MELBOURNE, Fla.
New details were released this weekend about the Melbourne police officer accused of having sex with prostitutes while on the job.
That officer was fired on Friday.
Police said it had been going on right on the streets of Melbourne with Officer Chris Buccelli in full uniform.
Streetwalkers were seen this weekend in the area known as the Triangle. Locals said prostitution in the area is rampant.
Prostitutes said one officer was letting them ply their trade in exchange for sex in his patrol vehicle.
One man's businesses, he said, is surrounded by prostitutes. He said he's shocked at the accusations that Buccelli had sex with prostitutes on the job.
In an internal investigation, one prostitute told investigators, "Officer Buccelli had intercourse with her" and that "he was in full uniform."
One undercover officer, who arrested a prostitute, reported, "After making the deal for sex, (the prostitute) made the statement that she 'does a Melbourne cop once a week.'"
She identified the officer as Buccelli, police said. One woman on the street said she knows two prostitutes who were told they would have to give him sex or get arrested.
The police chief suspended Buccelli last month after the accusations were made. Now, after a new report that Buccelli stopped and threatened a man in a pickup truck, Buccelli has been fired.
The report suggests Buccelli was jealous because the driver was seeing one of the prostitutes who were servicing Buccelli.
Residents said they're tired of the rampant prostitution, but said Buccelli is the exception to the rule.
Buccelli denied all the accusations against him, and said the prostitutes were lying.
The police chief said, given his denials, there's not enough evidence to charge him with a crime, but he did violate department policy.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com
Monday, January 26, 2009
Former Sheriff Bill Keating Pleads Guilty to Forcing Woman to Give Him Oral Sex
The former sheriff of Montague County has admitted sexually assaulting a woman after promising her he wouldn't arrest her when deputies found drug paraphernalia in her house.
Bill Keating, whose four-year term as sheriff ended Jan. 1, agreed Friday to plead guilty to a federal charge of deprivation of civil rights under color of law after he confessed to authorities that he had forced the woman to give him oral sex after a drug raid Nov. 14.
Keating, 61, is expected to turn himself in at a hearing at 10:30 a.m. Thursday before Magistrate Judge R. Kerry Roach in Wichita Falls. His attorney, Mark Daniel of Fort Worth, declined to comment Monday.
The FBI and Texas Rangers are investigating further allegations of sexual misconduct by Keating and other former Montague County employees at the jail, and state charges could result, officials said.
"The citizens of the county will be chagrined at what's going to be shown," said Montague County District Attorney Jack McGaughey. He said that by mid-February he expects to have secured indictments against the former sheriff as well as up to a dozen former jail personnel and prisoners alleging sexual misconduct inside the jail.
Problems at the jail surfaced after the FBI moved a handful of inmates out in December.
Within minutes of his swearing in, the new sheriff found the jail in an upheaval. He transferred out dozens of inmates and began assessing the crumbling infrastructure and security controls. The price tag so far: more than $750,000.
According to court papers filed Monday, on the morning of Nov. 14, Keating and some of his deputies executed an arrest warrant at a home occupied by a woman and her boyfriend.
Keating, wearing civilian clothes but with his gun and badge on his belt, entered the bedroom and found the couple sleeping. Meanwhile, deputies found paraphernalia used to make methamphetamine, and traces of what appeared to be meth in a plastic container.
Keating directed his deputies to arrest the boyfriend, then ordered another deputy to leave the bedroom.
"You are about to be my new best friend," he told the woman after she had gotten dressed and he had closed the door, according to court documents.
He told the woman that he found illegal drugs in her house and that "in order to avoid going to jail, she would be required to 'assist' him," or perform oral sex on him, court documents state.
Keating told the woman that "if she complied ... he would assist her in obtaining a job, a place to live and she would not be criminally charged with possessing any drugs or drug-making equipment that was found within the residence," court documents state.
If she did not comply, "she would go straight to jail," court documents state.
