ALBUQUERQUE
Federal jurors have awarded $35,000 to a former state police officer who contended he was battered and unjustly arrested by Albuquerque police three years ago.
The jury ruled yesterday that Albuquerque police used excessive force against former officer Saul Canizales and wrongfully arrested him.
Canizales and another rookie state police officer were off duty in May 2005 when they got into a confrontation with Albuquerque officers.
Canizales and the other officer resigned shortly after their arrests.
Canizales' sued the Albuquerque police, alleging he was falsely arrested and suffered emotional distress after being battered.
The lawsuit contended Canizales was not threatening but was attacked by an officer.
Friday, August 08, 2008
Officer Sandy Casey Accused of Mishandling Funds
LITHOPOLIS
State auditor officials are considering doing a second audit of the village of Lithopolis' books in light of allegations about the former fiscal officer's handling of tax dollars.
Village officials contacted the state Auditor's Office and Fairfield County prosecutor in July alleging Former Fiscal Officer Sandy Casey was engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
Casey, who was appointed to the position in January 2006, resigned July 23, said Mayor Eric Sandine.
Sandine declined to say what behavior led to the pattern of corrupt activity. Sandine declined to discuss any specifics of the allegations.
Many village residents learned of the allegations and Casey's resignation after receiving the latest copy of the Lithopolis Newsletter at their residences Tuesday.
Christina Goodwin was one of the residents who received the newsletter.
"I'm surprised, but then again, how many times have you heard of this happening?" Goodwin said.
"I mean, I'm surprised, but then, I'm not surprised."
Sandine said Casey chose to resign from her position as fiscal officer rather then face a hearing before the Lithopolis Village Council.
"The disciplinary process would have put her on administrative leave until the council would have had a hearing," Sandine said.
Casey could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Emily Frazee, deputy press secretary for the state Auditor's Office, said the office was working on an audit for the village when they received information about the allegation.
"We are at the end of the village's current audit and so now we will need to decide whether we want to wait and hold this audit or start a new audit narrowed down to this concern," Frazee said.
Fairfield County Prosecutor David Landefeld said his office will take the appropriate steps if an investigation is conducted.
The newsletter sent to residents alleges Casey admitted to the facts of the village's investigation during an administrative interview. It was signed by the mayor.
Mel Meloy, president of the Lithopolis Marketing Association, learned of the allegations this week.
Meloy said Casey once served as treasurer of the Lithopolis Marketing Association.
"She resigned from the position of treasurer in March, but then stayed on another month after that," Meloy said. "She didn't say why she resigned. I assumed it was because she was just overworked."
Sandine stated in the newsletter that information will continue to be released to the public as permitted regarding the incident.
He said the village won't suffer any financial loss because Casey had a position bond, or an insurance policy for people who work with money.
Sandine said fiscal officers carry a position bond in the case of any wrongdoing in office
State auditor officials are considering doing a second audit of the village of Lithopolis' books in light of allegations about the former fiscal officer's handling of tax dollars.
Village officials contacted the state Auditor's Office and Fairfield County prosecutor in July alleging Former Fiscal Officer Sandy Casey was engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
Casey, who was appointed to the position in January 2006, resigned July 23, said Mayor Eric Sandine.
Sandine declined to say what behavior led to the pattern of corrupt activity. Sandine declined to discuss any specifics of the allegations.
Many village residents learned of the allegations and Casey's resignation after receiving the latest copy of the Lithopolis Newsletter at their residences Tuesday.
Christina Goodwin was one of the residents who received the newsletter.
"I'm surprised, but then again, how many times have you heard of this happening?" Goodwin said.
"I mean, I'm surprised, but then, I'm not surprised."
Sandine said Casey chose to resign from her position as fiscal officer rather then face a hearing before the Lithopolis Village Council.
"The disciplinary process would have put her on administrative leave until the council would have had a hearing," Sandine said.
Casey could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Emily Frazee, deputy press secretary for the state Auditor's Office, said the office was working on an audit for the village when they received information about the allegation.
"We are at the end of the village's current audit and so now we will need to decide whether we want to wait and hold this audit or start a new audit narrowed down to this concern," Frazee said.
Fairfield County Prosecutor David Landefeld said his office will take the appropriate steps if an investigation is conducted.
The newsletter sent to residents alleges Casey admitted to the facts of the village's investigation during an administrative interview. It was signed by the mayor.
Mel Meloy, president of the Lithopolis Marketing Association, learned of the allegations this week.
Meloy said Casey once served as treasurer of the Lithopolis Marketing Association.
"She resigned from the position of treasurer in March, but then stayed on another month after that," Meloy said. "She didn't say why she resigned. I assumed it was because she was just overworked."
Sandine stated in the newsletter that information will continue to be released to the public as permitted regarding the incident.
He said the village won't suffer any financial loss because Casey had a position bond, or an insurance policy for people who work with money.
Sandine said fiscal officers carry a position bond in the case of any wrongdoing in office
Undercover Officer Resigns After Posting Online Sex Ads
OVIEDO, Fla.
An Oviedo police officer who posted naked pictures of himself online has resigned.
The photos were next to graphic ads for sex.
Investigators said that they did not know anything about the sex ads online until they received a tip. The pictures of undercover agent Scott Woodlee were posted on Craigslist. He posted several dozen naked pictures on the site advertising sex with men and women.
"I've been in the business for 20 years and this is very disturbing," said Lieutenant George Ilemsky of the Oviedo Police Department. "It's conduct unbecoming of an officer. There is nothing criminal here. It is strictly administrative."
Investigators said they were able to identify Woodlee in the pictures, because of his tattoos. Channel 9 obtained a copy of the taped interview when Woodlee was confronted and tried to explain his actions.
"Well, like I said, I could sit here and tell you I did it for entertainment purposes, because most of the stuff on there is 90 percent 'BS' anyways, to be quite honest with you," stated Woodlee.
He told investigators that he posted the ads after a long day at work.
"I see maybe if we want to call it poor judgment. I did it on my time and by no means am I minimizing or justifying my actions," said Woodlee.
It is unsure if he will lose his job.
An Oviedo police officer who posted naked pictures of himself online has resigned.
The photos were next to graphic ads for sex.
Investigators said that they did not know anything about the sex ads online until they received a tip. The pictures of undercover agent Scott Woodlee were posted on Craigslist. He posted several dozen naked pictures on the site advertising sex with men and women.
"I've been in the business for 20 years and this is very disturbing," said Lieutenant George Ilemsky of the Oviedo Police Department. "It's conduct unbecoming of an officer. There is nothing criminal here. It is strictly administrative."
Investigators said they were able to identify Woodlee in the pictures, because of his tattoos. Channel 9 obtained a copy of the taped interview when Woodlee was confronted and tried to explain his actions.
"Well, like I said, I could sit here and tell you I did it for entertainment purposes, because most of the stuff on there is 90 percent 'BS' anyways, to be quite honest with you," stated Woodlee.
He told investigators that he posted the ads after a long day at work.
"I see maybe if we want to call it poor judgment. I did it on my time and by no means am I minimizing or justifying my actions," said Woodlee.
It is unsure if he will lose his job.
Arraignment for Officer Accused of Forcibly Fondling Prostitute Postponed
SAN DIEGO
The arraignment for a San Diego County sheriff's detective accused of forcibly fondling a prostitute in February was postponed Thursday because he has not yet hired an attorney. Thomas Sadler, 47, is likely waiting for word from the Deputy Sheriffs' Association, which was voting Thursday afternoon on whether to pay for his defense.
An arraignment has been rescheduled for Aug. 28.
Sadler appeared somber during his appearance in San Diego Superior Court Thursday, nearly one week after attempting to commit suicide following his July 31 arrest.
Deputy District Attorney Jeff Dort requested the judge increase Sadler's bail “due to the defendant planning not to be here today.” But Judge David Szumowski declined, leaving bail at $250,000.
Sadler, accompanied by a woman, remained silent and looked straight ahead as television cameras followed him onto the sidewalk of the courthouse and surrounded him after the proceedings. He eventually gave a slight nod of the head when asked if he was declining to comment.
A 20-year veteran of the department, Sadler is charged with sexual battery by restraint, assault and battery by an officer, false imprisonment, and two counts of accessing a computer to defraud.
He was arrested at the Santee home he shares with his wife after a six-month investigation by San Diego police. He was released from jail early the next morning after posting bail.
San Diego police said Sadler forced a self-admitted prostitute into his unmarked Ford Taurus in North Park while on duty the morning of Feb. 6 and drove her to a parking lot in Mission Valley.
He then forcibly groped her until three witnesses intervened and she escaped, said San Diego police acting Assistant Chief Jim Collins.
Authorities have said the deputy used a confidential computer system hours after the alleged incident to check whether his vehicle license plate was listed as wanted and for information about the location of the incident.
Sadler, who is assigned to the Lemon Grove station, is on unpaid leave pending the outcome of the case.
He faces up to six years and eight months in prison, if convicted.
According to a federal lawsuit, Sadler was accused of similar behavior while on duty in 2002.
Nicole Bowman, 34, claims he stopped her in a parking lot after leaving a Santee bar, pulled up her bra and looked down her pants during a search.
Bowman said she filed the lawsuit in 2003 only after getting nowhere with sheriff's Internal Affairs investigators. The county agreed to pay her $10,000 to settle the case a year later, according to documents.
The arraignment for a San Diego County sheriff's detective accused of forcibly fondling a prostitute in February was postponed Thursday because he has not yet hired an attorney. Thomas Sadler, 47, is likely waiting for word from the Deputy Sheriffs' Association, which was voting Thursday afternoon on whether to pay for his defense.
An arraignment has been rescheduled for Aug. 28.
Sadler appeared somber during his appearance in San Diego Superior Court Thursday, nearly one week after attempting to commit suicide following his July 31 arrest.
Deputy District Attorney Jeff Dort requested the judge increase Sadler's bail “due to the defendant planning not to be here today.” But Judge David Szumowski declined, leaving bail at $250,000.
Sadler, accompanied by a woman, remained silent and looked straight ahead as television cameras followed him onto the sidewalk of the courthouse and surrounded him after the proceedings. He eventually gave a slight nod of the head when asked if he was declining to comment.
A 20-year veteran of the department, Sadler is charged with sexual battery by restraint, assault and battery by an officer, false imprisonment, and two counts of accessing a computer to defraud.
He was arrested at the Santee home he shares with his wife after a six-month investigation by San Diego police. He was released from jail early the next morning after posting bail.
San Diego police said Sadler forced a self-admitted prostitute into his unmarked Ford Taurus in North Park while on duty the morning of Feb. 6 and drove her to a parking lot in Mission Valley.
He then forcibly groped her until three witnesses intervened and she escaped, said San Diego police acting Assistant Chief Jim Collins.
Authorities have said the deputy used a confidential computer system hours after the alleged incident to check whether his vehicle license plate was listed as wanted and for information about the location of the incident.
Sadler, who is assigned to the Lemon Grove station, is on unpaid leave pending the outcome of the case.
He faces up to six years and eight months in prison, if convicted.
According to a federal lawsuit, Sadler was accused of similar behavior while on duty in 2002.
Nicole Bowman, 34, claims he stopped her in a parking lot after leaving a Santee bar, pulled up her bra and looked down her pants during a search.
Bowman said she filed the lawsuit in 2003 only after getting nowhere with sheriff's Internal Affairs investigators. The county agreed to pay her $10,000 to settle the case a year later, according to documents.
