Officer Jason Lowder Accused of Selling Police Issued Vest

A Murfreesboro police officer is accused of selling police-issued bulletproof vests in a Walgreen's parking lot.

Officer Jason Lowder is on administrative leave with pay and has been decommissioned from his duties as an officer pending the investigation into his alleged personal sale of police department property.

According to a police report, another officer saw a man placing a ballistic vest in the trunk of a car in the store's parking lot on Northfield Boulevard. The officer asked the man about the vest, and the man said he bought it from a website.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Murfreesboro Police Department are investigating.

Lowder has been a Murfreesboro officer since 2006, the department said.

Officer La'Cori Johnson Charged with Sexual Assault

La'Cori Johnson, a five-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department, was arrested at police headquarters Tuesday, just after he resigned.

He was charged with sexual assault, a second-degree felony.

According to the arrest affidavit, the assault occurred September 9, 2013. Johnson detained a woman and a man in the 9200 block of Larga Drive, near Bachman Lake. He ordered the man to leave, but told the woman she had an outstanding warrant.

The affidavit states he ordered her into the back seat of his marked car and when she began to cry, he said, "Why are you crying? You don't have to go to jail if you do what I tell you to do."

According to the affidavit, Johnson drove his squad car a short distance, to a dead end circle in the 3300 block of Storey Drive, behind an apartment complex. The affidavit said he got into the back seat, took off his gun belt, placed it beside them, and raped the woman.

"With any sexual assault, the victim is going to have lasting damage from that attack; but in this particular case, the damage extends beyond the victim, and it impacts the entire public," said Dallas attorney Kimberly Priest Johnson.

She is not directly involved in this case, but is outraged by it, saying it shakes the public trust.

"You know, the public thinks things like, 'Is this person the only Dallas police officer who has done this? Might there be other victims that Johnson has attacked?'"

The affidavit says Johnson dropped off the victim on nearby Clydesdale Drive and she walked home, telling her mother what happened.

Police said the victim reported the incident to them on October 4. Johnson was placed on leave at that time, according to a statement from Dallas police, and a public integrity investigation began.

An internal affairs investigation started January 24. Johnson was questioned by internal affairs Tuesday.

Then he submitted his resignation, was arrested, and booked in jail.

His bond was set at $25,000.

"When it's by a police officer, on a citizen, while that police officer is on duty, in a marked car, pulling someone over, seeking this out, it's at the top of egregiousness," Kimberly Priest Johnson said.

The Dallas Police Department says La'Cori Johnson was hired as an officer in April 2009 and was assigned to the Northwest Patrol Division.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio has cost Phoenix Taxpayers $49 Million dollars

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A political feud among county officials in metro Phoenix that led to a spate of costly lawsuits and unsuccessful public corruption investigations against some participants in the disputes has cost taxpayers at least $49 million.

County officials on Monday released the nearly final price tag for the disputes that mired county government from 2006 through 2010 when Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and then-County Attorney Andrew Thomas squared off against county officials and judges.

The disputes centered on cuts to agency budgets, a plan to build a new court building complex and other issues.

Arpaio and Thomas lost most of the key battles.

"I was unjustly prosecuted," said Mary Rose Wilcox, a Maricopa County supervisor who was one of the people targeted by Arpaio and Thomas.

"[I was] hit with 44 felony counts and I was cleared of everything. But it was hell," she continued.

Monday, documents obtained by CBS 5 News shows that $49 million in taxpayer money was spent on litigation costs and other settlements.

"No one was ever prosecuted. None of the cases stood. Everything fell apart. It was political vindictiveness," said Wilcox.

CBS 5 News reached out to Thomas by phone and through email. He never responded. Arpaio, however, released this statement:

"My office is only a small piece of the county's past internal disputes.  I am glad those difficult days are behind us."  

Arpaio and Thomas loomed large in many of the disputes, but other officials also took part in power struggles that, in some instances, didn't involve the sheriff or prosecutor.

Chief Brian Fanelli Charged with Possession of Child Porn

The police chief of Mount Pleasant, New York, was arrested Thursday on charges of possession of child pornography, authorities said.

Brian Fanelli, 54, was arrested at his home in upstate Mahopac after a months-long investigation by federal officials, said James Hayes, Jr., special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New York.

The chief allegedly used a peer-to-peer file sharing program to download more than 120 images and videos of child pornography, prosecutors said.

Fanelli was released on $50,000 bond Thursday evening, according to CNN affiliate WCBS. A judge ordered him to home confinement with electronic monitoring. His computers and guns were confiscated, WCBS reported.

Investigators identified Fanelli in October 2013 while investigating peer-to-peer networks being used to download sexually explicit content.

“We moved rather swiftly given his prominence in the community, his trust that had been placed upon him by those in the community and his close relationships with the community,” Hayes told CNN.

As police executed a search warrant at his home Thursday, Fanelli voluntarily told investigators that he began viewing child pornography about one year ago. Fanelli told investigators that he first started collecting the child porn as research for a sexual abuse awareness program he taught to elementary and middle-school students. But he said he later continued downloading it for personal interest , according to the office of U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara.

