A state correction officer from Little Falls was arrested Friday evening after authorities said she drove drunk.
Mary Lyon, 44, was charged with driving while intoxicated and refusal to submit to a chemical test, town of Frankfort police said.
Frankfort officers said they stopped Lyon at about 7 p.m. on state Route 5S after receiving a complaint from state Department of Environmental Conservation police.
Lyon did not cooperate with officers, police said.
Lyon works in Marcy where there are two state prisons. Police did not say whether Lyon is assigned to Marcy Correctional Facility or Mid-State Correctional Facility.
Judge James Wright ordered Lyon to be held at the Herkimer County jail on $500 cash bail or $1,000 bond, police said.
She is scheduled to appear in town court Tuesday, March 16.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
David Gardner Shot by Diabetic Cop Files Lawsuit
A former QuikTrip driver who was shot by a police officer in 2007 said his life hasn't been the same since the shooting.
It happened on Sept. 24, 2007, at St. John Avenue and Belmont Boulevard in northeast Kansas City.
David Gardner, who drove semi-trailers for QuikTrip, said he was backing up his big rig when gunfire ripped through him and his truck, forcing him out of the cab and onto the ground.
"Just out of the blue -- shot. I started hearing shot after shot. The very first shot went through my driver's side window," Gardner told KMBC's Peggy Breit. "I remember looking up and just seeing people running, ducking, hiding. I could hear shots behind me."
Gardner was hit in the side and the back. Kansas City police officers came to his aid.
Gardner said he later learned that the officer who had shot him had diabetes and was suffering from a hypoglycemic, or low blood sugar, episode.
"I've kind of lost that trust in, 'They're here to protect and serve.' For me, it's hard to believe anymore," Gardner said.
Gardner said he's recovered physically but not mentally. He has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Gardner still works for QuikTrip, only now it's in the warehouse in Belton. He said his salary is much lower than his driver pay was.
Gardner said it was his choice to work in the warehouse, because he said he feels unsafe to drive a big rig again. He said he's still too jumpy, especially around police.
"I don't want to be behind an 80,000-pound vehicle and have an officer come up beside me. I don't know for sure what would happen, but I don't want to put other people's lives at stake," Gardner said.
Gardner has filed a lawsuit against the Kansas City Police Department, claiming the department knew that Officer Joel Ritchie could be a danger to himself or others.
Ritchie had had two previous diabetic-related incidents on the job. Both were serious enough that responding officers removed his weapon and called for an ambulance.
Gardner said living with the fallout from the shooting has put tremendous strain on him and his family, especially financially.
"It just gets more and more difficult," Gardner said. "It's like a movie -- you can try and pause it or stop it or, but it's always there to replay."
After the shooting, Ritchie worked in police dispatch but has since left the police department.
In response to the lawsuit, the department said neither they nor Ritchie should be held responsible for the shooting. They said no one knew Ritchie's diabetes could trigger such an incident.
Gardner's attorney said officers are trained in the police academy to prepare for a wide range of behaviors from diabetics.
The police department has no policy regarding officers who are diabetic.
Gardner said he knows QuikTrip has a policy for employees who are diabetic because he has diabetes.
It happened on Sept. 24, 2007, at St. John Avenue and Belmont Boulevard in northeast Kansas City.
David Gardner, who drove semi-trailers for QuikTrip, said he was backing up his big rig when gunfire ripped through him and his truck, forcing him out of the cab and onto the ground.
"Just out of the blue -- shot. I started hearing shot after shot. The very first shot went through my driver's side window," Gardner told KMBC's Peggy Breit. "I remember looking up and just seeing people running, ducking, hiding. I could hear shots behind me."
Gardner was hit in the side and the back. Kansas City police officers came to his aid.
Gardner said he later learned that the officer who had shot him had diabetes and was suffering from a hypoglycemic, or low blood sugar, episode.
"I've kind of lost that trust in, 'They're here to protect and serve.' For me, it's hard to believe anymore," Gardner said.
Gardner said he's recovered physically but not mentally. He has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Gardner still works for QuikTrip, only now it's in the warehouse in Belton. He said his salary is much lower than his driver pay was.
Gardner said it was his choice to work in the warehouse, because he said he feels unsafe to drive a big rig again. He said he's still too jumpy, especially around police.
"I don't want to be behind an 80,000-pound vehicle and have an officer come up beside me. I don't know for sure what would happen, but I don't want to put other people's lives at stake," Gardner said.
Gardner has filed a lawsuit against the Kansas City Police Department, claiming the department knew that Officer Joel Ritchie could be a danger to himself or others.
Ritchie had had two previous diabetic-related incidents on the job. Both were serious enough that responding officers removed his weapon and called for an ambulance.
Gardner said living with the fallout from the shooting has put tremendous strain on him and his family, especially financially.
"It just gets more and more difficult," Gardner said. "It's like a movie -- you can try and pause it or stop it or, but it's always there to replay."
After the shooting, Ritchie worked in police dispatch but has since left the police department.
In response to the lawsuit, the department said neither they nor Ritchie should be held responsible for the shooting. They said no one knew Ritchie's diabetes could trigger such an incident.
Gardner's attorney said officers are trained in the police academy to prepare for a wide range of behaviors from diabetics.
The police department has no policy regarding officers who are diabetic.
Gardner said he knows QuikTrip has a policy for employees who are diabetic because he has diabetes.
Officer Amparo Sierra Pena Senteced to Just 10 Years PROBATION for Shooting Husband
A certified peace officer has now received 10 years probation for shooting her common law husband in the back.
Amparo Sierra Pena was sentenced in the 406th district court this morning during which the defense told a judge "it was only one shot."
Pena, who is a certified peace officer shot her common law husband in the back in may of last year after he decided to move out.
During her 10-year probation, she will not be allowed to carry, posses or use any firearm and must attend anger management.
She could have gotten jail time but her husband, who still lives with Pena, refused to testify in the case.
Amparo Sierra Pena was sentenced in the 406th district court this morning during which the defense told a judge "it was only one shot."
Pena, who is a certified peace officer shot her common law husband in the back in may of last year after he decided to move out.
During her 10-year probation, she will not be allowed to carry, posses or use any firearm and must attend anger management.
She could have gotten jail time but her husband, who still lives with Pena, refused to testify in the case.
Corrections Officer Eric Colon Charged with Bringing Inmate Illegal Items
Prosecutors in Milwaukee County are charging a former corrections officer with two felonies for allegedly bringing an inmate illegal items.
Eric Colon is charged with delivering those items to an inmate as well as misconduct in public office. He faces up to 7 years in prison and $20,000 in fines.
The criminal complaint states Colon started a friendship with inmate Bernard Burgess, and at one point bought a Cadillac from Burgess' family. According to prosecutors, he got a discount on the car and in return he delivered several items to Burgess while he was behind bars.
Those items "Included deodorant, a hairbrush, matchsticks, two packs of Newport cigarettes, two marijuana cigarettes hidden inside a deodorant container, crushed tobacco, a container of hair grease, a fabric hair net, a Mini Bic cigarette lighter, two ink pens, 14 pornographic photographs and 20 Duracell batteries."
Eric Colon is charged with delivering those items to an inmate as well as misconduct in public office. He faces up to 7 years in prison and $20,000 in fines.
The criminal complaint states Colon started a friendship with inmate Bernard Burgess, and at one point bought a Cadillac from Burgess' family. According to prosecutors, he got a discount on the car and in return he delivered several items to Burgess while he was behind bars.
Those items "Included deodorant, a hairbrush, matchsticks, two packs of Newport cigarettes, two marijuana cigarettes hidden inside a deodorant container, crushed tobacco, a container of hair grease, a fabric hair net, a Mini Bic cigarette lighter, two ink pens, 14 pornographic photographs and 20 Duracell batteries."
Officer Sean O'Brien Placed Charged with Assaulting Teen Placed on Judicial Diversion
General Sessions Court Judge Bob Moon on Friday placed a Chattanooga Police officer charged with assaulting a handcuffed teen on judicial diversion.
He directed that Officer Sean O'Brien undergo 26 weeks of anger management under the AILS program. He will be on probation for up to one year, but the judge said that could be shortened if he does well on the AILS program.
Officer O'Brien said he had "taken control" of the 13-year-old after he continually cursed him and tried to incite three other teens who were arrested at the same time.
Judge Moon admonished the teen, having him stand up and telling him, "You are on the interstate to either the morgue or the penitentiary unless something changes and changes right now."
Judge Moon said the officer was within a secure facility and the teens were handcuffed and he did not feel the forceful actions he took were necessary.
A video shows the officer put his hand toward the back of the teen's head and then pressed him against a wall with his body.
The teen, Timothy Rawlings, was placed in a Baptist halfway house at Greeneville, Tn., after the Jan. 23 incident and was brought to Chattanooga for the hearing.
He testified first, saying he was laughing and not cursing the officer when he said Officer O'Brien "hit me in the head and grabbed me and threw me against a wall."
On cross-examination by attorney Lee Davis, he admitted he had incidents at Orchard Knob Middle School where he was yelling,screaming,causing fights and had been moved to the Washington Alternative School.
Rawlings also acknowledged he was on probation for stealing a Vespa scooter in North Chattanooga last June.
He denied trespassing at Memorial Hospital the night of his arrest, though several officers said he admitted he had been with a group of teens there.
He said he was at some apartments on Dodson Avenue when some other teens came up. He said he was arrested along with them.
Homicide detective Michael Wenger said Officer O'Brien told him he took the actions because he felt threatened being along with the four teens.
He said he had watched the video numerous times "and it is still not clear if he touched his head or not."
Memorial Hospital security guard Maurice Watson said he was driving near the hospital when he saw four teens in the street. He said he later pursued them after spotting them running.
He said they ran into a parking garage up toward the Mary Ellen Locher Breast Cancer Center, which was closed for the weekend. He said there had been a recent incident of vending machines being tampered with there.
He said he put out a radio message that was also heard by city officers.
Officer O'Brien said he was a state trooper in New Jersey for seven years before moving to Cleveland, Tn., to operate a business there. He said he was hired by the Chattanooga Police Department after the business was sold and he has been there for two and a half years.
He said he was off duty, but was doing an overtime job with the federal Weed and Seed program on Jan. 23. He said he was involved in the apprehension of some of the youths, and he took Rawlings and another teen in his car.
Officer O'Brien said in the car Rawlings was saying, "This is f------- b--- s---. This ain't f------ right."
He said Rawlings continued with the same language after they were inside the Detention Center. He said he first told him it was "no big deal" to try to calm him. He said he later told him to "shut up."
The officer said he finally told Rawlings, "You need to shut the f--- up."
He testified, "You can take control of a situation, or you can let it go and have worse problems."
He said he was concerned for his safety and for the other three teens, and he said it was a tense atmosphere at the center with blood on the floor from a recent fight. He said he then took the actions against Rawlings. He said if he touched his head it was only his hair.
Corey Beals, who was the officer in charge at the detention center, said Rawlings was "belligerent and loud and verbally abusive of the officer. He was calling him obscene names like b----."
He said he did not see the alleged assault, but he said on the tape it appeared the officer was swinging his hand toward the teen's head.
Capt. Susan Blaine praised the work of Officer O'Brien, saying that was the main reason he was chosen to be in the Weed and Seed program. She said, "He does an excellent job."
Judge Moon also told the officer, "Your language needs to be cleaned up. That is unacceptable - especially to a young person."
He directed that Officer Sean O'Brien undergo 26 weeks of anger management under the AILS program. He will be on probation for up to one year, but the judge said that could be shortened if he does well on the AILS program.
Officer O'Brien said he had "taken control" of the 13-year-old after he continually cursed him and tried to incite three other teens who were arrested at the same time.
Judge Moon admonished the teen, having him stand up and telling him, "You are on the interstate to either the morgue or the penitentiary unless something changes and changes right now."
Judge Moon said the officer was within a secure facility and the teens were handcuffed and he did not feel the forceful actions he took were necessary.
A video shows the officer put his hand toward the back of the teen's head and then pressed him against a wall with his body.
The teen, Timothy Rawlings, was placed in a Baptist halfway house at Greeneville, Tn., after the Jan. 23 incident and was brought to Chattanooga for the hearing.
