A Fort Worth police officer was arrested this morning on suspicion of driving under the influence, authorities said.
Officer P. Payton was arrested by North Richland Hills police, said Fort Worth police Sgt. Pedro Criado. He was released after posting bail.
Payton has been placed on restricted duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation. Payton has been with the department for approximately a year, Criado said.
Information: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/012609dnmetfwofficer.6f48c25.html
Monday, January 26, 2009
Judge Curtissa Cofield Arrested for DUI Uses Racially Offensive Language
ROCKY HILL, Conn.
A surveillance video released of a judge facing several alcohol-related charges shows the woman using racially offensive language aimed at a Connecticut state trooper.
According to the police report, when Judge Curtissa Cofield was pulled over for sideswiping a police cruiser, she smelled of alcohol. Police stated in the report that Cofield appeared confused and not aware that she was in accident.
She also failed the field sobriety test, it states.
However, officers said things got worse during processing. They said she used racially offensive language in addressing a state trooper.
On the video, Cofield, who is black, asked Sgt. Dwight Washington, who is also black, "if a Negro was sent to arrest a Negro." She also called herself the most intelligent person in the room.
Another judge granted Cofield admittance into an alcohol rehabilitation program. Her record will be cleared upon completion.
Previous Stories:
Dec. 8, 2008: Judge Granted Entrance To Alcohol Program
Nov. 24, 2008: Trooper Objects To Clearing Judge's Name
A surveillance video released of a judge facing several alcohol-related charges shows the woman using racially offensive language aimed at a Connecticut state trooper.
According to the police report, when Judge Curtissa Cofield was pulled over for sideswiping a police cruiser, she smelled of alcohol. Police stated in the report that Cofield appeared confused and not aware that she was in accident.
She also failed the field sobriety test, it states.
However, officers said things got worse during processing. They said she used racially offensive language in addressing a state trooper.
On the video, Cofield, who is black, asked Sgt. Dwight Washington, who is also black, "if a Negro was sent to arrest a Negro." She also called herself the most intelligent person in the room.
Another judge granted Cofield admittance into an alcohol rehabilitation program. Her record will be cleared upon completion.
Previous Stories:
Dec. 8, 2008: Judge Granted Entrance To Alcohol Program
Nov. 24, 2008: Trooper Objects To Clearing Judge's Name
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Police Brutality
Allegations of police brutality are not new. Every country has its own serious issues on this subject. Police officers are known for having created their own society with its own rules whereby, as if by law, they all cover for, and support each other in times of crisis.
On one level this is good because it gives them additional courage to take on criminals but, on the other, this turns them into a group who think that they live by their own rules and, sometimes, above the law.
Unfortunately, this police belief in their own invincibility, often written into law, leaves citizens feeling unprotected and exposed to all kinds of police brutality.
These Officer should be exposed and held responsible for any form of brutality. Until reform of the justice systems occurs such officers will continue feeling they can operate as if they were invincible.
The Following is a repost from Kendra Anderson. She is a second year magazine production student from Stafford Va http://media.www.thefamuanonline.com/media/storage/paper319/news/2009/01/23/Opinions/Brutality.Reaches.Its.Peak-3595058.shtml
The judicial system is being held under a magnifying glass, as civilians are being abused and killed for unjust reasons. Many police and correction officers are abusing their privileges and taking advantage of their occupation. Officers are supposed to be the people enforcing the law, not abusing it.
Johannes Mehserle, a former Bay Area Rapid Transit Officer, is one of those who decided to take matters into his own hands. According to cnn.com, Mehserle shot and killed 22- year-old Oscar Grant at a BART subway station in Oakland, Calif. on New Year's Day.
Trust is something that many Americans, including myself have always had in the judicial system. Everyone believed that police officers have a duty to promote justice and be advocates for peace.
However, I am not oblivious to the unfair practices that certain officers chose to use on certain groups of people specifically, African-American men.
The wrong doings of many law enforcers are pushed under the rug and most often covered up. As a result, it never reaches the public.
The Director of Amnesty International, Dalia Hashad, said, "The delay in this critical part of the investigation hints at the callousness to the worth of human life to a public that is all too familiar with racial profiling, police brutality and cover-ups."
Mehserle and his attorney expect to, "raise self defense arguments because he was responding to a brawl and no one had been searched for weapons before he arrived at the train station."
The Grant shooting was caught on video and many viewed it on youtube.com including myself. I was baffled while viewing an unarmed black male treated with excessive aggression and later shot in the back. What did Grant do wrong? He was cooperative as he lay facedown on the ground, not knowing that he would never get up.
It's sad to say that race starts to play a factor in wondering why Grant was treated in this manner. Although race is not always the issue when it comes to police brutality, it still does exist whether society wants to recognize it or not.
All police officials do not act in this matter, but a more strict protocol should be enforced so incidents like this will stop occurring. Certain situations cause for police officers to defend themselves and retaliate, but if the person is unarmed and cooperating, how is that justified?
It is police officers job to mediate situations not escalate them. What qualifications allow a police officer to shoot a person? The line between self-defense and manslaughter has become blurred.
Police brutality is an issue, from the Rodney King civil case in Los Angeles to the Martin Lee Anderson case in Florida, and this most recently with Oscar Grant.
Lately, it has been hard to pinpoint who the real criminals are.
On one level this is good because it gives them additional courage to take on criminals but, on the other, this turns them into a group who think that they live by their own rules and, sometimes, above the law.
Unfortunately, this police belief in their own invincibility, often written into law, leaves citizens feeling unprotected and exposed to all kinds of police brutality.
These Officer should be exposed and held responsible for any form of brutality. Until reform of the justice systems occurs such officers will continue feeling they can operate as if they were invincible.
The Following is a repost from Kendra Anderson. She is a second year magazine production student from Stafford Va http://media.www.thefamuanonline.com/media/storage/paper319/news/2009/01/23/Opinions/Brutality.Reaches.Its.Peak-3595058.shtml
The judicial system is being held under a magnifying glass, as civilians are being abused and killed for unjust reasons. Many police and correction officers are abusing their privileges and taking advantage of their occupation. Officers are supposed to be the people enforcing the law, not abusing it.
Johannes Mehserle, a former Bay Area Rapid Transit Officer, is one of those who decided to take matters into his own hands. According to cnn.com, Mehserle shot and killed 22- year-old Oscar Grant at a BART subway station in Oakland, Calif. on New Year's Day.
Trust is something that many Americans, including myself have always had in the judicial system. Everyone believed that police officers have a duty to promote justice and be advocates for peace.
However, I am not oblivious to the unfair practices that certain officers chose to use on certain groups of people specifically, African-American men.
The wrong doings of many law enforcers are pushed under the rug and most often covered up. As a result, it never reaches the public.
The Director of Amnesty International, Dalia Hashad, said, "The delay in this critical part of the investigation hints at the callousness to the worth of human life to a public that is all too familiar with racial profiling, police brutality and cover-ups."
Mehserle and his attorney expect to, "raise self defense arguments because he was responding to a brawl and no one had been searched for weapons before he arrived at the train station."
The Grant shooting was caught on video and many viewed it on youtube.com including myself. I was baffled while viewing an unarmed black male treated with excessive aggression and later shot in the back. What did Grant do wrong? He was cooperative as he lay facedown on the ground, not knowing that he would never get up.
It's sad to say that race starts to play a factor in wondering why Grant was treated in this manner. Although race is not always the issue when it comes to police brutality, it still does exist whether society wants to recognize it or not.
All police officials do not act in this matter, but a more strict protocol should be enforced so incidents like this will stop occurring. Certain situations cause for police officers to defend themselves and retaliate, but if the person is unarmed and cooperating, how is that justified?
It is police officers job to mediate situations not escalate them. What qualifications allow a police officer to shoot a person? The line between self-defense and manslaughter has become blurred.
Police brutality is an issue, from the Rodney King civil case in Los Angeles to the Martin Lee Anderson case in Florida, and this most recently with Oscar Grant.
Lately, it has been hard to pinpoint who the real criminals are.
Corrections Officer William J Edwards Arrested for Burglary
FORT MYERS, Fla.
A Lee County Sheriff's Office Corrections Officer was arrested early Sunday morning.
Fort Myers Police went to O'Brien Auto Mall on 2850 Colonial Boulevard at 2:18 Sunday morning after somebody called police to report a possible burglary in progress. When they arrived they saw two men inside the car lot's fenced area.
When stopped, at first the two men denied any wrongdoing. Officers then searched the area and found a round nylon bag containing 18 lug nuts. The officers discovered the two suspects entered the compound with burglary tools and had removed the lug nuts from a 2008 blue Subaru Impreza.
The two suspects were arrested and charged with burglary of a structure, possession of burglary tools with intent to use, and petty theft.
One of those arrested was 23-year-old Lee County Sheriff's Office Corrections Officer William J. Edwards.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office said Corrections Officer Edwards began work with the Sheriff's Office on October 23, 2007.
Corrections Officer Edwards was immediately placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an Internal Affairs Investigation.
In a statement Sheriff Mike Scott said, "While disappointing to say the least... the events of this weekend involving a Fort Myers police officer and a Lee County corrections officer being arrested proves the resolve of local law enforcement that nobody is above the law."
Edwards was released from jail Sunday morning.
A Lee County Sheriff's Office Corrections Officer was arrested early Sunday morning.
Fort Myers Police went to O'Brien Auto Mall on 2850 Colonial Boulevard at 2:18 Sunday morning after somebody called police to report a possible burglary in progress. When they arrived they saw two men inside the car lot's fenced area.
When stopped, at first the two men denied any wrongdoing. Officers then searched the area and found a round nylon bag containing 18 lug nuts. The officers discovered the two suspects entered the compound with burglary tools and had removed the lug nuts from a 2008 blue Subaru Impreza.
The two suspects were arrested and charged with burglary of a structure, possession of burglary tools with intent to use, and petty theft.
One of those arrested was 23-year-old Lee County Sheriff's Office Corrections Officer William J. Edwards.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office said Corrections Officer Edwards began work with the Sheriff's Office on October 23, 2007.
Corrections Officer Edwards was immediately placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an Internal Affairs Investigation.
In a statement Sheriff Mike Scott said, "While disappointing to say the least... the events of this weekend involving a Fort Myers police officer and a Lee County corrections officer being arrested proves the resolve of local law enforcement that nobody is above the law."
Edwards was released from jail Sunday morning.
Former Detective Richard Dorman Accused of Sexually Assaulting Little Girl
HOUSTON
A former detective accused of sexually assaulting a child was told by a judge on Friday to not have any contact with the girl.
Richard Dorman, a 59-year-old retired Harris County sheriff's deputy, is charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child under the age of 14.
A judge found probable cause to make the charge stick on Friday.
A girl has claimed that Dorman started touching her when she was 8-years-old. She told investigators that Dorman repeatedly touched her private areas.
"Any time a victim in our community, especially someone at the age of our complainant in this case, which is 9-years-old, we take that very seriously," Assistant District Attorney Justin Wood said. "We will do whatever it takes to make sure she's protected."
Dorman spent 26 years as a deputy. He retired six years ago as a detective.
He and the girl making the accusations lived in the Shore Acres community. Her father, who is not identifying, said the families were close and that the girl would spend the night at Dorman's house, along with other children.
"He would do what he would do when she was there spending the night," the father said.
