meals in the Morgan County Jail and changes in the law statewide.
"We hope this will encourage the Legislature to revisit the statute that allows sheriffs to keep profits from feeding inmates," said attorney Melanie Velez of the Atlanta-based Southern Center for Human Rights.
Bartlett issued a statement Friday saying he had received only 15 complaints about food after serving almost 330,000 meals in 2008. He speculated that some of the complaining inmates might have been shorted by other inmates serving them.
He also said sheriffs can lose money under the jail food funding system.
"I agree that on the surface, Alabama state law on the feeding system is hard to understand and to defend," he said. "If a sheriff makes $4,000 or $1 in a month's time it's called starving inmates, if an inmate gains weight it's called wasting tax payer dollars feeding criminals that murdered, robbed, raped and molested the citizens of our community."
Because Alabama's law makes sheriffs responsible for feeding inmates, rather than the counties where they work, some have to pay out of pocket to cover shortfalls.
An Associated Press review last year found that sheriffs in 55 of Alabama's 67 counties operate under a Depression-era system that allows them to make money operating their jail kitchens.
Several sheriffs who agreed to speak to AP about their feeding operations said they were receiving small profits from the system, but none would disclose an exact amount.
Bartlett testified that he pocketed some $212,000 in kitchen profits over the last three years, reporting the money as income on his personal tax returns. Bartlett's profit margin last year was about 50 percent, based on his testimony.
"That's just an astronomical amount of money for a county," said Velez, the lawyer for prisoners.
The state pays sheriffs $1.75 a day for each prisoner they house and lets the elected officers keep any profits they can generate. Bartlett and some other sheriffs also receive a smaller state supplement, money from their counties and payments from the U.S. government for housing federal prisoners.
Clemon reviewed practices in Morgan County because of a 2001 settlement in a federal lawsuit over conditions in the jail. In that agreement, the jail is required to provide prisoners with "nutritionally adequate" meals — something Clemon said Bartlett had failed to do.
The judge's order dealt only with Morgan County, but the head of the Alabama Sheriff's Association, Bobby Timmons, said the case could have a statewide impact on jailhouse practices.
In his decision, Clemon said Morgan County would be responsible for any shortfall if the jail kitchen begins operating at a deficit.
**********************
I just don't understand how this fucker can still be running the jail...shouldn't he be locked up for theft? And then never allowed to work at the jail again?
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Trooper Brian Smith was Questioned before Going on Shooting Spree
SOUTHLAKE
Just hours before he went on a shooting spree that left two people dead last month, a former Utah state trooper was questioned by Southlake police and learned he’d soon be arrested on burglary and robbery charges, according to police documents released Thursday.
Brian Gamble Smith, 37, shot himself early Dec. 23 in Garland during a standoff with police that followed three shootings on Interstate 635 in Dallas and a shooting and pharmacy robbery in Garland. He died the next day.
The documents released Thursday detail Southlake police officers’ investigation into a Dec. 17 mugging and a Dec. 22 vehicle burglary. Detectives connected Smith to crimes after a witness to the vehicle burglary wrote down his license plate number.
Southlake Detective Richard Anderson interviewed Gamble about the burglary about 12:45 p.m. Dec. 22, about two hours after it was reported, according to the documents.
Gamble was cooperative and "very calm" at first, denying any involvement, Anderson wrote in his arrest warrant affidavit. After about half an hour of questioning, Smith grew "irritated" and said he wanted to end the interview, Anderson wrote. Anderson agreed but told Smith he was going to obtain a warrant for Smith’s arrest later that day.
Anderson then walked Smith to the police department lobby and asked him to wait so Anderson could give him a business card. When Anderson returned, he told Smith he had surveillance video showing Smith committing the burglary, according to the affidavit. Anderson also said the video showed a woman in the car and asked if she was Smith’s wife. Smith said the woman wasn’t his wife but declined to identify her and asked to stop the interview.
Anderson then walked Smith to the parking lot, the affidavit states.
About 5:30 that night, a man identified himself as Brian Smith and said he needed to refill a prescription, then produced a handgun and stole OxyContin from behind the counter of a Kroger pharmacy in Garland. By 6 p.m., four shootings had been reported in the area and two men were dead.