Fanelli had worked for the police department in Mount Pleasant, a town about 30 miles north of New York City, since November 1981, according to Joan Maybury, the town supervisor.

He has been suspended as chief, a post he took in November — one month after he became the target of the child porn investigation.

“The fact of the matter is the general public impression of people who commit these crimes is [that of] an unemployed pervert in his mother’s basement,” Hayes said. “That’s not our experience. We’re finding that the people who commit these crimes are educated professionals, people in many different fields, and unfortunately this is not the first law enforcement officer that we’ve arrested for this crime.”

Homeland Security investigators have been more involved in child pornography cases in recent years because they often involve the transmission of sexually explicit images of children from outside the United States, Hayes said.

Fanelli faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 if convicted, according to the statement.

Officer Joshua Boren Shoots Entire Family then Kills Himself

More horrible news of a parent taking his or her life and the lives of their children. This time, it happened on Thursday in Spanish Fork, Utah. Reports say that 34-year-old police officer Joshua Boren shot his entire family dead, including his 55-year-old mother-in-law Marie King, his wife, Kelly, and his two children, 7-year-old Joshua (who was called Jaden) and 5-year-old Haley. He then reportedly took his own life. The family was found when officers became concerned after Boren didn't show for his night shift with the Lindon Police Department.

Authorities said that the couple appeared to be having marital difficulties, but despite that, they had all gone on a trip to Disneyland at Christmas.

Pictures show a family looking happy and healthy. The kids are smiling with painted faces; Kelly and her daughter dressed up like princesses at Disneyland. The husband wife are both athletic-looking and attractive. They had everything to live for. What could make someone feel that things are so incredibly hopeless that the entire family needs to be wiped out in such a horrifying manner?

It has been only two days since another family murder-suicide in Utah, that of Kyler Ramsdell-Oliva, whom police believe killed her 13-year-old and 6-year-old daughters before turning the gun on herself after her fiance moved out.

Kelly's Facebook page shows a beautiful young woman and her gorgeous, blonde children. "Kelly, how sadly ironic that you post a loving picture of your children the day you and them were taken from us. You will always be in my heart," a devastated friend posted on her wall. She also was a fan of working out and posting motivational quotes from Tony Robbins. In fact, it appears she had been struggling lately with making a major decision, and quoted Robbins:

Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that dis-empowers them or one that can literally save their lives.

Unfortunately, Kelly's life and that of her children were not saved.


Please call 1-800-273-8255 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in case you are worried about yourself or someone else.

Officer Scottie Brothers Arrested for Possession of Stolen Property

A Union City police officer has been arrested after a lengthy investigation by the Canadian County Sheriff's Department.

According to Canadian County Sheriff's Department, Scottie D. Brothers was arrested Tuesday at his Union City home.

Brothers was arrested on charges of possession of stolen property and providing firearms to a convicted felon.

The Canadian County Sheriff's Office has planned a news conference at 10 a.m. Wednesday to discuss the arrest.

Former Officer Harold Wells Back in Court for Corruption Charge

A former police officer may head back to court.

Harold Wells, a former corporal with the Tulsa Police Department, was sentenced in 2011 after a two-year corruption probe resulted in 11 officers being charged or named as unindicted co-conspirartors.


His lawyer said he'll petition an appeals court for a rehearing.

Wells is serving a 10-year prison sentence for stealing money during a drug bust.

Retired Captain Curtis Reeves Charged with Murder

An argument over texting inside a Wesley Chapel theater led to a fight and shooting that left a man dead and his wife wounded Monday afternoon.

The suspect is a retired Tampa Police captain, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said.
Curtis Reeves, 71, now faces a second-degree murder charge.

"It's crazy. I never thought something like this would happen at our theater," said Leny Vega, a theater employee.

The shooting occurred at the Cobb Grove 16 Theater at at 6333 Wesley Grove Boulevard near State Road 54 and I-75 around 1:30 p.m.

The victims are identified as Chad and Nicole Oulson. Chad Oulson was texting before the movie started, Sheriff Nocco said. Sitting behind them were Reeves and his wife.

Nocco said Reeves asked Oulson to stop texting. When he didn't, Reeves went to the lobby to complain. When he returned to his seat, an argument ensued and then turned physical.

Reeves pulled a .380 pistol and shot Oulson, Nocco said. Witnesses told deputies Oulson had just texted his 3-year-old daughter. Oulson's wife had put her hand in front of her husband and was shot in the hand.

Reeves then sat down and put the gun on his lap. An off-duty Sumter County deputy happened to be in the theater and acted to secure the weapon.

Nocco said the movie, "Lone Survivor," had not yet started when the shooting occurred. It wasn't immediately clear how many people were inside the theater during the gunfire.

According to Tampa Police, Reeves retired from TPD as a captain in 1993 and was instrumental in establishing the department's first Tactical Response Team. In a release, a department spokesperson said there was no indication that Reeves had any contact with TPD since his retirement.