Two California Officers Arrested in Tijuana
TIJUANA
Two Northern California police officers could face up to 20 years in a Mexican prison after being caught in Tijuana with firearms and about 6,000 rounds of ammunition, authorities said.
The officers, identified as Hermonegenes Llanos and Jorge Luis Matos, were arrested Friday afternoon by Mexican authorities. Both are from the Monterey area.
Llanos is a patrol officer and eight-year veteran of the Soledad Police Department in Monterey County. Police Chief Richard Cox confirmed the arrest yesterday and said an internal affairs probe is under way.
Matos was identified as a civilian police sergeant at the Presidio of Monterey, an Army installation.
A U.S. consular official in Tijuana, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, said the officers could face a variety of charges, most of them involving the possession of weapons and equipment restricted under Mexican law to military use.
The official said the charges carry penalties ranging from three to 20 years in prison.
Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, said Llanos and Matos were in custody at the La Mesa Penitentiary in Tijuana. However, the consular official said a Mexican federal judge ordered Llanos released on bail yesterday.
The two officers had just crossed the border at the San Ysidro port of entry when their SUV was pulled over by Mexican customs officers for a random inspection, Mack said.
The officers found two handguns and “well over 5,000 rounds of ammo” in the vehicle, one official said. A later estimate put the ammunition at 6,000 rounds, Mack said.
Two Northern California police officers could face up to 20 years in a Mexican prison after being caught in Tijuana with firearms and about 6,000 rounds of ammunition, authorities said.
The officers, identified as Hermonegenes Llanos and Jorge Luis Matos, were arrested Friday afternoon by Mexican authorities. Both are from the Monterey area.
Llanos is a patrol officer and eight-year veteran of the Soledad Police Department in Monterey County. Police Chief Richard Cox confirmed the arrest yesterday and said an internal affairs probe is under way.
Matos was identified as a civilian police sergeant at the Presidio of Monterey, an Army installation.
A U.S. consular official in Tijuana, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, said the officers could face a variety of charges, most of them involving the possession of weapons and equipment restricted under Mexican law to military use.
The official said the charges carry penalties ranging from three to 20 years in prison.
Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, said Llanos and Matos were in custody at the La Mesa Penitentiary in Tijuana. However, the consular official said a Mexican federal judge ordered Llanos released on bail yesterday.
The two officers had just crossed the border at the San Ysidro port of entry when their SUV was pulled over by Mexican customs officers for a random inspection, Mack said.
The officers found two handguns and “well over 5,000 rounds of ammo” in the vehicle, one official said. A later estimate put the ammunition at 6,000 rounds, Mack said.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Probation Officer Willie Baker Charged with Sex Crime
COLUMBIA
A probation officer with a county misdemeanor supervision program, who formerly served as mayor of Mt. Pleasant, has been indicted on a sex charge.
A Maury County grand jury returned a charge of sexual battery by an authority figure against 76-year-old Willie Baker.
Baker was a probation officer with the South Central Human Resource Agency’s misdemeanor program that serves General Sessions Court. The charges are in connection to his job.
He also served on the Mt. Pleasant City Commission.
A probation officer with a county misdemeanor supervision program, who formerly served as mayor of Mt. Pleasant, has been indicted on a sex charge.
A Maury County grand jury returned a charge of sexual battery by an authority figure against 76-year-old Willie Baker.
Baker was a probation officer with the South Central Human Resource Agency’s misdemeanor program that serves General Sessions Court. The charges are in connection to his job.
He also served on the Mt. Pleasant City Commission.
Officer Arrested for Drunk Driving
A New Bern police officer found himself on the other side of the law this weekend.
According to documents in the Craven County Clerk of Court’s office, 37-year-old Michael White was arrested early Saturday morning and charged with driving while impaired.
His blood alcohol level was 0.09. The legal limit in North Carolina is 0.08.
The documents also say he was driving 46 mph in a 35 mph zone. His license has been revoked for 30 days.
A New Bern Police Department spokesman White is on administrative duties while the department conducts an internal investigation.
According to documents in the Craven County Clerk of Court’s office, 37-year-old Michael White was arrested early Saturday morning and charged with driving while impaired.
His blood alcohol level was 0.09. The legal limit in North Carolina is 0.08.
The documents also say he was driving 46 mph in a 35 mph zone. His license has been revoked for 30 days.
A New Bern Police Department spokesman White is on administrative duties while the department conducts an internal investigation.
Retired Officer Arrested on Multiple Felonies
Waynesboro Police recently arrested a retired Charlottesville Police Officer who was wanted in South Carolina for multiple felonies.
60-year old Harry Edsel Shaffer is wanted in South Carolina on three felony charges for sexually assaulting a minor.
Shaffer is a Waynesboro resident, but worked for the Charlottesville Police Department from 1989 to 2007. Shaffer is now retired.
Shaffer is being charged in Waynesboro as a fugitive from South Carolina and is being held without bond.
60-year old Harry Edsel Shaffer is wanted in South Carolina on three felony charges for sexually assaulting a minor.
Shaffer is a Waynesboro resident, but worked for the Charlottesville Police Department from 1989 to 2007. Shaffer is now retired.
Shaffer is being charged in Waynesboro as a fugitive from South Carolina and is being held without bond.
Officer Antonio Allums Committing Crimes While in Uniform
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.
A Lipscomb police officer has lost his probation and has been sent to the Jefferson County Jail after being charged with harrassment a second time.
Officer Antonio Allums was already serving two years of probation on a misdemeanor conviction when got a new harassment charge in June.
Assistant District Attorney James Butler said the 44-year-old officer has been committing the crimes while in uniform. He has been placed on unpaid leave.
Allums is accused of harassing a woman when their paths crossed at a gas station the day after he issued her traffic tickets. He allegedly told her he hadn't yet turned in the tickets and could make them go away in exchange for favors.
In the original charge, another woman said Allums entered her home unannounced and fondled her the day after pulling her over in a traffic stop.
A Lipscomb police officer has lost his probation and has been sent to the Jefferson County Jail after being charged with harrassment a second time.
Officer Antonio Allums was already serving two years of probation on a misdemeanor conviction when got a new harassment charge in June.
Assistant District Attorney James Butler said the 44-year-old officer has been committing the crimes while in uniform. He has been placed on unpaid leave.
Allums is accused of harassing a woman when their paths crossed at a gas station the day after he issued her traffic tickets. He allegedly told her he hadn't yet turned in the tickets and could make them go away in exchange for favors.
In the original charge, another woman said Allums entered her home unannounced and fondled her the day after pulling her over in a traffic stop.
Sheriff and wife accused of stealing campaign signs
CHARLOTTE
Michigan State Police are investigating an allegation that Eaton County Sheriff Mike Raines and his wife tried to steal his Republican primary election opponent’s campaign signs.
Eaton County Prosecutor Jeff Sauter confirmed today that his office received a complaint about a Monday night incident involving a sign belonging to Raines’ challenger, Tom Reich.
Stealing a campaign sign is a misdemeanor crime.
Reich, 53, who is running against Raines in today’s Republican primary, said he began staking out locations where his signs were placed because more than 150 of his campaign signs had gone missing in recent weeks.
On Monday night, Reich said he saw Raines’ wife, Laurie, bending over one of his signs as if to steal it. He said he also saw Mike Raines’ minivan drive away.
Reich reported it to Michigan State Police, who are investigating the incident.
“I just can’t believe what I’ve seen,” Reich said in an interview today. “I’m just as floored as anybody else.”
A Michigan State Police officer who investigated the call reported he did not notice any of Reich’s signs in the minivan that he could observe from outside.
The winner of today’s primary election runs unopposed in the November general election because there is no Democratic challenger.
Michigan State Police are investigating an allegation that Eaton County Sheriff Mike Raines and his wife tried to steal his Republican primary election opponent’s campaign signs.
Eaton County Prosecutor Jeff Sauter confirmed today that his office received a complaint about a Monday night incident involving a sign belonging to Raines’ challenger, Tom Reich.
Stealing a campaign sign is a misdemeanor crime.
Reich, 53, who is running against Raines in today’s Republican primary, said he began staking out locations where his signs were placed because more than 150 of his campaign signs had gone missing in recent weeks.
On Monday night, Reich said he saw Raines’ wife, Laurie, bending over one of his signs as if to steal it. He said he also saw Mike Raines’ minivan drive away.
Reich reported it to Michigan State Police, who are investigating the incident.
“I just can’t believe what I’ve seen,” Reich said in an interview today. “I’m just as floored as anybody else.”
A Michigan State Police officer who investigated the call reported he did not notice any of Reich’s signs in the minivan that he could observe from outside.
The winner of today’s primary election runs unopposed in the November general election because there is no Democratic challenger.
Officer Arrested for Having Sex with 16-year old
ALTOONA, BLAIR COUNTY
An Altoona police officer is arrested, accused of having sex with a 16-year old girl.
State police say 49-year old Rick Johnson is accused of having sex a number of times with a teen from Indiana state. Police say the two met online and Johnson drove to Indiana to pick her up, before taking her to hotel in Ohio, and then his home in Altoona.
State police say the two met back in December on a site called policelink.com. It's like facebook or myspace, but for people interested in law enforcement.
They say the two began talking and at first, Johnson was like a mentor to the girl.
They say the girl even said 49-year old Johnson was like a dad to her. They say the girl and her family came to Altoona several times, in March, May, and the beginning of July.
Police say last Monday, Johnson picked up the girl from her home in Indiana. They say the girl had told Johnson she had developed feelings for him and wanted to lose her virginity to him.
Johnson then took her to a hotel in Ohio, and the two had sex.
Police say Johnson they took the girl to his home in Altoona and they had sex again. When we were in his neighborhood last week, neighbors told us Johnson's wife was out of town.
Police say the girl sent text messages to Johnson from her friend's phones because hers couldn't send him.
Those friends called police in Indiana, who called police in Altoona. That's when police went to Johnson's house and picked the girl up. They raided his home and found four condoms, a bed spread and bed sheets they are using as evidence.
Police say Johnson admitted to the crime.
He now faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child and corruption of a minor. Under our state's law he can't be charged with statutory rape because the girl is 16. He had a preliminary hearing and was released.
An Altoona police officer is arrested, accused of having sex with a 16-year old girl.
State police say 49-year old Rick Johnson is accused of having sex a number of times with a teen from Indiana state. Police say the two met online and Johnson drove to Indiana to pick her up, before taking her to hotel in Ohio, and then his home in Altoona.
State police say the two met back in December on a site called policelink.com. It's like facebook or myspace, but for people interested in law enforcement.
They say the two began talking and at first, Johnson was like a mentor to the girl.
They say the girl even said 49-year old Johnson was like a dad to her. They say the girl and her family came to Altoona several times, in March, May, and the beginning of July.
Police say last Monday, Johnson picked up the girl from her home in Indiana. They say the girl had told Johnson she had developed feelings for him and wanted to lose her virginity to him.
Johnson then took her to a hotel in Ohio, and the two had sex.
Police say Johnson they took the girl to his home in Altoona and they had sex again. When we were in his neighborhood last week, neighbors told us Johnson's wife was out of town.
Police say the girl sent text messages to Johnson from her friend's phones because hers couldn't send him.
Those friends called police in Indiana, who called police in Altoona. That's when police went to Johnson's house and picked the girl up. They raided his home and found four condoms, a bed spread and bed sheets they are using as evidence.