A woman who said she was Dorman's wife said, "It's all made up -- retaliation. (He's) great with kids. Everybody in the neighborhood over there called him Paw Paw."
Dorman's bond was set at $30,000. The judge warned Dorman not to go near his accuser if he posts bond, even if it means moving to a new address. He remained in jail Friday afternoon.
Dorman's attorney said because he just received the case, he was not ready to comment.
More Information: Court Document: Texas Vs. Richard Allen Dorman
A former detective accused of sexually assaulting a child was told by a judge on Friday to not have any contact with the girl.
Richard Dorman, a 59-year-old retired Harris County sheriff's deputy, is charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child under the age of 14.
A judge found probable cause to make the charge stick on Friday.
A girl has claimed that Dorman started touching her when she was 8-years-old. She told investigators that Dorman repeatedly touched her private areas.
"Any time a victim in our community, especially someone at the age of our complainant in this case, which is 9-years-old, we take that very seriously," Assistant District Attorney Justin Wood said. "We will do whatever it takes to make sure she's protected."
Dorman spent 26 years as a deputy. He retired six years ago as a detective.
He and the girl making the accusations lived in the Shore Acres community. Her father, who is not identifying, said the families were close and that the girl would spend the night at Dorman's house, along with other children.
"He would do what he would do when she was there spending the night," the father said.
A woman who said she was Dorman's wife said, "It's all made up -- retaliation. (He's) great with kids. Everybody in the neighborhood over there called him Paw Paw."
Dorman's bond was set at $30,000. The judge warned Dorman not to go near his accuser if he posts bond, even if it means moving to a new address. He remained in jail Friday afternoon.
Dorman's attorney said because he just received the case, he was not ready to comment.
More Information: Court Document: Texas Vs. Richard Allen Dorman
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Officer Leon Young Arrested for DUI
FORT MYERS, Fla.
A Fort Myers Police Officer was arrested early Saturday morning at a Lee County Sheriff's Office D.U.I check point. Officer Leon Young faces misdemeanor DUI Alcohol 1st Offense charges.
He was released from jail on a surety bond Saturday just before noon.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office arrest report says deputies saw the car Young was driving pull into a parking lot just before the D.U.I. checkpoint at 7070 College Parkway. Believing the driver was trying to avoid the checkpoint, deputies approached the car.
The deputy said Young's eyes appeared to be blood shot and watery and he was speaking with a "thick tongue". The deputy said he could smell alcohol on Young's breath.
The deputy also saw a green leafy substance on Young's shirt that he believed to be marijuana. Canine deputies also smelled narcotics in the air, but when Young's car was searched, no marijuana was discovered.
According to the report, Young did not want to do the field sobriety check and just asked to be taken to jail. Eventually Young agreed to take the field sobriety test. Young was then placed under arrest.
When Young was asked to take a breath test he told the arresting deputy that the deputy was part of the KKK, the arresting deputy's father was part of the KKK, and Young would not take the breath test.
Reacting to Young's arrest Fort Myers Police Chief Doug Baker told WINK News, "I am extremely disappointed. This is not the conduct that we would expect from one of our officers. State Statute and department policy requires due process and Officer Young has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a criminal investigation and an internal affairs investigation."
A Fort Myers Police Officer was arrested early Saturday morning at a Lee County Sheriff's Office D.U.I check point. Officer Leon Young faces misdemeanor DUI Alcohol 1st Offense charges.
He was released from jail on a surety bond Saturday just before noon.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office arrest report says deputies saw the car Young was driving pull into a parking lot just before the D.U.I. checkpoint at 7070 College Parkway. Believing the driver was trying to avoid the checkpoint, deputies approached the car.
The deputy said Young's eyes appeared to be blood shot and watery and he was speaking with a "thick tongue". The deputy said he could smell alcohol on Young's breath.
The deputy also saw a green leafy substance on Young's shirt that he believed to be marijuana. Canine deputies also smelled narcotics in the air, but when Young's car was searched, no marijuana was discovered.
According to the report, Young did not want to do the field sobriety check and just asked to be taken to jail. Eventually Young agreed to take the field sobriety test. Young was then placed under arrest.
When Young was asked to take a breath test he told the arresting deputy that the deputy was part of the KKK, the arresting deputy's father was part of the KKK, and Young would not take the breath test.
Reacting to Young's arrest Fort Myers Police Chief Doug Baker told WINK News, "I am extremely disappointed. This is not the conduct that we would expect from one of our officers. State Statute and department policy requires due process and Officer Young has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a criminal investigation and an internal affairs investigation."
Former Officer Maxwell Houghton Still Trying to Use His Badge to Get Out of Ticket
ST. GEORGE, Utah
A former police officer who flashed an official identification card for leniency at traffic stops has been charged with impersonating an officer.
Utah Highway Patrol officers say Maxwell Tyler Houghton pulled out the ID card twice at different stops last week despite having left the St. George Police Department nearly two years ago.
Troopers caught up with Houghton a third time and arrested him.
UHP Sgt. Dan Ferguson said it's illegal for anyone other than a police officer to possess police credentials.
Houghton, 27, was booked Friday in jail on charges of speeding and two counts of impersonating a police officer. He was released the same day on $1,331 bail.
Houghton, before saying anything at the first traffic stop Monday, produced his expired police ID along with a driver's license and a concealed weapons permit.
Trooper Roger Larson let Houghton go, then called the St. George Police Department to learn the supposed officer had left the department in April 2007 after less than a year on duty.
Then, on Friday, Ferguson said he stopped Houghton for speeding, and once more, Houghton showed a police credential. Ferguson said he cut Houghton loose, but then recalled Larson's encounter earlier in the week with a man showing an expired police ID.
This time, Ferguson and Larson caught up with Houghton and arrested him on state Route 9.
--
Information: http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11545187
A former police officer who flashed an official identification card for leniency at traffic stops has been charged with impersonating an officer.
Utah Highway Patrol officers say Maxwell Tyler Houghton pulled out the ID card twice at different stops last week despite having left the St. George Police Department nearly two years ago.
Troopers caught up with Houghton a third time and arrested him.
UHP Sgt. Dan Ferguson said it's illegal for anyone other than a police officer to possess police credentials.
Houghton, 27, was booked Friday in jail on charges of speeding and two counts of impersonating a police officer. He was released the same day on $1,331 bail.
Houghton, before saying anything at the first traffic stop Monday, produced his expired police ID along with a driver's license and a concealed weapons permit.
Trooper Roger Larson let Houghton go, then called the St. George Police Department to learn the supposed officer had left the department in April 2007 after less than a year on duty.
Then, on Friday, Ferguson said he stopped Houghton for speeding, and once more, Houghton showed a police credential. Ferguson said he cut Houghton loose, but then recalled Larson's encounter earlier in the week with a man showing an expired police ID.
This time, Ferguson and Larson caught up with Houghton and arrested him on state Route 9.
--
Information: http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11545187
Friday, January 23, 2009
Deputy George Easterly Arrested for Having Child Porn on His Computer
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla.
Deputies have arrested a Hendry County corrections officer for possession of child pornography. The officer reportedly had child porn pictures on his computer.
George Easterly, 49, now faces 10 counts of possession of child pornography.
"It's disappointing when anyone does it," says Collier County Detective Scott Rapisarda. "But, it's especially disappointing when a law enforcement official does it."
According to the Collier County Sheriff's Office, last month Easterly asked his son to fix his computer. The son found the images that appeared to be child pornography and reported it to the sheriff's office. Deputies searched his home and took his computer. Forensics revealed 10 pictures of children between the ages of 10 and 17 in various sexual acts.
Easterly's neighbors say they were surprised to hear of the arrest and fear for their children's safety.
"You know they're supposed to be enforcing the law and here they are breaking the law themselves," says Brittany Scott.
Easterly was arrested shortly before 4 p.m. Friday during a traffic stop in Golden Gate Estates.
Easterly now faces 7 to 8 years in prison.
Deputies have arrested a Hendry County corrections officer for possession of child pornography. The officer reportedly had child porn pictures on his computer.
George Easterly, 49, now faces 10 counts of possession of child pornography.
"It's disappointing when anyone does it," says Collier County Detective Scott Rapisarda. "But, it's especially disappointing when a law enforcement official does it."
According to the Collier County Sheriff's Office, last month Easterly asked his son to fix his computer. The son found the images that appeared to be child pornography and reported it to the sheriff's office. Deputies searched his home and took his computer. Forensics revealed 10 pictures of children between the ages of 10 and 17 in various sexual acts.
Easterly's neighbors say they were surprised to hear of the arrest and fear for their children's safety.
"You know they're supposed to be enforcing the law and here they are breaking the law themselves," says Brittany Scott.
Easterly was arrested shortly before 4 p.m. Friday during a traffic stop in Golden Gate Estates.
Easterly now faces 7 to 8 years in prison.
Former Sgt. Faron White Booked Friday for Staging his Disappearance
DECATUR
Former Decatur police Sgt. Faron White, accused of stealing seized drug money from his office and staging his disappearance, is back in Morgan County from Las Vegas.
White, 48, was booked into the Morgan County Jail at 3:25 p.m. Friday, a jail spokesman said. White, a Decatur officer for 22 years, has been charged with first-degree theft and his bond set at $20,000.
Morgan County District Attorney Bob Burrell has said he will seek to have White's bond increased or have him held with no bond because White is a flight risk.
White is accused of stealing at least $2,500 from a safe in his office on Jan. 2. His family reported him missing and police conducted a widespread search for White after they found signs of a physical altercation in his office.
But investigators determined that White stole the money and staged his disappearance with the help of Sarah Richardson, a volunteer worker in White's office.
Richardson, 29, has been charged with first-degree hindering prosecution or apprehension.
U.S. Marshals found White in Las Vegas on Jan. 5 and took him into custody without incident in a Las Vegas hotel lobby. White waived extradition. Richardson has told police that she thinks White may have stolen $70,000 from his office over several months.
Previous Post: http://whathappenedtoprotectandserve.blogspot.com/search?q=Faron+White
Former Decatur police Sgt. Faron White, accused of stealing seized drug money from his office and staging his disappearance, is back in Morgan County from Las Vegas.
White, 48, was booked into the Morgan County Jail at 3:25 p.m. Friday, a jail spokesman said. White, a Decatur officer for 22 years, has been charged with first-degree theft and his bond set at $20,000.
Morgan County District Attorney Bob Burrell has said he will seek to have White's bond increased or have him held with no bond because White is a flight risk.
White is accused of stealing at least $2,500 from a safe in his office on Jan. 2. His family reported him missing and police conducted a widespread search for White after they found signs of a physical altercation in his office.
But investigators determined that White stole the money and staged his disappearance with the help of Sarah Richardson, a volunteer worker in White's office.
Richardson, 29, has been charged with first-degree hindering prosecution or apprehension.
U.S. Marshals found White in Las Vegas on Jan. 5 and took him into custody without incident in a Las Vegas hotel lobby. White waived extradition. Richardson has told police that she thinks White may have stolen $70,000 from his office over several months.
Previous Post: http://whathappenedtoprotectandserve.blogspot.com/search?q=Faron+White
Const. Adam Whynott Charged with Fighting
A Halifax police officer and a Digby man charged after a street fight last June that led to allegations of racism will avoid criminal convictions.
The case of Const. Adam Whynott and William Drummond was referred to the adult diversion program on Thursday.