Smith left the Utah state troopers after an investigation that found he was abusing prescription drugs and alcohol. The investigation was prompted by a January 2008 incident in which he threatened to commit suicide.
Just hours before he went on a shooting spree that left two people dead last month, a former Utah state trooper was questioned by Southlake police and learned he’d soon be arrested on burglary and robbery charges, according to police documents released Thursday.
Brian Gamble Smith, 37, shot himself early Dec. 23 in Garland during a standoff with police that followed three shootings on Interstate 635 in Dallas and a shooting and pharmacy robbery in Garland. He died the next day.
The documents released Thursday detail Southlake police officers’ investigation into a Dec. 17 mugging and a Dec. 22 vehicle burglary. Detectives connected Smith to crimes after a witness to the vehicle burglary wrote down his license plate number.
Southlake Detective Richard Anderson interviewed Gamble about the burglary about 12:45 p.m. Dec. 22, about two hours after it was reported, according to the documents.
Gamble was cooperative and "very calm" at first, denying any involvement, Anderson wrote in his arrest warrant affidavit. After about half an hour of questioning, Smith grew "irritated" and said he wanted to end the interview, Anderson wrote. Anderson agreed but told Smith he was going to obtain a warrant for Smith’s arrest later that day.
Anderson then walked Smith to the police department lobby and asked him to wait so Anderson could give him a business card. When Anderson returned, he told Smith he had surveillance video showing Smith committing the burglary, according to the affidavit. Anderson also said the video showed a woman in the car and asked if she was Smith’s wife. Smith said the woman wasn’t his wife but declined to identify her and asked to stop the interview.
Anderson then walked Smith to the parking lot, the affidavit states.
About 5:30 that night, a man identified himself as Brian Smith and said he needed to refill a prescription, then produced a handgun and stole OxyContin from behind the counter of a Kroger pharmacy in Garland. By 6 p.m., four shootings had been reported in the area and two men were dead.
Smith left the Utah state troopers after an investigation that found he was abusing prescription drugs and alcohol. The investigation was prompted by a January 2008 incident in which he threatened to commit suicide.
Officer Nicholas Parks Tasers Hula Hoop Lady
NORFOLK
The officer who used a Taser to shock the Hula Hoop Lady of Granby Street in October felt he had no choice but to do so, according to Norfolk's city attorney.
On Tuesday, lawyers for Pamela Brown filed a lawsuit in Norfolk Circuit Court, seeking $5 million in damages against Officer Nicholas Parks. The lawsuit says Parks violated Brown's civil rights and used excessive force during the incident.
Brown, 49, was charged with making excessive noise and assaulting Parks after he responded to a noise complaint on the median of Granby Street near Wards Corner, where she hula-hoops. Brown suffered a brain injury in 1977 when she was hit by a truck, and she has seizures and short-term memory loss. A prosecutor dropped the charges in November.
According to the lawsuit, Parks disregarded Brown's repeated statements that her injuries prevented her from putting her arm behind her back, as the officer had ordered. The lawsuit says Parks ignored Brown's efforts to tell him about the documents she had with her that described her condition.
The exchange was captured on a camera mounted on Parks' Taser. City Attorney Bernard Pishko said Tuesday that he had reviewed the tape with Parks.
"We're not defending it as best practice," Pishko said. However, "Officer Parks didn't know he was dealing with a citizen who was brain-injured.... All he knew was she was noncompliant and agitated."
Pishko said he supported dismissing the criminal charges against Brown because there wouldn't have been any point to prosecuting them. Further, he said, Brown had not suffered any serious injury from the shocks.
"The officer misjudged," Pishko said. "He didn't realize she was brain-damaged and overreacted."
Earlier Tuesday, Brown's lawyers gathered outside the courthouse. They said Brown had been injured by the Taser.
"She's a cracked egg to begin with," said Stephen Smith, one of her lawyers. "When she was out there with her hula hoop, she was somebody. Now she's scared. She needs more and intensive psychological therapy and rehabilitation."
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/01/attorney-officer-felt-he-had-taser-hula-hoop-lady
The officer who used a Taser to shock the Hula Hoop Lady of Granby Street in October felt he had no choice but to do so, according to Norfolk's city attorney.