Police say Johnson admitted to the crime.
He now faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child and corruption of a minor. Under our state's law he can't be charged with statutory rape because the girl is 16. He had a preliminary hearing and was released.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Officer Alejandro Lopez Arrested for Murdering Family
Police said today they arrested a state investigator and six other men for allegedly stabbing and shooting to death six members of a family in connection with an extortion bid.
Police officer Alejandro Lopez sent gunmen to the family's house in Ciudad Guzman, in the western state of Jalisco, last week to demand US$100,000, state prosecutors alleged in a statement.
Lopez, a Jalisco investigator, then showed up at the house pretending to make a casual visit, prosecutors said. When he encountered the gunmen, he allegedly encouraged the family to turn over the money so the assailants would go away.
Lopez, who had helped investigate the kidnapping of the family's teenage son in April, is believed to have staged the robbery after becoming aware of the family's access to large sums of money, prosecutors said.
Investigators said they found US$100,000 in Lopez's home.
The family members were killed when they figured out that Lopez was behind the assault, authorities said.
Their bodies were found Wednesday in their house, which was previously owned by Mexican Agriculture Secretary Alberto Cardenas, the prosecutor's office said. They had been dead for at least a day and a half.
Four of the victims, including two children, were shot in the head. A teenage boy had his throat slashed and his mother was asphyxiated with a plastic bag.
Cardenas has said the family bought the house from him and two months ago because they thought they would be safer there after the boy's kidnapping.
Police officer Alejandro Lopez sent gunmen to the family's house in Ciudad Guzman, in the western state of Jalisco, last week to demand US$100,000, state prosecutors alleged in a statement.
Lopez, a Jalisco investigator, then showed up at the house pretending to make a casual visit, prosecutors said. When he encountered the gunmen, he allegedly encouraged the family to turn over the money so the assailants would go away.
Lopez, who had helped investigate the kidnapping of the family's teenage son in April, is believed to have staged the robbery after becoming aware of the family's access to large sums of money, prosecutors said.
Investigators said they found US$100,000 in Lopez's home.
The family members were killed when they figured out that Lopez was behind the assault, authorities said.
Their bodies were found Wednesday in their house, which was previously owned by Mexican Agriculture Secretary Alberto Cardenas, the prosecutor's office said. They had been dead for at least a day and a half.
Four of the victims, including two children, were shot in the head. A teenage boy had his throat slashed and his mother was asphyxiated with a plastic bag.
Cardenas has said the family bought the house from him and two months ago because they thought they would be safer there after the boy's kidnapping.
Former Officer Charged with Drug Possession
A former township police officer has been charged with possession of cocaine, heroin and marijuana and endangering the welfare of a child.
Joseph Morano, 41, and Jennifer Phalon, 34, both of the same Seaspray Road address, were arrested after a motor vehicle stop of a 1994 Ford Explorer on Route 72 in Stafford about 11:20 p.m. Friday, said Capt. Robert Urie of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Special Operations Group.
Morano is the son of Township Committeeman Len Morano.
The couple was riding in Morano's Ford Explorer with a 4-year-old child inside when it was stopped by a member of the Special Operations Group and the Stafford Township Police Department.
The Prosecutor's Office, Stafford police and members of the Ocean County Regional SWAT executed a search warrant at the couple's Seaspray Road home and found five bags of heroin and marijuana in the home, Urie said.
The couple was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, he said.
Bail was set at $50,000 with no 10 percent option for both, set by Ocean County Superior Court Judge James DenUyl.
Morano and Phalon were lodged in the Ocean County Jail and released on Saturday.
Morano has a history of substance abuse issues dating back to 2003, when he was suspended for 30 days on matters connected to alcohol abuse while he was a Barnegat police officer. Subsequent arrests and indictments over prescription drug matters led to his resignation as a police officer in 2005.
Joseph Morano, 41, and Jennifer Phalon, 34, both of the same Seaspray Road address, were arrested after a motor vehicle stop of a 1994 Ford Explorer on Route 72 in Stafford about 11:20 p.m. Friday, said Capt. Robert Urie of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Special Operations Group.
Morano is the son of Township Committeeman Len Morano.
The couple was riding in Morano's Ford Explorer with a 4-year-old child inside when it was stopped by a member of the Special Operations Group and the Stafford Township Police Department.
The Prosecutor's Office, Stafford police and members of the Ocean County Regional SWAT executed a search warrant at the couple's Seaspray Road home and found five bags of heroin and marijuana in the home, Urie said.
The couple was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, he said.
Bail was set at $50,000 with no 10 percent option for both, set by Ocean County Superior Court Judge James DenUyl.
Morano and Phalon were lodged in the Ocean County Jail and released on Saturday.
Morano has a history of substance abuse issues dating back to 2003, when he was suspended for 30 days on matters connected to alcohol abuse while he was a Barnegat police officer. Subsequent arrests and indictments over prescription drug matters led to his resignation as a police officer in 2005.
Police officer arrested for DUI
A South Bend Police officer is arrested for a D.U.I and police say his blood alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit.
Nappanee police arrested Sgt. Mark Szweda just before 1 a.m. Monday.
They say he was going 62 m.p.h. in a 35 m.p.h. zone.
Officers say Szweda failed field sobriety checks and a test showed his blood alcohol level at .14
Szweda is currently on paid administrative leave with the South Bend Police Department pending a review by the board of public safety.
Juvenile Correction Officer David Ware Accused Of Soliciting Sex From Child
LEESBURG, Va.
A man was arrested at Loudoun County High School Sunday for allegedly using a communication system to solicit sex from a female minor, according to the Leesburg Police Department.
Police said David Ware had been communicating with the girl through MySpace and other electronic forms for a couple of weeks.
He traveled from Fauquier County to Leesburg, where he was arrested at the high school at about 12:45 a.m. Sunday, according to police.
Ware is a juvenile correction officer in Culpeper County.
He is being held without bond.
Officer Bobby Paige Beats Wife
The wife of a Louisville Metro Police officer claims he pinned her against a wall, injured her arm while grabbing her and then shoved her to the ground during an argument, according to court records.
Officer Bobby Paige, 36, was arrested about 7 a.m. Saturday at his home off Fegenbush Lane in southern Jefferson County by members of the department’s Public Integrity Unit, which investigates criminal misconduct in the department, police said.
Paige, who was charged with assault 4th degree, had been placed on administrative leave, said Officer Phil Russell, a police spokesman.
Paige, who has been an officer since 2004, posted a $500 bond on Sunday and was released from Metro Corrections. He will be arraigned on Wednesday.
Russell said he could not discuss the case since the investigation is continuing.
Officer Bobby Paige, 36, was arrested about 7 a.m. Saturday at his home off Fegenbush Lane in southern Jefferson County by members of the department’s Public Integrity Unit, which investigates criminal misconduct in the department, police said.
Paige, who was charged with assault 4th degree, had been placed on administrative leave, said Officer Phil Russell, a police spokesman.
Paige, who has been an officer since 2004, posted a $500 bond on Sunday and was released from Metro Corrections. He will be arraigned on Wednesday.
Russell said he could not discuss the case since the investigation is continuing.
Detective Cassie Watson Accused of Rape
NORTH CHARLESTON, SC
It's a sight rarely seen in Charleston County bond court. Monday afternon, 40 year old Hanahan Police Detective Cassie Watson found himself on the other side of the legal fence.
Watson is accused of raping a woman Sunday night in her North Charleston home. The woman told police she met Watson through a dating service two years ago.
"We've had enough black eyes from officers doing things in the community across the country, that it still hurts you when something like this comes up," a stunned Hanahan Police Chief Donald Wilcox said.
According to court affidavits, the woman told police Watson pointed a gun in her face, forced her to remove her clothes and get on all fours. She told cops she felt if she didn't do what he said, she would end up in a body bag.
"We take every allegation even if it's just a speeding ticket complaint, seriously," Chief Wilcox said. "But when you're talking about potential felony cases, that's just unheard of, unbelievable."
This is not the first time Detective Watson had been on the news. Last April, he asked news reporters to help him solve of all things, a rape case.
"We have a face, no name, and this takes place, so it's almost as if a stranger has assaulted her out of the clear blue sky," Watson said at the time. Now the officer himself is a rape suspect, who will eventually have his day in court.
"As with anybody, innocent until proven guilty, and we'll have to see how the investigation goes," Chief Wilcox said.
Watson is facing three charges, including Criminal Sexual Conduct 1st Degree and Kidnapping. A judge set his bond at $325,000. Chief Wilcox said Watson has been suspended with pay pending the outcome of the investigation.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Boone Officer Charged with Sexual Exploitation of a Minor
During an investigation by the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department, a former Boone Police officer was arrested and charged with six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
According to the State Bureau of Investigation, 34-year-old Marvin Eric Tart of 113A West Virginia Street, Boone, was arrested on Friday. The S.B.I. charged Tart with six counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.
Noel Talley of the North Carolina Department of Justice said the charges stemmed from child pornography possession.
Talley also explained the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department was involved because they are part of the North Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce. The organization is headed up by the S.B.I., and according to Talley, they investigate online crimes against children, which includes solicitation of minors or child pornography.
The Boone Police reported that Tart resigned from the department on Thursday. Since Tart’s resignation, he receives no salary from the Town of Boone.
Although personnel regulations restricted him from making many comments regarding Tart, Boone Police Chief, Bill Post, said he requested assistance from the S.B.I. after learning about possible criminal activity in Boone. Post explained, “When we found there were potential criminal offenses that occurred in Boone, I requested the S.B.I. to come in and work that case.”
Tart had been a member of the Boone Police Department since 1999.
Former Officer Charged with Rape
A former Baltimore police officer has been arrested on charges that he forcibly raped a 16-year-old girl last year while on the force, officials announced yesterday.
Rohan Mays, 27, of the 800 block of Rose Haven Road near White Marsh was indicted Friday by a city grand jury on a charge of second-degree rape.
The charge means no weapons are alleged to have been used in the crime.
The rape is alleged to have occurred between June and July last year. Baltimore police spokesman Donny Moses confirmed yesterday that Mays was on the force during that time.
Mays resigned from the Police Department last month, prosecutors said.
The former officer is being held without bail until a hearing is set. Burns declined to say where Mays is jailed.
In January, a Baltimore officer, William D. Welch of Timonium, was accused of having sex with a 16-year-old girl inside a station house. In that case, prosecutors dropped a second-degree rape charge in exchange for Welch's no-contest plea to misconduct in office. Under that plea, he did not admit guilt but conceded that the state had enough evidence to convict him.
Welch resigned from the force.
Rohan Mays, 27, of the 800 block of Rose Haven Road near White Marsh was indicted Friday by a city grand jury on a charge of second-degree rape.
The charge means no weapons are alleged to have been used in the crime.
The rape is alleged to have occurred between June and July last year. Baltimore police spokesman Donny Moses confirmed yesterday that Mays was on the force during that time.
Mays resigned from the Police Department last month, prosecutors said.
The former officer is being held without bail until a hearing is set. Burns declined to say where Mays is jailed.
In January, a Baltimore officer, William D. Welch of Timonium, was accused of having sex with a 16-year-old girl inside a station house. In that case, prosecutors dropped a second-degree rape charge in exchange for Welch's no-contest plea to misconduct in office. Under that plea, he did not admit guilt but conceded that the state had enough evidence to convict him.