Under the terms of the program, both men have to accept responsibility for their actions. They face counselling instead of jail terms or fines. They won't have a criminal record.
Whynott, 27, and Drummond, 20, were charged with causing a disturbance by fighting following the late-night brawl outside a Digby bar. Drummond was also charged with resisting arrest.
Drummond and another young black man claim the June 22 scuffle with a group of off-duty police officers broke out after someone yelled a racist taunt. Drummond was the only one arrested by local RCMP.
In late August, RCMP announced the charges against both men, but also said investigators couldn't find any evidence the fight was sparked by a racial slur.
Whynott is returning to active duty with the Halifax Regional Police. However, he's still subject to an internal police review.
The case of Const. Adam Whynott and William Drummond was referred to the adult diversion program on Thursday.
Under the terms of the program, both men have to accept responsibility for their actions. They face counselling instead of jail terms or fines. They won't have a criminal record.
Whynott, 27, and Drummond, 20, were charged with causing a disturbance by fighting following the late-night brawl outside a Digby bar. Drummond was also charged with resisting arrest.
Drummond and another young black man claim the June 22 scuffle with a group of off-duty police officers broke out after someone yelled a racist taunt. Drummond was the only one arrested by local RCMP.
In late August, RCMP announced the charges against both men, but also said investigators couldn't find any evidence the fight was sparked by a racial slur.
Whynott is returning to active duty with the Halifax Regional Police. However, he's still subject to an internal police review.
Former Officer Benjamin Beauchemin Fired After DWI Charge
HOOKSETT
Former Hooksett police officer Benjamin Beauchemin refused comment last night after the police commission publicly announced that his employment with the department had been terminated.
Neither Beauchemin nor his union-appointed attorney, Bill Cahill, responded when asked if they anticipated this outcome or if they intend to appeal the commission's decision.
Commission Chairman Dave Gagnon said the firing is effective immediately, but refused to shed light on how the group arrived at the decision.
"(Beauchemin) is the one who wanted it non-public, so that's where it's staying," Gagnon said.
►Police officer won on technicality
Beauchemin has been on administrative leave without pay since last May, when he was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated.
According to police records, Beauchemin flipped his Jeep Liberty off Cedar Crest Lane in Auburn at about 1:15 a.m. May 11 into a private yard after returning home from Manchester. Court testimony revealed that Beauchemin left the scene of the accident while police were summoned by eyewitnesses. He admitted to drinking four beers at his girlfriend's house nearby in the time it took emergency responders to arrive in Auburn.
Records indicate he refused an on-site sobriety test.
In September, he was found not guilty by a district court judge, who cited insufficient evidence to convict. Judge David LeFrancois said that although Beauchemin's off-duty conduct was not fitting of a police officer, state prosecutors had not definitely proven beyond reasonable doubt that he had been drinking in excess before operating the vehicle.
After the court decision, Hooksett Police Chief Steve Agrafiotis ordered an internal investigation that considered evidence not permissible in court, including 911 recordings.
Last night, Gagnon would not comment on how the commission reached its decision.
According to the department's personnel procedures, any employee under disciplinary scrutiny has the option of opening police commission hearings to the public. Beauchemin and his counsel chose to keep those meetings closed.
If Beauchemin chooses to appeal the commission's sentence, an outside arbitrator will review the case facts and recommend a non-binding decision to the police commission, which the commission may choose to follow or reject.
Beauchemin joined the Hooksett Police Department in 2007 after a tour of duty with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan.
Sgt. William Wade Charged with Domestic Violence
TROY
A veteran police sergeant was suspended with pay today after he was allegedly involved in a domestic incident, city officials said.
Sgt. William Wade was charged with reckless endangerment and harassment in the incident.
A woman filed a complaint with city police against Wade alleging domestic violence, officials said. A police officer convicted in a domestic incident could lose his right to carry a weapon, and, as a result, would be unable to perform his job.
The Troy Police Benevolent Association is backing Wade.
"With all due respect to both participants involved, the department has only heard one side of the story,'' said Officer Robert Fitzgerald, the PBA president.
Wade did not make a statement to investigators.
"I fully expect Sgt. Wade to be exonerated. He's one of the most well respected members of this department,'' Fitzgerald said.
Wade was the fourth highest paid city employee in 2008, earning $136,667 with overtime, back pay and allowances, according to city records. As a sergeant, Wade's base pay this year is $65,739.
Other Information: http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/suspended_1260324___article.html/pay_police.html
A veteran police sergeant was suspended with pay today after he was allegedly involved in a domestic incident, city officials said.
Sgt. William Wade was charged with reckless endangerment and harassment in the incident.
A woman filed a complaint with city police against Wade alleging domestic violence, officials said. A police officer convicted in a domestic incident could lose his right to carry a weapon, and, as a result, would be unable to perform his job.
The Troy Police Benevolent Association is backing Wade.
"With all due respect to both participants involved, the department has only heard one side of the story,'' said Officer Robert Fitzgerald, the PBA president.
Wade did not make a statement to investigators.
"I fully expect Sgt. Wade to be exonerated. He's one of the most well respected members of this department,'' Fitzgerald said.
Wade was the fourth highest paid city employee in 2008, earning $136,667 with overtime, back pay and allowances, according to city records. As a sergeant, Wade's base pay this year is $65,739.
Other Information: http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/suspended_1260324___article.html/pay_police.html
FBI Investigating Capt Edward Poulson Using Excessive Force
The FBI is investigating allegations that the head of the Oakland Police Department's Internal Affairs Division almost nine years ago beat a drug suspect who later died, and then ordered subordinate officers to lie about it, according to police sources, some of whom federal agents recently have interviewed.
The beating allegations are just one aspect of a wide-ranging FBI probe covering many of the department's recent high-profile problems, including the handling of the 2007 slaying of journalist Chauncey Bailey, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of workplace reprisals.
Capt. Edward I. Poulson, who heads Internal Affairs, was suspended with pay by the department Thursday.
Poulson, of Danville, did not return messages. Police Chief Wayne Tucker refused requests for an interview. In a written statement released Thursday night, Tucker said the department was cooperating with the FBI.
The FBI is investigating allegations that Poulson, working with an undercover team in April 2000, kicked a drug suspect, breaking his ribs, the sources said. The suspect, Jerry Amaro, died about a month later of pneumonia caused by broken ribs and a collapsed lung, according to a coroner's report. Before Amaro died, he told several people about the incident, according to police reports.
Internal Affairs investigators at the time found that Poulson ordered subordinate officers to lie about his involvement, and those investigators called for his firing, according to the sources. Then-Chief Richard Word instead suspended Poulson for two weeks. No charges were brought in Amaro's death after a homicide investigation, the sources said.
During that investigation, officers who arrested Amaro said they saw no use of force as he was captured, according to homicide case notes obtained by the Chauncey Bailey Project, a group of Bay Area journalists.
But during a subsequent Internal Affairs investigation, the same officers said Poulson ordered them to protect him, according to an officer familiar with their statements. Those statements led to administrative charges against Poulson and the two-week suspension.
Officers with knowledge of the matter said colleagues were angry that a member of the command staff who had been punished for interfering in an Internal Affairs investigation was later put in charge of Internal Affairs, and they alerted the FBI. Two senior members of the department said Thursday that Tucker had been advised last year not to put Poulson in charge of Internal Affairs because of the Amaro case.
The investigation of Poulson comes as the Internal Affairs Division remains under the oversight of U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson and a team of independent monitors under the Negotiated Settlement Agreement reached after the infamous Riders corruption case in 2001.
The U.S. attorney for Northern California, Joseph Russanello, said Thursday that he could neither confirm nor deny the investigation, adding that the only confirmation could come from people FBI agents interviewed.
Mayor Ron Dellums was returning from inauguration festivities in Washington and could not be reached on Thursday.
A former federal officer with knowledge of the matter said two teams of agents are conducting the investigation — one concentrating on possible civil rights violations and the other on public corruption.
Two police officers, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Thursday that FBI agents have interviewed them in recent days about Amaro's arrest and death, and a raft of other incidents that include:
The department's handling of Bailey's Aug. 2, 2007, slaying, for which police arrested only one person on murder charges. The Chauncey Bailey Project reported in October that the lead detective in the case, Sgt. Derwin Longmire, failed to document in his case notes evidence of a conspiracy pointing to former Your Black Muslim Bakery leader Yusuf Bey IV's involvement in the killing.
The recent scandal involving the falsification of search warrants. Department leaders last week notified 11 officers of their intention to fire them. Another officer was fired last month.
A whistle-blower complaint that police Lt. Lawrence Green filed last month alleging that Tucker squashed a rank-and-file vote of no confidence in his administration by promoting then-police union president, Officer Robert Valladon, to "acting sergeant," a move that increased Valladon's pay and boosted his eligibility for a higher pension.
Allegations that former City Administrator Deborah Edgerly last year leaked news of a pending drug raid to a nephew who was a gang member.
The conduct of Deputy Police Chief Jeffrey Loman, who is accused of sexually harassing a subordinate female officer and also is being investigated for his supervision of Longmire's work in the Bailey case.
The FBI probe comes nearly three months after Dellums requested the state Justice Department conduct a parallel investigation of an internal affairs probe of how the Bailey case was handled.
Since then, the department notified officers of its intent to fire them in the warrant-falsification scandal, sexual harassment charges were filed against Loman, and Green filed the whistle-blower complaint about Tucker and Valladon.
In the statement he issued Thursday night, Tucker urged Oakland residents "not to allow recent allegations of misconduct to overshadow the successful policing efforts achieved by" the department.
City Council members provided a harsher view.
"We are in chaos and no end in sight to some of the problems we are facing here when it comes to the Police Department," City Councilmember and Vice Mayor Ignacio De La Fuente, a frequent department critic, said Thursday.
Council President Jane Brunner said Poulson's record should have been considered.
"The lead Internal Affairs investigator should have been vetted," Brunner said. "It's like in Congress and the person who is leading the ethics commission, you need to vet the people doing Internal Affairs to the point that they need to be squeaky clean."
Other Information: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/23/BAUG15G5B9.DTL
The beating allegations are just one aspect of a wide-ranging FBI probe covering many of the department's recent high-profile problems, including the handling of the 2007 slaying of journalist Chauncey Bailey, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of workplace reprisals.
Capt. Edward I. Poulson, who heads Internal Affairs, was suspended with pay by the department Thursday.
Poulson, of Danville, did not return messages. Police Chief Wayne Tucker refused requests for an interview. In a written statement released Thursday night, Tucker said the department was cooperating with the FBI.
The FBI is investigating allegations that Poulson, working with an undercover team in April 2000, kicked a drug suspect, breaking his ribs, the sources said. The suspect, Jerry Amaro, died about a month later of pneumonia caused by broken ribs and a collapsed lung, according to a coroner's report. Before Amaro died, he told several people about the incident, according to police reports.
Internal Affairs investigators at the time found that Poulson ordered subordinate officers to lie about his involvement, and those investigators called for his firing, according to the sources. Then-Chief Richard Word instead suspended Poulson for two weeks. No charges were brought in Amaro's death after a homicide investigation, the sources said.
During that investigation, officers who arrested Amaro said they saw no use of force as he was captured, according to homicide case notes obtained by the Chauncey Bailey Project, a group of Bay Area journalists.
But during a subsequent Internal Affairs investigation, the same officers said Poulson ordered them to protect him, according to an officer familiar with their statements. Those statements led to administrative charges against Poulson and the two-week suspension.