Keating then took the woman to his personal vehicle, which was parked outside. He drove her to a secluded area off a farm-to-market road and parked.
"He unzipped his pants, instructed [the woman] to perform oral sex on him, and grabbed the back of her neck and pushed her head down into his lap causing her pain and bodily injury," court papers state.
The sheriff later admitted to federal authorities that he had the woman perform oral sex on him "on multiple occasions" and agree to be a Montague County Sheriff's Ddepartment informant.
If convicted of the federal charge, Keating faces up to 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.
"What a jerk," said Paul Cunningham, who replaced Keating as sheriff this year, after learning the specifics of the federal charge Monday afternoon. "There ain't no other way to put it."
Within minutes of taking the oath as sheriff just after midnight on Jan. 1, Cunningham found the county jail in disarray. Inside some cells, he found, among other things: recliners, doors that lock from the inside, pills scattered about, and makeshift privacy partitions fashioned out of paper towels strung on ropes.
He immediately ordered 56 inmates transferred to neighboring Wise County. A few weeks earlier, the FBI took five inmates from Montague County and moved them to Wise County as its investigation showed mounting abuses.
The Montague County Jail is currently accepting inmates, but if they cannot bond out within 48 hours, they are transferred to Wise County, Cunningham said.
Just before the year ended, five jailers resigned "after they talked to federal authorities," Cunningham said. Two dispatchers also resigned before Cunningham took office. The new sheriff has not fired any jail staff.
Cunningham said Monday it will cost $857,000 to repair the jail. That includes repairing or replacing the security camera system, jail control boards, fire alarms and the air conditioning and heating systems.
"All that stuff was either faulty or missing," Cunningham said.
The Texas Commission on Jail Standards is monitoring Cunningham's progress.
"I've got to commend the new sheriff for taking the bull by the horns and doing what he had to do," said Adan Muñoz Jr., the commission's executive director. "I've seen photographs and it's horrible."
The sheriff is expected to testify before the commission on Feb. 5.
In October, state inspectors found that the jail's fire alarm system was still faulty after it had been red-tagged in an earlier inspection.
Other Information: http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1166100.html
Bill Keating, whose four-year term as sheriff ended Jan. 1, agreed Friday to plead guilty to a federal charge of deprivation of civil rights under color of law after he confessed to authorities that he had forced the woman to give him oral sex after a drug raid Nov. 14.
Keating, 61, is expected to turn himself in at a hearing at 10:30 a.m. Thursday before Magistrate Judge R. Kerry Roach in Wichita Falls. His attorney, Mark Daniel of Fort Worth, declined to comment Monday.
The FBI and Texas Rangers are investigating further allegations of sexual misconduct by Keating and other former Montague County employees at the jail, and state charges could result, officials said.
"The citizens of the county will be chagrined at what's going to be shown," said Montague County District Attorney Jack McGaughey. He said that by mid-February he expects to have secured indictments against the former sheriff as well as up to a dozen former jail personnel and prisoners alleging sexual misconduct inside the jail.
Problems at the jail surfaced after the FBI moved a handful of inmates out in December.
Within minutes of his swearing in, the new sheriff found the jail in an upheaval. He transferred out dozens of inmates and began assessing the crumbling infrastructure and security controls. The price tag so far: more than $750,000.
According to court papers filed Monday, on the morning of Nov. 14, Keating and some of his deputies executed an arrest warrant at a home occupied by a woman and her boyfriend.
Keating, wearing civilian clothes but with his gun and badge on his belt, entered the bedroom and found the couple sleeping. Meanwhile, deputies found paraphernalia used to make methamphetamine, and traces of what appeared to be meth in a plastic container.
Keating directed his deputies to arrest the boyfriend, then ordered another deputy to leave the bedroom.
"You are about to be my new best friend," he told the woman after she had gotten dressed and he had closed the door, according to court documents.
He told the woman that he found illegal drugs in her house and that "in order to avoid going to jail, she would be required to 'assist' him," or perform oral sex on him, court documents state.