Welch resigned from the force.
DetectiveThomas Sadler Accused of Fondling Prostitute While on Duty
A sheriff's detective who is accused of forcibly fondling a prostitute while on duty was named in 2003 lawsuit alleging similar behavior with a woman he pulled over in Santee, according to court records.
Thomas J. Sadler, 47, a 20-year veteran of the county Sheriff's Department, was arrested by San Diego sex-crimes detectives Thursday afternoon at the Santee home he shares with his wife.
“Obviously, it's very disturbing to all law enforcement,” San Diego police acting Assistant Chief Jim Collins said in a news conference yesterday. “Especially when he's on duty with his police car and showing his badge and weapon.”
El Cajon attorney Eric Hart, who represented the woman in 2003, said he's upset that Sadler remained on the street after the sexual-battery lawsuit five years ago. The case was settled out of court in 2004, and the terms are confidential.
“We spent a lot of time with internal affairs before we filed the lawsuit,” Hart said yesterday. “Our only goal was to see justice served, and they completely blew us off. We suspected someone else would be a victim.”
Undersheriff Bill Gore said yesterday that he could not discuss prior personnel issues and had not reviewed the lawsuit, which named Sadler and the county.
In the most recent case, Sadler, who is assigned to the Lemon Grove station, was on duty and driving his assigned, unmarked Ford Taurus at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 6 when he pulled up alongside a prostitute sitting on a bus bench on El Cajon Boulevard in North Park, according to an arrest warrant.
He identified himself as a “sheriff's officer” and ordered the woman to get into his car. He drove her to Camino Del Rio South in Mission Valley, next to Dave & Buster's restaurant, and parked. Police said he fondled the woman's genitals, then pulled up her bra and groped her breasts.
At least three witnesses saw the incident and called 911 to report a kidnapping in progress, Collins said.
When the woman was finally released, she tried to take a picture of the car's license plate, but Sadler took the phone and disabled it, according to the arrest warrant.
The woman called San Diego police six days later to say she had spotted Sadler and had written down the plate number of his car.
Police went to the Lemon Grove station to question him, but he refused to give a statement, the warrant said.
The next day, the woman and two witnesses identified Sadler in a photo lineup.
Sadler was charged Thursday with sexual battery by restraint, assault and battery by an officer and false imprisonment. He was released on $250,000 bail.
Collins said part of the reason the investigation took so long was because Sadler was a peace officer. “Obviously, when a law enforcement officer is involved, we make sure we have pretty good information to make the charges,” he said.
Sadler has been placed on unpaid leave pending the outcome of the case.
An arraignment is scheduled for Thursday in San Diego Superior Court.
“We're all saddened,” Gore said. “But we take it very seriously because of the need to have the public's confidence.”
Nicole Bowman, 34, said yesterday that the incident was eerily similar to an encounter she had with Sadler in 2002.
In a federal lawsuit, she claimed Sadler pulled her over in a dark Vons parking lot on Mission Gorge Road after she left a Santee bar about 11:30 p.m. June 29, 2002
She had not been drinking, Bowman said, but only stopped at the bar to take care of details for her birthday party to be held there the following day.
Sadler found a friend's methamphetamine pipe in her car and then said he'd have to search her. He put her in the patrol car and drove deeper into the parking lot behind some bushes, the lawsuit states.
Outside the vehicle, he pulled up her halter top and bra, exposing her breasts, and shined his flashlight on her chest, the lawsuit said. Having been told that Bowman wasn't wearing underwear, he then pulled out her waistband and shined the flashlight down the front and back of her pants, according to the lawsuit.
The incident ended, Bowman said, when he drove her back to her car and wished her a happy birthday.
“I was shaking,” Bowman recalled. “I didn't understand what his intent was.”
Sadler denied the allegations in court records.
Bowman filed a complaint with the sheriff's internal affairs investigators, where it became her word against his.
“How do I report a cop to a cop and expect anything other than what I got out of it? They thumbed their nose at me,” Bowman said.
Thomas J. Sadler, 47, a 20-year veteran of the county Sheriff's Department, was arrested by San Diego sex-crimes detectives Thursday afternoon at the Santee home he shares with his wife.
“Obviously, it's very disturbing to all law enforcement,” San Diego police acting Assistant Chief Jim Collins said in a news conference yesterday. “Especially when he's on duty with his police car and showing his badge and weapon.”
El Cajon attorney Eric Hart, who represented the woman in 2003, said he's upset that Sadler remained on the street after the sexual-battery lawsuit five years ago. The case was settled out of court in 2004, and the terms are confidential.
“We spent a lot of time with internal affairs before we filed the lawsuit,” Hart said yesterday. “Our only goal was to see justice served, and they completely blew us off. We suspected someone else would be a victim.”
Undersheriff Bill Gore said yesterday that he could not discuss prior personnel issues and had not reviewed the lawsuit, which named Sadler and the county.
In the most recent case, Sadler, who is assigned to the Lemon Grove station, was on duty and driving his assigned, unmarked Ford Taurus at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 6 when he pulled up alongside a prostitute sitting on a bus bench on El Cajon Boulevard in North Park, according to an arrest warrant.
He identified himself as a “sheriff's officer” and ordered the woman to get into his car. He drove her to Camino Del Rio South in Mission Valley, next to Dave & Buster's restaurant, and parked. Police said he fondled the woman's genitals, then pulled up her bra and groped her breasts.
At least three witnesses saw the incident and called 911 to report a kidnapping in progress, Collins said.
When the woman was finally released, she tried to take a picture of the car's license plate, but Sadler took the phone and disabled it, according to the arrest warrant.
The woman called San Diego police six days later to say she had spotted Sadler and had written down the plate number of his car.
Police went to the Lemon Grove station to question him, but he refused to give a statement, the warrant said.
The next day, the woman and two witnesses identified Sadler in a photo lineup.
Sadler was charged Thursday with sexual battery by restraint, assault and battery by an officer and false imprisonment. He was released on $250,000 bail.
Collins said part of the reason the investigation took so long was because Sadler was a peace officer. “Obviously, when a law enforcement officer is involved, we make sure we have pretty good information to make the charges,” he said.
Sadler has been placed on unpaid leave pending the outcome of the case.
An arraignment is scheduled for Thursday in San Diego Superior Court.
“We're all saddened,” Gore said. “But we take it very seriously because of the need to have the public's confidence.”
Nicole Bowman, 34, said yesterday that the incident was eerily similar to an encounter she had with Sadler in 2002.
In a federal lawsuit, she claimed Sadler pulled her over in a dark Vons parking lot on Mission Gorge Road after she left a Santee bar about 11:30 p.m. June 29, 2002
She had not been drinking, Bowman said, but only stopped at the bar to take care of details for her birthday party to be held there the following day.
Sadler found a friend's methamphetamine pipe in her car and then said he'd have to search her. He put her in the patrol car and drove deeper into the parking lot behind some bushes, the lawsuit states.
Outside the vehicle, he pulled up her halter top and bra, exposing her breasts, and shined his flashlight on her chest, the lawsuit said. Having been told that Bowman wasn't wearing underwear, he then pulled out her waistband and shined the flashlight down the front and back of her pants, according to the lawsuit.
The incident ended, Bowman said, when he drove her back to her car and wished her a happy birthday.
“I was shaking,” Bowman recalled. “I didn't understand what his intent was.”
Sadler denied the allegations in court records.
Bowman filed a complaint with the sheriff's internal affairs investigators, where it became her word against his.
“How do I report a cop to a cop and expect anything other than what I got out of it? They thumbed their nose at me,” Bowman said.
Officers Indicted on Charges of Aggravated Assault
Two local law enforcement officers were indicted last week on charges stemming from an incident involving firearms that occurred at a party at one of their homes, authorities said Saturday.
Metro Police officer Michael Rocha, 25, was charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly threatened a person with a weapon during a party at his home on April 13, authorities said.
Harris County Precinct 6 Reserve Deputy Enrique Torres, 24, who also is a former Metro employee, was charged with discharging his duty weapon, a misdemeanor, at the same party, authorities said.
Rocha, who has been a patrol officer for Metro for two years, was discharged about six weeks ago after an administrative investigation into the incident took place, said Metro Police Chief Tom Lambert.
Rocha does not have a previous record of misconduct with the department, Lambert added.
"We have very high expectations and standards for our employees," Lambert said.
Torres was fired by Metro Police after he was involved in an incident for which the details are unknown about a year ago, Lambert said.
Harris County Precinct 6 spokesman Danny Perez said Torres has been with the constable's office since March and was released from duty following the indictment.
"Anytime this happens with an officer it's disappointing because it's a reflection on our department, " Perez said.
Metro Police officer Michael Rocha, 25, was charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly threatened a person with a weapon during a party at his home on April 13, authorities said.
Harris County Precinct 6 Reserve Deputy Enrique Torres, 24, who also is a former Metro employee, was charged with discharging his duty weapon, a misdemeanor, at the same party, authorities said.
Rocha, who has been a patrol officer for Metro for two years, was discharged about six weeks ago after an administrative investigation into the incident took place, said Metro Police Chief Tom Lambert.
Rocha does not have a previous record of misconduct with the department, Lambert added.
"We have very high expectations and standards for our employees," Lambert said.
Torres was fired by Metro Police after he was involved in an incident for which the details are unknown about a year ago, Lambert said.
Harris County Precinct 6 spokesman Danny Perez said Torres has been with the constable's office since March and was released from duty following the indictment.
"Anytime this happens with an officer it's disappointing because it's a reflection on our department, " Perez said.
UPDATE: Caldwell Officer free on Bond
CALDWELL
A Caldwell Police sergeant charged with sexual battery was in a Canyon County court today.
Dennis Schat, 38, posted a $100,000 bond and was released from jail.
He is accused of fondling a 17-year-old girl in May while off duty.
Schat is not allowed to have contact with his victim or any other minors under 18.
The case is being handled by the Ada County Prosecutor's Office due to a possible conflict of interest in Canyon County.
A Caldwell Police sergeant charged with sexual battery was in a Canyon County court today.
Dennis Schat, 38, posted a $100,000 bond and was released from jail.
He is accused of fondling a 17-year-old girl in May while off duty.
Schat is not allowed to have contact with his victim or any other minors under 18.
The case is being handled by the Ada County Prosecutor's Office due to a possible conflict of interest in Canyon County.
Officer Accused of Knowingly Making False Statements
FLEMINGTON
Another officer in the Hunterdon County Sheriff's Department has been accused of misconduct by the state, according to authorities.
Investigator John A. Falat Jr., 36, of Bayonne was charged Tuesday, July 29, with "knowingly making false statements" by "providing false, inaccurate, or incomplete answers" to questions on his employment application with the Hunterdon County Sheriff's Office, according to a summons complaint acquired from the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office.
Prosecutor's Office Deputy Chief Dan Hurley said Falat was released on his own recognizance after his arrest.
"We are not commenting on the matter," Hurley said.
"We are in the dark on it," said Undersheriff Michael Russo, who noted that he was authorized to speak on behalf of Sheriff Deborah Trout. "We honored a subpoena from the prosecutor's office."
Russo said the sheriff's office had reviewed Falat's records, and that the summons was "a complete surprise" to them.
"We have no idea what it's about, he's still on the job," Russo said. "The sheriff stands behind investigator Falat."