"Something happening like that in little Wesley Chapel is just, I never even thought it would happen," said theater employee Gabriel Mena.

Traffic in the immediate area was shut down. "It is absolutely crazy that it would rise to this level of altercation over somebody just texting in a movie theater," Nocco said.

In summer 2012, a man killed a dozen people and injured 70 at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo. Twenty-six-year-old James Holmes is charged in the killings.

PHOTOS: Aurora shooting, trial of James Holmes

"When the first call came in and you're hearing a shooting at a movie theater, The first thing you think is those critical incidents that have gone on throughout the country. That's why we train for them," Nocco said.

Late Monday afternoon, Cobb Theatres issued the following statement:

“We are deeply saddened by the events that occurred earlier today, and our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. The theatre is currently closed, and we are actively working with the sheriff’s office on this investigation. This was an isolated altercation between two guests that escalated unexpectedly. The safety, security and comfort of our guests and team members are always our top priorities, and we are truly heartbroken by this incident.”

Sgt. Michael Hames Charged with Destroying Evidence

A police officer with the city of Lyman has been arrested and charged with altering and destroying evidence.

The State Law Enforcement Division arrested Michael Gerald Hames, 44, of Lyman, and charged him with misconduct in office and obstructing justice.

According to warrants obtained from SLED, Hames, a Sgt. with the Police Department, "knowingly, willfully and dishonestly committed misconduct in office in the form of malfeasance and nonfeasance by altering and then destroying evidence related to an active criminal investigation thereby failing to properly and faithfully discharge the duties of his office." Between August 12 and August 16, 2013, the warrants further state that Hames knowingly and willfully altered and destroyed evidence related to an active investigation with the attempt to impede, obstruct, interfere with, or influence the proper administration of the criminal justice function.

Officials with the town of Lyman said that Hames has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation by SLED. He is currently being held on $20,000 at the Spartanburg County Detention Center.  

Officer Douglas Campbell's Charged with Sexual Assault has been Fired

A police officer arrested in October on allegations of sexual assault by a public servant, official oppression and theft has been fired.

Douglas V. Campbell’s indefinite suspension from the Fort Worth Police Department took effect Dec. 23, according to Civil Service documents obtained Monday by the Star-Telegram.

Campbell, 33, is accused of sexually assaulting a prostitute, threatening another that he would take her to jail if she did not engage in sexual activity, and stealing $2 from an abandoned vehicle.

He was indicted on the sexual assault and official oppression cases Dec. 18 and remains free on bail awaiting trial in all three cases, according to Tarrant County court records.
“Officer Campbell, of course, denies those accusations in the indictments and looks forward to his day in court,” said Jim Lane, his defense attorney.

Campbell has appealed his termination. His attorney in the appeal, Craig Driskell of the Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas, declined to comment Monday.

The department’s special investigation unit began investigating Campbell after receiving information in August from other officers that Campbell was possibly having sex with prostitutes.

Investigators began conducting surveillance of Campbell, then interviewing women with whom he had contact.

One prostitute told officers that Campbell had removed his penis from his pants and had told her to engage in sexual contact with him or he would take her to jail. She said the conversation stopped, however, when another officer drove up, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Another prostitute told investigators that Campbell had touched her and pulled her G-string between her legs, causing her pain, the affidavit states.

According to the disciplinary letter signed by Police Chief Jeff Halstead, Campbell admitted paying for sexual acts at least five times since being commissioned as a Fort Worth officer in 2007.

The theft charge stems from allegations that Campbell removed $2 from an abandoned vehicle that he had been dispatched to, then give it to a female friend whom he had arranged to meet there. The incident was recorded, according to the disciplinary letter.

Campbell also did not accurately report the chain of custody of narcotics found inside the van, the disciplinary letter states.

Halstead said an internal investigation sustained eight allegations of misconduct against Campbell.

“His actions are a disgrace to our department, our city, and the policing profession,” Halstead said in an emailed statement. “I will continue to hold all employees accountable for any violations of policy that jeopardize the level of public trust within our community.”

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/01/06/5464201/fort-worth-officer-charged-with.html#storylink=cpy

Officer Matthew Ashmore Charged with Sexual Exploitation of Child

Memphis police say an officer has been charged with sexual exploitation of a minor.

The Memphis Police Department said Friday that 26-year-old officer Matthew Ashmore has been relieved of duty with pay pending the outcome of an administrative investigation.

The department says officers received a complaint from someone who had found a cellphone at a business Thursday. While looking through the phone, the person who found it saw images of unknown adult men having sex with girls believed to be between the ages of 2 and 6.

Investigating officers said they discovered the phone belonged to Ashmore.

Online court records show Ashmore is out of jail on $15,000 bond. The records do not show if he has a lawyer.

Officer Markeith Council Charged with Beating Inmate to Death

A Wake County corrections officer who faces charges of voluntary manslaughter in relation to an incident in which an inmate died defended himself in court Wednesday.

Markeith Council, 27, told the court he had a conversation with Shon Demetrius McClain some time before the incident while Council was handing out sheets.