Keating told the woman that "if she complied ... he would assist her in obtaining a job, a place to live and she would not be criminally charged with possessing any drugs or drug-making equipment that was found within the residence," court documents state.
If she did not comply, "she would go straight to jail," court documents state.
Keating then took the woman to his personal vehicle, which was parked outside. He drove her to a secluded area off a farm-to-market road and parked.
"He unzipped his pants, instructed [the woman] to perform oral sex on him, and grabbed the back of her neck and pushed her head down into his lap causing her pain and bodily injury," court papers state.
The sheriff later admitted to federal authorities that he had the woman perform oral sex on him "on multiple occasions" and agree to be a Montague County Sheriff's Ddepartment informant.
If convicted of the federal charge, Keating faces up to 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.
"What a jerk," said Paul Cunningham, who replaced Keating as sheriff this year, after learning the specifics of the federal charge Monday afternoon. "There ain't no other way to put it."
Within minutes of taking the oath as sheriff just after midnight on Jan. 1, Cunningham found the county jail in disarray. Inside some cells, he found, among other things: recliners, doors that lock from the inside, pills scattered about, and makeshift privacy partitions fashioned out of paper towels strung on ropes.
He immediately ordered 56 inmates transferred to neighboring Wise County. A few weeks earlier, the FBI took five inmates from Montague County and moved them to Wise County as its investigation showed mounting abuses.
The Montague County Jail is currently accepting inmates, but if they cannot bond out within 48 hours, they are transferred to Wise County, Cunningham said.
Just before the year ended, five jailers resigned "after they talked to federal authorities," Cunningham said. Two dispatchers also resigned before Cunningham took office. The new sheriff has not fired any jail staff.
Cunningham said Monday it will cost $857,000 to repair the jail. That includes repairing or replacing the security camera system, jail control boards, fire alarms and the air conditioning and heating systems.
"All that stuff was either faulty or missing," Cunningham said.
The Texas Commission on Jail Standards is monitoring Cunningham's progress.
"I've got to commend the new sheriff for taking the bull by the horns and doing what he had to do," said Adan Muñoz Jr., the commission's executive director. "I've seen photographs and it's horrible."
The sheriff is expected to testify before the commission on Feb. 5.
In October, state inspectors found that the jail's fire alarm system was still faulty after it had been red-tagged in an earlier inspection.
Other Information: http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1166100.html
Captain Edward Hope Jr Arrested for Forcible Sodomy
RICHMOND
Virginia State Police Captain Edward L. Hope, Jr., was placed under arrest in Chesterfield County at approximately 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26, 2009, on one felony charge of forcible sodomy.
The Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation in conjunction with the Chesterfield County Commonwealth's Attorney. The investigation is still ongoing.
Hope, 52, joined the Virginia State Police in 1979. His most current position with the Department was as the Division Commander of the Information Technology Division and was assigned to the State Police Administrative Headquarters in Richmond. He was appointed captain in March 2007.
Hope was placed on administrative leave without pay. As is standard procedure, an investigation will be conducted by the Department's Internal Affairs following completion of the criminal investigation.
"An investigation into this matter was initiated as soon as the allegation was brought to the attention of the Department," said Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police Superintendent. "To have a state police employee, especially an individual of rank, charged with a crime of this nature is most disturbing and disappointing. I am confident that the Commonwealth Attorney's office will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law."
http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-va--captaincharged0126jan26,0,1143099.story
Virginia State Police Captain Edward L. Hope, Jr., was placed under arrest in Chesterfield County at approximately 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26, 2009, on one felony charge of forcible sodomy.
The Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation in conjunction with the Chesterfield County Commonwealth's Attorney. The investigation is still ongoing.
Hope, 52, joined the Virginia State Police in 1979. His most current position with the Department was as the Division Commander of the Information Technology Division and was assigned to the State Police Administrative Headquarters in Richmond. He was appointed captain in March 2007.