Officers with knowledge of the matter said colleagues were angry that a member of the command staff who had been punished for interfering in an Internal Affairs investigation was later put in charge of Internal Affairs, and they alerted the FBI. Two senior members of the department said Thursday that Tucker had been advised last year not to put Poulson in charge of Internal Affairs because of the Amaro case.
The investigation of Poulson comes as the Internal Affairs Division remains under the oversight of U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson and a team of independent monitors under the Negotiated Settlement Agreement reached after the infamous Riders corruption case in 2001.
The U.S. attorney for Northern California, Joseph Russanello, said Thursday that he could neither confirm nor deny the investigation, adding that the only confirmation could come from people FBI agents interviewed.
Mayor Ron Dellums was returning from inauguration festivities in Washington and could not be reached on Thursday.
A former federal officer with knowledge of the matter said two teams of agents are conducting the investigation — one concentrating on possible civil rights violations and the other on public corruption.
Two police officers, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Thursday that FBI agents have interviewed them in recent days about Amaro's arrest and death, and a raft of other incidents that include:
The department's handling of Bailey's Aug. 2, 2007, slaying, for which police arrested only one person on murder charges. The Chauncey Bailey Project reported in October that the lead detective in the case, Sgt. Derwin Longmire, failed to document in his case notes evidence of a conspiracy pointing to former Your Black Muslim Bakery leader Yusuf Bey IV's involvement in the killing.
The recent scandal involving the falsification of search warrants. Department leaders last week notified 11 officers of their intention to fire them. Another officer was fired last month.
A whistle-blower complaint that police Lt. Lawrence Green filed last month alleging that Tucker squashed a rank-and-file vote of no confidence in his administration by promoting then-police union president, Officer Robert Valladon, to "acting sergeant," a move that increased Valladon's pay and boosted his eligibility for a higher pension.
Allegations that former City Administrator Deborah Edgerly last year leaked news of a pending drug raid to a nephew who was a gang member.
The conduct of Deputy Police Chief Jeffrey Loman, who is accused of sexually harassing a subordinate female officer and also is being investigated for his supervision of Longmire's work in the Bailey case.
The FBI probe comes nearly three months after Dellums requested the state Justice Department conduct a parallel investigation of an internal affairs probe of how the Bailey case was handled.
Since then, the department notified officers of its intent to fire them in the warrant-falsification scandal, sexual harassment charges were filed against Loman, and Green filed the whistle-blower complaint about Tucker and Valladon.
In the statement he issued Thursday night, Tucker urged Oakland residents "not to allow recent allegations of misconduct to overshadow the successful policing efforts achieved by" the department.
City Council members provided a harsher view.
"We are in chaos and no end in sight to some of the problems we are facing here when it comes to the Police Department," City Councilmember and Vice Mayor Ignacio De La Fuente, a frequent department critic, said Thursday.
Council President Jane Brunner said Poulson's record should have been considered.
"The lead Internal Affairs investigator should have been vetted," Brunner said. "It's like in Congress and the person who is leading the ethics commission, you need to vet the people doing Internal Affairs to the point that they need to be squeaky clean."
Other Information: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/23/BAUG15G5B9.DTL
Officer Andrew Thompson Gets Away with Drunk Driving
PEKIN
A Pekin police officer arrested for DUI on Dec. 19 will not be charged with DUI because of a lack of evidence. However, he has voluntarily accepted a suspension for affecting public confidence in the department.
Patrolman Andrew J. Thompson, 29, of Pekin, had just left a bar on Broadway Road, Pekin, when he was rear-ended by another car sliding on the ice at Broadway Road and North 20th Street. Thompson was off duty, driving his own personal vehicle and was not at fault in the accident.
A Pekin police officer at the scene noticed the odor of alcohol coming from Thompson and notified the commanding officer. The Illinois State Police were called by Pekin police command to handle the accident, as is the policy of the police department when one of its officers is a suspect.
Thompson refused all alcohol testing — both field sobriety and a Breathalyzer test. He was taken to the Tazewell County Justice Center where he was released on a bond of 10 percent of a $1,000 bond, or $100.
Pekin Police Deputy Chief Ted Miller issued a written statement this morning concerning the decision by the state’s attorney.
Miller said, “The Pekin Police Department recognizes that we cannot operate efficiently or effectively absent the public’s trust and respect. We have worked diligently to that end by steadfastly promoting those values within our organization that are consistent with that endeavor. When this incident occurred, the initial responding officer immediately contacted a superior officer to come to the scene. The responding command officer followed protocol by calling for a neutral agency (the Illinois State Police) to investigate the incident.”
Miller said the department even went so far as to contact local media to inform them of the incident so the matter would be “completely open and transparent.”
Tazewell County State’s Attorney Stewart Umholtz said his office reviewed all reports, video tapes taken by the state police at the scene and other information and found insufficient evidence to meet the burden of proof required of the state for a DUI charge or a summary suspension.
“This case was review just like any other DUI arrest ...,” said Umholtz. “Based on our review ... we determined there was insufficient evidence of impairment.
“This individual was not given any more or less consideration than any other citizen arrested for (DUI). I will say this, if any citizen is asked by a police officer to take a breath test or a field sobriety test, they should take that test to remove all doubt.”
Umholtz said the occupation of any suspect is not considered in determining if charges are to be filed.
Thompson’s attorney, Brian Addy of Pekin, issued a press release stating that, “Thompson has accepted a 10-day suspension without pay for conduct unbecoming an officer from the city of Pekin Police Chief Tim Gillespie. Mr. Thompson admitted that his off-duty conduct impaired the morale of his department and affected the public’s confidence in said department.”
“Without admitting that he was intoxicated on the night in question, he has taken responsibility for his actions and both Mr. Thompson and the city of Pekin Police Department are completely satisfied with the resolution of this matter,” said Addy
Illinois Secretary of State Attorney Jay Mesi said the Secretary of State’s Office cannot suspend a license for failure to submit to drug or alcohol testing unless the arresting agency sends a sworn report of the refusal to submit to testing.
“What happens is the officer fills out a sworn report and sends it to the circuit clerk,” said Mesi. “The circuit clerk sends the sworn report to the Secretary of State.
“We can’t suspend unless we get that sworn report. The officer is required to send the report to us and the circuit clerk.”
If a person requests and receives an Illinois Driver’s License they automatically consent to any chemical testing for drugs and alcohol. If the driver refuses such testing, they are subject to a summary statutory suspension, said Mesi.
Mesi said citizens have the right to a suspension hearing to determine if the burden of proof has been met by the state.
Had sufficient evidence been available for charges in the incident, Thompson would have faced a mandatory six-month suspension for refusing to take the breath test.
Miller said the department initiated its own internal investigation. He said the department could not release department discipline of an officer, but that Thompson had waived his rights and allowed his attorney to do so.
**********
If he wasn't guilty...why did he refuse the test? Hmmmmmm?
A Pekin police officer arrested for DUI on Dec. 19 will not be charged with DUI because of a lack of evidence. However, he has voluntarily accepted a suspension for affecting public confidence in the department.
Patrolman Andrew J. Thompson, 29, of Pekin, had just left a bar on Broadway Road, Pekin, when he was rear-ended by another car sliding on the ice at Broadway Road and North 20th Street. Thompson was off duty, driving his own personal vehicle and was not at fault in the accident.
A Pekin police officer at the scene noticed the odor of alcohol coming from Thompson and notified the commanding officer. The Illinois State Police were called by Pekin police command to handle the accident, as is the policy of the police department when one of its officers is a suspect.
Thompson refused all alcohol testing — both field sobriety and a Breathalyzer test. He was taken to the Tazewell County Justice Center where he was released on a bond of 10 percent of a $1,000 bond, or $100.
Pekin Police Deputy Chief Ted Miller issued a written statement this morning concerning the decision by the state’s attorney.
Miller said, “The Pekin Police Department recognizes that we cannot operate efficiently or effectively absent the public’s trust and respect. We have worked diligently to that end by steadfastly promoting those values within our organization that are consistent with that endeavor. When this incident occurred, the initial responding officer immediately contacted a superior officer to come to the scene. The responding command officer followed protocol by calling for a neutral agency (the Illinois State Police) to investigate the incident.”
Miller said the department even went so far as to contact local media to inform them of the incident so the matter would be “completely open and transparent.”
Tazewell County State’s Attorney Stewart Umholtz said his office reviewed all reports, video tapes taken by the state police at the scene and other information and found insufficient evidence to meet the burden of proof required of the state for a DUI charge or a summary suspension.
“This case was review just like any other DUI arrest ...,” said Umholtz. “Based on our review ... we determined there was insufficient evidence of impairment.
“This individual was not given any more or less consideration than any other citizen arrested for (DUI). I will say this, if any citizen is asked by a police officer to take a breath test or a field sobriety test, they should take that test to remove all doubt.”
Umholtz said the occupation of any suspect is not considered in determining if charges are to be filed.
Thompson’s attorney, Brian Addy of Pekin, issued a press release stating that, “Thompson has accepted a 10-day suspension without pay for conduct unbecoming an officer from the city of Pekin Police Chief Tim Gillespie. Mr. Thompson admitted that his off-duty conduct impaired the morale of his department and affected the public’s confidence in said department.”
“Without admitting that he was intoxicated on the night in question, he has taken responsibility for his actions and both Mr. Thompson and the city of Pekin Police Department are completely satisfied with the resolution of this matter,” said Addy
Illinois Secretary of State Attorney Jay Mesi said the Secretary of State’s Office cannot suspend a license for failure to submit to drug or alcohol testing unless the arresting agency sends a sworn report of the refusal to submit to testing.
“What happens is the officer fills out a sworn report and sends it to the circuit clerk,” said Mesi. “The circuit clerk sends the sworn report to the Secretary of State.
“We can’t suspend unless we get that sworn report. The officer is required to send the report to us and the circuit clerk.”
If a person requests and receives an Illinois Driver’s License they automatically consent to any chemical testing for drugs and alcohol. If the driver refuses such testing, they are subject to a summary statutory suspension, said Mesi.
Mesi said citizens have the right to a suspension hearing to determine if the burden of proof has been met by the state.
Had sufficient evidence been available for charges in the incident, Thompson would have faced a mandatory six-month suspension for refusing to take the breath test.
Miller said the department initiated its own internal investigation. He said the department could not release department discipline of an officer, but that Thompson had waived his rights and allowed his attorney to do so.
**********
If he wasn't guilty...why did he refuse the test? Hmmmmmm?
Officer Corey Earl Charged with Telephone Harassment
LORAIN
Police officer Corey Earl pleaded not guilty to two counts of telephone harassment Jan. 21 at the Oberlin Municipal Court, according to the clerk of court. Earl is set to appear in court on Feb. 5 for his pretrial.
Earl was arrested Jan. 4 by Amherst police after his ex-wife complained of telephone harassment.
Lorain police Lt. Jim Rohner said the Lorain Police Department would conduct an internal investigation pending the outcome of any criminal charges to determine whether he violated the standards of conduct. But he added the incidents occurred off-duty.
Earl has been on medical leave for the past six months after suffering a stroke last May.
Earl was disciplined in early January 2008 after he admitted to making inappropriate comments to his girlfriend’s ex-husband during a traffic stop, according to an internal police investigation report.