He testified first, saying he was laughing and not cursing the officer when he said Officer O'Brien "hit me in the head and grabbed me and threw me against a wall."
On cross-examination by attorney Lee Davis, he admitted he had incidents at Orchard Knob Middle School where he was yelling,screaming,causing fights and had been moved to the Washington Alternative School.
Rawlings also acknowledged he was on probation for stealing a Vespa scooter in North Chattanooga last June.
He denied trespassing at Memorial Hospital the night of his arrest, though several officers said he admitted he had been with a group of teens there.
He said he was at some apartments on Dodson Avenue when some other teens came up. He said he was arrested along with them.
Homicide detective Michael Wenger said Officer O'Brien told him he took the actions because he felt threatened being along with the four teens.
He said he had watched the video numerous times "and it is still not clear if he touched his head or not."
Memorial Hospital security guard Maurice Watson said he was driving near the hospital when he saw four teens in the street. He said he later pursued them after spotting them running.
He said they ran into a parking garage up toward the Mary Ellen Locher Breast Cancer Center, which was closed for the weekend. He said there had been a recent incident of vending machines being tampered with there.
He said he put out a radio message that was also heard by city officers.
Officer O'Brien said he was a state trooper in New Jersey for seven years before moving to Cleveland, Tn., to operate a business there. He said he was hired by the Chattanooga Police Department after the business was sold and he has been there for two and a half years.
He said he was off duty, but was doing an overtime job with the federal Weed and Seed program on Jan. 23. He said he was involved in the apprehension of some of the youths, and he took Rawlings and another teen in his car.
Officer O'Brien said in the car Rawlings was saying, "This is f------- b--- s---. This ain't f------ right."
He said Rawlings continued with the same language after they were inside the Detention Center. He said he first told him it was "no big deal" to try to calm him. He said he later told him to "shut up."
The officer said he finally told Rawlings, "You need to shut the f--- up."
He testified, "You can take control of a situation, or you can let it go and have worse problems."
He said he was concerned for his safety and for the other three teens, and he said it was a tense atmosphere at the center with blood on the floor from a recent fight. He said he then took the actions against Rawlings. He said if he touched his head it was only his hair.
Corey Beals, who was the officer in charge at the detention center, said Rawlings was "belligerent and loud and verbally abusive of the officer. He was calling him obscene names like b----."
He said he did not see the alleged assault, but he said on the tape it appeared the officer was swinging his hand toward the teen's head.
Capt. Susan Blaine praised the work of Officer O'Brien, saying that was the main reason he was chosen to be in the Weed and Seed program. She said, "He does an excellent job."
Judge Moon also told the officer, "Your language needs to be cleaned up. That is unacceptable - especially to a young person."
Officer James Peters Involved in 6 Shootings
Sergeant Mark Clark, the spokesman for the Scottsdale Police department, said explaining the shooting history of one of his officers can be difficult.
"We're scratching our heads because we're absolutely amazed," said Clark.
Officer James Peters has been involved in more officer-involved shootings than any other officer on duty in the state of Arizona. A total of six. And in four of those cases, Peters fired a bullet that killed a suspect.
"As a matter of fact, there's no one at the Scottsdale police department that isn't absolutely astonished that this officer has been involved, used deadly force, so many times when a lot of officers have gone through their whole careers and not have to use deadly force," said Sgt. Clark.
In his first incident, Peters shot at a suspect in a domestic SWAT situation, but missed. That suspect recovered from other wounds, according to police.
But the officer's aim improved. In this next three shootings, he shot and killed a disbarred lawyer who was pacing a can with a shotgun, a suspect who reportedly tried to attack another officer with a pipe and a gunman holding a hostage in a supermarket.
"The suspect had the manager -- something like you might see in a movie -- had the manager around the neck with the gun pointing to his head and was backing out the door," said Clark.
In all of those cases, multiple police and county attorney investigations ruled Peters' actions were justified. He was even heralded as a hero and was the focus of an article in an industry newsletter found on policeone.com.
Yet, a CBS5 source who has investigated Peters before and who asked to remain anonymous, questions not only Peters' record, but also the ability of the department to remain unbiased.
In fact, the Scottsdale police department settled with a shooting victim's family out of court in the officer's fifth shooting after Peters and others cut the power to a suspect's home and then fatally shot him when he came out with a gun to investigate, according to police.
"Officers were responding to being shot at in that particular incident. It's important to note that, although you guys know that there was a settlement. There certainly was facts that were beyond the legal and certainly financial considerations of the city and their legal department," said Clark.
On Wednesday night, Peters and another officer opened fire on Jimmy Hammack, a bank robbery suspect, after they say Hammack jumped in his truck and drove right at them. Hammack is in critical condition. If the investigation into this latest shooting fits the pattern of all the others, however, Peters will be cleared within a week and back on the street.
"It's just one of those things where I don't know if we're ever going to be able to explain it. I don't know if you are ever going to be able to explain it. It happened. Every single case, this officer that the investigations were completed on, he reacted exactly the way officers are trained to react," said Clark.
Sergeant Clark said his department has reviewed it's procedures to see if there is anything Scottsdale is doing that might regularly put Peters in harms way, but said they found nothing. To date, Officer Peters has passed every psychological evaluation, and his superiors said despite his luck, he is more than fit to serve. The Wednesday night shooting is currently being investigated by Phoenix police.
"We're scratching our heads because we're absolutely amazed," said Clark.
Officer James Peters has been involved in more officer-involved shootings than any other officer on duty in the state of Arizona. A total of six. And in four of those cases, Peters fired a bullet that killed a suspect.
"As a matter of fact, there's no one at the Scottsdale police department that isn't absolutely astonished that this officer has been involved, used deadly force, so many times when a lot of officers have gone through their whole careers and not have to use deadly force," said Sgt. Clark.
In his first incident, Peters shot at a suspect in a domestic SWAT situation, but missed. That suspect recovered from other wounds, according to police.
But the officer's aim improved. In this next three shootings, he shot and killed a disbarred lawyer who was pacing a can with a shotgun, a suspect who reportedly tried to attack another officer with a pipe and a gunman holding a hostage in a supermarket.
"The suspect had the manager -- something like you might see in a movie -- had the manager around the neck with the gun pointing to his head and was backing out the door," said Clark.
In all of those cases, multiple police and county attorney investigations ruled Peters' actions were justified. He was even heralded as a hero and was the focus of an article in an industry newsletter found on policeone.com.
Yet, a CBS5 source who has investigated Peters before and who asked to remain anonymous, questions not only Peters' record, but also the ability of the department to remain unbiased.
In fact, the Scottsdale police department settled with a shooting victim's family out of court in the officer's fifth shooting after Peters and others cut the power to a suspect's home and then fatally shot him when he came out with a gun to investigate, according to police.
"Officers were responding to being shot at in that particular incident. It's important to note that, although you guys know that there was a settlement. There certainly was facts that were beyond the legal and certainly financial considerations of the city and their legal department," said Clark.
On Wednesday night, Peters and another officer opened fire on Jimmy Hammack, a bank robbery suspect, after they say Hammack jumped in his truck and drove right at them. Hammack is in critical condition. If the investigation into this latest shooting fits the pattern of all the others, however, Peters will be cleared within a week and back on the street.
"It's just one of those things where I don't know if we're ever going to be able to explain it. I don't know if you are ever going to be able to explain it. It happened. Every single case, this officer that the investigations were completed on, he reacted exactly the way officers are trained to react," said Clark.
Sergeant Clark said his department has reviewed it's procedures to see if there is anything Scottsdale is doing that might regularly put Peters in harms way, but said they found nothing. To date, Officer Peters has passed every psychological evaluation, and his superiors said despite his luck, he is more than fit to serve. The Wednesday night shooting is currently being investigated by Phoenix police.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Sgt Jason Rampey Charged with Sexual Exploitation of Minor
A former Greenville police officer has been arrested and accused of encouraging a 16-year-old girl to send him nude photos of herself.
Sgt. Jason Rampey, with the Greenville Police Department, said that 28-year-old Malcolm Maurice Fuller, of Greenville, was charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Rampey said that Fuller was fired Dec. 30, 2009, because of an internal investigation. He said that Fuller had been with the police department since 2008.
Police Chief Teri Wilfong said that none of the activity occurred while Fuller was on duty.
According to arrest warrant, Fuller obtained the photos on Dec. 13, 2009. The State Law Enforcement Division said that the girl's family saw some photos on her phone and called police.
Fuller was being held at the Greenville County Detention Center.
Sgt. Jason Rampey, with the Greenville Police Department, said that 28-year-old Malcolm Maurice Fuller, of Greenville, was charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Rampey said that Fuller was fired Dec. 30, 2009, because of an internal investigation. He said that Fuller had been with the police department since 2008.
Police Chief Teri Wilfong said that none of the activity occurred while Fuller was on duty.
According to arrest warrant, Fuller obtained the photos on Dec. 13, 2009. The State Law Enforcement Division said that the girl's family saw some photos on her phone and called police.
Fuller was being held at the Greenville County Detention Center.
Officer Tammi Jo Gordy Arrested for Road Rage
A DeWitt Police officer has been taken off the streets after Davenport Police say she pulled a gun on another driver.
Davenport Police received a call about a "road rage" incident along Utica Ridge Road on Sunday, February 14. The male caller said the other driver had a gun. Reports state the other driver was DeWitt Police Officer Tammi Jo Gordy. During the investigation, Gordy said that the other car pulled out in front of her and when she passed, the passenger flipped her off. That's when they both stopped at the parking lot on 53rd and Utica Ridge Road and she said the man got out in a threatening manner. Police say that's when she showed her gun and a can of mace. The man had his wife and two young children in the car.
"We immediately launched our own internal affairs investigation regarding the administrative violations that are going to go along with the criminal allegations," said DeWitt Chief of Police Tom Whitten. "We're definitely going to provide the employee with the due process necessary. Once we complete our investigation, we'll review the facts and determine...any possible discipline."
Davenport Police has charged Officer Gordy with Aggravated Assault, an aggravated misdemeanor. She is due in court on March 3. The DeWitt Police have placed Officer Gordy on paid administrative leave.
Davenport Police received a call about a "road rage" incident along Utica Ridge Road on Sunday, February 14. The male caller said the other driver had a gun. Reports state the other driver was DeWitt Police Officer Tammi Jo Gordy. During the investigation, Gordy said that the other car pulled out in front of her and when she passed, the passenger flipped her off. That's when they both stopped at the parking lot on 53rd and Utica Ridge Road and she said the man got out in a threatening manner. Police say that's when she showed her gun and a can of mace. The man had his wife and two young children in the car.
"We immediately launched our own internal affairs investigation regarding the administrative violations that are going to go along with the criminal allegations," said DeWitt Chief of Police Tom Whitten. "We're definitely going to provide the employee with the due process necessary. Once we complete our investigation, we'll review the facts and determine...any possible discipline."
Davenport Police has charged Officer Gordy with Aggravated Assault, an aggravated misdemeanor. She is due in court on March 3. The DeWitt Police have placed Officer Gordy on paid administrative leave.
Officer Timothy Gerald Arrested for Domestic Violence
40-year-old Timothy Gerald has been an officer with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department since 1993. Wednesday, his wife called officers to their home in northeast Charlotte. She told a 911 operator that Gerald attacked her. "He jumped on me, he hit me, he threw me down,” the woman is heard saying on the tapes.
Police reports show Gerald is accused of using his "bodily force, hands and knees to strike the victim in the chest, shoulder and cheek area." Neighbors tell us they never hear Gerald and his wife argue, in fact they don't hear much of anything from the home. The couple apparently keeps to themselves and doesn't speak to neighbors. Their kids often play in the front yard.
Gerald, now charged with assault on a female, a misdemeanor, was assigned to work here, at East Mecklenburg High School, as a resource officer. "My friends tell me he was a cool guy to talk to and everything,” says 17-year-old Tony Young. Young says students trust and like Gerald, "Like, you could go talk to him about certain things or whatever, like, during school and he'd help you out with certain things."
In fact, students like Gerald so much, some of them created a Facebook page dedicated to him. The "Free Officer Gerald" group includes posts like "he's such a good person." and "he's done nothing but good." “Only him and his wife know exactly what happened. A lot of us don't,” says Young.