Council testified, "McLain said, 'You almost shoved my [expletive] hand in this trap.' Well, I said, 'If you didn't want your hand in the [expletive] trap, get your hands out of the trap.'"

Council said people started urging McClain, 40, to fight during the part the surveillance video shows. Council said he called McClain over.

"I said, 'Don't let your friends boost you up, pump you up,'" Council recalled. "I said, 'This is not the place to be tough.'"

Council said he thought he was going to be punched when McClain raised his hand. He said he didn't have enough time to call for help.

Council said his goal is to be a warden and is on track to be a sergeant. He is now a master detention officer, and is on suspension.

A video released in court Tuesday shows a fatal altercation between Council and an inmate in June. Court documents show Council was involved an incident with  McClain at the Wake County Detention Center June 4.

 

Council was indicted in August and turned himself into the Wake County Detention Center soon after.

McClain died from blunt force trauma to the head, neck, spinal and brain, damage that was sustained during the fight with Council, according to an autopsy. The inmate died 13 days after the incident.

McClain was in jail on misdemeanor drug charges when the assault occurred. According to the Department of Public Safety, McClain's convictions include possession of stolen goods, breaking and entering, larceny, indecent liberty with a child, failing to register as a sex offender and obstructing justice.

The jury deliberated for part of the day Wednesday but adjourned until 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

Former Corrections Officer Leon Brooks Sr Arrested for having Child Porn

A former JSO corrections officer is facing charges related to child pornography.

Leon Perry Brooks Sr., 39, is facing two counts of receipt of child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography.

The indictment shows the reported offenses took place between June 19, 2012, and May 20, 2013, and involve a number of computer files showing minors engaged in sexually-explicit conduct.

Brooks' next court date is Dec. 27 at 3:30 p.m.

Brooks was employed with the agency from April 20, 2000, until his resignation on Nov. 1, 2013.  Brooks resigned, according to JSO, with an undisclosed medical disability.

He is the second JSO corrections officer to be arrested this week.  Prosecutors indicted Harold Walbey III a week ago for tax fraud. Investigators say he took seven names to file tax returns for 2010 and 2011.  Walbey also faces wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges.

Corrections Officer Markeith Council Charged with Manslaughter

A Wake County corrections officer who faces charges of voluntary manslaughter in relation to an incident in which an inmate died defended himself in court Wednesday.

Markeith Council, 27, told the court he had a conversation with Shon Demetrius McClain some time before the incident while Council was handing out sheets.

Council testified, "McLain said, 'You almost shoved my [expletive] hand in this trap.' Well, I said, 'If you didn't want your hand in the [expletive] trap, get your hands out of the trap.'"

Council said people started urging McClain, 40, to fight during the part the surveillance video shows. Council said he called McClain over.

"I said, 'Don't let your friends boost you up, pump you up,'" Council recalled. "I said, 'This is not the place to be tough.'"

Council said he thought he was going to be punched when McClain raised his hand. He said he didn't have enough time to call for help.

Council said his goal is to be a warden and is on track to be a sergeant. He is now a master detention officer, and is on suspension.

A video released in court Tuesday shows a fatal altercation between Council and an inmate in June. Court documents show Council was involved an incident with  McClain at the Wake County Detention Center June 4.

Council was indicted in August and turned himself into the Wake County Detention Center soon after.

McClain died from blunt force trauma to the head, neck, spinal and brain, damage that was sustained during the fight with Council, according to an autopsy. The inmate died 13 days after the incident.

McClain was in jail on misdemeanor drug charges when the assault occurred. According to the Department of Public Safety, McClain's convictions include possession of stolen goods, breaking and entering, larceny, indecent liberty with a child, failing to register as a sex offender and obstructing justice.

The jury deliberated for part of the day Wednesday but adjourned until 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

Officer Linwood Barnhill Investigated for Teen Prostitution Ring & Child Porn

A Washington D.C. police officer is under investigation for allegedly running a prostitution ring out of his apartment.

Officer Linwood Barnhill, 47, has not been arrested but is on paid administrative leave after police found a missing 16-year-old girl in his home Tuesday who told police Barnhill had arranged for her to have sex for money.

The girl told police that Barnhill had arranged for her to engage in sex acts with a man for $80 and that he told her that her working name would be ‘Juicy.’

Incredibly, a Photobucket account belonging to Linwood Barnhill discovered in an online search contains numerous pictures of scantily clad young women, a photograph that clearly shows a large amount of marijuana, a police officer in uniform handling piles of cash and several blank spaces that Photobucket has removed as inappropriate content.

Barnhill brazenly used his full name for the account, which has photographic evidence of potentially illegal behavior.

The girl told police that Barnhill took nude pictures of her and that six other women had also prostituted themselves for Barnhill.

A search warrant affidavit filed in federal court alleges sex trafficking of a minor and production of child pornography.

The Washington Times reports that in the apartment, located at 3066 Stanton Road Southeast near St. Elizabeth’s Hospital police also found marijuana along with a large number of condoms and nine pairs of women’s high heeled shoes.