On Tuesday, lawyers for Pamela Brown filed a lawsuit in Norfolk Circuit Court, seeking $5 million in damages against Officer Nicholas Parks. The lawsuit says Parks violated Brown's civil rights and used excessive force during the incident.
Brown, 49, was charged with making excessive noise and assaulting Parks after he responded to a noise complaint on the median of Granby Street near Wards Corner, where she hula-hoops. Brown suffered a brain injury in 1977 when she was hit by a truck, and she has seizures and short-term memory loss. A prosecutor dropped the charges in November.
According to the lawsuit, Parks disregarded Brown's repeated statements that her injuries prevented her from putting her arm behind her back, as the officer had ordered. The lawsuit says Parks ignored Brown's efforts to tell him about the documents she had with her that described her condition.
The exchange was captured on a camera mounted on Parks' Taser. City Attorney Bernard Pishko said Tuesday that he had reviewed the tape with Parks.
"We're not defending it as best practice," Pishko said. However, "Officer Parks didn't know he was dealing with a citizen who was brain-injured.... All he knew was she was noncompliant and agitated."
Pishko said he supported dismissing the criminal charges against Brown because there wouldn't have been any point to prosecuting them. Further, he said, Brown had not suffered any serious injury from the shocks.
"The officer misjudged," Pishko said. "He didn't realize she was brain-damaged and overreacted."
Earlier Tuesday, Brown's lawyers gathered outside the courthouse. They said Brown had been injured by the Taser.
"She's a cracked egg to begin with," said Stephen Smith, one of her lawyers. "When she was out there with her hula hoop, she was somebody. Now she's scared. She needs more and intensive psychological therapy and rehabilitation."
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/01/attorney-officer-felt-he-had-taser-hula-hoop-lady
Former Officer Arrested for Not Paying Child Support
A former Police officer was the latest father to be arrested for not paying child support; as ordered by the court.
On January 8, 2009 at 12:30 p.m. the defendant walked into the Road Town Police Station to conduct business in the Administration Office, when he was spotted by the Senior Court Officer.
A default warrant of $2,717.50 is in existence for the arrest and imprisonment of the defendant for not paying child support to the mother of his child as maintenance. The defendant had not paid for a period of over six (6) months.
He had informed local court marshals that he would have paid the money in December, 2008, but he did not pay as promised.
If the defendant does not pay the sum of $2,717.50 by 3p.m. on 8th January, 2009, he will be transported to Her Majesty’s Prison where he will be detained for six (6) months until the monies are paid.
If the monies are not paid after six (6) months period, he will spend a further six (6) months in prison.
On January 8, 2009 at 12:30 p.m. the defendant walked into the Road Town Police Station to conduct business in the Administration Office, when he was spotted by the Senior Court Officer.
A default warrant of $2,717.50 is in existence for the arrest and imprisonment of the defendant for not paying child support to the mother of his child as maintenance. The defendant had not paid for a period of over six (6) months.
He had informed local court marshals that he would have paid the money in December, 2008, but he did not pay as promised.
If the defendant does not pay the sum of $2,717.50 by 3p.m. on 8th January, 2009, he will be transported to Her Majesty’s Prison where he will be detained for six (6) months until the monies are paid.
If the monies are not paid after six (6) months period, he will spend a further six (6) months in prison.
Former Officer Jeffery Webb Sr. Charged Again with Statutory Rape of Minor
JACKSON, Miss.
A judge has set a $100,000 bond for a former police officer accused of raping a minor.
Jeffery Webb Sr. is charged with statutory rape and sexual battery, according to the Jackson police docket. Details of the crime have not been made public.
This is the second time the 50-year-old former Jackson officer has been accused of rape.
Webb was charged with rape in 2002 for allegedly forcing a 16-year-old girl to have sex. He was acquitted of the charges in 2006.
Webb was found not guilty of the crime in March 2006 following a jury trial in Hinds County.
Information from: The Clarion-Ledger, http://www.clarionledger.com
More Information: http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20090107/NEWS/90107034
A judge has set a $100,000 bond for a former police officer accused of raping a minor.
Jeffery Webb Sr. is charged with statutory rape and sexual battery, according to the Jackson police docket. Details of the crime have not been made public.
This is the second time the 50-year-old former Jackson officer has been accused of rape.