Falat did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
In addition to Falat, sheriff's investigator Gregory Ezekian Jr., 32, also has been accused of making false statements on his employment application for the department.
Another officer in the Hunterdon County Sheriff's Department has been accused of misconduct by the state, according to authorities.
Investigator John A. Falat Jr., 36, of Bayonne was charged Tuesday, July 29, with "knowingly making false statements" by "providing false, inaccurate, or incomplete answers" to questions on his employment application with the Hunterdon County Sheriff's Office, according to a summons complaint acquired from the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office.
Prosecutor's Office Deputy Chief Dan Hurley said Falat was released on his own recognizance after his arrest.
"We are not commenting on the matter," Hurley said.
"We are in the dark on it," said Undersheriff Michael Russo, who noted that he was authorized to speak on behalf of Sheriff Deborah Trout. "We honored a subpoena from the prosecutor's office."
Russo said the sheriff's office had reviewed Falat's records, and that the summons was "a complete surprise" to them.
"We have no idea what it's about, he's still on the job," Russo said. "The sheriff stands behind investigator Falat."
Falat did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
In addition to Falat, sheriff's investigator Gregory Ezekian Jr., 32, also has been accused of making false statements on his employment application for the department.
Officer Accused of Threaten
TEXAS CITY
An arrest warrant will be issued next week for a College of the Mainland police officer accused of retaliating against a college employee, Galveston County District Attorney Kurt Sistrunk said.
On Wednesday, a grand jury issued a true bill in the case against officer Kent Dowdy, meaning the grand jurors found sufficient evidence for Dowdy to be charged and prosecuted.
Dowdy could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon, and Sistrunk declined to discuss details of the case.
State law defines retaliation as a felony that occurs when someone harms or threatens another person who is a public servant, witness, prospective witness or informant.
Dowdy is accused of retaliating against Jennifer Johnson, 34, an employee in the college’s human resources department.
A Texas City Police Department report shows Johnson went to the police department July 18 to complain about threats, and the case was referred to College of the Mainland police.
College officials declined to discuss details of the case but said they were cooperating with the district attorney’s office. College spokesman Jim Higgins said the case is unrelated to an ongoing investigation and lawsuit over the college’s Center for the Advancement of Process Technology.
An arrest warrant will be issued next week for a College of the Mainland police officer accused of retaliating against a college employee, Galveston County District Attorney Kurt Sistrunk said.
On Wednesday, a grand jury issued a true bill in the case against officer Kent Dowdy, meaning the grand jurors found sufficient evidence for Dowdy to be charged and prosecuted.
Dowdy could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon, and Sistrunk declined to discuss details of the case.
State law defines retaliation as a felony that occurs when someone harms or threatens another person who is a public servant, witness, prospective witness or informant.
Dowdy is accused of retaliating against Jennifer Johnson, 34, an employee in the college’s human resources department.
A Texas City Police Department report shows Johnson went to the police department July 18 to complain about threats, and the case was referred to College of the Mainland police.
College officials declined to discuss details of the case but said they were cooperating with the district attorney’s office. College spokesman Jim Higgins said the case is unrelated to an ongoing investigation and lawsuit over the college’s Center for the Advancement of Process Technology.
Officer Accused of Drunk Driving Has History of Speeding Tickets
A city police officer accused of driving drunk and crashing into three parked vehicles Wednesday night has a history of speeding tickets and refusing to take a blood alcohol test amid suspicion of driving while impaired.
Officer Paul V. Khoury, 44, of Brockton also refused to take a blood alcohol test after the most recent incident and will lose his license for a year. He was off-duty at the time of the 10:45 p.m. Wednesday accident.
Khoury had slurred speech, and a police sergeant at the crash scene detected a “slight odor of alcohol” on his breath after the crash on Rockland Street, according to papers filed in Brockton District Court.
Khoury pleaded innocent at his arraignment Thursday to charges of operating under the influence, a second offense, and failure to use care while driving. He was freed on personal recognizance. The case was continued to Aug. 11.
Khoury, who became a police officer in July 1997, was taken after the crash to Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center, where he refused a blood alcohol test, according to court papers.
As a result, his driver’s license has been suspended for one year for refusing to take the test.
In 1990, Khoury lost his license for 120 days for refusing to take the blood-alcohol test, according to the state Registry of Motor Vehicles.
Khoury went through a DWI alcohol program in Yarmouth in 1984. Both cases occurred before Khoury became a police officer.
Khoury’s driving record also includes speeding tickets in 1990, 1991 and 1984 in Bourne, Brockton and Yarmouth, a surchargable accident in 2001 in Easton and failure to display his license plate in 1991, according to Registry records.
A surchargable accident means his auto insurance premium was raised for a period of time.
Police Chief William Conlon said Khoury will be working inside the station and will not be on the street while the case is pending.
Conlon said Khoury, who normally works the day shift in dispatch, was off-duty and driving his personal vehicle at the time.
In the crash, one parked vehicle was pushed through a fence, while another was spun around on the street, witnesses to the aftermath said.
“Everything was a mess,” said Paula Gebrayel, whose son’s vehicle was struck. “It looked like a war zone.”
She said the impact knocked the wheels off cars and left her son’s vehicle totaled.
She said her son, Michael, had just parked his Jeep on the street and was walking into a friend’s yard when the crash occurred.
“A minute earlier, he would have been in his car,” she said.
She said she was stunned by the damage to the vehicles.
“I couldn’t imagine how anybody could have made it through that,” she said.
Khoury told officers he was driving north on Rockland Street and hit his gas pedal by mistake, causing him to lose control of his vehicle, according to papers filed in court.
He said he had “only” two beers about two hours before the crash, the court papers noted.
Khoury was taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries and then arrested, the chief said. Khoury was bailed from the hospital.
“We had probable cause to make an arrest,” Conlon said.
The chief declined to say what the probable cause was.
Officer Paul V. Khoury, 44, of Brockton also refused to take a blood alcohol test after the most recent incident and will lose his license for a year. He was off-duty at the time of the 10:45 p.m. Wednesday accident.
Khoury had slurred speech, and a police sergeant at the crash scene detected a “slight odor of alcohol” on his breath after the crash on Rockland Street, according to papers filed in Brockton District Court.
Khoury pleaded innocent at his arraignment Thursday to charges of operating under the influence, a second offense, and failure to use care while driving. He was freed on personal recognizance. The case was continued to Aug. 11.
Khoury, who became a police officer in July 1997, was taken after the crash to Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center, where he refused a blood alcohol test, according to court papers.
As a result, his driver’s license has been suspended for one year for refusing to take the test.
In 1990, Khoury lost his license for 120 days for refusing to take the blood-alcohol test, according to the state Registry of Motor Vehicles.
Khoury went through a DWI alcohol program in Yarmouth in 1984. Both cases occurred before Khoury became a police officer.
Khoury’s driving record also includes speeding tickets in 1990, 1991 and 1984 in Bourne, Brockton and Yarmouth, a surchargable accident in 2001 in Easton and failure to display his license plate in 1991, according to Registry records.
A surchargable accident means his auto insurance premium was raised for a period of time.
Police Chief William Conlon said Khoury will be working inside the station and will not be on the street while the case is pending.
Conlon said Khoury, who normally works the day shift in dispatch, was off-duty and driving his personal vehicle at the time.
In the crash, one parked vehicle was pushed through a fence, while another was spun around on the street, witnesses to the aftermath said.
“Everything was a mess,” said Paula Gebrayel, whose son’s vehicle was struck. “It looked like a war zone.”
She said the impact knocked the wheels off cars and left her son’s vehicle totaled.
She said her son, Michael, had just parked his Jeep on the street and was walking into a friend’s yard when the crash occurred.
“A minute earlier, he would have been in his car,” she said.
She said she was stunned by the damage to the vehicles.
“I couldn’t imagine how anybody could have made it through that,” she said.
Khoury told officers he was driving north on Rockland Street and hit his gas pedal by mistake, causing him to lose control of his vehicle, according to papers filed in court.
He said he had “only” two beers about two hours before the crash, the court papers noted.
Khoury was taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries and then arrested, the chief said. Khoury was bailed from the hospital.
“We had probable cause to make an arrest,” Conlon said.
The chief declined to say what the probable cause was.
Officer Ben Jones III Facing Fraud Charges
A Tutwiler police officer is facing felony false pretense and fraud charges in Quitman County on an insurance claim for a fire investigators say never occurred at a residence where they say he never resided.
Ben Jones III, 39, of Marks was arraigned Thursday morning before Judge Charles Webster on the two-count indictment, according to a news release from the attorney general’s office.
According to the indictment, Jones reported to Allstate Insurance Co. he had suffered a loss of personal property following an April 30 fire at a residence he rented in Marks.
"An investigation by our Insurance Integrity Enforcement Bureau determined that a fire did occur at that residence on April 23, 2008, but that Jones did not rent or otherwise reside or keep personal belongings at that address," said Attorney General Jim Hood said in the news release.
Jones is free on a $5,000 written bond. If convicted of felony false pretense, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. If convicted of insurance fraud, he faces up to three years of imprisonment and a fine of $5,000 or double the value of the fraud, whichever is greater.
Ben Jones III, 39, of Marks was arraigned Thursday morning before Judge Charles Webster on the two-count indictment, according to a news release from the attorney general’s office.
According to the indictment, Jones reported to Allstate Insurance Co. he had suffered a loss of personal property following an April 30 fire at a residence he rented in Marks.
"An investigation by our Insurance Integrity Enforcement Bureau determined that a fire did occur at that residence on April 23, 2008, but that Jones did not rent or otherwise reside or keep personal belongings at that address," said Attorney General Jim Hood said in the news release.
Jones is free on a $5,000 written bond. If convicted of felony false pretense, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. If convicted of insurance fraud, he faces up to three years of imprisonment and a fine of $5,000 or double the value of the fraud, whichever is greater.
UPDATE: Officer Accused of Fondling Teen is Out of Jail
CALDWELL
A Caldwell Police sergeant accused of sexually abusing a teenager appeared in court Friday morning.
Dennis Schat, 38, was arraigned in a Canyon County courtroom.
Caldwell Police Chief Chris Allgood says Schat is accused of fondling the teen and he was not on duty at the time of the attack. The chief also says his staff took the news hard and felt both sorrow and anger.
Schat is on paid administrative leave.
The indictment allegest the abuse happened back in April. Because Schat posted his $100,000 bond he's not out of jail.
Deputy Accused of Sexual Assault Attempts Suicide
A San Diego County sheriff's deputy facing five felony charges for an alleged on-duty sexual assault on a prostitute on El Cajon Boulevard tried to commit suicide according to Sheriff's Department officials.
Authorities say Thomas J. Sadler, 47, was being treated at a hospital following the suicide attempt Friday.
The deputy was arrested at his Santee home Thursday afternoon on five felony charges and released hours later after posting $250,000 bail, authorities said.
Sheriff's officials said he tried to kill himself Friday afternoon, but they declined to provide details.
Sadler, a 20-year veteran of the department who works as a detective out of the Lemon Grove station, was placed on unpaid leave after his arrest.
He is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday on charges that include sexual battery by restraint, assault and battery by an officer, and false imprisonment.
San Diego police said Sadler forced an admitted prostitute into his unmarked Ford Taurus while on duty the morning of Feb. 6 and drove her to a parking lot in Mission Valley.