Linwood Barnhill is a 24-year veteran of the city’s 7th District Police Department.

The Washington Post reports that investigating officers stayed at the Southeastern Washington DC apartment Tuesday night and most of Wednesday, and after obtaining the search warrant confiscated various items including women’s lingerie, computers and cell phones.

Court documents state that the girl told officers she had been to the apartment at least twice. Barnhill took nude pictures of her in sparkly high heels and showed them to a potential customer, who was scheduled to meet with the girl and pay $80 for sex.

Barnhill would keep $20, she said, and also pay for her to have her hair done and new clothes and shoes.

It’s not clear whether the girl had actually met with the customer.

D.C. Police Chief Cathy L Lanier said in a statement that the department ‘is very concerned about the recent allegations of egregious conduct.

Officer Damon Broussard Charged with Rape & Molestation of Juvenile

A Lake Arthur police officer has been charged with aggravated rape and molestation of a juvenile, state police said.

Troop spokesman Stephen Hammons said 37-year-old Damon Broussard, of Egan, was arrested Tuesday following an investigation.

"During the investigation, detectives found that Broussard engaged in sexual activity several years ago with a child who was under 15," Hammons said in a news release. "Detectives also discovered that Broussard engaged in sexual activity with a different child, who under 13."

Hammons said that there is no indication the alleged incidents occurred during Broussard's duties as an officer.

Former Officer Timothy Burns Charged with Murder Dies

A former Durham police officer charged with murder in his wife's death died Friday at Rex Hospital.

Jail officials said Timothy W. Burns, died of a heart attack.

The Durham County Sheriff's Office said Burns was in custody at Central Prison when the decision was made to transport him to Rex Hospital in Raleigh.

He had been transferred from the Durham County Jail because his medical needs "were beyond [the jail's] capability to provide."

Burns was in police custody on a murder charge for stabbing his wife Maxine to death in November in their home.

Burns left the Durham Police Department in the 1990s

Officer Jackie Neal Rapes Teen in Back of Squad Car

Friday morning. On duty. Full Uniform. Marked Squad Car. Officer Jackie Neal, 40, made a traffic stop and then allegedly sexually assaulted a 19-year-old woman, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

Police said the 11-year veteran pulled the victim over on the south side and managed to get her to stand behind his squad car. San Antonio police Chief William McManus described the events that followed as “unthinkable.”

An investigation was opened after the victim contacted police. According to a statement issued by the department, Neal was taken into custody by SAPD Special Victims’ Unit detectives after officers pulled him over around 2 a.m. Saturday. He was arrested on a warrant for sexual assault, a second-degree felony.

“I am angry. I am outraged. It’s a punch in the eye to the police department, this kind of conduct,” McManus said. “We won’t tolerate it for a second. And I think the swiftness of the investigation and the arrest is indicative of that.”

Neal has been placed on administrative leave with pay, in accordance with department protocol. If indicted, the pay would cease. He was released from custody Saturday morning at 7:25 a.m.

He was suspended in September, according to an agenda for the San Antonio Police and Firefighter Civil Service Commission, but circumstances surrounding that suspension have not been made clear.

Retired Officer Joseph Ferrante Charged with Sharing Child Porn

A retired Peabody police officer has been charged with storing and sharing child pornography on his computer.

Joseph Ferrante, 60, of 30 Bresnahan St., Peabody, is scheduled to be arraigned this morning in Peabody District Court on charges stemming from an investigation by the state police Internet Crimes Against Children unit, according to court papers.

Ferrante was arrested at his home on Monday after troopers obtained a search warrant that allowed them to seize and examine Ferrante’s computers. A preliminary search confirmed that among the items on the computer’s hard drive was a video of two boys engaging in sexual activity.

That is the same video Sgt. Michael Hill found when he visited a file-sharing network in September.

The video, with the name “bibcam,” (short for “boys in bedroom”) depicted adolescent boys, 12 and 14, engaging in sexual acts. It was one of the videos listed on the file-sharing site as being available from a specific computer within the group.

Hill also found another video showing a boy under the age of 10 engaging in sexual activity with an older male. As the investigation continued, Hill was able to link directly to the same computer and found another video, this one described as a “preteen hard-core” video of an 8-year-old girl.

Using the IP address of the computer, prosecutors sought a subpoena from Comcast and learned the identity of the subscriber, Ferrante.

On Monday, they showed up at Ferrante’s home with a search warrant.

Trooper James Dowling confronted Ferrante, who initially acknowledged only that he had “passed by” child porn.

Ferrante admitted to using the file-sharing service and admitted that he had both searched for and viewed child pornography. But he allegedly told investigators he did not believe there was child pornography on his computer.

A trooper who did a preliminary search found, in addition to the video of the two adolescent boys, files with names that suggested that they also contained child pornography. Police took the computer for a full search.

Ferrante, who is divorced, was released late Monday on $5,000 bail set by an assistant clerk magistrate following his arrest.