Also in January 2008, the Amherst Law Director’s office dismissed a charge that Earl violated a protection order concerning his ex-wife. Amherst police were called to Earl’s home for domestic disputes on July 6 and Aug. 13 of 2007.
Police officer Corey Earl pleaded not guilty to two counts of telephone harassment Jan. 21 at the Oberlin Municipal Court, according to the clerk of court. Earl is set to appear in court on Feb. 5 for his pretrial.
Earl was arrested Jan. 4 by Amherst police after his ex-wife complained of telephone harassment.
Lorain police Lt. Jim Rohner said the Lorain Police Department would conduct an internal investigation pending the outcome of any criminal charges to determine whether he violated the standards of conduct. But he added the incidents occurred off-duty.
Earl has been on medical leave for the past six months after suffering a stroke last May.
Earl was disciplined in early January 2008 after he admitted to making inappropriate comments to his girlfriend’s ex-husband during a traffic stop, according to an internal police investigation report.
Also in January 2008, the Amherst Law Director’s office dismissed a charge that Earl violated a protection order concerning his ex-wife. Amherst police were called to Earl’s home for domestic disputes on July 6 and Aug. 13 of 2007.
Officer William Edwards Charged with Sexually Assaulting Boy
NEW LONDON, Conn.
A New London police officer has been charged with sexually assaulting a boy who told authorities he had four or five encounters with the officer when he was between 5 and 7 years old.
Forty-five-year-old William Edwards was arrested at the state police barracks in Montville on Thursday. He posted $100,000 bail after being charged with third-degree sexual assault and other crimes.
Edwards has also been suspended without pay from his job.
A police report says Edwards admitted he engaged in inappropriate behavior with the boy, now 12, about four or five years ago during what he called a "dark period" in his life.
Police say Edwards told them he had been depressed for years and had a drug problem. He is due in Danielson Superior Court on Feb. 11.
------
Information from: The Day, http://www.theday.com
A New London police officer has been charged with sexually assaulting a boy who told authorities he had four or five encounters with the officer when he was between 5 and 7 years old.
Forty-five-year-old William Edwards was arrested at the state police barracks in Montville on Thursday. He posted $100,000 bail after being charged with third-degree sexual assault and other crimes.
Edwards has also been suspended without pay from his job.
A police report says Edwards admitted he engaged in inappropriate behavior with the boy, now 12, about four or five years ago during what he called a "dark period" in his life.
Police say Edwards told them he had been depressed for years and had a drug problem. He is due in Danielson Superior Court on Feb. 11.
------
Information from: The Day, http://www.theday.com
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Officer Gary Pignato Accused of Coercing a Woman into Sex
A suspended Greece police officer accused of coercing a woman into sex is now scheduled to go on trial June 1.
Officer Gary Pignato, 48, of Hilton is accused of a felony crime of accepting a bribe and two misdemeanor counts — coercion and official misconduct.
A Greece woman alleges that Pignato came to her home in August in response to a domestic dispute, then coerced her into a sexual encounter later.
Those allegations, however, are contained in legal papers filed by the woman in a notice that she intends to sue Pignato and the town of Greece.
In the woman's legal papers, filed Nov. 18, she alleges that Pignato responded to a domestic dispute at her home on Aug. 24. She told Pignato she had been drinking, a possible probation violation.
The woman alleges that Pignato told her she could "avoid going to jail" if she met him later that evening. She did meet Pignato and went to his home, she alleges. There, the notice alleges, Pignato "forcibly" required her to submit to sex.
Her attorney has said that the sex between the two was not consensual, but "was a coerced act under the threat of arrest and jail" and that the woman was on probation for a petit larceny of less than $50.
Prosecutors have not detailed specifics of the criminal allegations against Pignato, but do say it stems from his response as an officer to an argument at the Greece home.
The Democrat and Chronicle is not printing the name of the woman because she alleges she was the victim of sexual coercion in her legal papers.
Pignato has pleaded not guilty and his lawyer says Pignato did not commit a crime. He has been suspended without pay.
Officer Gary Pignato, 48, of Hilton is accused of a felony crime of accepting a bribe and two misdemeanor counts — coercion and official misconduct.
A Greece woman alleges that Pignato came to her home in August in response to a domestic dispute, then coerced her into a sexual encounter later.
Those allegations, however, are contained in legal papers filed by the woman in a notice that she intends to sue Pignato and the town of Greece.
In the woman's legal papers, filed Nov. 18, she alleges that Pignato responded to a domestic dispute at her home on Aug. 24. She told Pignato she had been drinking, a possible probation violation.
The woman alleges that Pignato told her she could "avoid going to jail" if she met him later that evening. She did meet Pignato and went to his home, she alleges. There, the notice alleges, Pignato "forcibly" required her to submit to sex.
Her attorney has said that the sex between the two was not consensual, but "was a coerced act under the threat of arrest and jail" and that the woman was on probation for a petit larceny of less than $50.
Prosecutors have not detailed specifics of the criminal allegations against Pignato, but do say it stems from his response as an officer to an argument at the Greece home.
The Democrat and Chronicle is not printing the name of the woman because she alleges she was the victim of sexual coercion in her legal papers.
Pignato has pleaded not guilty and his lawyer says Pignato did not commit a crime. He has been suspended without pay.
Former Probation Officer Daniel Hendrickson Accused of Inappropriately Touching Woman
GRAND RAPIDS
A former Kent County probation officer accused of inappropriately touching a 24-year-old woman under his supervision will undergo a psychological exam.
A hearing for Daniel Neland Hendrickson, 35, was adjourned today because of the exam.
Hendrickson is charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct for what investigators say was inappropriate contact with a woman who had to appear before him monthly on a drunken driving charge.
The alleged touching occurred at the Grand Rapids Township District Court building at 644 Kenmoor Ave. SE.
Information: Grand Rapids Press
Veteran Officer Jerry Starnes Indicted on 2 More Charges of Molesting Boys
A veteran Bennettsville police officer has been indicted on two more charges in connection with molesting young boys.
There are now six state grand jury indictments against Jerry Starnes.
According to the indictments, Starnes molested four boys between 1969 and 1981.
SLED began an investigation in 1997 after the initial complaint, but that case never made it to court.
Two more men came forward in 2004 and that lead to Starnes being arrested last year.
Court officials say his trial is scheduled to begin next month.
Starnes is on administrative leave without pay from the Bennettsville Police Department.
More Information: http://www.scnow.com/scp/news/local/pee_dee/article/bennettsville_police_officer_faces_more_indictments/29374/
Man Wins $20,000 Against Detroit Officer Who Squeezed His Genitals
A Wayne County man who said a Detroit Police officer groped him during a 2006 search settled a lawsuit against the city today for $20,000, an amount city officials say was not an admission of guilt but a way to end the case as cheaply as possible.
The suit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan for Elvis Ware, said Ware was stopped at a gas station in May 2006 when officers Michael Parish and Michael Osman approached him and questioned him about drugs. Ware claimed he was removed from his car, handcuffed and then searched by Parish. Ware claimed Parish shoved his bare hand down his pants and squeezed his genitals.
Ware’s suit had been scheduled for trial today in U.S. District Court in Detroit. Acting city corporation counsel Krystal Crittendon said the city could have been ordered to pay fees for Ware’s lawyers if it lost the case.
“The officers didn’t do anything wrong,” Crittendon said, adding that Parish and Osman both were investigated by Detroit police and federal authorities. “The officers were cleared,” she said.
The ACLU – which had refused to disclose the settlement amount – said as part of its settlement the city agreed to read search procedures to officers at roll call one day a month for three months.
Ware, 36, has no criminal record and was an Army veteran of Operation Desert Storm, said ACLU lawyer Mark Fancher. Fancher said the officers who stopped Ware are still on the force.
Ware said today he did not report the incident to Detroit Police because “I didn’t trust them.”
The suit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan for Elvis Ware, said Ware was stopped at a gas station in May 2006 when officers Michael Parish and Michael Osman approached him and questioned him about drugs. Ware claimed he was removed from his car, handcuffed and then searched by Parish. Ware claimed Parish shoved his bare hand down his pants and squeezed his genitals.
Ware’s suit had been scheduled for trial today in U.S. District Court in Detroit. Acting city corporation counsel Krystal Crittendon said the city could have been ordered to pay fees for Ware’s lawyers if it lost the case.
“The officers didn’t do anything wrong,” Crittendon said, adding that Parish and Osman both were investigated by Detroit police and federal authorities. “The officers were cleared,” she said.
The ACLU – which had refused to disclose the settlement amount – said as part of its settlement the city agreed to read search procedures to officers at roll call one day a month for three months.
Ware, 36, has no criminal record and was an Army veteran of Operation Desert Storm, said ACLU lawyer Mark Fancher. Fancher said the officers who stopped Ware are still on the force.
Ware said today he did not report the incident to Detroit Police because “I didn’t trust them.”
Officer William Edwards Sr Charged with Sexual Assault of Child
New London Community Police Officer William R. Edwards Sr. appeared in Norwich Superior Court this morning on charges related to the sexual assault of a child.
Edwards, 45, has been charged with third-degree sexual assault, second-degree unlawful restraint, tampering with a witness and two counts of risk of injury to a minor. He was arrested this morning by state police at Troop E in Montville.
New London Police Chief Bruce Rinehart suspended Edwards without pay following Edwards' arrest.
The suspension was effective immediately, said Rinehart, and will be in effect pending the outcome of the court case. Rinehart had been unable to suspend Edwards until his arrest because Edwards had been hospitalized since early December.
The chief and New London Police Capt. Margaret Ackley met Edwards at Troop E where state police processed him.
“It's an unfortunate thing,'' Rinehart said. “Law enforcement is one big family and when these things happen to our brothers and sisters, these things affect us all.''
He said the department is also conducting an internal investigation into the allegations.
Edwards was accompanied in court by his attorney, Paul Guernsey, and by his brother, Kenneth Edwards, a former New London police officer. He posted $100,000 bond.
Judge Barbara Jongbloed issued a full protective order forbidding William Edwards from having any contact with the victim and added the condition that he cooperate with the Institute of the Living, a psychiatric institution in Hartford, where he had been hospitalized since early December.
His case has been transferred to Danielson Superior Court and his next appearance is scheduled for Feb. 11
Edwards, 45, has been charged with third-degree sexual assault, second-degree unlawful restraint, tampering with a witness and two counts of risk of injury to a minor. He was arrested this morning by state police at Troop E in Montville.
New London Police Chief Bruce Rinehart suspended Edwards without pay following Edwards' arrest.
The suspension was effective immediately, said Rinehart, and will be in effect pending the outcome of the court case. Rinehart had been unable to suspend Edwards until his arrest because Edwards had been hospitalized since early December.
The chief and New London Police Capt. Margaret Ackley met Edwards at Troop E where state police processed him.
“It's an unfortunate thing,'' Rinehart said. “Law enforcement is one big family and when these things happen to our brothers and sisters, these things affect us all.''
He said the department is also conducting an internal investigation into the allegations.
Edwards was accompanied in court by his attorney, Paul Guernsey, and by his brother, Kenneth Edwards, a former New London police officer. He posted $100,000 bond.
Judge Barbara Jongbloed issued a full protective order forbidding William Edwards from having any contact with the victim and added the condition that he cooperate with the Institute of the Living, a psychiatric institution in Hartford, where he had been hospitalized since early December.