He then forcibly groped her until three witnesses intervened and she escaped, said San Diego police acting Assistant Chief Jim Collins.
Officer Arrested While Trying to Smuggle Firearms into Mexico
SOLEDAD, Calif.
A Soledad police officer and a Presidio of Monterey police officer were arrested Friday while trying to smuggle firearms into Mexico, police said.
Police said Mexican police arrested Presidio of Monterey Sgt. Jorge Matos and the Soledad officer as they tried to enter Mexico with several firearms and ammunition. Matos is a former employee of the Soledad Police Department.
Inspectors said they recovered 5,000 rounds of ammunition, tactical training equipment and two laptop computers.
Soledad Police Chief Richard Cox said officials from the Department of Homeland Security notified his office of the arrest on Friday.
Cox said an internal audit of the Soledad Police Department armory did not show any weapons missing. The Presidio of Monterey's police department also said it had no weapons unaccounted for.
Matos was fired during his probationary period after three AR-15 rifles disappeared from his home and could not be found.
The identity of the Soledad police officer was not released.
The two men will spend a minimum of 60 to 90 days in a Mexican prison before being brought before a judge.
If convicted, they could face a minimum of 15 years in a Mexican prison.
A Soledad police officer and a Presidio of Monterey police officer were arrested Friday while trying to smuggle firearms into Mexico, police said.
Police said Mexican police arrested Presidio of Monterey Sgt. Jorge Matos and the Soledad officer as they tried to enter Mexico with several firearms and ammunition. Matos is a former employee of the Soledad Police Department.
Inspectors said they recovered 5,000 rounds of ammunition, tactical training equipment and two laptop computers.
Soledad Police Chief Richard Cox said officials from the Department of Homeland Security notified his office of the arrest on Friday.
Cox said an internal audit of the Soledad Police Department armory did not show any weapons missing. The Presidio of Monterey's police department also said it had no weapons unaccounted for.
Matos was fired during his probationary period after three AR-15 rifles disappeared from his home and could not be found.
The identity of the Soledad police officer was not released.
The two men will spend a minimum of 60 to 90 days in a Mexican prison before being brought before a judge.
If convicted, they could face a minimum of 15 years in a Mexican prison.
Off Duty Officer Accused of Punching other Officer
LAKE GEORGE
An off-duty police officer from Connecticut spent Thursday night in the Warren County Correctional Facility after sheriff’s officers said he punched an off-duty peace officer in the head.
Leonard E. Alterio, 43, of Monroe Conn., a 11-year-officer with the Bridgeport Police Department, is facing charges of resisting arrest, a misdemeanor; and second degree harassment, a violation. No assault charges were lodged.
Undersheriff Robert Swan said that Alterio was observed by an off-duty Lake George village peace officer, who Swan did not identify, on Canada St., near Sheppard Park around 1 a.m. Friday.
Swan said the peace officer noticed the man had some minor facial injuries and appeared to be highly intoxicated. When the peace officer asked Alterio if he was alright, Swan said Alterio punched the officer in the head, an act allegedly witnessed by an on-duty peace officer who was nearby on Canada St. Swan said Alterio fought with both officers until he was subdued.
According to court records, the two peace officers were Ronald Rock Jr. and Jason Quinones.
Assistance was requested from the Warren County Sheriff’s office which responded and assisted the peace officers. They also charged Alterio with resisting arrest, Swan said. Alterio was held overnight in the county jail until he was arraigned Friday morning in Lake George Court. He was released on bail to appear in court at a later date. 8-1-08
An off-duty police officer from Connecticut spent Thursday night in the Warren County Correctional Facility after sheriff’s officers said he punched an off-duty peace officer in the head.
Leonard E. Alterio, 43, of Monroe Conn., a 11-year-officer with the Bridgeport Police Department, is facing charges of resisting arrest, a misdemeanor; and second degree harassment, a violation. No assault charges were lodged.
Undersheriff Robert Swan said that Alterio was observed by an off-duty Lake George village peace officer, who Swan did not identify, on Canada St., near Sheppard Park around 1 a.m. Friday.
Swan said the peace officer noticed the man had some minor facial injuries and appeared to be highly intoxicated. When the peace officer asked Alterio if he was alright, Swan said Alterio punched the officer in the head, an act allegedly witnessed by an on-duty peace officer who was nearby on Canada St. Swan said Alterio fought with both officers until he was subdued.
According to court records, the two peace officers were Ronald Rock Jr. and Jason Quinones.
Assistance was requested from the Warren County Sheriff’s office which responded and assisted the peace officers. They also charged Alterio with resisting arrest, Swan said. Alterio was held overnight in the county jail until he was arraigned Friday morning in Lake George Court. He was released on bail to appear in court at a later date. 8-1-08
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Officer Accused of Giving Alcohol to Two Teen Girls
Thirty-five year old Richard Corbin is accused of giving alcohol to two teen girls, ages thirteen and fifteen, and then having sex with both.
Neighbors say police swarmed his home on Moore Avenue in Union Township Wednesday night.
The Pennsylvania State Police say Corbin faces several charges including statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors, and furnishing liquor to minors. They will not say, however, how the officer knew the two girls.
"All I know he was a city policeman who worked alot, he was in and out, he was real quiet, he never bothered anyone. It was a surprise when I heard about what was going on.",says Julie Jaskola, neighbor.
The New Castle Police Department did release a written statement saying they will not comment while this matter is in the courts.
Officer Corbin is on leave, and he's set to appear in Lawrence County Central Court next Wednesday for a preliminary hearing
Neighbors say police swarmed his home on Moore Avenue in Union Township Wednesday night.
The Pennsylvania State Police say Corbin faces several charges including statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors, and furnishing liquor to minors. They will not say, however, how the officer knew the two girls.
"All I know he was a city policeman who worked alot, he was in and out, he was real quiet, he never bothered anyone. It was a surprise when I heard about what was going on.",says Julie Jaskola, neighbor.
The New Castle Police Department did release a written statement saying they will not comment while this matter is in the courts.
Officer Corbin is on leave, and he's set to appear in Lawrence County Central Court next Wednesday for a preliminary hearing
Officer Celia Frattin Charged with Kicking Suspect in Head During Arrest
EDMONTON
A female constable with the Edmonton police was charged with assault Thursday for allegedly kicking a suspect in the head during an arrest.
The police force said in a news release that the constable's unmarked police car was stolen while she was standing outside the vehicle looking for a robbery suspect in February 2007.
Two other officers located a male suspect nearby. He was not seriously hurt in the incident.
Celia Frattin, 38, was charged after the Professional Standards Branch received a complaint from a police department employee.
A female constable with the Edmonton police was charged with assault Thursday for allegedly kicking a suspect in the head during an arrest.
The police force said in a news release that the constable's unmarked police car was stolen while she was standing outside the vehicle looking for a robbery suspect in February 2007.
Two other officers located a male suspect nearby. He was not seriously hurt in the incident.
Celia Frattin, 38, was charged after the Professional Standards Branch received a complaint from a police department employee.
Officer Daniel Smith Charged with Teen Sexual Assault
WORCESTER
A Clark University campus police officer, who also works as a police officer in Berlin, is facing sexual assault crimes in New Jersey for allegedly inappropriately touching and fondling a teenage girl last year at his family’s New Jersey home.
Daniel J. Smith, 26, of 1 Autumn St., has been placed on administrative suspension from his job as a part-time police officer in Berlin, a position he started in April, according to Berlin Police Chief Otto F. Rhode Jr.
According to Clark University officials, Officer Smith worked at Clark from June 2003 to July 2006, when he went to New York to become a police officer there. Officer Smith returned to Clark in September 2007. He is now on administrative leave from that job pending the investigation, according to Jack Foley, Clark vice president for government and community affairs and campus services.
Officer Smith will appear in Pequannock Municipal Court, in New Jersey, on Monday to face the sexual assault charges. So will his brother, Curtis Smith, who lives in Pequannock Township, where the family is from.
Yesterday, Officer Smith was brought to Central District Court on a fugitive from justice charge. He was arrested by Worcester police while heading to work at Clark Wednesday night, on a warrant from New Jersey.
The warrant, however, was recalled because Officer Smith’s mother posted his $75,000 bail Wednesday night. According to paperwork obtained by the Telegram & Gazette, Nationwide Bail Bonds posted the bail for Officer Smith. His mother paid $7,500 to the bail bond company.
The charge of being a fugitive from justice was dropped pre-arraignment yesterday, meaning it will not show up on Officer Smith’s record, according to Pequannock police. He was released and planned to head to New Jersey for his court appearance Monday.
Affidavits on file in the New Jersey courts allege Officer Smith started a relationship with a young teenage girl — she was 12 and 13 at the time of the alleged incidents — in summer 2007.
The girl would sleep over at the Smith home in Pequannock Township. Another girl also allegedly slept over at the home. Authorities allege Curtis Smith sexually assaulted the other teenage girl.
In a June interview with Pequannock detectives, the girl told them Daniel Smith would send text messages to her. The girl said she sent return messages and described the messages’ content as in a “flirting manner,” court affidavits said.
Officer Smith is accused of sending her numerous pictures of his genitals as well.
Court affidavits allege the relationship between Officer Smith and the girl first started with kissing and touching, but then progressed. He is accused of rubbing himself in a sexual manner on the girl, kissing her inappropriately and digitally raping her.
Witnesses told police they knew the girl slept over at the house starting in summer 2007.
Detectives interviewed Officer Smith on Tuesday after he voluntarily went to the police station. He told them the victim had a crush on him and he did text-message her. He allegedly said he spent time with her when she slept over but denied any sexual activity. He then left and returned here.
Arrest warrants were issued for the Smith brothers on Wednesday.
Curtis Smith is accused of raping the other girl who slept over at the family’s home, starting in summer 2007. He is accused of text-messaging the girl — 13 at the time of the allegations — and touching her inappropriately, court affidavits said. He is also accused of digitally raping her and making her touch him inappropriately.
Witnesses told investigators they saw Curtis Smith in bed with the alleged victim and on one occasion she was topless.
Officer Smith is charged with two counts of second-degree sexual assault, one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact and one count of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Curtis Smith is facing the same charges, except that he is facing only one count of second-degree sexual assault.
A Clark University campus police officer, who also works as a police officer in Berlin, is facing sexual assault crimes in New Jersey for allegedly inappropriately touching and fondling a teenage girl last year at his family’s New Jersey home.
Daniel J. Smith, 26, of 1 Autumn St., has been placed on administrative suspension from his job as a part-time police officer in Berlin, a position he started in April, according to Berlin Police Chief Otto F. Rhode Jr.
According to Clark University officials, Officer Smith worked at Clark from June 2003 to July 2006, when he went to New York to become a police officer there. Officer Smith returned to Clark in September 2007. He is now on administrative leave from that job pending the investigation, according to Jack Foley, Clark vice president for government and community affairs and campus services.
Officer Smith will appear in Pequannock Municipal Court, in New Jersey, on Monday to face the sexual assault charges. So will his brother, Curtis Smith, who lives in Pequannock Township, where the family is from.
Yesterday, Officer Smith was brought to Central District Court on a fugitive from justice charge. He was arrested by Worcester police while heading to work at Clark Wednesday night, on a warrant from New Jersey.
The warrant, however, was recalled because Officer Smith’s mother posted his $75,000 bail Wednesday night. According to paperwork obtained by the Telegram & Gazette, Nationwide Bail Bonds posted the bail for Officer Smith. His mother paid $7,500 to the bail bond company.