Ferrante is facing charges of possession and dissemination of child pornography. The possession charge carries up to a five-year prison term, but dissemination of child pornography carries a minimum mandatory 10-year term and up to 20 years in prison.

Officer Manuel Williams Arrested for Child Molestation

DeKalb County police on Wednesday confirmed that one of their officers was arrested and charged with child molestation.

It was alleged in a news conference that Officer Manuel Williams, 49, touched the 13-year-old victim while she was visiting his home.

The teen's father reported the incident on Oct. 12, when his daughter told him it happened in September of 2012.

Williams offered his resignation after an investigation was launched.

Williams is charged with one count of child molestation.

"It's very disheartening," said DeKalb County Chief of Police Cedric Alexander. "It's very hurtful for all of us here at DeKalb anytime we have an officer who goes outside of the law."

Williams served 18 years with the DeKalb Police Department, working most recently out of the south precinct.

Officer Daniel Talbot Arrested for DUI

A Moore police officer in training was arrested on DUI charges on Sunday, November 4 in Norman.

OU campus police arrested Daniel Talbot just before 2 a.m. Sunday. Officers say a vehicle driven by Talbot was going the wrong way in the 700 block of Buchanan Avenue.

Police stopped Talbot in the 400 block of W. Boyd Street. They say they could smell an odor of alcohol coming from Talbot's breath and person. Talbot reportedly admitted to drinking prior to driving.

Officers also found a loaded firearm, a glock .22 generation 4, in Talbot's vehicle.

Talbot was then taken into custody on charges of DUI, and carrying a weapon under the influence of alcohol.

Talbot resigned from the Moore Police Department on Tuesday, November 5. He was also a former officer at the McAlester Police Department.

Just last month, another Moore officer was arrested for DUI following an off-duty car accident. Police say 13-year veteran officer Tony Towery was arrested after running into the back of another car.

Officer Patrick Williams Arrested for Worthless Checks

A Shreveport police officer has been placed on administrative leave following his arrest on a felony charge of issuing worthless checks.

According to the Shreveport Police Department, 23-year-old Patrick Williams was arrested Tuesday as a fugitive on an outstanding warrant obtained by the Bossier Parish District Attorney's Office.

Williams joined the Shreveport Police Department in July 2012.

In a brief statement released Tuesday afternoon regarding the arrest, Chief of Police Willie Shaw placed Williams on leave "as required by the rules and regulations of the Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board which states: 'When an employee is charged with a felony he shall, and if a misdemeanor he may, be immediately relieved of duty and placed on "departmental leave' for up to one week at full pay and with continuing seniority."

Williams was booked into the Caddo Correctional Center.

Officer Tony Towery Arrested for DUI

A Moore police officer was arrested on a complaint of driving under the influence.

Police say 13-year veteran officer Tony Towery was arrested Saturday after running into the back of another car.

He was off-duty at the time of the crash.

Right now, Towery is on paid administrative leave.

Officer Mary O'Callaghan Charged with Felony Assault

A Los Angeles police officer has been charged with assaulting a woman under arrest, Alesia Thomas, who lost consciousness in a patrol car and was declared dead soon thereafter, prosecutors announced Thursday.

Mary O'Callaghan, 48, was charged a day earlier in a felony assault case, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

The prosecutor's office said it will request $35,000 bail for the officer who, if convicted, could spend three years in state prison.

Tyler Izen, president of the Los Angeles police union,in a statement said "the alleged actions of the officer are incongruous with her reputation as an officer who was known to be diligent, courteous and ethical." O'Callaghan's lawyer Robert Rico describes his client, an 18-year veteran of the department, as "devastated."

"As an officer, a Marine and a mother, she's used to fighting and defending others," Rico said. "And she will fight and defend herself in a court of law to prove her innocence."

The charge stems from an incident July 22, 2012, when police investigating a possible child abandonment went to Thomas' home.

This was after Thomas had dropped off her two children at a police station because she felt her drug abuse had made her an unfit parent, according to Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. 

At the mother's home, police talked with Thomas and arrested her.

It was then that O'Callaghan arrived on the scene, helping her fellow officers put Thomas -- then wearing handcuffs and leg restraints -- in a patrol car.

Video captured what happened next, the prosecutor's office said, including "O'Callaghan kicking Thomas in the stomach and groin area and pushing her in the throat."

Thomas lost consciousness in the patrol car, then was transported by paramedics to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Prosecutors said they didn't file involuntary manslaughter charges against O'Callaghan because it couldn't be proven that she directly caused Thomas' death.

Her official cause of death was "undetermined," according to a coroner's report.

Thomas's relatives, though, believe O'Callaghan is responsible, family spokesman Najee Ali said Thursday.

The family is grateful for the charge filed this week, added Ali. But they're not satisfied yet, pushing for the public release of the video showing Thomas' final moments.

"We want to have the whole truth of what happened to Alesia Thomas," Ali said. "... This is not over with."

Three Officers Under Investigation in Bikers' Clash with SUV Driver

Three bikers have been indicted in connection with a well-publicized clash with a New York SUV driver, the Manhattan District Attorney's office said Friday.