Gerald turned himself in at police headquarters were he was taken into custody. In addition to the criminal investigation, the internal affairs department is also investigating this case. In the meantime, Gerald is on paid administrative leave.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg School district says it has no comment on the case. The police department is in charge of placing officers in schools, not the school district.
Police reports show Gerald is accused of using his "bodily force, hands and knees to strike the victim in the chest, shoulder and cheek area." Neighbors tell us they never hear Gerald and his wife argue, in fact they don't hear much of anything from the home. The couple apparently keeps to themselves and doesn't speak to neighbors. Their kids often play in the front yard.
Gerald, now charged with assault on a female, a misdemeanor, was assigned to work here, at East Mecklenburg High School, as a resource officer. "My friends tell me he was a cool guy to talk to and everything,” says 17-year-old Tony Young. Young says students trust and like Gerald, "Like, you could go talk to him about certain things or whatever, like, during school and he'd help you out with certain things."
In fact, students like Gerald so much, some of them created a Facebook page dedicated to him. The "Free Officer Gerald" group includes posts like "he's such a good person." and "he's done nothing but good." “Only him and his wife know exactly what happened. A lot of us don't,” says Young.
Gerald turned himself in at police headquarters were he was taken into custody. In addition to the criminal investigation, the internal affairs department is also investigating this case. In the meantime, Gerald is on paid administrative leave.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg School district says it has no comment on the case. The police department is in charge of placing officers in schools, not the school district.
Rookie Officer Keith Anderson Arrested for Breaking into Home
A rookie Alberta RCMP officer, who was a suspect in a break and enter, has now been charged with breaking into a home northwest of Calgary.
Mounties say the officer had only been on the job seven months and was on his first posting in Cochrane, Alta., when he was arrested.
Police say a relative of the homeowner found an off-duty Mountie early Sunday morning inside a home in the bedroom community.
When the constable was told to leave, he identified himself as a police officer and left but was arrested a short time later.
Keith Anderson, 22, has been charged with break and enter and is expected to appear in court March 9.
He has been suspended with pay pending the outcome of the court case.
Mounties say the officer had only been on the job seven months and was on his first posting in Cochrane, Alta., when he was arrested.
Police say a relative of the homeowner found an off-duty Mountie early Sunday morning inside a home in the bedroom community.
When the constable was told to leave, he identified himself as a police officer and left but was arrested a short time later.
Keith Anderson, 22, has been charged with break and enter and is expected to appear in court March 9.
He has been suspended with pay pending the outcome of the court case.
Former Officer Denis Yevsyukov Sentenced to Life for Shooting
A former police major who went on a shooting rampage last year at a Moscow supermarket, killing two people and wounding others, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday, a spokesman for the Moscow City Court said.
Denis Yevsyukov, the former major, confessed to killing one of the victims, but said he could not remember much of the episode. The shooting provoked widespread anger in Russia, where video of Mr. Yevsyukov stalking the supermarket aisles, firing at fleeing customers, has been played repeatedly on television.
His lawyers said they would appeal the sentence.
Denis Yevsyukov, the former major, confessed to killing one of the victims, but said he could not remember much of the episode. The shooting provoked widespread anger in Russia, where video of Mr. Yevsyukov stalking the supermarket aisles, firing at fleeing customers, has been played repeatedly on television.
His lawyers said they would appeal the sentence.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Former Officer Pedro Martinez III Pleads Guilty to Escorting 40 Kilos of Cocaine
A former Laredo Police officer pleads guilty in a federal drug case after escorting what he believed to be 40 kilos of cocaine.
Wednesday morning, Pedro Martinez III, who worked as an officer for six years with the Laredo Police Department, and co-conspirator Guillermo Villareal each plead guilty to conspiracy to poses with intent to distribute cocaine, before U.S. Senior District Court Judge George P. Kazen.
Martinez admitted to meeting with an undercover FBI agent posing as a drug trafficker, back in October and November of 2008.
In their meetings, then-officer Martinez twice agreed to escort vehicles carrying cocaine from Zapata Highway to North Laredo, for two thousand dollars.
On one of the occasions, Martinez escorted the contraband while wearing his Laredo PD uniform and driving a marked patrol unit.
Additionally, Martinez introduced Guillermo Villareal to an unnamed party to facilitate the storage of cocaine at a private residence, which he did.
Villareal went on to sell a quarter kilogram of cocaine to undercover officers in December of 2008 and then again in January of 2009.
Martinez has been ordered released on a one-hundred-thousand-dollar bond.
Guillermo Villareal is still pending bond.
The two men each face a minimum ten year prison sentence.
In response to the conviction, Laredo Police Chief, Carlos Maldonado released a statement saying, "The Laredo Police Department remains committed and steadfast in our resolve to serve and protect the citizens of Laredo and the United States.
In this effort the Laredo Police Department will continue to collaborate and partner with federal, state, and local law enforcement entities to bring those who are inclined to break the law to justice".
Martinez had been on administrative leave by the Laredo Police Department since October of last year. He resigned from the force on Tuesday.
Wednesday morning, Pedro Martinez III, who worked as an officer for six years with the Laredo Police Department, and co-conspirator Guillermo Villareal each plead guilty to conspiracy to poses with intent to distribute cocaine, before U.S. Senior District Court Judge George P. Kazen.
Martinez admitted to meeting with an undercover FBI agent posing as a drug trafficker, back in October and November of 2008.
In their meetings, then-officer Martinez twice agreed to escort vehicles carrying cocaine from Zapata Highway to North Laredo, for two thousand dollars.
On one of the occasions, Martinez escorted the contraband while wearing his Laredo PD uniform and driving a marked patrol unit.
Additionally, Martinez introduced Guillermo Villareal to an unnamed party to facilitate the storage of cocaine at a private residence, which he did.
Villareal went on to sell a quarter kilogram of cocaine to undercover officers in December of 2008 and then again in January of 2009.
Martinez has been ordered released on a one-hundred-thousand-dollar bond.
Guillermo Villareal is still pending bond.
The two men each face a minimum ten year prison sentence.
In response to the conviction, Laredo Police Chief, Carlos Maldonado released a statement saying, "The Laredo Police Department remains committed and steadfast in our resolve to serve and protect the citizens of Laredo and the United States.
In this effort the Laredo Police Department will continue to collaborate and partner with federal, state, and local law enforcement entities to bring those who are inclined to break the law to justice".
Martinez had been on administrative leave by the Laredo Police Department since October of last year. He resigned from the force on Tuesday.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Officer John Gore Charged with Arson
As firefighters battled three fires early Tuesday morning in the area of Wolters Industrial Park, a Mineral Wells police officer was taken into custody and later charged with three counts of arson.
Patrolman John Clifford Gore, who marked his third anniversary with the Mineral Wells Police Department on Monday, was taken into custody around 2 a.m. Tuesday after he was stopped by an on-duty police officer on Ellis White Road.
Gore was not on duty at the time, Mineral Wells Police Chief Mike McAllester said.
McAllester said Gore was stopped because his silver Ford pickup matched the description of a truck reported speeding in the area of Corrections Corporation of America’s prison minutes after the fires were reported.
The officer who stopped Gore observed a gas can in the bed of the pickup and noticed Gore smelled of gasoline and smoke so he was detained and transported to the police station for questioning, according to McAllester.
Around 4:30 a.m., Gore was arrested and charged with three counts of arson, including one charge of arson with injury because a volunteer firefighter reportedly sustained a minor injury while fighting the fire on Lee Road.
An empty former barracks building on Van Story Road belonging to New-Tronics Antenna Corp. was reported on fire around 1:30 a.m. about the same time as a fire at a building in the 400 block of Lee Road belonging to Evair Associates.
A fire at a fireworks stand at Ellis White Road and Farm-to-Market Road 1821 was called in minutes later.
Police officers who responded began looking for vehicles in the area “because of recent arson fires that had plagued that area,”
“We’re still investigating whether this page person may or may not have been involved with other arson fires,” McAllester said.
McAllester said the motive for the intentionally set fires is also under investigation.
The 26-year-old patrol officer has been with the Mineral Wells Police Department three years as of Monday.
“There’s never been any discipline involving this officer at all,” McAllester said. “Up until this point he’s been a model employee.”
“This case we handled as any other case would be,” McAllester said.
Another suspect has been questioned after the police department received information on a subject believed to be involved in a prior incident, according to McAllester.
An additional arrest is possible, McAllester said.
The Texas Rangers, arson investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Parker County Fire Marshal’s Office and the Palo Pinto County Fire Marshal’s Office are assisting in the investigation, according to McAllester.
The Mineral Wells Fire Department and volunteers from Mineral Wells, Millsap and Cool-Garner responded to the structure fires.
There was minor damage to the fireworks stand on Ellis White Road.
Mineral Wells Volunteer Fire Chief Steve Perdue said the former barracks building on Van Story Road was fully involved when firefighters arrived. It burned to the ground.
Tina Chipps, plant manager at New-Tronics, said the building was empty and had been stripped.
It was the company’s second building burned in a suspected arson since a former barracks building used for storage was destroyed in mid-December in a string of four intentionally set fires across the city.
The fire at the brick building in the 400 block of Lee Road owned by Evair Associates was contained to the office portion, according to Perdue.
Monte Parker, a 19-year veteran of the MWVFD, sustained a minor back injury and was transported by ambulance to Palo Pinto General Hospital. He was later released, according to his wife, Connie Parker.
The building was used for storage. The main business office in the 200 block was not hurt.
Neil Evans said he lost most of the items he hoped to use as exhibits in a flight museum for the area.
For the last 12 years, the building has housed aviation artifacts, including old parts, fixtures and hundreds of large pictures, according to the family.
“You can’t get this stuff,” Neil Evans said.
“We’ve been collecting that stuff for years,” Sharlet Evans, office manager at the family-owned business, described as “the AutoZone for F-16s.”
About 1,000 brand new keyboards and computer mice to be donated to schools in Mineral Wells and Weatherford were also destroyed, according to Neil Evans.
In all, the Evans estimated their loss at between $500,000 and $1 million. They said the building was insured, though the contents were not.
Sharlet Evans said they found out about the fire when Jerry VanNatta with the Mineral Wells Volunteer Fire Department called the office first thing Tuesday morning.
They were making arrangements to have somebody patrol the business during the nighttime hours when they were informed of the arrest.
“I’m shocked, I’ve known John Gore since he was a little boy,” Sharlet Evans said.
A Myspace page purportedly belonging to Gore and last updated on Monday displayed a quote from the fictional Gotham City district attorney Harvey Dent in the movie “Dark Knight” saying “You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”
The page sports a black background with a picture of orange flames and several pictures of the character The Joker from the same movie.
A 2001 graduate of Mineral Wells High School, Gore was in the Palo Pinto County jail on $95,000 bond as of Tuesday morning.
Patrolman John Clifford Gore, who marked his third anniversary with the Mineral Wells Police Department on Monday, was taken into custody around 2 a.m. Tuesday after he was stopped by an on-duty police officer on Ellis White Road.
Gore was not on duty at the time, Mineral Wells Police Chief Mike McAllester said.
McAllester said Gore was stopped because his silver Ford pickup matched the description of a truck reported speeding in the area of Corrections Corporation of America’s prison minutes after the fires were reported.
The officer who stopped Gore observed a gas can in the bed of the pickup and noticed Gore smelled of gasoline and smoke so he was detained and transported to the police station for questioning, according to McAllester.
Around 4:30 a.m., Gore was arrested and charged with three counts of arson, including one charge of arson with injury because a volunteer firefighter reportedly sustained a minor injury while fighting the fire on Lee Road.
An empty former barracks building on Van Story Road belonging to New-Tronics Antenna Corp. was reported on fire around 1:30 a.m. about the same time as a fire at a building in the 400 block of Lee Road belonging to Evair Associates.
A fire at a fireworks stand at Ellis White Road and Farm-to-Market Road 1821 was called in minutes later.
Police officers who responded began looking for vehicles in the area “because of recent arson fires that had plagued that area,”
“We’re still investigating whether this page person may or may not have been involved with other arson fires,” McAllester said.
McAllester said the motive for the intentionally set fires is also under investigation.