Hope was placed on administrative leave without pay. As is standard procedure, an investigation will be conducted by the Department's Internal Affairs following completion of the criminal investigation.
"An investigation into this matter was initiated as soon as the allegation was brought to the attention of the Department," said Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police Superintendent. "To have a state police employee, especially an individual of rank, charged with a crime of this nature is most disturbing and disappointing. I am confident that the Commonwealth Attorney's office will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law."
http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-va--captaincharged0126jan26,0,1143099.story
Officer Ricardo Moyet Arrested for Battery on an Officer
An Atlanta police officer has been arrested on misdemeanor battery charges after getting into an altercation with two other officers — one of them the mother of his child — at the Police Department’s headquarters.
Ricardo Moyet, 30, was arrested a couple of days after the Jan. 14 incident, according to Atlanta police.
He has been assigned to desk duty and, for now, has been stripped of his law enforcement powers, said Atlanta police spokeswoman Sgt. Lisa Keyes.
The other two officers, Shannon Durham and Stephen McKesey, are still on normal duty.
The fight happened about 8:30 p.m. in a parking lot outside City Hall East on Ponce de Leon Avenue, where the Police Department is housed.
Moyet and Durham, 27, were off duty and meeting to exchange custody of their young son, according to a police report.
While Durham was putting her son in his child seat, Moyet pulled her from the vehicle and “started yelling baseless statements,” Durham told police.
She tried to ignore him and continued putting her son in the seat, but Moyet pulled her from the car again, spun her around and pushed her into a vehicle, Durham reported.
Moyet left after a brief argument. Soon after, McKesey, a 31-year-old investigator, came to the parking lot and asked Durham if she was all right.
Moyet returned and accused McKesey of “coming between him and his family,” Durham reported.
Moyet punched McKesey in the face, police said, and Durham stepped between them. But when McKesey tried to get his bag, Moyet hit him in the face again, prompting a fight between the two men.
Both suffered some scrapes and bruises, but avoided serious injury, Keyes said.
Durham and Moyet are not facing criminal charges.
Moyet has been a police officer since 2003.
Ricardo Moyet, 30, was arrested a couple of days after the Jan. 14 incident, according to Atlanta police.
He has been assigned to desk duty and, for now, has been stripped of his law enforcement powers, said Atlanta police spokeswoman Sgt. Lisa Keyes.
The other two officers, Shannon Durham and Stephen McKesey, are still on normal duty.
The fight happened about 8:30 p.m. in a parking lot outside City Hall East on Ponce de Leon Avenue, where the Police Department is housed.
Moyet and Durham, 27, were off duty and meeting to exchange custody of their young son, according to a police report.
While Durham was putting her son in his child seat, Moyet pulled her from the vehicle and “started yelling baseless statements,” Durham told police.
She tried to ignore him and continued putting her son in the seat, but Moyet pulled her from the car again, spun her around and pushed her into a vehicle, Durham reported.
Moyet left after a brief argument. Soon after, McKesey, a 31-year-old investigator, came to the parking lot and asked Durham if she was all right.
Moyet returned and accused McKesey of “coming between him and his family,” Durham reported.
Moyet punched McKesey in the face, police said, and Durham stepped between them. But when McKesey tried to get his bag, Moyet hit him in the face again, prompting a fight between the two men.
Both suffered some scrapes and bruises, but avoided serious injury, Keyes said.
Durham and Moyet are not facing criminal charges.
Moyet has been a police officer since 2003.
Officer Monte Montalvo Convicted of Hitting Neighbor with Metal Rod
Monte R. Montalvo has been terminated as an officer with the Buffalo Police Department (BPD) after he was convicted of misdemeanor assault and harassment charges.
According to Michael DeGeorge, spokesman for the BPD, Buffalo Police Commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson terminated Montalvo on Jan. 14, eight days after he was convicted on charges of striking a neighbor outside of his Baraga Street home in August. Montalvo was accused of assaulting the neighbor with a large metal rod.