His case has been transferred to Danielson Superior Court and his next appearance is scheduled for Feb. 11
Steven Bass Arrested for Throwing Snowball at Officer
Greenville, NC
A freshman college student was placed in handcuffs by a police officer during a snowball fight involving more than 200 students.
Greenville police confirm Steven Bass was arrested after allegedly throwing a snowball at an officer during the snowball fight.
Campus police say some injuries were a result of the fight and an officer even had to use pepper spray.
Officers say they were called out three time Tuesday afternoon to control the situation.
No one was seriously hurt.
The incident was later posted to popular video sharing website YouTube.com. The video shows an officer chasing the student before tackling him on the snowy ground.
ON THE WEB: Additional snowball fight video
WARNING: Audio does contain language that may not be appropriate for all viewers.
*************
WTF??? It was a SNOWBALL!!! Poor little pussy officer...deal with it.
A freshman college student was placed in handcuffs by a police officer during a snowball fight involving more than 200 students.
Greenville police confirm Steven Bass was arrested after allegedly throwing a snowball at an officer during the snowball fight.
Campus police say some injuries were a result of the fight and an officer even had to use pepper spray.
Officers say they were called out three time Tuesday afternoon to control the situation.
No one was seriously hurt.
The incident was later posted to popular video sharing website YouTube.com. The video shows an officer chasing the student before tackling him on the snowy ground.
ON THE WEB: Additional snowball fight video
WARNING: Audio does contain language that may not be appropriate for all viewers.
*************
WTF??? It was a SNOWBALL!!! Poor little pussy officer...deal with it.
Officer Wilfredo Rosario Charged with 4th Rape
NEW YORK
A New York City police officer who was previously charged with sexually abusing three women has been charged with raping a fourth victim.
Wilfredo Rosario was arrested Thursday and arraigned in state Supreme Court in Manhattan on charges including felony rape and sexual abuse.
He pleaded not guilty, and his lawyer, Glenn Morak, says he will fight the charges vigorously.
Rosario is suspended from duty at the 26th Precinct in Harlem.
Prosecutors say Rosario raped a woman in her apartment in 2003 and then stalked her in 2008.
He was previously indicted twice on sexual abuse charges involving three different women.
Prosecutors say all of the women had asked about after-school programs for their children.
Rosario is being held on $150,000 bail.
Previous Post: http://whathappenedtoprotectandserve.blogspot.com/2008/04/new-york-police-officer-arrested-on-sex.html
Other Information: http://www.wpix.com/landing/?NYC-Cop-Faces-Another-Sex-Abuse-Charge=1&blockID=193237&feedID=1404
A New York City police officer who was previously charged with sexually abusing three women has been charged with raping a fourth victim.
Wilfredo Rosario was arrested Thursday and arraigned in state Supreme Court in Manhattan on charges including felony rape and sexual abuse.
He pleaded not guilty, and his lawyer, Glenn Morak, says he will fight the charges vigorously.
Rosario is suspended from duty at the 26th Precinct in Harlem.
Prosecutors say Rosario raped a woman in her apartment in 2003 and then stalked her in 2008.
He was previously indicted twice on sexual abuse charges involving three different women.
Prosecutors say all of the women had asked about after-school programs for their children.
Rosario is being held on $150,000 bail.
Previous Post: http://whathappenedtoprotectandserve.blogspot.com/2008/04/new-york-police-officer-arrested-on-sex.html
Other Information: http://www.wpix.com/landing/?NYC-Cop-Faces-Another-Sex-Abuse-Charge=1&blockID=193237&feedID=1404
Officer Naham James Perry Sentenced to 4 years for Sexually Abusing Stepdaughter
SALISBURY
A former University of Maryland Eastern Shore police officer accused of sexually abusing his teenage stepdaughter was sentenced to serve four years in jail by a Somerset County judge on Wednesday.
Naham James Perry, a 41-year-old Princess Anne resident, faced seven charges, including multiple counts of sex abuse.
Perry entered an Alford plea, a plea that does not admit guilt but concedes there is sufficient evidence to win a conviction, in October on the sex abuse of a minor charge and was found guilty.
The state dismissed the other six charges.
In court Wednesday, the judge sentenced Perry to eight years in prison, but suspended four years. He will also serve two years of supervised probation and is prohibited from having unsupervised contact with the victim or other minors. He must also attend sex abuse counseling.
Perry admitted to one sexual encounter with the teenage victim during the sentencing hearing, but said he was sleeping when the teen performed a sex act on him.
The problem, according to defense attorney James E. Crawford Jr., occurred when Perry told his supervisor and others at his job.
"Boom. It gets blown up and pushed against him," Crawford said.
However, the prosecutor, Wicomico County Assistant State's Attorney Jamie Dykes, said Perry, the victim and the victim's mother told investigators that multiple sexual incidents took place between April 2005 and June 2008. Perry's wife told Maryland State Police investigators that she had to put a stop to the "playful biting"(WTF???? and she didn't say anything else?) between the victim and Perry, Dykes said.
"This victim was in the twilight zone," Dykes said. "It appeared there were no sexual boundaries in the home."
Perry's wife requested her husband not serve any jail time. She said her daughter had a history of lying and made the allegations against her husband because she was jealous of their relationship.
"She's lied on her father and said he was mistreating her and that's how I got custody of her," Perry's wife told the judge.
The victim had previously made false accusations about a board of education employee stalking her.
"He's a good person," Perry's wife said. "He's been upfront and honest with me"
Other Information: http://www.examiner.com/a-1807694~Man_sentenced_to_prison_in_sex_abuse.html
A former University of Maryland Eastern Shore police officer accused of sexually abusing his teenage stepdaughter was sentenced to serve four years in jail by a Somerset County judge on Wednesday.
Naham James Perry, a 41-year-old Princess Anne resident, faced seven charges, including multiple counts of sex abuse.
Perry entered an Alford plea, a plea that does not admit guilt but concedes there is sufficient evidence to win a conviction, in October on the sex abuse of a minor charge and was found guilty.
The state dismissed the other six charges.
In court Wednesday, the judge sentenced Perry to eight years in prison, but suspended four years. He will also serve two years of supervised probation and is prohibited from having unsupervised contact with the victim or other minors. He must also attend sex abuse counseling.
Perry admitted to one sexual encounter with the teenage victim during the sentencing hearing, but said he was sleeping when the teen performed a sex act on him.
The problem, according to defense attorney James E. Crawford Jr., occurred when Perry told his supervisor and others at his job.
"Boom. It gets blown up and pushed against him," Crawford said.
However, the prosecutor, Wicomico County Assistant State's Attorney Jamie Dykes, said Perry, the victim and the victim's mother told investigators that multiple sexual incidents took place between April 2005 and June 2008. Perry's wife told Maryland State Police investigators that she had to put a stop to the "playful biting"(WTF???? and she didn't say anything else?) between the victim and Perry, Dykes said.
"This victim was in the twilight zone," Dykes said. "It appeared there were no sexual boundaries in the home."
Perry's wife requested her husband not serve any jail time. She said her daughter had a history of lying and made the allegations against her husband because she was jealous of their relationship.
"She's lied on her father and said he was mistreating her and that's how I got custody of her," Perry's wife told the judge.
The victim had previously made false accusations about a board of education employee stalking her.
"He's a good person," Perry's wife said. "He's been upfront and honest with me"
Other Information: http://www.examiner.com/a-1807694~Man_sentenced_to_prison_in_sex_abuse.html
Officer Joshua Calder Resigns After Drunk Driving Charge
FARMINGTON, N.M.
A Farmington police officer accused of drunken driving has resigned to take another job.
Police Chief Jim Runnels says Joshua Calder gave the department two weeks' notice Wednesday because he'd found another job.
He did not say whether the drunken driving charge played a part in his decision.
Calder was charged with aggravated drunken driving earlier this month.
The charge arose from an August motorcycle crash that injured Calder's passenger.
A San Juan County deputy says Calder reported drinking three beers before the crash. Calder's friends say he drank a beer and a half.
Authorities say Calder's blood-alcohol was 0.06. Drivers with blood-alcohol between 0.04 and 0.08 are considered to have driven drunk only with additional evidence.
Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com
Previous Post & More Information: http://whathappenedtoprotectandserve.blogspot.com/2009/01/charges-of-dwi-filed-against-officer.html
A Farmington police officer accused of drunken driving has resigned to take another job.
Police Chief Jim Runnels says Joshua Calder gave the department two weeks' notice Wednesday because he'd found another job.
He did not say whether the drunken driving charge played a part in his decision.
Calder was charged with aggravated drunken driving earlier this month.
The charge arose from an August motorcycle crash that injured Calder's passenger.
A San Juan County deputy says Calder reported drinking three beers before the crash. Calder's friends say he drank a beer and a half.
Authorities say Calder's blood-alcohol was 0.06. Drivers with blood-alcohol between 0.04 and 0.08 are considered to have driven drunk only with additional evidence.
Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com
Previous Post & More Information: http://whathappenedtoprotectandserve.blogspot.com/2009/01/charges-of-dwi-filed-against-officer.html
Officer Kurt Rosenthal Accused of Leaving Sexually Explicit Messages on Cell Phone While Driving Drunk
DES MOINES, Iowa
The Iowa Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld a ruling that allows a Dubuque police officer who left a drunken, sexually explicit telephone message with a female officer to keep his job.
Officer Kurt Rosenthal was accused of placing calls to the female officer's cell phone while out drinking with other off-duty officers in October 2007. Court records said he left one sexually explicit message. He also was accused of driving around the city the same evening while intoxicated.
The following month, Rosenthal was fired and he challenged the termination. The Dubuque Civil Service Commission reduced his punishment to a 30-day suspension without pay, but the city appealed that decision to the Dubuque County District Court.
That court upheld the suspension, finding that the firing of Rosenthal, an officer since 2002 with no prior disciplinary record, wasn't warranted. The city also appealed that decision.
Barry Lindahl, an attorney for the city of Dubuque, said Thursday morning that even the majority of the three-member appeals court panel "thought it was a close case." He said he'll speak with the chief of police and city manager to consider further legal options including asking the full appeals court to review the case, or applying for the supreme court to hear the case.
Lindahl said Rosenthal remains on paid administrative leave as the case works its way through the courts. He confirmed that the female officer continues to work for the police department.
In its ruling, the appeals court said there is "no question that Rosenthal's actions constituted misconduct," but it notes his prior record and lack of any previous discipline.
"In fact, his personnel file is replete with letters of commendation from his superiors and notes of appreciation from members of the public," the court wrote in its ruling. "The absence of a disciplinary history militates in favor of suspension rather than termination."
The court also points out that the day after the incident Rosenthal called the female officer to apologize for his phone calls the night before, and the following month he enrolled in an alcohol rehabilitation program.
"That apology reflects an understanding of the severity of his misconduct and reflects remorse for that conduct," the court wrote.
Finally, the court examined Rosenthal's action on the public, saying he placed members of the community at risk by driving while intoxicated and he affected the "prestige of the police department." However, it found that his record suggests the misconduct was an isolated incident.
Chief Judge Rosemary Shaw Sackett dissented from the majority opinion. She would reverse the district court opinion, saying the "officer's conduct is such that the police chief was clearly justified in firing him."
Other Information: http://www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=FF694989-5056-B82A-37B9C7FFDC66F4DE
************
What about the Drunk Driving? Just because he didn't get caught and he has a clean record...he's good to go? He's just another bad cop that hasn't got caught yet.