The 26-year-old patrol officer has been with the Mineral Wells Police Department three years as of Monday.
“There’s never been any discipline involving this officer at all,” McAllester said. “Up until this point he’s been a model employee.”
“This case we handled as any other case would be,” McAllester said.
Another suspect has been questioned after the police department received information on a subject believed to be involved in a prior incident, according to McAllester.
An additional arrest is possible, McAllester said.
The Texas Rangers, arson investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Parker County Fire Marshal’s Office and the Palo Pinto County Fire Marshal’s Office are assisting in the investigation, according to McAllester.
The Mineral Wells Fire Department and volunteers from Mineral Wells, Millsap and Cool-Garner responded to the structure fires.
There was minor damage to the fireworks stand on Ellis White Road.
Mineral Wells Volunteer Fire Chief Steve Perdue said the former barracks building on Van Story Road was fully involved when firefighters arrived. It burned to the ground.
Tina Chipps, plant manager at New-Tronics, said the building was empty and had been stripped.
It was the company’s second building burned in a suspected arson since a former barracks building used for storage was destroyed in mid-December in a string of four intentionally set fires across the city.
The fire at the brick building in the 400 block of Lee Road owned by Evair Associates was contained to the office portion, according to Perdue.
Monte Parker, a 19-year veteran of the MWVFD, sustained a minor back injury and was transported by ambulance to Palo Pinto General Hospital. He was later released, according to his wife, Connie Parker.
The building was used for storage. The main business office in the 200 block was not hurt.
Neil Evans said he lost most of the items he hoped to use as exhibits in a flight museum for the area.
For the last 12 years, the building has housed aviation artifacts, including old parts, fixtures and hundreds of large pictures, according to the family.
“You can’t get this stuff,” Neil Evans said.
“We’ve been collecting that stuff for years,” Sharlet Evans, office manager at the family-owned business, described as “the AutoZone for F-16s.”
About 1,000 brand new keyboards and computer mice to be donated to schools in Mineral Wells and Weatherford were also destroyed, according to Neil Evans.
In all, the Evans estimated their loss at between $500,000 and $1 million. They said the building was insured, though the contents were not.
Sharlet Evans said they found out about the fire when Jerry VanNatta with the Mineral Wells Volunteer Fire Department called the office first thing Tuesday morning.
They were making arrangements to have somebody patrol the business during the nighttime hours when they were informed of the arrest.
“I’m shocked, I’ve known John Gore since he was a little boy,” Sharlet Evans said.
A Myspace page purportedly belonging to Gore and last updated on Monday displayed a quote from the fictional Gotham City district attorney Harvey Dent in the movie “Dark Knight” saying “You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”
The page sports a black background with a picture of orange flames and several pictures of the character The Joker from the same movie.
A 2001 graduate of Mineral Wells High School, Gore was in the Palo Pinto County jail on $95,000 bond as of Tuesday morning.
Detective Thomas Garrett Arrested for Assaulting the Mother of his Child
Detective Thomas E. Garrett was arrested by Clackamas County sheriff's deputies Tuesday at the Milwaukie Police Station.
Garrett, 36, of Southeast Portland, is a six-year Milwaukie police veteran. If convicted of the charge, a Class C felony, he would be barred from possessing a firearm, which would make it impossible for him to continue as a police officer.
He was placed on immediate paid administrative leave.
Detective Jim Strovink, Clackamas County sheriff's spokesman, said a 30-year-old woman acknowledged to be the mother of Garrett's 1-year-old child visited the sheriff's Clackamas-area headquarters at 8 a.m. Tuesday to report that Garrett assaulted her with one or more of her three other children present. The woman, whose name was not released, said the assault occurred at her home in an unincorporated area outside Milwaukie.
The woman did not require medical care, Strovink said. Garrett and the woman are not married.
After conducting interviews, the sheriff's Domestic Violence Enhanced Response Team, with cooperation from Milwaukie police, arrested Garrett at work without incident.
Oregon's domestic-violence laws require police to arrest a suspect accused of assault by someone who claims to be a victim. Physical evidence of an assault is not required.
Garrett was hired by Milwaukie police in April 2004. He began as a patrol officer and then worked as a school resource officer, mostly at Milwaukie High School, before most recently joining detectives.
"As far as our experience with him, he's always done a commendable job as an investigator," said Officer Ulli Neitch, Milwaukie police spokeswoman.
Police Chief Bob Jordan said Garrett was recognized for his work investigating the case of Christopher John Klitgord, a Milwaukie High math teacher convicted last year of second-degree sexual abuse for his relationship with a 16-year-old student.
Garrett also was recognized for instituting a truancy court at Milwaukie High to deal with chronically absent students.
He has no disciplinary actions on file.
Garrett was booked into the Clackamas County Jail on accusation of fourth-degree assault. He posted bond against $15,000 bail and was released. He is scheduled to be arraigned March 15 in Clackamas County Circuit Court.
Officer Nick McKinley Faces Suspension for Hitting Fleeing Suspect with Patrol Car
A city police officer faces a 30-day suspension after he allegedly hit a fleeing suspect with his patrol car.
Patrolman Nick McKinley is accused of running his car into 54-year-old Donnie Neely of South Bend just after 1 a.m. Nov. 5 after Neely allegedly dragged a different officer with his car and then tried to flee on foot.
Those allegations were presented to the Board of Public Safety today in a letter written by Police Chief Darryl Boykins.
In the letter, Boykins stated that McKinley was backing up Patrolman Kyle Dombrowski as he was conducting a vehicle stop.
But Dombrowski’s arm and shoulder were injured in the incident, after Neely sped off, dragging him down the street and around the corner until he fell free from the car.
Then, "McKinley got into his police mechanical and started pursuing the suspect vehicle," Boykins stated. "The suspect stopped his vehicle and fled on foot. Patrolman McKinley struck the suspect, who was fleeing on foot, with his patrol car."
That story is different than the initial reports of the incident told to The Tribune the day of the incident.
According to a Nov. 6, 2009, crime brief, police initially reported that Neely tripped getting out of his car and fell on the ground, breaking his knee cap in the process and also cutting himself, later requiring four stitches.
Capt. Phil Trent, reading the report today, said there was no mention of Neely being struck by the police car in the report, but it did say he fractured a knee cap and required four stitches.
Trent said that a later internal investigation into the incident led police to discover that Neely had actually been struck by the bumper of a patrol car.
Dombrowski, the officer dragged by the car, suffered only minor injuries.
Boykins’ told the board that McKinley’s actions violated four different sections of the department’s duty manual, including improper use of a police car and unnecessary force.
The chief recommended that McKinley be suspended for 30 days without pay.
McKinley can request a hearing to dispute the charges, and no final decision about the suspension has been made by the board.
According to Tribune archives, McKinley is a 2008 graduate of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy.
Patrolman Nick McKinley is accused of running his car into 54-year-old Donnie Neely of South Bend just after 1 a.m. Nov. 5 after Neely allegedly dragged a different officer with his car and then tried to flee on foot.
Those allegations were presented to the Board of Public Safety today in a letter written by Police Chief Darryl Boykins.
In the letter, Boykins stated that McKinley was backing up Patrolman Kyle Dombrowski as he was conducting a vehicle stop.
But Dombrowski’s arm and shoulder were injured in the incident, after Neely sped off, dragging him down the street and around the corner until he fell free from the car.
Then, "McKinley got into his police mechanical and started pursuing the suspect vehicle," Boykins stated. "The suspect stopped his vehicle and fled on foot. Patrolman McKinley struck the suspect, who was fleeing on foot, with his patrol car."
That story is different than the initial reports of the incident told to The Tribune the day of the incident.
According to a Nov. 6, 2009, crime brief, police initially reported that Neely tripped getting out of his car and fell on the ground, breaking his knee cap in the process and also cutting himself, later requiring four stitches.
Capt. Phil Trent, reading the report today, said there was no mention of Neely being struck by the police car in the report, but it did say he fractured a knee cap and required four stitches.
Trent said that a later internal investigation into the incident led police to discover that Neely had actually been struck by the bumper of a patrol car.
Dombrowski, the officer dragged by the car, suffered only minor injuries.
Boykins’ told the board that McKinley’s actions violated four different sections of the department’s duty manual, including improper use of a police car and unnecessary force.
The chief recommended that McKinley be suspended for 30 days without pay.
McKinley can request a hearing to dispute the charges, and no final decision about the suspension has been made by the board.
According to Tribune archives, McKinley is a 2008 graduate of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy.
Officer David Reilly Accused of Using Internet to Extort Money
A Naugatuck police officer accused of extortion has resigned from the police department.
David Reilly is accused of using the Internet to extort money from a Wallingford woman in order to pay gambling debts.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Reilly threatened to send humiliating information about the woman's sex life to her employer and parents.
The mayor's office confirmed Tuesday that the 40-year-old Reilly, who joined the police force in 1996, had resigned.
Reilly has pleaded not guilty to charges of extortion, coercion and computer crimes and is due back in Meriden Superior Court on March 8. He is free after posting a $25,000 bond.
David Reilly is accused of using the Internet to extort money from a Wallingford woman in order to pay gambling debts.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Reilly threatened to send humiliating information about the woman's sex life to her employer and parents.
The mayor's office confirmed Tuesday that the 40-year-old Reilly, who joined the police force in 1996, had resigned.
Reilly has pleaded not guilty to charges of extortion, coercion and computer crimes and is due back in Meriden Superior Court on March 8. He is free after posting a $25,000 bond.
Former Detention Officer Denita Shaw Pleads Guilty to Beating Handcuffed Inmate
A former Fulton County Sheriff’s Detention Officer pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a civil rights violation at the Fulton County Jail for beating a handcuffed inmate with a milk crate.
Denita Renae Shaw, 41, of Smyrna, Ga., was a detention officer at the Fulton County Jail. On Jan. 26, 2009, she used excessive force against the inmate and was fired because of the incident.
The felony charge brings a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is set for May 4.
“The inhumane treatment of persons in custody must cease,” Fulton County Sheriff Ted Jackson said in a prepared statement. “This case continues to show that excessive force and the disregard of policies and procedures at the Fulton County Jail will not be tolerated. When the civil rights of inmates are violated, we will pursue criminal charges and coordinate with federal authorities to prosecute the perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law.”
Denita Renae Shaw, 41, of Smyrna, Ga., was a detention officer at the Fulton County Jail. On Jan. 26, 2009, she used excessive force against the inmate and was fired because of the incident.
The felony charge brings a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is set for May 4.
“The inhumane treatment of persons in custody must cease,” Fulton County Sheriff Ted Jackson said in a prepared statement. “This case continues to show that excessive force and the disregard of policies and procedures at the Fulton County Jail will not be tolerated. When the civil rights of inmates are violated, we will pursue criminal charges and coordinate with federal authorities to prosecute the perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law.”
Former Officer Anthony Bickerton Sentenced for Making False Statements to FBI
A former Stoughton police officer pleaded guilty yesterday to federal charges of obstruction of justice and making false statements to FBI investigators in a 2008 police corruption probe.
Federal prosecutors will recommend that Anthony Bickerton, 60, of Stoughton spend 12 to 18 months in prison as part of a plea deal for lying about his role in a fake, FBI-arranged, stolen goods ring with two other Stoughton officers who have resigned from the force.
In conversations secretly taped in 2008 by a convicted criminal turned cooperating witness, the former detective arranged for discounted high-definition televisions for his daughter and other police officers and a power washer for himself. He thought the goods were stolen, but they were provided as part of the FBI’s probe. Prosecutors said he tried to hide the power washer at a fellow officer’s house after the FBI questioned him.
“Mr. Bickerton’s actions are an affront to the many honest men and women in the law enforcement community who serve the public with dedication and integrity,’’ US Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz said in a statement. “Today’s plea should be a reminder to the public that we will continue to aggressively pursue all investigations and prosecutions of corrupt and dishonest public officials.’’
Prosecutors had also alleged that Bickerton illegally obtained Registry of Motor Vehicles records for the informant, but as part of the plea, he will not have to admit to that.