"His dismissal was pursuant to the Public Officer's law, which basically states that if an officer is convicted of a felony or misdemeanor that affects the oath of office, the officer is terminated," DeGeorge said. "In this case, he was convicted on an assault [charge], which is a misdemeanor that affects the oath of office."
Montalvo is the officer accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old UB student during an incident unrelated to the assault charges. Montalvo allegedly met the female student last year while working security at a fraternity party. Montalvo is accused of bringing the woman to his apartment after the party and forcibly performing oral sex on her.
Montalvo served as a member of the force for 15 years prior to the conviction. The former 38-year-old officer is currently being tried for the alleged incident with the student. DeGeorge said that the BPD is reserving comment pending the outcome of that trial.
"It's in the hands of the courts at this point," DeGeorge said. "The department would have no comment until the case is resolved in court... and until the case is concluded."
Montalvo is also currently facing charges for an alleged December 2007 incident involving a handgun.
According to Michael DeGeorge, spokesman for the BPD, Buffalo Police Commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson terminated Montalvo on Jan. 14, eight days after he was convicted on charges of striking a neighbor outside of his Baraga Street home in August. Montalvo was accused of assaulting the neighbor with a large metal rod.
"His dismissal was pursuant to the Public Officer's law, which basically states that if an officer is convicted of a felony or misdemeanor that affects the oath of office, the officer is terminated," DeGeorge said. "In this case, he was convicted on an assault [charge], which is a misdemeanor that affects the oath of office."
Montalvo is the officer accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old UB student during an incident unrelated to the assault charges. Montalvo allegedly met the female student last year while working security at a fraternity party. Montalvo is accused of bringing the woman to his apartment after the party and forcibly performing oral sex on her.
Montalvo served as a member of the force for 15 years prior to the conviction. The former 38-year-old officer is currently being tried for the alleged incident with the student. DeGeorge said that the BPD is reserving comment pending the outcome of that trial.
"It's in the hands of the courts at this point," DeGeorge said. "The department would have no comment until the case is resolved in court... and until the case is concluded."
Montalvo is also currently facing charges for an alleged December 2007 incident involving a handgun.
Officer Anthony Battisti Investigated for Paying Man to Assault Former Girlfriend
The mother of an NYPD cop accused of hiring a Long Island grifter to stab his ex-wife denied that her son could plot the attack even as investigators moved closer Sunday to arresting the officer.
Officer Anthony Battisti, who was suspended by the NYPD on Saturday, is under investigation for allegedly paying Timothy Gersbeck $5,000 to assault his former flame outside her Franklin Square home.
"He would never, ever do anything like that," said the cop's mother, Mary Ann Battisti, 66. "I can't take this. ... It's killing me."
"Why would he want to hurt the mother of his children?" she asked. "He's the best father in the world."
Gersbeck, 37, told Nassau County cops that Battisti, 42, commissioned the hit because he was jealous of his ex-wife's new love interest, police sources said.
Gersbeck - who had done some odd jobs for the NYPD officer - was arrested Friday after he plunged a screwdriver into the neck of Patricia Battisti, 44, outside the house she used to share with her ex-husband.
Anthony Battisti has not yet been charged with a crime, although sources said yesterday that an arrest could be forthcoming this week.
Patricia Battisti is listed in serious but stable condition at a Nassau County hospital, police said. Sources said she was one of the victims of Michael Mastromarino, who ran a New Jersey biomedical firm that illegally harvested body parts from corpses and sold them to tissue-transplant companies for surgeries around the world.
Patricia Battisti had charged that she contracted syphilis after undergoing a transplant that used a bone from the ghoulish facility, but when subsequent tests came back clean, she was sued for false claims by Long Island Jewish Health Systems.
Officer Anthony Battisti, who was suspended by the NYPD on Saturday, is under investigation for allegedly paying Timothy Gersbeck $5,000 to assault his former flame outside her Franklin Square home.