The Iowa Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld a ruling that allows a Dubuque police officer who left a drunken, sexually explicit telephone message with a female officer to keep his job.
Officer Kurt Rosenthal was accused of placing calls to the female officer's cell phone while out drinking with other off-duty officers in October 2007. Court records said he left one sexually explicit message. He also was accused of driving around the city the same evening while intoxicated.
The following month, Rosenthal was fired and he challenged the termination. The Dubuque Civil Service Commission reduced his punishment to a 30-day suspension without pay, but the city appealed that decision to the Dubuque County District Court.
That court upheld the suspension, finding that the firing of Rosenthal, an officer since 2002 with no prior disciplinary record, wasn't warranted. The city also appealed that decision.
Barry Lindahl, an attorney for the city of Dubuque, said Thursday morning that even the majority of the three-member appeals court panel "thought it was a close case." He said he'll speak with the chief of police and city manager to consider further legal options including asking the full appeals court to review the case, or applying for the supreme court to hear the case.
Lindahl said Rosenthal remains on paid administrative leave as the case works its way through the courts. He confirmed that the female officer continues to work for the police department.
In its ruling, the appeals court said there is "no question that Rosenthal's actions constituted misconduct," but it notes his prior record and lack of any previous discipline.
"In fact, his personnel file is replete with letters of commendation from his superiors and notes of appreciation from members of the public," the court wrote in its ruling. "The absence of a disciplinary history militates in favor of suspension rather than termination."
The court also points out that the day after the incident Rosenthal called the female officer to apologize for his phone calls the night before, and the following month he enrolled in an alcohol rehabilitation program.
"That apology reflects an understanding of the severity of his misconduct and reflects remorse for that conduct," the court wrote.
Finally, the court examined Rosenthal's action on the public, saying he placed members of the community at risk by driving while intoxicated and he affected the "prestige of the police department." However, it found that his record suggests the misconduct was an isolated incident.
Chief Judge Rosemary Shaw Sackett dissented from the majority opinion. She would reverse the district court opinion, saying the "officer's conduct is such that the police chief was clearly justified in firing him."
Other Information: http://www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=FF694989-5056-B82A-37B9C7FFDC66F4DE
************
What about the Drunk Driving? Just because he didn't get caught and he has a clean record...he's good to go? He's just another bad cop that hasn't got caught yet.
Police Chief Steve Settingsgaard Investigating Claim of Excessive Force
The Peoria Police Chief responds to a lawsuit claiming his officers used excessive force in an arrest. Peoria Police Officers say Bryce Scott was resisting arrest. Scott's Attorney calls it a case of police brutality. Chief Steve Settingsgaard is now conducting an investigation.
Is it a case of police brutality or were officers justified in using their force?
Peoria Police Chief Steve Settingsgaard says he's conducting an investigation to find out the facts in a May 2008 arrest. Chief Settingsgaard says if he's going to do a full investigation he needs a statement from the alleged victim, Bryce Scott. He has yet to get one even though the incident happened eight months ago. Officers say Bryce Scott was resisting arrest. Scott's Attorney, Dan Cusack, calls it a case of police brutality. "It's not right. I think the tape will tell you it's not right.
That's the bottom line to the whole thing. Do you see the guy getting pepper sprayed. Was he resisting? That's when you saw his hands out the window," Cusack says. Cusack provided News 25 video from the dashboard of a Peoria Squad Car. The incident started as a police chase and ended up with what Cusack shows in pictures as a bloodied Bryce Scott. "I take these allegations very seriously. I have very serious questions about what I see on the video. But, I can't jump to any conclusions, and I need to conduct a thorough investigation before I can make any determination," Chief Settingsgaard says. Chief Settingsgaard does question why it took eight months for the lawsuit to be filed.
"Normally, when we have an allegation of misconduct or an allegation of excessive force, you learn very quickly after the incident was made," Settingsgaard says. "We're not going to go and participate with the school principal when my client the pupil got the hell beat out of him, ain't going to happen," Cusack says. The Chief says his officers report the struggle on the ground, which is not visible on the video tape, included the alleged victim battering an officer. "That officer indicated in his report that the suspect grabbed him by the inner thigh and wouldn't release him and was squeezing I guess very hard," Settingsgaard says.
Cusack is ready for the courts to decide whether this was excessive force as his client is seeking more than 50-thousand dollars in damages. The six officers involved in the incident remain on the job during the police chief's investigation.
Other Information: http://centralillinoisproud.com/content/fulltext/?cid=42631
Is it a case of police brutality or were officers justified in using their force?
Peoria Police Chief Steve Settingsgaard says he's conducting an investigation to find out the facts in a May 2008 arrest. Chief Settingsgaard says if he's going to do a full investigation he needs a statement from the alleged victim, Bryce Scott. He has yet to get one even though the incident happened eight months ago. Officers say Bryce Scott was resisting arrest. Scott's Attorney, Dan Cusack, calls it a case of police brutality. "It's not right. I think the tape will tell you it's not right.
That's the bottom line to the whole thing. Do you see the guy getting pepper sprayed. Was he resisting? That's when you saw his hands out the window," Cusack says. Cusack provided News 25 video from the dashboard of a Peoria Squad Car. The incident started as a police chase and ended up with what Cusack shows in pictures as a bloodied Bryce Scott. "I take these allegations very seriously. I have very serious questions about what I see on the video. But, I can't jump to any conclusions, and I need to conduct a thorough investigation before I can make any determination," Chief Settingsgaard says. Chief Settingsgaard does question why it took eight months for the lawsuit to be filed.
"Normally, when we have an allegation of misconduct or an allegation of excessive force, you learn very quickly after the incident was made," Settingsgaard says. "We're not going to go and participate with the school principal when my client the pupil got the hell beat out of him, ain't going to happen," Cusack says. The Chief says his officers report the struggle on the ground, which is not visible on the video tape, included the alleged victim battering an officer. "That officer indicated in his report that the suspect grabbed him by the inner thigh and wouldn't release him and was squeezing I guess very hard," Settingsgaard says.
Cusack is ready for the courts to decide whether this was excessive force as his client is seeking more than 50-thousand dollars in damages. The six officers involved in the incident remain on the job during the police chief's investigation.
Other Information: http://centralillinoisproud.com/content/fulltext/?cid=42631
Officer William Cozzi Pleads Guilty to Beating 60-year-old Man in Wheelchair
Yesterday I wrote about Michael Ciancio, the ex-Chicago cop who plead guilty to extortion in a sting over cops shaking down tow truck companies to provide them work at accident scenes. Today, we have another ex-Chicago cop pleading guilty in Federal court over another crime: beating a 60-year old man in a wheelchair.
The Federal charge was a civil rights violation, brought against 51 year old ex-Chicago cop William Cozzi. Cozzi has been with the force since 1992, serving in the 25th District. The Chicago Sun Times broke the story further initially when they obtained a video of the police officer beating the victim, Randle Miles, who was handcuffed to a wheelchair.
Authorities state that Randle Miles, a stabbing victim, was brought to Norwegian American Hospital in Humboldt Park on August 2, 2005. They also have stated that Miles was drunk and uncooperative with the hospital staff, leading to the police call to have Miles restrained. Officer Cozzi arrived at the scene, and handcuffed Miles to the wheelchair. Miles became beligerent with Cozzi, who then hit Miles 10 times to the face and torso with his police bludgeon, also known as a “sap.” The video tape clearly shows Miles not resisting, but he was charged by police for resisting arrest.
On August 2, Miles was stabbed by a young woman. His friends and family pleaded with him to go to a hospital for treatment, but instead he “downed a bottle of gin,” according to his lawyer, Timothy Whiting. His abusive behavior towards hospital staff was attributed to his drunkenness.
Cozzi was originally charged, plead guilty to and convicted in 2007 under a State statute of misdemeanor battery and was sentenced to 18 months probation. While on leave from the Chicago Police Department, the Sun Times discovered the video tape of the incident, and reported it to the Chicago Police Department. Superintendent Jody Weis then referred the case to the FBI, who pursued the civil rights charges against Cozzi in April of 2008.
Cozzi is still on suspension from the Chicago Police Department. In Federal court on Thursday, January 22, 2009, under U.S. District Judge Blanche M. Manning, Cozzi plead guilty to the civil rights charges. Cozzi told the judge, “I made a mistake. I should not have hit him because he was handcuffed and secured.” Cozzi is being defended by attorney Terence Gillespie, who stated that his client is looking forward to giving a more detailed explanation of the actions he committed, and that Cozzi is “very nervous and scared.” Cozzi is set to be sentenced on March 26, 2009, and his plea agreement should bring him 6-8 years in jail, with a maximum sentence of 10 years for the crime committed, with a maximum fine of $250,000. “I lost it,” Officer William Cozzi admitted in federal court.
Cozzi also admitted to the court that he prepared a false arrest report and misdemeanor complaints stating that Miles tried to punch him and two hospital security guards. He also filed a false tactical response report stating that he used an “open hand strike” on the victim but omitted that he struck the victim with a sap.
The Fraternal Order of Police has criticized Superintendent Weis for pushing the case to the FBI under the defense of “Double Jeopardy,” where a person can not be charged twice for the same crime. In this case, the charges seem justified as the State charge was for battery, and the Federal charge was for a civil rights violation. Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Loretta King, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick Fitzgerald and Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office made the announcement of the plea agreement today. ”The defendant violated the public trust by abusing his law enforcement authority,” said King. “This prosecution demonstrates that the Civil Rights Division is committed to aggressively prosecuting law enforcement officers who willfully use excessive force.”
The Federal charge was a civil rights violation, brought against 51 year old ex-Chicago cop William Cozzi. Cozzi has been with the force since 1992, serving in the 25th District. The Chicago Sun Times broke the story further initially when they obtained a video of the police officer beating the victim, Randle Miles, who was handcuffed to a wheelchair.
Authorities state that Randle Miles, a stabbing victim, was brought to Norwegian American Hospital in Humboldt Park on August 2, 2005. They also have stated that Miles was drunk and uncooperative with the hospital staff, leading to the police call to have Miles restrained. Officer Cozzi arrived at the scene, and handcuffed Miles to the wheelchair. Miles became beligerent with Cozzi, who then hit Miles 10 times to the face and torso with his police bludgeon, also known as a “sap.” The video tape clearly shows Miles not resisting, but he was charged by police for resisting arrest.
On August 2, Miles was stabbed by a young woman. His friends and family pleaded with him to go to a hospital for treatment, but instead he “downed a bottle of gin,” according to his lawyer, Timothy Whiting. His abusive behavior towards hospital staff was attributed to his drunkenness.
Cozzi was originally charged, plead guilty to and convicted in 2007 under a State statute of misdemeanor battery and was sentenced to 18 months probation. While on leave from the Chicago Police Department, the Sun Times discovered the video tape of the incident, and reported it to the Chicago Police Department. Superintendent Jody Weis then referred the case to the FBI, who pursued the civil rights charges against Cozzi in April of 2008.