Craig Wright, 29, and Reginald Chance, 37, were indicted Friday, according to the district attorney's office. A third man, Robert Sims, 35, was indicted on Thursday, it said.

Authorities say Alexander Lien was chased by bikers after he initially bumped one during a biker rally on September 29. When his SUV was surrounded by several bikers, Lien called 9-1-1, told police he feared for his life and drove off, running over bikers and critically injuring one.

Lien's wife and 2-year-old daughter were in the vehicle with him. Lien has not been charged.

 

The chase that followed ended in traffic. Police say Lien's windows were smashed; he was dragged out of the SUV and beaten. He was treated and released from a hospital.

Officials did not detail the formal charges against the three men. In New York, charges in an indictment are not announced until defendants have been arraigned and can enter a plea.

Chance was accused of using his helmet to smash the SUV window, according to police. The lawyer for Chance concedes his client "overreacted," but claims he did not take part in beating the driver.

Authorities arrested Wright for allegedly hitting the SUV driver through the window of his vehicle.

 

Sims was accused of stomping on the driver after he was pulled from his SUV, authorities said.

Wright, Chance and Sims are scheduled to be arraigned on October 30, according to the district attorney's office.

At least seven people have been arrested, including the three who were indicted.

Authorities, who have appealed for the public's help in identifying people in photos, haven't ruled out more arrests or charges.

Meanwhile, a New York Police officer who works in Internal Affairs joins the ranks of at least two others with the NYPD who waited several days to tell their superiors they were at the rally where the SUV driver was beaten and kicked, according to the lawyer for the officer.

"He did what he had to do (by coming forward)," the officer's attorney, Pat Bonanno, told CNN.

A law enforcement source, with knowledge of the case, told CNN the Internal Affairs officer didn't report he was at the rally for at least a week.

CNN is withholding the officer's name, who worked for Internal Affairs for five years, because he has not been charged with any wrongdoing at this time. The story was first reported by DNAInfo.com, a site specializing in crime news.

Bonanno says the officer belongs to a motorcycle club and was riding with hundreds of bikers who participated in the September 29th rally, but insists he didn't witness the assault on Lien.

"He wasn't aware of anything of the nature posted on YouTube and he doesn't have any firsthand knowledge of what was going on," Bonanno said.

"Once all the videos are reviewed and witnesses interviewed, we'll find that my client has no culpability for anything that happened that day."

Bonanno offered no explanation as to why the officer waited so long to tell his superiors he was there. "That will be addressed in an appropriate time and manner," he said.

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, tells CNN authorities are investigating his account.

Law enforcement sources have told CNN there were no on-duty police officers riding with the bikers in an undercover capacity.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner John McCarthy declined comment as did the Manhattan District Attorney's office.

At least two other officers are under investigation.

One of them is Detective Wojciech Braszczok, who faces three felony counts including gang assault. Prosecutors say the off-duty cop is on video allegedly using his fist to bash in the rear window of Lien's SUV and kick it.

Braszczok's lawyer has denied his client did anything wrong and says video will exonerate him.

Officer Dan Hamlin Arrested for Grand Theft

A JSO officer has been arrested on 26 counts of official misconduct and grand theft.

JSO said officer Dan Hamlin was arrested after a warrant was issued Wednesday.

Undersheriff Dwain Senterfitt said Hamlin was fraudulently claiming overtime. Senterfitt said Hamlin claimed he was consulting with the State Attorney's Office on pre-trial cases but listed a state attorney on his timesheet who was no longer at the office.

According to JSO, this case has been under investigation since June. Senterfitt said Hamlin was made aware at the time, and the overtime stopped.

Senterfitt said Hamlin has resigned.

Officer Andrew Alan Haney Charged with Sending Obscene Material to Child

A West Columbia police officer was charged in federal court after sending explicit photos of himself to a 13-year-old girl in Iowa last month, authorities said.

Andrew Alan Haney, 30, was charged with interstate commerce of obscene materials to a person under 16, according to court records. He was appointed a public defender.

According to court records, Haney was involved in chatting with the girl in Polk County, Iowa from Sept. 22-28. The girl said she met Haney through a social media website.

Authorities identified Haney as a suspect after he sent the girl a photo with his police badge with the state seal visible in the photo, according to court records.

West Columbia Police Chief Dennis Tyndall said Haney was fired.

Tyndall said the situation was an "embarrassment" for the department. 

Haney was being held in the Lexington County Detention Center awaiting a bond hearing.

Officer John Marcus Weber Arrested for Giving Alcohol to Minors

A Sallisaw police lieutenant turned himself in Friday after an investigation into alcohol-related misconduct led to a warrant.

John Marcus Weber was booked on two felony counts and one misdemeanor count of furnishing alcohol to a minor Friday morning. Weber, 29, allegedly provided hard liquor or high-point beer and 3.2 beer to teenagers.

The warrant, issued Thursday and signed Friday morning, came about after the Sequoyah County Sheriff's Office requested that the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation look into complaints against the officer.