Webb was charged with rape in 2002 for allegedly forcing a 16-year-old girl to have sex. He was acquitted of the charges in 2006.
Webb was found not guilty of the crime in March 2006 following a jury trial in Hinds County.
Information from: The Clarion-Ledger, http://www.clarionledger.com
More Information: http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20090107/NEWS/90107034
Former Sheriff Jim Williamson Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud
DUBLIN
Former Telfair County Sheriff Jim Williamson pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal charge of mail fraud and deprivation of honest services stemming from allegations that he embezzled fine money, accepted bribes and purchased personal items with county funds.
Williamson, 48, waived his right to indictment by a grand jury and the right to have his case tried by a jury. He instead signed a plea agreement. A sentencing date was not set, but he could face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
As part of the agreement, Williamson, who did not seek re-election last year under the county’s two-term limit, agreed to pay restitution of $10,000. However, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Tanner said receipt books from the sheriff’s office were never recovered, so investigators are not sure how much county money is actually missing.
“Mr. Williamson has made it very difficult for us to do that ... without having to track down every citation that was issued in the last eight years and tracking down every person who was issued a citation,” FBI agent Robert Jones said.
Jones testified Wednesday that a joint investigation by the FBI and GBI alleged that Williamson collected fines that were never paid to the county’s probate court and that he kept $5,000 seized in a traffic stop. The sheriff also mailed a letter and a check drawn from a county account to make a monthly payment on an all-terrain vehicle kept for his personal use, Jones said.
Williamson also was accused of accepting money to get a Telfair State Prison inmate transferred to the county jail so the inmate “could spend time with his girlfriend,” Jones said.
Williamson told U.S. District Judge Dudley Bowen that he denied accepting money from the inmate and pocketing the cash from the traffic stop but still wanted to plead guilty. He said he accepted the $10,000 restitution figure as a fair estimate.
“There’s probably one person who knows the extent of the malfeasance, and that’s you,” Bowen told Williamson.
Prosecutors allege that Williamson’s misconduct began in January 2004, about the time he began his second term. Jones’ testimony provided some details of the investigation:
Former sheriff’s deputy Glenn Giles told investigators that Williamson dropped charges from a traffic stop the deputy had made but kept the fine money with the intent of paying for a party celebrating his re-election. Giles said the party was never held.
Giles also said Williamson said he planned to buy shotguns and Tasers with the $5,000 seized in a separate traffic stop but that the items were never purchased. No charges were filed in the case. Williamson testified Wednesday that he believes the money was used to buy cars for the sheriff’s office.
Probate Judge Diane Walker and a probate court employee told investigators of four or five instances in which citations and paperwork were turned in by the sheriff but fines were not included. They also reported instances in which residents brought receipts to the probate court, showing they had paid the fines to the sheriff’s office but the money was not turned in.
A man charged with driving under the influence paid an $850 fine to the sheriff’s office. Williamson reduced the charge to driving too fast for conditions and returned some of the money but did not send the rest to the probate court.
Former deputy Johnny Smith, who is now sheriff, arrested a suspect on multiple counts of theft by taking involving automobiles. The man was released on a $15,000 cash bond. Later, while incarcerated in Telfair State Prison, the man asked Williamson to get him transferred to the county jail, saying it would be “worth something to him.” The bond money was never deposited in a sheriff’s office account, and eventually $6,500 was given back to the suspect. Williamson received $4,200, and $4,300 was sent to the court.
Williamson used county funds to buy a 2006 Polaris ATV for $6,100. He twice refinanced the loan for the four-wheeler, with the second loan on Aug. 20, 2008, also intended to buy another ATV. Investigators recovered the four-wheeler at Williamson’s home in Milan. “The interviews we conducted indicated that the four-wheeler was never used for official business, only personal business,” Jones said.
As terms of his bond, Bowen ordered Williamson to get rid of any firearms he still possessed and to not engage in law enforcement activities. The judge also restricted his travel to within the court’s Southern District of Georgia.
Though Williamson disputed some of the allegations, “he is cooperating fully,” his attorney, Ashley McLaughlin, said after the hearing.
Williamson was released on a $10,000 bond until a sentencing hearing is held.
“I’m just glad it’s over,” Williamson said outside the courtroom.
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