Appearing before Judge Richard Stearns, Bickerton displayed much different behavior yesterday afternoon than he did in January, when he was escorted into the John Joseph Moakley US Courthouse in jeans and handcuffs. In the January proceedings, Bickerton broke down and cried while addressing Magistrate Judge Marianne B. Bowler. Yesterday, he appeared relaxed, calm, and even smiled at Stearns while the judge questioned him.
His wife, Rose, wiped away tears as the 45-minute proceeding drew to a close. No other friends or family of Bickerton, a father of three who was raised in Mattapan, were in court yesterday. No one from the Stoughton Police Department attended.
If the case had gone to trial, Assistant US Attorney Brian T. Kelly said, two other former police officers would have been called to testify against Bickerton. He would have faced a maximum of five years in prison for giving false statements and 10 years for obstruction of justice.
Bickerton was released on his existing bond, and he will be back in court May 11 for sentencing. He left the courthouse with his wife, and declined to comment. His lawyer, Kevin Reddington, called the process fair and said his client was looking forward to resolving the case.
Federal prosecutors will recommend that Anthony Bickerton, 60, of Stoughton spend 12 to 18 months in prison as part of a plea deal for lying about his role in a fake, FBI-arranged, stolen goods ring with two other Stoughton officers who have resigned from the force.
In conversations secretly taped in 2008 by a convicted criminal turned cooperating witness, the former detective arranged for discounted high-definition televisions for his daughter and other police officers and a power washer for himself. He thought the goods were stolen, but they were provided as part of the FBI’s probe. Prosecutors said he tried to hide the power washer at a fellow officer’s house after the FBI questioned him.
“Mr. Bickerton’s actions are an affront to the many honest men and women in the law enforcement community who serve the public with dedication and integrity,’’ US Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz said in a statement. “Today’s plea should be a reminder to the public that we will continue to aggressively pursue all investigations and prosecutions of corrupt and dishonest public officials.’’
Prosecutors had also alleged that Bickerton illegally obtained Registry of Motor Vehicles records for the informant, but as part of the plea, he will not have to admit to that.
Appearing before Judge Richard Stearns, Bickerton displayed much different behavior yesterday afternoon than he did in January, when he was escorted into the John Joseph Moakley US Courthouse in jeans and handcuffs. In the January proceedings, Bickerton broke down and cried while addressing Magistrate Judge Marianne B. Bowler. Yesterday, he appeared relaxed, calm, and even smiled at Stearns while the judge questioned him.
His wife, Rose, wiped away tears as the 45-minute proceeding drew to a close. No other friends or family of Bickerton, a father of three who was raised in Mattapan, were in court yesterday. No one from the Stoughton Police Department attended.
If the case had gone to trial, Assistant US Attorney Brian T. Kelly said, two other former police officers would have been called to testify against Bickerton. He would have faced a maximum of five years in prison for giving false statements and 10 years for obstruction of justice.
Bickerton was released on his existing bond, and he will be back in court May 11 for sentencing. He left the courthouse with his wife, and declined to comment. His lawyer, Kevin Reddington, called the process fair and said his client was looking forward to resolving the case.
Former Officer Alfredo Palacios Arrested for Indecency with Child
A former Pharr police officer was arrested in Port Isabel Tuesday afternoon on an outstanding warrant charging him with indecency with a child, court records show.
Alfredo Palacios turned himself in to Cameron County Precinct 1 Constable Horacio Zamora and was then taken to Justice of the Peace Benny Ochoa, who set his bond at $15,000.
Details of the case were not immediately available, but Zamora said it involves a female teenager and the offense took place in July of last year at Isla Blanca Park on South Padre Island.
Palacios was terminated from his job with the Pharr Police Department last week after he was charged with indecency with a child in another case, that is, with the same female but in Hidalgo County, court records show.
Palacios was free on bond in the Hidalgo County case before being taken into custody on the new charge.
Rick Salinas, the attorney representing Palacios, said there are a number of facts in the case, in conjunction with his background as a former police officer, that will clear his client’s name.
Salinas asked Ochoa to grant Palacios a personal recognizance bond; however, the request was denied.
Alfredo Palacios turned himself in to Cameron County Precinct 1 Constable Horacio Zamora and was then taken to Justice of the Peace Benny Ochoa, who set his bond at $15,000.
Details of the case were not immediately available, but Zamora said it involves a female teenager and the offense took place in July of last year at Isla Blanca Park on South Padre Island.
Palacios was terminated from his job with the Pharr Police Department last week after he was charged with indecency with a child in another case, that is, with the same female but in Hidalgo County, court records show.
Palacios was free on bond in the Hidalgo County case before being taken into custody on the new charge.
Rick Salinas, the attorney representing Palacios, said there are a number of facts in the case, in conjunction with his background as a former police officer, that will clear his client’s name.
Salinas asked Ochoa to grant Palacios a personal recognizance bond; however, the request was denied.
Officer Andrew Cohen Resigns from Department
A San Francisco police officer who produced videos parodying life on the force that were denounced as racist, sexist and homophobic is resigning.
Andrew Cohen said Tuesday he'll leave the department in July.
The 44-year-old Cohen was the department videographer when he filmed controversial skits in 2005. One video showed an officer running over a homeless woman, one showed a male officer ogling a female motorist, and another showed officers heading into a massage parlor.
The department's internal affairs division launched an investigation after the videos were discovered on a Web site. Then-Police Chief Heather Fong later suspended two dozen officers.
Cohen, who is out on disability, says he is tired of fighting the numerous disciplinary cases against him and wants to move on with his life.
The police department declined to comment on his resignation.
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More Information
Andrew Cohen said Tuesday he'll leave the department in July.
The 44-year-old Cohen was the department videographer when he filmed controversial skits in 2005. One video showed an officer running over a homeless woman, one showed a male officer ogling a female motorist, and another showed officers heading into a massage parlor.
The department's internal affairs division launched an investigation after the videos were discovered on a Web site. Then-Police Chief Heather Fong later suspended two dozen officers.
Cohen, who is out on disability, says he is tired of fighting the numerous disciplinary cases against him and wants to move on with his life.
The police department declined to comment on his resignation.
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More Information
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Deputy Chuck Metcalf Will Spend 12 Weekends in Jail for Perjury
Richland County sheriff's deputy Chuck Metcalf will have to spend 12 weekends in jail as punishment for lying in support of the 2005 ill-fated Mansfield drug investigation involving DEA Agent Lee Lucas.
Lucas was acquitted earlier this month of 18 charges, including perjury and obstruction of justice, related to the investigation.
U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver, who presided over the Lucas trial, said he would have punished Metcalf to the fullest extent if not for his willingness to assist prosecutors, which included testifying at Lucas' trial. The misdemeanor conviction could have resulted in one year in prison.
"It's a sad case, your case, to me," Oliver told Metcalf, "because you were bound to uphold the law and we all count on law enforcement officials to do that."
Last year, Metcalf admitted lying during the 2006 trial of Dwayne Nabors, who was one of 17 people framed through a series of drug deals orchestrated by paid informant Jerrell Bray. Lucas supervised Bray during the investigation.
Metcalf testified during the Nabors' trial that police had not videotaped a portion of the purported drug deal, even though Metcalf knew a videotape had been made. Metcalf also claimed he and Lucas were in a position to identify Nabors knowing that also was not true.
In a memorandum filed with the court, Metcalf said he lied at the Nabors' trial to match his testimony with a report written by Lucas.
Lucas took the stand during his trial and denied making up testimony.
Prosecutors asked Oliver to show leniency because of Metcalf's cooperation. Richland County Sheriff Steve Sheldon and Richland County Prosecutor James Mayer spoke on behalf of Metcalf at his sentencing.
Metcalf asked for probation, citing a spotless record.
"His record in these investigations was perfect until he became involved with Special Agent Lee Lucas of the DEA," Metcalf's lawyer wrote in a memorandum filed with the court.
Metcalf argued that even though he lied Nabors trial, his testimony did not result in a drug trafficking conviction. Nabors was acquitted of a conspiracy charge while the jury was hung on a distribution charge. He was found guilty on a gun charge stemming from the search of his home.
Metcalf also argued that he is the only person facing punishment for the failures of the investigation, even though he was outranked on the team by both Lucas and Richland County Sheriff's Captain Larry Faith.
Lucas was acquitted earlier this month of 18 charges, including perjury and obstruction of justice, related to the investigation.
U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver, who presided over the Lucas trial, said he would have punished Metcalf to the fullest extent if not for his willingness to assist prosecutors, which included testifying at Lucas' trial. The misdemeanor conviction could have resulted in one year in prison.
"It's a sad case, your case, to me," Oliver told Metcalf, "because you were bound to uphold the law and we all count on law enforcement officials to do that."
Last year, Metcalf admitted lying during the 2006 trial of Dwayne Nabors, who was one of 17 people framed through a series of drug deals orchestrated by paid informant Jerrell Bray. Lucas supervised Bray during the investigation.
Metcalf testified during the Nabors' trial that police had not videotaped a portion of the purported drug deal, even though Metcalf knew a videotape had been made. Metcalf also claimed he and Lucas were in a position to identify Nabors knowing that also was not true.
In a memorandum filed with the court, Metcalf said he lied at the Nabors' trial to match his testimony with a report written by Lucas.
Lucas took the stand during his trial and denied making up testimony.
Prosecutors asked Oliver to show leniency because of Metcalf's cooperation. Richland County Sheriff Steve Sheldon and Richland County Prosecutor James Mayer spoke on behalf of Metcalf at his sentencing.
Metcalf asked for probation, citing a spotless record.
"His record in these investigations was perfect until he became involved with Special Agent Lee Lucas of the DEA," Metcalf's lawyer wrote in a memorandum filed with the court.
Metcalf argued that even though he lied Nabors trial, his testimony did not result in a drug trafficking conviction. Nabors was acquitted of a conspiracy charge while the jury was hung on a distribution charge. He was found guilty on a gun charge stemming from the search of his home.
Metcalf also argued that he is the only person facing punishment for the failures of the investigation, even though he was outranked on the team by both Lucas and Richland County Sheriff's Captain Larry Faith.
Detective Jim MacNeil Found Guilty
A disgraced former Edmonton police detective found guilty of obstruction of justice for tampering in his son’s drunk-driving case has avoided being put behind bars.
Jim MacNeil, 51, was given a four-month conditional sentence to be served in the community on Tuesday.
Judge Doreen Sulyma told a packed courtroom MacNeil had “compromised the administration of justice” and said he had a “higher level of blameworthiness” as a result of being a senior officer.
“It was done for a family member. There was no need for this,” she said.
“He could have assisted his son legally. Instead, he chose to hold himself above the rule of law.”
Sulyma also criticized the former detective for trying to put the blame on another office.
She said the falsely blamed officer wrote in a victim impact statement that she her professional reputation had been negatively affected.
Sulyma said mitigating factors were that MacNeil had no prior criminal record; boasted a long, successful career with the Edmonton Police Service; and volunteered in the community.
MacNeil was ordered to take any courses directed by his probation officer and he must abide by a daily 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew for the first month of the sentence.
At the time of MacNeil’s Dec. 1 conviction, Sulyma said she didn’t believe his testimony and ruled he had used his position as a police officer to “improperly” access police information to try to “protect” his son.
“From the beginning, he was using his position for the sole goal of helping his son,” said Sulyma.
She also ruled the actions of the 26-year veteran, who had then been suspended without pay, marked a “serious and marked departure” from the standards of a public officer.
“The actions of the accused were indeed partial and he used his office for a purpose other than the public good.”
According to an agreed statement of facts in the case, Chad MacNeil was arrested for impaired driving by Const. Eleanor McEvoy and Const. Greg Kitura on Feb. 10, 2005.
After MacNeil tried to get a copy of his son’s file on Feb. 17, 2005, police began an internal investigation.
According to the agreed facts, MacNeil admitted he sent a fax to the Driver Fitness and Monitoring Branch on Feb. 22, 2005, requesting his son’s suspension be canceled.
MacNeil also admitted he sent a memo to the Edmonton Police Service's case management unit requesting the suspension be canceled; and accessed CPIC, the national police computer system, to run inquiries concerning his son.
On Nov. 19, MacNeil took the stand in his own defense and admitted to impersonating his son on the phone.
Jim MacNeil, 51, was given a four-month conditional sentence to be served in the community on Tuesday.