Cozzi is still on suspension from the Chicago Police Department. In Federal court on Thursday, January 22, 2009, under U.S. District Judge Blanche M. Manning, Cozzi plead guilty to the civil rights charges. Cozzi told the judge, “I made a mistake. I should not have hit him because he was handcuffed and secured.” Cozzi is being defended by attorney Terence Gillespie, who stated that his client is looking forward to giving a more detailed explanation of the actions he committed, and that Cozzi is “very nervous and scared.” Cozzi is set to be sentenced on March 26, 2009, and his plea agreement should bring him 6-8 years in jail, with a maximum sentence of 10 years for the crime committed, with a maximum fine of $250,000. “I lost it,” Officer William Cozzi admitted in federal court.
Cozzi also admitted to the court that he prepared a false arrest report and misdemeanor complaints stating that Miles tried to punch him and two hospital security guards. He also filed a false tactical response report stating that he used an “open hand strike” on the victim but omitted that he struck the victim with a sap.
The Fraternal Order of Police has criticized Superintendent Weis for pushing the case to the FBI under the defense of “Double Jeopardy,” where a person can not be charged twice for the same crime. In this case, the charges seem justified as the State charge was for battery, and the Federal charge was for a civil rights violation. Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Loretta King, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick Fitzgerald and Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office made the announcement of the plea agreement today. ”The defendant violated the public trust by abusing his law enforcement authority,” said King. “This prosecution demonstrates that the Civil Rights Division is committed to aggressively prosecuting law enforcement officers who willfully use excessive force.”
Glenn Seldon Dies After Being Jailed for Unpaid Parking Tickets
Unpaid parking tickets proved fatal for a terminally ill Queens man who died after callous cops locked him up for four days for a minor traffic offense, a lawsuit claims.
Glenn Seldon, 50, was battling advanced colon cancer in 2007 but still hoped his chemotherapy regimen would make him well enough to go on a family vacation being planned for Hawaii.
Then, on May 11, 2007, he was arrested for driving with a license that had been suspended for unpaid parking tickets.
According to a lawsuit filed in Brooklyn Federal Court, cops disregarded his weakened condition and ignored his need for daily medication to control an infection and blood clots.
When he finally staggered out of Queens Criminal Court four nights behind bars, his clothing was soiled, he was gaunt from dehydration, incontinent and weeping uncontrollably, his family said. "They broke his spirit," said his wife, Angela Seldon. "Why couldn't they have just given him a summons and let him come home to us?"
Family attorney Fred Brewington called the officers' actions appalling.
"This matter could have been handled in a more compassionate and humane way," Brewington said.
A spokeswoman for the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority refused to comment on the actions of its police officers.
Seldon was heading into Manhattan to pick up his wife at work when he apparently missed an exit for the Queensboro Bridge and stopped near the Midtown Tunnel to ask cops for directions.
It's unclear what happened next, but at some point the cops determined Seldon's license was suspended for failing to pay six tickets in Nassau County traffic court.
Seldon, an insurance claims adjuster for Geico, was once a strapping 320-pounder with a deep voice. His love of singing earned him the nickname "Barry White" after the crooner he resembled.
But cancer had taken its toll. Seldon shed more than 100 pounds, his skin was discolored and covered with scales, and he was unsteady on his feet.
His wife was able to track him to the 108th Precinct stationhouse and from there, to Elmhurst Hospital Center where, according to the suit, she found him handcuffed to a chair and sitting in his own waste.
He was not freed, and he was later taken to Central Booking and Criminal Court.
Authorities would not say why he was held so long. Seldon's daughter Criscelle Seldon, 24, was shocked at the sight of her father when she found him May 15 sitting nearly catatonic on a courthouse bench, his soiled pants hanging around his ankles. "He looked like he had been in a concentration camp," she recalled.
Concerned about his condition, relatives took him to North Shore University Hospital, where doctors said his infection had worsened and his blood platelet level was dangerously low.
"The doctors asked us, 'What happened to him?'" Criscelle Seldon recalled.
Two days later, Seldon was suffering seizures and ministrokes and was placed on a respirator. He died May 20, nine days after taking a wrong turn.
The death certificate says he died of cardiac arrest, but Angela Seldon said her husband's heart was broken by the cruelty the gentle giant endured during his last week on Earth.
"I believe the stress and the trauma accelerated his death," she said.
Glenn Seldon, 50, was battling advanced colon cancer in 2007 but still hoped his chemotherapy regimen would make him well enough to go on a family vacation being planned for Hawaii.
Then, on May 11, 2007, he was arrested for driving with a license that had been suspended for unpaid parking tickets.
According to a lawsuit filed in Brooklyn Federal Court, cops disregarded his weakened condition and ignored his need for daily medication to control an infection and blood clots.
When he finally staggered out of Queens Criminal Court four nights behind bars, his clothing was soiled, he was gaunt from dehydration, incontinent and weeping uncontrollably, his family said. "They broke his spirit," said his wife, Angela Seldon. "Why couldn't they have just given him a summons and let him come home to us?"
Family attorney Fred Brewington called the officers' actions appalling.
"This matter could have been handled in a more compassionate and humane way," Brewington said.
A spokeswoman for the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority refused to comment on the actions of its police officers.
Seldon was heading into Manhattan to pick up his wife at work when he apparently missed an exit for the Queensboro Bridge and stopped near the Midtown Tunnel to ask cops for directions.
It's unclear what happened next, but at some point the cops determined Seldon's license was suspended for failing to pay six tickets in Nassau County traffic court.
Seldon, an insurance claims adjuster for Geico, was once a strapping 320-pounder with a deep voice. His love of singing earned him the nickname "Barry White" after the crooner he resembled.
But cancer had taken its toll. Seldon shed more than 100 pounds, his skin was discolored and covered with scales, and he was unsteady on his feet.
His wife was able to track him to the 108th Precinct stationhouse and from there, to Elmhurst Hospital Center where, according to the suit, she found him handcuffed to a chair and sitting in his own waste.
He was not freed, and he was later taken to Central Booking and Criminal Court.
Authorities would not say why he was held so long. Seldon's daughter Criscelle Seldon, 24, was shocked at the sight of her father when she found him May 15 sitting nearly catatonic on a courthouse bench, his soiled pants hanging around his ankles. "He looked like he had been in a concentration camp," she recalled.
Concerned about his condition, relatives took him to North Shore University Hospital, where doctors said his infection had worsened and his blood platelet level was dangerously low.
"The doctors asked us, 'What happened to him?'" Criscelle Seldon recalled.
Two days later, Seldon was suffering seizures and ministrokes and was placed on a respirator. He died May 20, nine days after taking a wrong turn.
The death certificate says he died of cardiac arrest, but Angela Seldon said her husband's heart was broken by the cruelty the gentle giant endured during his last week on Earth.
"I believe the stress and the trauma accelerated his death," she said.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Two Officers Assault 14-year-old Boy and Leave Him Half-Naked in Marsh Recieve NO Jail Time
Two police officers accused of assaulting a 14-year-old boy they suspected of making Halloween mischief and leaving him half-naked in a desolate Staten Island marsh pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct on Wednesday, prosecutors said.
The officers, Thomas Elliassen and Richard Danese, both 29, were indicted last March on 33 criminal counts, including 13 felonies, but reached a deal with prosecutors after the boy, Rayshawn Moreno of Staten Island, now 15, refused to testify in court, according to prosecutors.
The officers were sentenced in State Supreme Court on Staten Island to conditional discharge for one year, said Daniel M. Donovan Jr., the Staten Island district attorney, and will serve no time in jail. But the officers have been assigned to modified duty and are facing departmental charges, a police official said.
Officers Elliassen and Danese, who both live on Staten Island, were arrested on Nov. 2, 2007, and charged with unlawful imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a minor.
Prosecutors said the officers came across Rayshawn on a street corner on Halloween night a few days earlier, and, believing that he had been throwing eggs at passing cars, stopped the boy and placed him in their patrol car. He was driven to an isolated marshy area, where he was pulled from the police car and told to strip to his underwear and lie face down in the roadway, prosecutors said. The officers then kicked and struck him and abandoned him there, prosecutors said.
Lawyers for Rayshawn and his family had said the officers, who are white, had used a racial epithet while threatening the teenager, who is black.
Salvatore Strazzullo, Officer Danese’s lawyer, maintained his client’s innocence, calling the case a sham.
“Basically, the district attorney’s case fell apart,” Mr. Strazzullo said on Wednesday night. “The evidence just didn’t match up.”
Mr. Strazzullo said the officers arrested Rayshawn but changed their minds about taking him to the police station, and decided to take him home instead. But when they asked his name, age and address, he refused to tell them, Mr. Strazzullo said. He said that as soon as they let the boy out of the car he took off running.
“At the end of the day, the officers did Mr. Moreno a favor,” Mr. Strazzullo said.
In a related case, Officer Danese was charged in Brooklyn with unauthorized use of computerized police records in what was described as an attempt to find negative information about Rayshawn and his father.
Mr. Donovan said in a statement on Wednesday that Rayshawn’s story was credible.
“The victim’s account of the events leading to this prosecution remained consistent,” Mr. Donovan said. But as prosecutors began to prepare for trial, Rayshawn began refusing to cooperate, he said.
“While we were prepared to go forward, we believe we could not adequately present our case without the full cooperation of our victim,” Mr. Donovan said.
Other Information: http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/das_statement_on_plea_deal_off.html
The officers, Thomas Elliassen and Richard Danese, both 29, were indicted last March on 33 criminal counts, including 13 felonies, but reached a deal with prosecutors after the boy, Rayshawn Moreno of Staten Island, now 15, refused to testify in court, according to prosecutors.
The officers were sentenced in State Supreme Court on Staten Island to conditional discharge for one year, said Daniel M. Donovan Jr., the Staten Island district attorney, and will serve no time in jail. But the officers have been assigned to modified duty and are facing departmental charges, a police official said.
Officers Elliassen and Danese, who both live on Staten Island, were arrested on Nov. 2, 2007, and charged with unlawful imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a minor.
Prosecutors said the officers came across Rayshawn on a street corner on Halloween night a few days earlier, and, believing that he had been throwing eggs at passing cars, stopped the boy and placed him in their patrol car. He was driven to an isolated marshy area, where he was pulled from the police car and told to strip to his underwear and lie face down in the roadway, prosecutors said. The officers then kicked and struck him and abandoned him there, prosecutors said.
Lawyers for Rayshawn and his family had said the officers, who are white, had used a racial epithet while threatening the teenager, who is black.
Salvatore Strazzullo, Officer Danese’s lawyer, maintained his client’s innocence, calling the case a sham.
“Basically, the district attorney’s case fell apart,” Mr. Strazzullo said on Wednesday night. “The evidence just didn’t match up.”
Mr. Strazzullo said the officers arrested Rayshawn but changed their minds about taking him to the police station, and decided to take him home instead. But when they asked his name, age and address, he refused to tell them, Mr. Strazzullo said. He said that as soon as they let the boy out of the car he took off running.
“At the end of the day, the officers did Mr. Moreno a favor,” Mr. Strazzullo said.
In a related case, Officer Danese was charged in Brooklyn with unauthorized use of computerized police records in what was described as an attempt to find negative information about Rayshawn and his father.
Mr. Donovan said in a statement on Wednesday that Rayshawn’s story was credible.
“The victim’s account of the events leading to this prosecution remained consistent,” Mr. Donovan said. But as prosecutors began to prepare for trial, Rayshawn began refusing to cooperate, he said.
“While we were prepared to go forward, we believe we could not adequately present our case without the full cooperation of our victim,” Mr. Donovan said.
Other Information: http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/das_statement_on_plea_deal_off.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)