The charge of being a fugitive from justice was dropped pre-arraignment yesterday, meaning it will not show up on Officer Smith’s record, according to Pequannock police. He was released and planned to head to New Jersey for his court appearance Monday.
Affidavits on file in the New Jersey courts allege Officer Smith started a relationship with a young teenage girl — she was 12 and 13 at the time of the alleged incidents — in summer 2007.
The girl would sleep over at the Smith home in Pequannock Township. Another girl also allegedly slept over at the home. Authorities allege Curtis Smith sexually assaulted the other teenage girl.
In a June interview with Pequannock detectives, the girl told them Daniel Smith would send text messages to her. The girl said she sent return messages and described the messages’ content as in a “flirting manner,” court affidavits said.
Officer Smith is accused of sending her numerous pictures of his genitals as well.
Court affidavits allege the relationship between Officer Smith and the girl first started with kissing and touching, but then progressed. He is accused of rubbing himself in a sexual manner on the girl, kissing her inappropriately and digitally raping her.
Witnesses told police they knew the girl slept over at the house starting in summer 2007.
Detectives interviewed Officer Smith on Tuesday after he voluntarily went to the police station. He told them the victim had a crush on him and he did text-message her. He allegedly said he spent time with her when she slept over but denied any sexual activity. He then left and returned here.
Arrest warrants were issued for the Smith brothers on Wednesday.
Curtis Smith is accused of raping the other girl who slept over at the family’s home, starting in summer 2007. He is accused of text-messaging the girl — 13 at the time of the allegations — and touching her inappropriately, court affidavits said. He is also accused of digitally raping her and making her touch him inappropriately.
Witnesses told investigators they saw Curtis Smith in bed with the alleged victim and on one occasion she was topless.
Officer Smith is charged with two counts of second-degree sexual assault, one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact and one count of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Curtis Smith is facing the same charges, except that he is facing only one count of second-degree sexual assault.
Milwaukee Officer Accused of Stealing During Sting
MILWAUKEE
A Milwaukee police officer has been suspended after being accused of stealing money.
Jeffrey Buckson has been charged with two felony counts of misconduct in office and misdemeanors of theft and receiving or concealing stolen property.
The department set up a sting after other officers reported misconduct by the five-year veteran. Officers had a person loiter near a vehicle, prompting a search by Buckson and his partner.
A criminal complaint says the 44-year-old is accused of taking $100 from $530 in cash he and his partner found in the vehicle.
The pair seized the money and a gun, but Buckson only placed the gun and $430 in inventory.
The complaint says Buckson admitted taking the cash and said he was having money problems.
A Milwaukee police officer has been suspended after being accused of stealing money.
Jeffrey Buckson has been charged with two felony counts of misconduct in office and misdemeanors of theft and receiving or concealing stolen property.
The department set up a sting after other officers reported misconduct by the five-year veteran. Officers had a person loiter near a vehicle, prompting a search by Buckson and his partner.
A criminal complaint says the 44-year-old is accused of taking $100 from $530 in cash he and his partner found in the vehicle.
The pair seized the money and a gun, but Buckson only placed the gun and $430 in inventory.
The complaint says Buckson admitted taking the cash and said he was having money problems.
Officer Gives Ex's New Boyfriend a Traffic Ticket
A Lafayette police officer was arrested on suspicion of giving his ex’s new boyfriend a traffic ticket, keeping both under “surveillance” and damaging the hood of her car during an argument, according to police reports.
James Edward Stafford, 34, turned himself in Wednesday. He was arrested by the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office on suspicion of harassment/stalking, official misconduct and criminal mischief related to domestic violence. The harassment count is a class 5 felony.
Because he’s charged with a felony, Stafford is on unpaid leave in accordance with Lafayette police policy. He was unreachable Thursday.
The ex-girlfriend, a manager at Sonic in Lafayette whose name wasn’t released, told police she met Stafford last summer and they had an on-and-off relationship. During part of that relationship, they lived together in her Broomfield apartment. For the last three months, the woman was dating a Sonic employee.
The official misconduct charge stems from the traffic ticket, issued July 23.
Stafford, while driving an unmarked Lafayette police truck equipped with warning sirens, gave the woman’s boyfriend a ticket for weaving. Stafford then sent the woman a text message that said, “Your boyfriend just received a ticket, ha ha,” according to the arrest affidavit.
Lafayette police have since cleared the ticket.
In an interview with police, Stafford said he pulled the man over after he swerved over the yellow line into the oncoming lane of traffic, believing the man might be drunk. He told police he didn’t know the driver was the new boyfriend until after he pulled the man over.
He also told police that he sent the text message to the woman because the two had become friends and he didn’t want her to be upset about the ticket.
Lafayette police weren’t able to recover video footage of the stop from the truck’s dash-mounted camera.
The other charges stem from various incidents.
Stafford tried to lure the boyfriend to the woman’s home, impersonating her in text messages, according to police reports. He also scared her by punching a pillow next to her head after accusing her of cheating, she told police.
In another incident, she told police she met Stafford and he started yelling at her in the street to “just hit me.” As she backed away in her car, she told police, Stafford jumped on the hood of her truck, denting the hood and breaking her bug shield.
In an interview with police, Stafford denied damaging the woman’s truck.
In June, the woman told police, Stafford called her boss at Sonic and told him to fire her because she was stealing money and dating an employee.
Last week, she told police, Stafford sent her text messages while she was at work that indicated he was watching her. This week, she told police, she found comments on his MySpace page that scared her, including that he’s “going to take matters into his own hands.”
The Sonic employee told police he recently quit because he feared retaliation from Stafford.
The employee said he was “terrified” after receiving a text message from Stafford stating, “I will find you,” according to police reports. The employee also said Stafford later followed him and confronted him about his relationship with the woman, with Stafford telling him, “I will be watching you like a hawk.”
Before receiving the traffic ticket, the employee told police, Stafford left a note on his car in an apartment parking garage warning that it would be towed if it wasn’t moved.
Stafford has posted a $5,000 personal recognizance bond and was released Wednesday. Police also took 13 guns from Stafford’s home for safe keeping, including rifles, pistols and a shotgun.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
District Attorney Accused of Having Sex at Courthouse
BEDFORD COUNTY, Pa.
It is alleged that Bedford County District Attorney Bill Higgins has engaged in a sexual relationship inside the courthouse. County commissioners confirm they are investigating the allegations. Meanwhile, the Attorney General's Office and a judicial code of conduct board have all been put on alert.
Bedford County Commissioner Chairman Michael Herline said he was alerted to the incident when the family of the woman involved contacted his office. The investigation will determine what wrongdoing, if any, was committed by Higgins and how to move forward.
It all started at a Republican committee meeting on July 10 at the Carriage House restaurant. Higgins attended the meeting as the vice chairman.
Commissioner said the woman involved is not a county employee.
The investigation showed Higgins and the woman went back to Higgins office, located in the older portion of the renovated courthouse. It was there, Higgins admitted that they were involved in a sexual relationship.
Since it occurred in the courthouse, the commissioners said they have an obligation to address any situation involving county property, resources or employees.
The commissioners have interviewed people from before and after the incident. They have also been in touch with the county solicitor.
Attorney Higgins said that this is an unfortunate incident, but it is of a personal nature and he is working it out with his wife.
However, some wonder what kind of discipline can be taken against him? According to the county handbook, not much.
Under the sexual misconduct portion, it states that only county employees who violate the code of conduct will be subject to disciplinary action, including being fired. According to commissioners, the guidelines don't pertain to elected officials like Higgins.
Higgins would have to do something illegal, and Attorney General Tom Corbett, said there is nothing criminal about this situation.
County Commissioner Steve Houser also told WJAC that an elected official can actually never show up for work and still get paid, meaning there's no recourse to discipline or fire them.
Still, Bedford County Commissioners are investigating whether Higgins broke any rules by having his affair inside county property.
Two Officers Charged with Disorderly Conduct
HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa.
Two local police officers and a local businessman are charged with disorderly conduct after a fight at the home of a prominent local attorney two weeks ago.
State police are charging 40-year-old Jamel Mallad of Hollidaysburg, Hollidaysburg police officer Jeffrey Friday and Logan Township police officer Matthew Lindsey after allegedly engaging in a fight at Attorney Tom Dickey's Hollidaysburg area home. Police said during the fight, one of the men was hit over the head with a beer bottle. However, he's not planning to prosecute for the assault.
The charges come after police interviewed a long list of guests who were at the party. On Wednesday, the investigating officer from Bedford met with other officers, as well as the chiefs of the Hollidaysburg and Logan Township police departments to discuss the charges and how to proceed.
District Attorney Rich Consiglio was also at the closed-door meeting, but said the case will not be handled by his office because there were assistant district attorney's at the party.
Consiglio said depending on how police proceed, he may be turning the case over to the Attorney General's office.
Both the Hollidaysburg and Logan Township police chiefs said they'll be handling the incident internally.
Two local police officers and a local businessman are charged with disorderly conduct after a fight at the home of a prominent local attorney two weeks ago.
State police are charging 40-year-old Jamel Mallad of Hollidaysburg, Hollidaysburg police officer Jeffrey Friday and Logan Township police officer Matthew Lindsey after allegedly engaging in a fight at Attorney Tom Dickey's Hollidaysburg area home. Police said during the fight, one of the men was hit over the head with a beer bottle. However, he's not planning to prosecute for the assault.
The charges come after police interviewed a long list of guests who were at the party. On Wednesday, the investigating officer from Bedford met with other officers, as well as the chiefs of the Hollidaysburg and Logan Township police departments to discuss the charges and how to proceed.
District Attorney Rich Consiglio was also at the closed-door meeting, but said the case will not be handled by his office because there were assistant district attorney's at the party.
Consiglio said depending on how police proceed, he may be turning the case over to the Attorney General's office.
Both the Hollidaysburg and Logan Township police chiefs said they'll be handling the incident internally.
Officer Arrested for Stalking, Misconduct and Criminal Mischief
A Lafayette police officer turned himself in Wednesday morning after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Officer James Stafford, 34, was arrested by the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office on suspicion of harassment/stalking, official misconduct and criminal mischief related to domestic violence. The harassment count is a class 5 felony.
On Monday, the Lafayette Police Department asked the Sheriff’s Office to conduct an investigation into allegations of wrongdoing against Stafford. That investigation led to the arrest warrant.
Details of the case weren’t available Wednesday night, nor was the police report.
Sheriff Joe Pelle said the alleged wrongdoing involved Stafford and a “girlfriend or romantic interest.”
Pelle said an “official misconduct” charge usually means someone misused his or her authority. He didn’t elaborate on what those alleged misuses were in this case.
Stafford, who appeared in court Wednesday afternoon, posted a $5,000 personal recognizance bond and was released later in the day.
Officer James Stafford, 34, was arrested by the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office on suspicion of harassment/stalking, official misconduct and criminal mischief related to domestic violence. The harassment count is a class 5 felony.
On Monday, the Lafayette Police Department asked the Sheriff’s Office to conduct an investigation into allegations of wrongdoing against Stafford. That investigation led to the arrest warrant.
Details of the case weren’t available Wednesday night, nor was the police report.
Sheriff Joe Pelle said the alleged wrongdoing involved Stafford and a “girlfriend or romantic interest.”