Judge Doreen Sulyma told a packed courtroom MacNeil had “compromised the administration of justice” and said he had a “higher level of blameworthiness” as a result of being a senior officer.
“It was done for a family member. There was no need for this,” she said.
“He could have assisted his son legally. Instead, he chose to hold himself above the rule of law.”
Sulyma also criticized the former detective for trying to put the blame on another office.
She said the falsely blamed officer wrote in a victim impact statement that she her professional reputation had been negatively affected.
Sulyma said mitigating factors were that MacNeil had no prior criminal record; boasted a long, successful career with the Edmonton Police Service; and volunteered in the community.
MacNeil was ordered to take any courses directed by his probation officer and he must abide by a daily 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew for the first month of the sentence.
At the time of MacNeil’s Dec. 1 conviction, Sulyma said she didn’t believe his testimony and ruled he had used his position as a police officer to “improperly” access police information to try to “protect” his son.
“From the beginning, he was using his position for the sole goal of helping his son,” said Sulyma.
She also ruled the actions of the 26-year veteran, who had then been suspended without pay, marked a “serious and marked departure” from the standards of a public officer.
“The actions of the accused were indeed partial and he used his office for a purpose other than the public good.”
According to an agreed statement of facts in the case, Chad MacNeil was arrested for impaired driving by Const. Eleanor McEvoy and Const. Greg Kitura on Feb. 10, 2005.
After MacNeil tried to get a copy of his son’s file on Feb. 17, 2005, police began an internal investigation.
According to the agreed facts, MacNeil admitted he sent a fax to the Driver Fitness and Monitoring Branch on Feb. 22, 2005, requesting his son’s suspension be canceled.
MacNeil also admitted he sent a memo to the Edmonton Police Service's case management unit requesting the suspension be canceled; and accessed CPIC, the national police computer system, to run inquiries concerning his son.
On Nov. 19, MacNeil took the stand in his own defense and admitted to impersonating his son on the phone.
Sgt David Schauwecker Being Investigated for Child Porn
The Rutland police officer at the center of a Vermont State Police child pornography investigation is Sgt. David Schauwecker, according to a Rutland Herald report.
No one has been charged in the case. The Vermont State Police disclosed last week that they do not have sufficient evidence to prove the child pornography found on a laptop computer was downloaded intentionally by the officer involved.
The Herald said it determined Schauwecker was the officer based on a review of city payroll records that showed Schauwecker was the only Rutland police officer to receive administrative leave pay for the week ending Feb. 6.
Rutland Police Chief Anthony Bossi said last week that the officer who was the subject of the investigation was placed on administrative leave during that week. He was unavailable for comment Monday.
The name of the officer involved was redacted from a court affidavit connected to a search warrant; the documents were unsealed last week by Judge Thomas Zonay at the request of the Herald.
Zonay had intended to released unredacted versions of the paperwork Friday, but an attorney for the officer blocked the release by appealing Zonay's decision to the Vermont Supreme Court.
No one has been charged in the case. The Vermont State Police disclosed last week that they do not have sufficient evidence to prove the child pornography found on a laptop computer was downloaded intentionally by the officer involved.
The Herald said it determined Schauwecker was the officer based on a review of city payroll records that showed Schauwecker was the only Rutland police officer to receive administrative leave pay for the week ending Feb. 6.
Rutland Police Chief Anthony Bossi said last week that the officer who was the subject of the investigation was placed on administrative leave during that week. He was unavailable for comment Monday.
The name of the officer involved was redacted from a court affidavit connected to a search warrant; the documents were unsealed last week by Judge Thomas Zonay at the request of the Herald.
Zonay had intended to released unredacted versions of the paperwork Friday, but an attorney for the officer blocked the release by appealing Zonay's decision to the Vermont Supreme Court.
Corrections Officer Marco Villacris Arrested for Possession of Heroin
A city corrections officer found himself on the other side of the law when he was busted for driving around Queens with eight ounces of heroin, officials said today.
Cops spotted Marco Villacris, 46, running a red light at Junction Boulevard and 41st Avenue around 3:40 p.m. Monday, authorities said.
When he was pulled over a couple blocks later, the officer noticed an open plastic bag in the backseat and the strong odor of heroin in Villacris’ 2001 tan Chevy Minivan.
Narcotics test confirmed it was heroin, authorities said.
Villacris was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and two traffic infractions, a spokesman for Queens DA Richard Brown said.
Villacris joined the Department of Corrections in Aug. 2008 and was a guard at the Anna M. Kross center on Rikers Island and will be terminated, said a department spokesman.
Also arrested was Villacris’ passenger, Johnny Gonzalez, 42, who presented a drivers license with the name Luis Romero. Gonzalez also allegedly stashed seven other fake IDs in the car’s glove compartment.
Cops spotted Marco Villacris, 46, running a red light at Junction Boulevard and 41st Avenue around 3:40 p.m. Monday, authorities said.
When he was pulled over a couple blocks later, the officer noticed an open plastic bag in the backseat and the strong odor of heroin in Villacris’ 2001 tan Chevy Minivan.
Narcotics test confirmed it was heroin, authorities said.
Villacris was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and two traffic infractions, a spokesman for Queens DA Richard Brown said.
Villacris joined the Department of Corrections in Aug. 2008 and was a guard at the Anna M. Kross center on Rikers Island and will be terminated, said a department spokesman.
Also arrested was Villacris’ passenger, Johnny Gonzalez, 42, who presented a drivers license with the name Luis Romero. Gonzalez also allegedly stashed seven other fake IDs in the car’s glove compartment.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Gerald Amidon Recieves $150,000 After Officer Threatens to Sodomize Him With Taser
We previously followed the case of Gerald Amidon, who sued the Boise police department for allegedly threatening to sodomize him with a taser and using excessive force in his arrest, including tasering him on the buttocks. He has now settled for only $150,000 and, despite a highly disturbing tape of the incident, the police department is able to claim no fault as part of the settlement.
While against policy, the police insisted that the officer (who also threatened to shock his genitalia) merely failed to follow guidelines — the name of the officer has not been released despite the release of the audio tape below. The officer actually states on the tape that he had already sodomized Amidon with the taser when he threatened to deliver a second shock first to his anus and then to his genitalia.
Amidon stated that on February 14th he did not realize that the men forcing their way into his apartment were officers. He tried to block the door — resulting in three officers throwing him to the ground. After tasering him, the officer threatened to sodomize the man and deliver an anal shocking with his taser.
Here is the exchange:
Officer #3: Do you feel this?
Complainant: Yes, sir.
Officer #3: Do you feel that? That’s my -
Complainant: Okay
Officer #3: -Taser up your ass.
Complainant: Okay
Officer #3: So don’t move.
Complainant: I’m trying not to. I can’t breathe.
…
Officer #3: Now do you feel this in your balls?
Complainant: I do, sir. I’m not going to move. I’m not gonna move.
Officer #3 Now I’m gonna tase your balls if you move again.
A minute later, this exchange occurred:
Officer #3: Okay, I’m gonna take this Taser out of your asshole now. Are you going to fight with me?
Complainant: No, not at all, sir.
A supervisor later erased an audio recording of an interview with the man at the jail and did not write a report on the use of force in the arrest. While the officers have been “disciplined,” they were not removed from the force.
Boise Community Ombudsman Pierce Murphy found that the actions of the officer were not illegal but found abuse, here. You have an officer who says that he just sodomized a suspect and threatened to torture him. That is not unlawful in Boise?
In the internal investigation , here. Murphy found that there was no threat at the time of the incident:
“At the time that he was Tased on the buttocks, the Complainant was handcuffed and lying face-down on the floor. Officer #1 was holding the Complainant’s head and upper torso down with a knee across his shoulders. Officer #4 was positioned near the Complainant’s waist preparing to search the Complainant, and Officer #3 was situated near the Complainant’s legs and feet … Based on what he observed, Officer #2 saw no need to assist Officer #1, Officer #3, and Officer #4 in controlling the Complainant. According to Officer #1, the Complainant “mellowed out” after being handcuffed.”
He filed a complaint detailing the abuse and asked for $500,000 in punitive damages.
The reported settlement of $150,000 seems a bit low given the egregious conduct and lack of admission of fault. Of course, we are not the “boots on the ground” in the case and the legal team was probably discounting for the avoidance of trial costs and appeals. However, given the response of the Police Department, I was hoping to see a more punitive element to the liability to guarantee a greater deterrent effect. If it was not for this tape, this case would never have seen the light of day.
It was the result of mediation with the judge in the federal court. It also contained a reported confidentiality agreement barring public comment.
-----------------
You Tube Video
While against policy, the police insisted that the officer (who also threatened to shock his genitalia) merely failed to follow guidelines — the name of the officer has not been released despite the release of the audio tape below. The officer actually states on the tape that he had already sodomized Amidon with the taser when he threatened to deliver a second shock first to his anus and then to his genitalia.
Amidon stated that on February 14th he did not realize that the men forcing their way into his apartment were officers. He tried to block the door — resulting in three officers throwing him to the ground. After tasering him, the officer threatened to sodomize the man and deliver an anal shocking with his taser.
Here is the exchange:
Officer #3: Do you feel this?
Complainant: Yes, sir.
Officer #3: Do you feel that? That’s my -
Complainant: Okay
Officer #3: -Taser up your ass.
Complainant: Okay
Officer #3: So don’t move.
Complainant: I’m trying not to. I can’t breathe.
…
Officer #3: Now do you feel this in your balls?
Complainant: I do, sir. I’m not going to move. I’m not gonna move.
Officer #3 Now I’m gonna tase your balls if you move again.
A minute later, this exchange occurred:
Officer #3: Okay, I’m gonna take this Taser out of your asshole now. Are you going to fight with me?
Complainant: No, not at all, sir.
A supervisor later erased an audio recording of an interview with the man at the jail and did not write a report on the use of force in the arrest. While the officers have been “disciplined,” they were not removed from the force.
Boise Community Ombudsman Pierce Murphy found that the actions of the officer were not illegal but found abuse, here. You have an officer who says that he just sodomized a suspect and threatened to torture him. That is not unlawful in Boise?
In the internal investigation , here. Murphy found that there was no threat at the time of the incident:
“At the time that he was Tased on the buttocks, the Complainant was handcuffed and lying face-down on the floor. Officer #1 was holding the Complainant’s head and upper torso down with a knee across his shoulders. Officer #4 was positioned near the Complainant’s waist preparing to search the Complainant, and Officer #3 was situated near the Complainant’s legs and feet … Based on what he observed, Officer #2 saw no need to assist Officer #1, Officer #3, and Officer #4 in controlling the Complainant. According to Officer #1, the Complainant “mellowed out” after being handcuffed.”
He filed a complaint detailing the abuse and asked for $500,000 in punitive damages.
The reported settlement of $150,000 seems a bit low given the egregious conduct and lack of admission of fault. Of course, we are not the “boots on the ground” in the case and the legal team was probably discounting for the avoidance of trial costs and appeals. However, given the response of the Police Department, I was hoping to see a more punitive element to the liability to guarantee a greater deterrent effect. If it was not for this tape, this case would never have seen the light of day.
It was the result of mediation with the judge in the federal court. It also contained a reported confidentiality agreement barring public comment.
-----------------
You Tube Video
Sgt. Michael Mastick Will Not be Charged in Hit and Run Collision
A Torrance police sergeant will not be charged in an off-duty hit-and-run collision, although he admitted he fled because his "judgment was impaired by alcohol," according to prosecutors.
Redondo Beach City Prosecutor Brenda Wells said Tuesday that she declined to file a criminal case against Sgt. Michael Mastick for several reasons.
Among them, Wells said, was the fact that the alleged victim did not want the internal affairs investigator prosecuted. In addition, she said, the driver of the suspect vehicle was not identified by any witnesses at the time of Sept. 26 incident.
However, she noted: "Initially, Michael Mastick claimed that his wife was driving and she confirmed that information. Later, Michael Mastick submitted a statement claiming that he was the driver and he fled because his judgment was impaired by alcohol."
Anderson said Wednesday that there is an open personnel investigation into the matter, but declined to comment further.
Mastick's attorney did not return a telephone call seeking comment.
The Inglewood Police Department investigated the incident to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. A public records request for the police report is pending.