Weber's bail was set at $10,000 for which he has made bond.

Officer Julio Pagan Arrested for Sexual Battery

Another sex scandal at the Lakeland Police Department, and this time, the officer involved faces criminal charges.

Officer Julio Pagan, 31, was arrested today on two counts of sexual battery and one count of stalking.

"There are simply no words to describe my shock, my outrage, my disgust about this," said Chief Lisa Womack.

Chief Womack says the investigation dates back to a time right in the middle of the department's highly publicized sex scandal.

Investigators say Officer Pagan responded to a July 4th call near a trailer park and that's where he first met the alleged victim.

Six weeks later, during another call, the woman says Pagan coerced her to have sex with him in her bathroom while he was still armed, in uniform, and on duty.

Asked if this will only promote talk of persistent culture problems now under her command as well at Lakeland P.D., Chief Womack was clearly frustrated.

"This is not a departmental issue," she said pausing for moment, "You want to know how I feel about it? Fed up," she said.

The alleged victim says three weeks later, Pagan, again on-duty, was back, asking her for a "quickie" according to the police report.

Surveillance video shows Pagan's cruiser pulling up to a nearby Circle K store, where images, say detectives, show the woman buys alcohol before both return to her house.

Investigators say Pagan then came back a second time on that same date,August 29th, but that the woman made an excuse to fend off his advances and called police to complain about Pagan's visits.

However the dispatcher, identified as Christinia Jordan, now on administrative leave, never sent an officer.

"I have no valid explanation as to at this point why that that did not occur," said Chief Womack. An investigation into the matter was "about 90%" complete, she said.

The victim, who never had a police officer respond, got another uninvited visit from Pagan about three weeks later.

Relatives called to complain yet again, and this time Lakeland sent an investigator.

Austin Garcia, a neighbor, says a short time later, the trailer park area was visited by multiple officers.

"I did see a couple of squad cars go over there and stuff, like about 5 or 6 of them," he said, "They stayed there about an hour or two and left."

Chief Womack says she knows the public is already commenting about how this may yet again be an example of the "culture" within Lakeland P.D., but she took issue with that assertion.

This was not a departmental culture issue, she said -it's a crime.

Pagan, she said,will likely be formally fire dover the next couple of days.

He faces life in prison if convicted.

Deputy Darrell Mathis Arrested for Selling Marijuana Out of His Police Car

An undercover sting operation nabbed an Atlanta-area sheriff's deputy who was selling marijuana out of his patrol car and in uniform, federal authorities say.

Newton County Deputy Darrell Mathis told an informant that he could sell pot without fear because "he drives safely and flashes police credentials to get out of tickets if stopped," according to court papers. Mathis, a five-year veteran deputy, was freed on bond after his arrest last week, the FBI said.

"This defendant used his position as a police officer to openly violate the very laws that he was sworn to uphold," U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said in a written statement.

"Selling marijuana out of his police car while wearing a badge and uniform is outrageous. This case is a reminder that no one is above the law."

Mathis has been charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and with carrying a firearm during a drug offense -- a charge that could bring a possible life sentence if convicted. He did not immediately return messages seeking comment Sunday.

Newton County is about 30 miles east of Atlanta. Sheriff Ezell Brown said Mathis has been placed on administrative leave, and his office is cooperating with the investigation.

"This is an embarrassment to the Newton County Sheriff's Office, as well as law enforcement in general," Brown said in a joint statement with Yates.

According to the charges against him, Mathis attracted the attention of the FBI in April after what officials called a "social visit" by a person who went on to become a confidential informant. The informant visited Mathis at his apartment and saw large bags of what was "believed to be marijuana" on the living room table.

The complaint states that Mathis told the informant that he wasn't concerned about getting caught, because of his safe driving and police credentials.

Apparently unnerved by the exchange, the informant went to the authorities and offered to help with an investigation. The FBI then set up a half dozen meetings among Mathis, the informant and eventually two undercover agents, court papers recount.

Mathis and the informant discussed a drug sale during their next meeting, the charges state. Mathis sold the informant an ounce of marijuana later that day, showing up for the deal in his cruiser, in uniform and carrying his service pistol.

After that, an undercover agent got involved -- and the amounts of marijuana increased.
In June, as the agent bought a pound of pot, Mathis boasted, "I do my little 10 to 15 a week" -- a phrase the agent "understood to mean selling 10 to 15 pounds a week," the arrest affidavit states.

Then in early August, according to the complaint, Mathis met with another undercover agent, a supposed cocaine dealer. The two agents and Mathis sat down at a restaurant to discuss buying and transporting marijuana and cocaine, according to the complaint.

While the three spoke, Mathis allegedly pulled out his badge and told the undercover agent, "Don't worry, I'm on your side." By the end of the meeting, the complaint alleges, Mathis had agreed to run marijuana and cocaine from Alabama to North Carolina at the behest of the undercover agent.

Federal agents found a pound of pot on Mathis when he was arrested last week, the FBI said.