"He would never, ever do anything like that," said the cop's mother, Mary Ann Battisti, 66. "I can't take this. ... It's killing me."
"Why would he want to hurt the mother of his children?" she asked. "He's the best father in the world."
Gersbeck, 37, told Nassau County cops that Battisti, 42, commissioned the hit because he was jealous of his ex-wife's new love interest, police sources said.
Gersbeck - who had done some odd jobs for the NYPD officer - was arrested Friday after he plunged a screwdriver into the neck of Patricia Battisti, 44, outside the house she used to share with her ex-husband.
Anthony Battisti has not yet been charged with a crime, although sources said yesterday that an arrest could be forthcoming this week.
Patricia Battisti is listed in serious but stable condition at a Nassau County hospital, police said. Sources said she was one of the victims of Michael Mastromarino, who ran a New Jersey biomedical firm that illegally harvested body parts from corpses and sold them to tissue-transplant companies for surgeries around the world.
Patricia Battisti had charged that she contracted syphilis after undergoing a transplant that used a bone from the ghoulish facility, but when subsequent tests came back clean, she was sued for false claims by Long Island Jewish Health Systems.
Former Officer Wilbert Jamison Jr Accused of Beating Son Wants Jury Trial
GAFFNEY, S.C.
A former Gaffney police officer accused of beating his 10-year-old son formally pleaded not guilty Monday morning and requested a jury trial.
Wilbert Jamison Jr. was indicted on Jan. 13 on three counts of unlawful conduct towards a child. He is also charged with criminal domestic violence, accused of injuring his wife.
Monday, he was in court for a preliminary hearing, that quickly turned into a bond hearing.
Jamison's attorney had asked the judge to let his client remain out on the $5,200 bond Jamison had already paid in connection with a domestic violence charge. But the judge set a bond for the abuse charges at $50,000
The judge ordered that Jamison be tracked by GPS monitoring and not leave his home except to go to work, to church, to meet with his lawyer or to go to the doctor.
He was also ordered to have no contact with his son or his wife.
A trial date has not yet been set.
According to a grand jury indictment, Jamison used handcuffs and a belt to abuse his son -- on one occasion locking him in a closet face-down while he was handcuffed.
According to a warrant, Jamison also shoved his wife, causing her to fall to the ground and hit her head.
Jamison was a Gaffney police officer starting in the late 1990s, and he served as both a patrol officer and a school resource officer at Gaffney Middle School.
Jamison resigned late last year, citing personal reasons. The alleged abuse took place while Jamison was an active duty officer.
The indictment says that between April 1 and Aug. 30, 2007, Jamison handcuffed his son and forced him to run back and forth in the yard while Jamison beat him with a belt, causing him severe physical and mental injury.
In the second count, the indictment alleges that between Jan. 1 and April 30, 2007, Jamison handcuffed the boy, and locked him faced own in a closet.
The third count of the indictment says that between Dec. 6 and Dec. 8, 2006, Jamison beat the child with a belt, and the belt and buckle caused severe injury to the boy's ankle and foot.
Current Gaffney Police Chief Rick Turner said that he cannot comment on why Jamison continued to work for the department during the investigation because he was not chief at the time.
Jamison's wife, Teresa Jamison, said that she still married to Jamison, but is seeking a divorce so she and her son can move on.
Teresa Jamison said, "We've formed … a new family without the abuse. And any time you get rid of abuse, it can only go up from there."
Previous Story: http://whathappenedtoprotectandserve.blogspot.com/2009/01/forjmer-officer-wilbert-jamison-jr.html
A former Gaffney police officer accused of beating his 10-year-old son formally pleaded not guilty Monday morning and requested a jury trial.
Wilbert Jamison Jr. was indicted on Jan. 13 on three counts of unlawful conduct towards a child. He is also charged with criminal domestic violence, accused of injuring his wife.