The 19-year department veteran was investigated for causing a collision around 9:45 p.m. on Pacific Coast Highway at Robert Road, near the Hollywood Riviera section of Torrance.
When officers responded to the scene, it was discovered that a department employee was involved, and a supervisor requested assistance from members of the South Bay DUI Task Force, police have said.
Neither police agency would discuss details of the collision, beyond characterizing it as "minor."
Inglewood handled the investigation and submitted the case to the district attorney's Justice System Integrity Division, which recommended it be referred to the city attorney.
Investigators brought the case to Redondo Beach rather than Torrance also to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Redondo Beach City Prosecutor Brenda Wells said Tuesday that she declined to file a criminal case against Sgt. Michael Mastick for several reasons.
Among them, Wells said, was the fact that the alleged victim did not want the internal affairs investigator prosecuted. In addition, she said, the driver of the suspect vehicle was not identified by any witnesses at the time of Sept. 26 incident.
However, she noted: "Initially, Michael Mastick claimed that his wife was driving and she confirmed that information. Later, Michael Mastick submitted a statement claiming that he was the driver and he fled because his judgment was impaired by alcohol."
Anderson said Wednesday that there is an open personnel investigation into the matter, but declined to comment further.
Mastick's attorney did not return a telephone call seeking comment.
The Inglewood Police Department investigated the incident to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. A public records request for the police report is pending.
The 19-year department veteran was investigated for causing a collision around 9:45 p.m. on Pacific Coast Highway at Robert Road, near the Hollywood Riviera section of Torrance.
When officers responded to the scene, it was discovered that a department employee was involved, and a supervisor requested assistance from members of the South Bay DUI Task Force, police have said.
Neither police agency would discuss details of the collision, beyond characterizing it as "minor."
Inglewood handled the investigation and submitted the case to the district attorney's Justice System Integrity Division, which recommended it be referred to the city attorney.
Investigators brought the case to Redondo Beach rather than Torrance also to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Officer Christopher Bowersox Charged with Possession of Child Porn
As the child pornography case against a former Bakersfield police officer moves forward, friends say they are shocked and in disbelief.
It's believed the case against Christopher Bowersox, 38, will be in federal court by midweek.
Bowersox was arrested Friday after the FBI filed a case alleging he knowingly possessed child pornography and engaged in the receipt of child porn. The documents filed in court so far have been extremely graphic.
Officials said Bowersox resigned from the Bakersfield Police Department on Wednesday of last week.
Eyewitness News spoke with a local attorney who said he has been contacted about representing Bowersox in this case. His name is being withheld, because he hasn't officially been assigned to the case.
One of Bowersox' neighbors, Melanie Smith, said Monday that she has known the officer for more than a year, and her boyfriend has known Bowersox for more than 10 years.
"He's a very good friend of mine," Smith said. "He'd always come over and helped me out. He's helped me fix my car (and) brought me cookies last week."
Police say the investigation into Bowersox started last fall. Bakersfield Police Chief Greg Williamson held a rare weekend news conference to address the investigation of his own officer.
"I, as well as the rest of my department, are thoroughly embarrassed and disappointed as to the allegations made against one of our officers," Williamson said Saturday.
Williamson and FBI officers said Bowersox had been removed from duty and put on administrative leave when the allegations were first discovered.
"This arrest was the result of a lengthy criminal investigation that was initiated by the Bakersfield Police Department and eventually referred to the FBI due to the type of criminal activity," reads a statement issued last week by FBI Special Agent Steve Dupre.
Investigators say the case started when Nicholas Beeman was arrested in Florida for possession of child porn. Beeman reportedly told officers he discussed violence against children in an Internet chat room, and investigators say they tracked that chat to Bowersox.
The report on the case includes excerpts that officers say went between Bowersox and the man in Florida.
"Every time I talk someone into rape, I always get a bit sad when they're not into this," the Florida man allegedly wrote in the online chats.
"Oh, I'm ... into it, big time," Bowersox allegedly responded, using the screen name "cbowersox."
Bowersox reportedly told investigators he had communicated with others in Internet chat rooms, and that he "shared fantasies" with others through chat rooms. According the the case report, Bowersox "reluctantly" described the fantasies as things between men and boys and violence between men and boys.
"Bowersox acknowledged the conversations and stated that the communication was all fantasy and that he had never carried out any of the described actions," the report reads.
According to the case file, police searched the computer at Bowersox' home and then turned the case over to the FBI.
Bowersox had headed up the Bakersfield police anti-graffiti unit for a while, and Williamson said the officer had arrested several youth as part of the detail. The department believes Bowersox had no inappropriate contact then with any under-aged people during his time on duty.
"The department has no indication the activity for which former officer Bowersox has been charged occurred while he was on duty in his capacity as a police officer," reads a statement from Williamson.
Williamson said the officer was well liked in the department and by the public.
"I think the allegations that have been brought against him have just floored most of the members of the Bakersfield Police Department," Williamson said.
The FBI report said when officers searched Bowersox' computer, they also found five digital images that appeared to be surveillance photographs of students on the Bakersfield High School campus.
According to the case report, Bowersox told investigators he did not recall taking any pictures of students at BHS.
Back in Bowersox' neighborhood, Smith said she is shocked by the case.
"I don't know what to say about what they're charging him with," Smith said. "But, I'm going to say innocent until proven guilty. I think he's a good man."
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Photo & Information
It's believed the case against Christopher Bowersox, 38, will be in federal court by midweek.
Bowersox was arrested Friday after the FBI filed a case alleging he knowingly possessed child pornography and engaged in the receipt of child porn. The documents filed in court so far have been extremely graphic.
Officials said Bowersox resigned from the Bakersfield Police Department on Wednesday of last week.
Eyewitness News spoke with a local attorney who said he has been contacted about representing Bowersox in this case. His name is being withheld, because he hasn't officially been assigned to the case.
One of Bowersox' neighbors, Melanie Smith, said Monday that she has known the officer for more than a year, and her boyfriend has known Bowersox for more than 10 years.
"He's a very good friend of mine," Smith said. "He'd always come over and helped me out. He's helped me fix my car (and) brought me cookies last week."
Police say the investigation into Bowersox started last fall. Bakersfield Police Chief Greg Williamson held a rare weekend news conference to address the investigation of his own officer.
"I, as well as the rest of my department, are thoroughly embarrassed and disappointed as to the allegations made against one of our officers," Williamson said Saturday.
Williamson and FBI officers said Bowersox had been removed from duty and put on administrative leave when the allegations were first discovered.
"This arrest was the result of a lengthy criminal investigation that was initiated by the Bakersfield Police Department and eventually referred to the FBI due to the type of criminal activity," reads a statement issued last week by FBI Special Agent Steve Dupre.
Investigators say the case started when Nicholas Beeman was arrested in Florida for possession of child porn. Beeman reportedly told officers he discussed violence against children in an Internet chat room, and investigators say they tracked that chat to Bowersox.
The report on the case includes excerpts that officers say went between Bowersox and the man in Florida.
"Every time I talk someone into rape, I always get a bit sad when they're not into this," the Florida man allegedly wrote in the online chats.
"Oh, I'm ... into it, big time," Bowersox allegedly responded, using the screen name "cbowersox."
Bowersox reportedly told investigators he had communicated with others in Internet chat rooms, and that he "shared fantasies" with others through chat rooms. According the the case report, Bowersox "reluctantly" described the fantasies as things between men and boys and violence between men and boys.
"Bowersox acknowledged the conversations and stated that the communication was all fantasy and that he had never carried out any of the described actions," the report reads.
According to the case file, police searched the computer at Bowersox' home and then turned the case over to the FBI.
Bowersox had headed up the Bakersfield police anti-graffiti unit for a while, and Williamson said the officer had arrested several youth as part of the detail. The department believes Bowersox had no inappropriate contact then with any under-aged people during his time on duty.
"The department has no indication the activity for which former officer Bowersox has been charged occurred while he was on duty in his capacity as a police officer," reads a statement from Williamson.
Williamson said the officer was well liked in the department and by the public.
"I think the allegations that have been brought against him have just floored most of the members of the Bakersfield Police Department," Williamson said.
The FBI report said when officers searched Bowersox' computer, they also found five digital images that appeared to be surveillance photographs of students on the Bakersfield High School campus.
According to the case report, Bowersox told investigators he did not recall taking any pictures of students at BHS.
Back in Bowersox' neighborhood, Smith said she is shocked by the case.
"I don't know what to say about what they're charging him with," Smith said. "But, I'm going to say innocent until proven guilty. I think he's a good man."
-------------------------
Photo & Information
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Deputy Justin Oliver Accused of Misconduct
A Brown County deputy assigned to a regional drug task force is on leave pending a state investigation into allegations of misconduct with a woman who claims to be a confidential informant for him.
Bethany Selby, 19, of Mount Sterling said in an emergency order of protection filed Thursday in Brown County Circuit Court that she feared Deputy Justin Oliver might harm her or himself if she came forward about his actions.
Selby claims that during the five months she has been working as a confidential informant with the West Central Task Force, she and the deputy had a dating relationship and that they engaged in sexual acts in his police car and at his Mount Sterling residence. She also accused Oliver of pressuring her to set up a drug buy with a man she knew was not dealing drugs.
The order of protection was granted by Pike County Circuit Judge Michael Roseberry. Oliver was not present at the hearing.
Selby’s attorney, Jesse Gilsdorf, said that because there were no Brown County judges available Thursday they went to Pike County, which is the same judicial circuit.
Sheriff Tom Snowden said he learned of the allegations for the first time after they were presented in court. The sheriff placed Oliver on administrative leave with pay and the investigation was turned over to Illinois State Police. The state agency was closed Friday because of the state holiday.
Snowden declined to say whether Oliver denied the allegations when told he was being placed on administrative leave.
“I will say that these allegations are out of character for deputy Oliver,” Snowden said.
Oliver, who does not a have a listed telephone number, was unavailable Friday for comment.
Oliver will remain on paid leave “until we can validate or invalidate these allegations,” Snowden said.
Oliver has been employed with the sheriff’s department for four years and assigned for about two years to work full-time with the drug task force.
Emergency order of protections are civil proceedings, do not require proof the acts occurred and can be granted without both parties being present at the hearing.
In her request for the order, Selby contends Oliver “keeps a bullet in his car in his dashboard” and “has threatened to shoot himself with the bullet if I should ever tell anyone about our activities.”
Selby said she had a relationship with the deputy for about five months
“He has told me that if I told anyone about our relationship he would lose all of his cases and would lose his job,” she said in the court document. “This badly frightened me.”
The woman also accused Oliver of directing her to go to a man’s residence to try to buy drugs even though she told him the man was not dealing. Oliver “directed me to set up [the man] so that he could be arrested for drug dealing,” she said in court documents.
Both Snowden and Selby’s attorney declined to say how she became an informant. Gilsdorf declined to say what prompted her to seek the order of protection.
Selby has a driving under the influence case pending in Brown County and also has a previous arrest on a charge of possession of cannabis.
The temporary order could be made permanent at a hearing March 4 in Brown County Circuit Court.
Bethany Selby, 19, of Mount Sterling said in an emergency order of protection filed Thursday in Brown County Circuit Court that she feared Deputy Justin Oliver might harm her or himself if she came forward about his actions.
Selby claims that during the five months she has been working as a confidential informant with the West Central Task Force, she and the deputy had a dating relationship and that they engaged in sexual acts in his police car and at his Mount Sterling residence. She also accused Oliver of pressuring her to set up a drug buy with a man she knew was not dealing drugs.
The order of protection was granted by Pike County Circuit Judge Michael Roseberry. Oliver was not present at the hearing.
Selby’s attorney, Jesse Gilsdorf, said that because there were no Brown County judges available Thursday they went to Pike County, which is the same judicial circuit.
Sheriff Tom Snowden said he learned of the allegations for the first time after they were presented in court. The sheriff placed Oliver on administrative leave with pay and the investigation was turned over to Illinois State Police. The state agency was closed Friday because of the state holiday.
Snowden declined to say whether Oliver denied the allegations when told he was being placed on administrative leave.
“I will say that these allegations are out of character for deputy Oliver,” Snowden said.