Monday, he was in court for a preliminary hearing, that quickly turned into a bond hearing.
Jamison's attorney had asked the judge to let his client remain out on the $5,200 bond Jamison had already paid in connection with a domestic violence charge. But the judge set a bond for the abuse charges at $50,000
The judge ordered that Jamison be tracked by GPS monitoring and not leave his home except to go to work, to church, to meet with his lawyer or to go to the doctor.
He was also ordered to have no contact with his son or his wife.
A trial date has not yet been set.
According to a grand jury indictment, Jamison used handcuffs and a belt to abuse his son -- on one occasion locking him in a closet face-down while he was handcuffed.
According to a warrant, Jamison also shoved his wife, causing her to fall to the ground and hit her head.
Jamison was a Gaffney police officer starting in the late 1990s, and he served as both a patrol officer and a school resource officer at Gaffney Middle School.
Jamison resigned late last year, citing personal reasons. The alleged abuse took place while Jamison was an active duty officer.
The indictment says that between April 1 and Aug. 30, 2007, Jamison handcuffed his son and forced him to run back and forth in the yard while Jamison beat him with a belt, causing him severe physical and mental injury.
In the second count, the indictment alleges that between Jan. 1 and April 30, 2007, Jamison handcuffed the boy, and locked him faced own in a closet.
The third count of the indictment says that between Dec. 6 and Dec. 8, 2006, Jamison beat the child with a belt, and the belt and buckle caused severe injury to the boy's ankle and foot.
Current Gaffney Police Chief Rick Turner said that he cannot comment on why Jamison continued to work for the department during the investigation because he was not chief at the time.
Jamison's wife, Teresa Jamison, said that she still married to Jamison, but is seeking a divorce so she and her son can move on.
Teresa Jamison said, "We've formed … a new family without the abuse. And any time you get rid of abuse, it can only go up from there."
Previous Story: http://whathappenedtoprotectandserve.blogspot.com/2009/01/forjmer-officer-wilbert-jamison-jr.html
Officer Dexter Yarbrough Accused of Making Troubling Comments
DENVER, Jan. 26
The student newspaper for Colorado State University alleges a former Chicago police officer detailed illicit police activities during a 2008 visit.
The Rocky Mountain Collegian reported former Chicago police officer Dexter Yarbrough told students Chicago police routinely beat suspects and paid informants for information with drugs.
The alleged comments by Yarbrough, who was a Gresham District community policing officer, were recorded by a student when the former cop lectured at the university last year.
"If there's a news conference going on, I can't get in front of a crowd and say, 'He got exactly what ... (expletive) he deserved.' You know the police should have beat him, you know. I used to beat (expletive) when I was in Chicago too. I can't say that," Yarbrough was quoted as saying in reference to alleged police violence against suspects.
Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis responded to the alleged comments by saying the formation of the Bureau of Professional Standards assured improved supervision of police, the Chicago Tribune said.
Information: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-crime-policeabuse-columnjan26,0,1683644.story
The student newspaper for Colorado State University alleges a former Chicago police officer detailed illicit police activities during a 2008 visit.
The Rocky Mountain Collegian reported former Chicago police officer Dexter Yarbrough told students Chicago police routinely beat suspects and paid informants for information with drugs.
The alleged comments by Yarbrough, who was a Gresham District community policing officer, were recorded by a student when the former cop lectured at the university last year.
"If there's a news conference going on, I can't get in front of a crowd and say, 'He got exactly what ... (expletive) he deserved.' You know the police should have beat him, you know. I used to beat (expletive) when I was in Chicago too. I can't say that," Yarbrough was quoted as saying in reference to alleged police violence against suspects.
Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis responded to the alleged comments by saying the formation of the Bureau of Professional Standards assured improved supervision of police, the Chicago Tribune said.
Information: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-crime-policeabuse-columnjan26,0,1683644.story
Officer P. Payton Arrested for DUI
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
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
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.
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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.
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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.
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