Oliver, who does not a have a listed telephone number, was unavailable Friday for comment.
Oliver will remain on paid leave “until we can validate or invalidate these allegations,” Snowden said.
Oliver has been employed with the sheriff’s department for four years and assigned for about two years to work full-time with the drug task force.
Emergency order of protections are civil proceedings, do not require proof the acts occurred and can be granted without both parties being present at the hearing.
In her request for the order, Selby contends Oliver “keeps a bullet in his car in his dashboard” and “has threatened to shoot himself with the bullet if I should ever tell anyone about our activities.”
Selby said she had a relationship with the deputy for about five months
“He has told me that if I told anyone about our relationship he would lose all of his cases and would lose his job,” she said in the court document. “This badly frightened me.”
The woman also accused Oliver of directing her to go to a man’s residence to try to buy drugs even though she told him the man was not dealing. Oliver “directed me to set up [the man] so that he could be arrested for drug dealing,” she said in court documents.
Both Snowden and Selby’s attorney declined to say how she became an informant. Gilsdorf declined to say what prompted her to seek the order of protection.
Selby has a driving under the influence case pending in Brown County and also has a previous arrest on a charge of possession of cannabis.
The temporary order could be made permanent at a hearing March 4 in Brown County Circuit Court.
Deputy Lt Shane Fletcher Pleads Guilty to Placing Tracking Device on Coach's Car
A Terrebonne Parish detective pleaded guilty Friday to criminal mischief in connection with the illegal placement of a GPS tracking device on a high-school coach’s car.
The device was allegedly placed there on behalf of a local businessman by a state trooper, who faces a similar charge and is the subject of a State Police investigation.
Lt. Shane Fletcher, 42, the Terrebonne detective, entered the guilty plea in Lafourche Parish District Court. He was fined $100 and ordered to pay court costs. Officials at the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office said an internal investigation of the detective’s actions is under way.
The businessman, 60-year-old John Ledet Jr., is charged as a principal to criminal mischief. He is scheduled to appear in court March 12.
Senior Trooper Travis “Bucky” Colombel has not been charged with a crime, but has been notified by prosecutors that he is a potential grand-jury target.
“We have information to show that the trooper placed the device on the vehicle, Fletcher retrieved the device from Thibodaux Police, and the coach suspects Ledet to be involved,” Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre said.
Long-standing problems between Ledet and Shane Trosclair, 32, a baseball coach at E.D. White Catholic High, came to police attention Sept. 18, when Thibodaux officers were called to the school.
Trosclair told officers that Ledet was “stalking him because he refused to allow his son to play baseball for the school,” the police report says.
Ledet is owner of the Cajun Country Event Center on La. 182 in Raceland, a truck stop and restaurant. He formerly owned JB’s Coffee House in downtown Houma.
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The device was allegedly placed there on behalf of a local businessman by a state trooper, who faces a similar charge and is the subject of a State Police investigation.
Lt. Shane Fletcher, 42, the Terrebonne detective, entered the guilty plea in Lafourche Parish District Court. He was fined $100 and ordered to pay court costs. Officials at the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office said an internal investigation of the detective’s actions is under way.
The businessman, 60-year-old John Ledet Jr., is charged as a principal to criminal mischief. He is scheduled to appear in court March 12.
Senior Trooper Travis “Bucky” Colombel has not been charged with a crime, but has been notified by prosecutors that he is a potential grand-jury target.
“We have information to show that the trooper placed the device on the vehicle, Fletcher retrieved the device from Thibodaux Police, and the coach suspects Ledet to be involved,” Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre said.
Long-standing problems between Ledet and Shane Trosclair, 32, a baseball coach at E.D. White Catholic High, came to police attention Sept. 18, when Thibodaux officers were called to the school.
Trosclair told officers that Ledet was “stalking him because he refused to allow his son to play baseball for the school,” the police report says.
Ledet is owner of the Cajun Country Event Center on La. 182 in Raceland, a truck stop and restaurant. He formerly owned JB’s Coffee House in downtown Houma.
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Officer Jeffrey Grahn Kills Wife, Shoots 2 Others, Then Kills Self
The Clackamas County sheriff's sergeant who shot and killed himself and his wife Friday night had filed for divorce last August, but neighbors said the couple were still living together and appeared to be on good terms.
Jeffrey A. Grahn killed his wife, shot and killed another woman, then wounded a third woman before shooting himself at a crowded Gresham restaurant Friday night, police said.
Grahn of Boring killed his wife, Charlotte Grahn, 47, and her friend Kathleen Hoffmeister, 53, of Gresham. The two women were socializing at the M&M Restaurant and Lounge with their friend Victoria Schulmerich, 53, of Gresham, whom Grahn also shot. Schulmerich was in critical condition Saturday night at OHSU Hospital.
Grahn, 46, opened fire about 9:30 p.m., police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene, as was Hoffmeister. Charlotte Grahn was taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, where she died Saturday afternoon.
The Grahns had four children, ages 13 to 23.
Police released few details about the shooting Saturday, saying only that it involved a domestic dispute between the Grahns. Officers from the Gresham Police Department, the agency investigating the incident, gave no motive for the shootings and did not say whether Grahn used his service weapon. They also didn't say how many shots Grahn fired.
Grahn, a 15-year veteran of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, joined the department in February 1995 and was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2003. He served as the head of security of Clackamas County Courthouse but had been reassigned as a swing shift supervisor away from the courthouse a year ago, according to Jim Strovink, a spokesman for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. He had no criminal record.
In 2007, Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts issued a commendation to Grahn and to another deputy for their work while the courthouse was being renovated. Both deputies suggested security upgrades to go with the remodel.
"Sgt. Grahn also supervises transportation to and from the courthouse, and he's worked miracles with a limited staff," Roberts said in a news release at the time. "He has enhanced communication between the sheriff's office and judicial and legal staffers. He expanded the use of plans, mission sheets and briefings to improve security. Once the courthouse was completed, it wasn't just an upgrade of a building -- it was an upgrade of an entire system."
The shooting was the second in downtown Gresham in the past two weeks.
Police and Gresham Mayor Shane Bemis held a news conference Saturday to assure the public that the city is still safe.
A replica of a chef stands at the door of the closed M&M Restaurant and Lounge on Saturday morning. The M&M was the scene of a shooting Friday night.Two men who had been smoking outside the restaurant Friday night said they heard a shot and saw a blonde woman drop to the pavement. Then a man ran back into the lounge and they heard two more shots. The men said they often visit the M&M, at 137 N. Main Ave., and described it as a low-key club. A jazz band was playing there Friday night.
Business owner Cissy Heitzman, who wasn't present when the shooting occurred, said the restaurant has been at that location for about 25 years. The area, just north of Powell Boulevard, has a variety of small businesses, including several eateries, a toy store, a furniture outlet and a skate/snowboard shop.
On Saturday afternoon, neighbors of the Grahns quietly discussed the tragedy.
Dean Phelps and Steve Bates, who live on either side of the Grahns, said the couple often had neighborhood barbecues.
"They weren't people who stayed to themselves," Phelps said. "They were good people. And they did a lot of things together as a family."
Phelps said he knew the Grahns had filed for divorce and that they had seen a marriage counselor. He said he didn't talk to the couple about that aspect of their life.
Just a week ago, he said, Grahn, his wife and their youngest son came over to Phelps' home after Colts quarterback Peyton Manning threw a pivotal fourth-quarter interception in the Super Bowl. "They both knew I was a big Colts fan," he said, and they brought over a box of tissues to console him after the Colts' loss.
Grahn was the type of person who would stop whatever he was doing to help a neighbor, Phelps said. One time, Grahn helped Phelps with a plumbing problem at his house.
Phelps said Grahn was once in the building industry and that he'd built the three-vehicle shop next to his four-bedroom, three-bath house at Southeast Sylvian Way near the center of Boring. The house is at the end of a cul-de-sac.
Charlotte Grahn often stopped by the Phelps home.
"We'd have a knock on the back door," he said, "and it'd be Charlotte seeing what we were up to."
The couple had planned a trip together to Las Vegas for their daughter's 21st birthday, Phelps said, which they'd done for their eldest son when he turned 21.
Phelps said he viewed the trip as an indication the couple would reconcile.
"We hoped they'd get through this," he said.
Jeffrey A. Grahn killed his wife, shot and killed another woman, then wounded a third woman before shooting himself at a crowded Gresham restaurant Friday night, police said.
Grahn of Boring killed his wife, Charlotte Grahn, 47, and her friend Kathleen Hoffmeister, 53, of Gresham. The two women were socializing at the M&M Restaurant and Lounge with their friend Victoria Schulmerich, 53, of Gresham, whom Grahn also shot. Schulmerich was in critical condition Saturday night at OHSU Hospital.
Grahn, 46, opened fire about 9:30 p.m., police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene, as was Hoffmeister. Charlotte Grahn was taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, where she died Saturday afternoon.
The Grahns had four children, ages 13 to 23.
Police released few details about the shooting Saturday, saying only that it involved a domestic dispute between the Grahns. Officers from the Gresham Police Department, the agency investigating the incident, gave no motive for the shootings and did not say whether Grahn used his service weapon. They also didn't say how many shots Grahn fired.
Grahn, a 15-year veteran of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, joined the department in February 1995 and was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2003. He served as the head of security of Clackamas County Courthouse but had been reassigned as a swing shift supervisor away from the courthouse a year ago, according to Jim Strovink, a spokesman for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. He had no criminal record.
In 2007, Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts issued a commendation to Grahn and to another deputy for their work while the courthouse was being renovated. Both deputies suggested security upgrades to go with the remodel.
"Sgt. Grahn also supervises transportation to and from the courthouse, and he's worked miracles with a limited staff," Roberts said in a news release at the time. "He has enhanced communication between the sheriff's office and judicial and legal staffers. He expanded the use of plans, mission sheets and briefings to improve security. Once the courthouse was completed, it wasn't just an upgrade of a building -- it was an upgrade of an entire system."
The shooting was the second in downtown Gresham in the past two weeks.
Police and Gresham Mayor Shane Bemis held a news conference Saturday to assure the public that the city is still safe.
A replica of a chef stands at the door of the closed M&M Restaurant and Lounge on Saturday morning. The M&M was the scene of a shooting Friday night.Two men who had been smoking outside the restaurant Friday night said they heard a shot and saw a blonde woman drop to the pavement. Then a man ran back into the lounge and they heard two more shots. The men said they often visit the M&M, at 137 N. Main Ave., and described it as a low-key club. A jazz band was playing there Friday night.
Business owner Cissy Heitzman, who wasn't present when the shooting occurred, said the restaurant has been at that location for about 25 years. The area, just north of Powell Boulevard, has a variety of small businesses, including several eateries, a toy store, a furniture outlet and a skate/snowboard shop.
On Saturday afternoon, neighbors of the Grahns quietly discussed the tragedy.
Dean Phelps and Steve Bates, who live on either side of the Grahns, said the couple often had neighborhood barbecues.
"They weren't people who stayed to themselves," Phelps said. "They were good people. And they did a lot of things together as a family."
Phelps said he knew the Grahns had filed for divorce and that they had seen a marriage counselor. He said he didn't talk to the couple about that aspect of their life.
Just a week ago, he said, Grahn, his wife and their youngest son came over to Phelps' home after Colts quarterback Peyton Manning threw a pivotal fourth-quarter interception in the Super Bowl. "They both knew I was a big Colts fan," he said, and they brought over a box of tissues to console him after the Colts' loss.
Grahn was the type of person who would stop whatever he was doing to help a neighbor, Phelps said. One time, Grahn helped Phelps with a plumbing problem at his house.
Phelps said Grahn was once in the building industry and that he'd built the three-vehicle shop next to his four-bedroom, three-bath house at Southeast Sylvian Way near the center of Boring. The house is at the end of a cul-de-sac.
Charlotte Grahn often stopped by the Phelps home.
"We'd have a knock on the back door," he said, "and it'd be Charlotte seeing what we were up to."
The couple had planned a trip together to Las Vegas for their daughter's 21st birthday, Phelps said, which they'd done for their eldest son when he turned 21.
Phelps said he viewed the trip as an indication the couple would reconcile.
"We hoped they'd get through this," he said.
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