Pelle said an “official misconduct” charge usually means someone misused his or her authority. He didn’t elaborate on what those alleged misuses were in this case.
Stafford, who appeared in court Wednesday afternoon, posted a $5,000 personal recognizance bond and was released later in the day.
Officer Charged with Theft and Misconduct
A 44-year-old Milwaukee police officer was charged Wednesday with stealing money from a vehicle during a search.
Officer Jeffrey Buckson, a member of the force since April 2003, was arrested July 2 by members of the department’s Professional Performance Division, according to an arrest detention report.
The Professional Performance Division began investigating Buckson based upon information provided by other officers, department spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said in a statement.
Buckson, who had been assigned to District 3, has been suspended, Schwartz said.
According to a criminal complaint filed against Buckson:
On the afternoon of July 2, police personnel parked a black Chevrolet Tahoe in the 2600 block of W. Lloyd St. and placed a handgun and $530 in cash inside the SUV’s center console. A man was recruited to loiter near the SUV while police observed.
Buckson and his partner were told the SUV and the man were involved in a drug dealing complaint and drove to the area to investigate.
The officers searched, detained and released the man and searched the SUV. The officers took the cash and the gun from the SUV to be inventoried at the District 3 police station. They had not yet counted the cash.
The officers stopped at an ATM and a Taco Bell while driving back to the district station. While his partner was outside the vehicle using the ATM, Buckson took $100 of the cash, the complaint said.
After returning to the station, Buckson filled out an inventory form and reported that $430 had been found in the SUV. He put the other $100 in his bag in a locker room at the station, according to the complaint.
Police found the money in his bag after obtaining a search warrant, the complaint said.
Buckson told investigators he took the money because he was having financial problems and family issues, according to the complaint.
He is charged with two felony counts of misconduct in public office and misdemeanor counts of theft by an employee and concealing stolen property.
Officer Jeffrey Buckson, a member of the force since April 2003, was arrested July 2 by members of the department’s Professional Performance Division, according to an arrest detention report.
The Professional Performance Division began investigating Buckson based upon information provided by other officers, department spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said in a statement.
Buckson, who had been assigned to District 3, has been suspended, Schwartz said.
According to a criminal complaint filed against Buckson:
On the afternoon of July 2, police personnel parked a black Chevrolet Tahoe in the 2600 block of W. Lloyd St. and placed a handgun and $530 in cash inside the SUV’s center console. A man was recruited to loiter near the SUV while police observed.
Buckson and his partner were told the SUV and the man were involved in a drug dealing complaint and drove to the area to investigate.
The officers searched, detained and released the man and searched the SUV. The officers took the cash and the gun from the SUV to be inventoried at the District 3 police station. They had not yet counted the cash.
The officers stopped at an ATM and a Taco Bell while driving back to the district station. While his partner was outside the vehicle using the ATM, Buckson took $100 of the cash, the complaint said.
After returning to the station, Buckson filled out an inventory form and reported that $430 had been found in the SUV. He put the other $100 in his bag in a locker room at the station, according to the complaint.
Police found the money in his bag after obtaining a search warrant, the complaint said.
Buckson told investigators he took the money because he was having financial problems and family issues, according to the complaint.
He is charged with two felony counts of misconduct in public office and misdemeanor counts of theft by an employee and concealing stolen property.
Officer William Rust Arrested for Domestic Violence
NEW CASTLE
A former city police officer was arrested this week on a domestic battery charge.
Officer William P. Rust, 40, 553 Elliott Ave., was arrested at a southside home early Tuesday afternoon. He was released after posting bond about 12 hours later.
He was preliminarily charged with a Class A misdemeanor carrying a maximum one-year jail term. However, formal charges had not been filed as of Wednesday.
A New Castle woman on Wednesday was granted a protective order against Rust.
Rust was a New Castle police officer before resigning his post in May.
A former city police officer was arrested this week on a domestic battery charge.
Officer William P. Rust, 40, 553 Elliott Ave., was arrested at a southside home early Tuesday afternoon. He was released after posting bond about 12 hours later.
He was preliminarily charged with a Class A misdemeanor carrying a maximum one-year jail term. However, formal charges had not been filed as of Wednesday.
A New Castle woman on Wednesday was granted a protective order against Rust.
Rust was a New Castle police officer before resigning his post in May.
Officer Charged With Sexual Assaulting Two Teenagers
A New Castle police officer has been charged with sexually assaulting two teenagers at his Union Township home.
Richard L. Corbin, 35, of 458 Moore Ave., was arraigned before District Judge Jerry Cartwright on two counts each of statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault and four counts of corruption of minors. He also is charged with two counts of furnishing alcohol to minors.
Following his arraignment at 8 p.m. yesterday, state police said Corbin was released on non-monetary bond. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in Central Court.
According to a prepared statement issued by the New Castle Police Department, Corbin has been placed on leave pending further investigation. The statement did not indicate whether the leave is paid or unpaid.
On Tuesday, state police from the Butler Criminal Investigation Unit probed the reported sexual assault of two teenage girls — one is 15, the other is 14. She was 13 at the time of the alleged incident, which took place in January at Corbin’s Moore Avenue home, police said.
According to paperwork filed in the office of District Judge Jennifer Nicholson, police interviewed the younger girl on Tuesday at the state police station in New Castle.
She told officers that in January, Corbin had offered the two a ride to Club Unity, their intended destination.
Once inside his car, she said, Corbin began touching her over her clothing. She said a bottle of liquor had been found in the back seat and both girls asked if they could drink some before they reached the club. She said Corbin had agreed and suggested they drink the alcohol at his home.
The girl said all three began to drink the alcohol in the living room of the officer’s home.
After drinking seven to eight shots of the flavored vodka, the victim said, she went upstairs to the bathroom. When she came out, she said, Corbin invited her to go into his bedroom, which contained a computer.
The court papers said the girl had reported she “eventually engaged in sexual intercourse with Corbin.”
When they finished, she said, she went downstairs and told the older girl that she had had sex with Corbin. She said Corbin then went downstairs and began “kissing and fondling” the other girl.
The girl said that Corbin and the older girl then went upstairs, returning in about 20 minutes.
Police interviewed the older girl on Wednesday at a treatment center in Farrell. They said she had corroborated the younger girl’s statements.
Officers arrested Corbin yesterday at his home.
According to city records, Corbin was hired as a patrolman on a temporary basis in May 1998 and served in that capacity until Jan. 1, 2003, when he became a full-time officer.
Through a cooperative effort with the New Castle district, Corbin served as a school resource officer assigned to the junior-senior high, according to superintendent George Gabriel.
The policeman served in that position from April 9, 2007, through Feb. 1, 2008, according to the district.
Gabriel would not comment on why Corbin’s duties at the school ended.
The superintendent said the purpose of the program was to have students become familiar with police officers and “mostly to ensure safety in the building.”
Some of Corbin’s responsibilities at the junior-senior high included patrolling the outside the building to detect unauthorized persons or vehicles; monitoring the halls, restrooms and stairwells during classroom changes; and assisting in stopping disturbances and undue distractions in the school and its grounds.
New Castle Mayor Anthony Mastrangelo said he had just learned of Corbin’s arrest this morning and had not had a chance to talk with Police Chief Tom Sansone about the officer’s status.
In a prepared statement sent to the New Castle News this morning, the police department acknowledged that Corbin, one it its officers, had been charged.
“While the New Castle Police Department takes these matters seriously, we must reserve comment at this time pending the outcome of the court process.”
Richard L. Corbin, 35, of 458 Moore Ave., was arraigned before District Judge Jerry Cartwright on two counts each of statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault and four counts of corruption of minors. He also is charged with two counts of furnishing alcohol to minors.
Following his arraignment at 8 p.m. yesterday, state police said Corbin was released on non-monetary bond. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in Central Court.
According to a prepared statement issued by the New Castle Police Department, Corbin has been placed on leave pending further investigation. The statement did not indicate whether the leave is paid or unpaid.
On Tuesday, state police from the Butler Criminal Investigation Unit probed the reported sexual assault of two teenage girls — one is 15, the other is 14. She was 13 at the time of the alleged incident, which took place in January at Corbin’s Moore Avenue home, police said.
According to paperwork filed in the office of District Judge Jennifer Nicholson, police interviewed the younger girl on Tuesday at the state police station in New Castle.
She told officers that in January, Corbin had offered the two a ride to Club Unity, their intended destination.
Once inside his car, she said, Corbin began touching her over her clothing. She said a bottle of liquor had been found in the back seat and both girls asked if they could drink some before they reached the club. She said Corbin had agreed and suggested they drink the alcohol at his home.
The girl said all three began to drink the alcohol in the living room of the officer’s home.
After drinking seven to eight shots of the flavored vodka, the victim said, she went upstairs to the bathroom. When she came out, she said, Corbin invited her to go into his bedroom, which contained a computer.
The court papers said the girl had reported she “eventually engaged in sexual intercourse with Corbin.”
When they finished, she said, she went downstairs and told the older girl that she had had sex with Corbin. She said Corbin then went downstairs and began “kissing and fondling” the other girl.
The girl said that Corbin and the older girl then went upstairs, returning in about 20 minutes.
Police interviewed the older girl on Wednesday at a treatment center in Farrell. They said she had corroborated the younger girl’s statements.
Officers arrested Corbin yesterday at his home.
According to city records, Corbin was hired as a patrolman on a temporary basis in May 1998 and served in that capacity until Jan. 1, 2003, when he became a full-time officer.
Through a cooperative effort with the New Castle district, Corbin served as a school resource officer assigned to the junior-senior high, according to superintendent George Gabriel.
The policeman served in that position from April 9, 2007, through Feb. 1, 2008, according to the district.
Gabriel would not comment on why Corbin’s duties at the school ended.
The superintendent said the purpose of the program was to have students become familiar with police officers and “mostly to ensure safety in the building.”
Some of Corbin’s responsibilities at the junior-senior high included patrolling the outside the building to detect unauthorized persons or vehicles; monitoring the halls, restrooms and stairwells during classroom changes; and assisting in stopping disturbances and undue distractions in the school and its grounds.
New Castle Mayor Anthony Mastrangelo said he had just learned of Corbin’s arrest this morning and had not had a chance to talk with Police Chief Tom Sansone about the officer’s status.
In a prepared statement sent to the New Castle News this morning, the police department acknowledged that Corbin, one it its officers, had been charged.
“While the New Castle Police Department takes these matters seriously, we must reserve comment at this time pending the outcome of the court process.”
Veteran Officer Jonathan Heard Robs Store
The Central Store was robbed at gunpoint Friday night, and the prime suspect identified by Elmore County Sheriff’s deputies is a former police investigator with 11 years in law enforcement.
Jonathan Heard, a former investigator with the Roanoke Police Department in Randolph County, allegedly wielded a “semi-automatic pistol” and demanded cash from a cashier at the store around 6:30 Friday night, according to the Elmore County Sheriff’s Department.
According to victims and witnesses at The Central Store "9 miles north of Wetumpka on Alabama Highway 9” Heard came in asking for directions to Alexander City around 5 p.m.
Elmore County Chief Deputy Ricky Lowery said Heard returned an hour and a half later, pointed a handgun at the clerk, and left with “an undisclosed amount of currency.”
Roanoke Police Chief Adam Melton said his department did everything it could to cooperate with local investigators, despite their “shock and disbelief” that one of their own could commit such a crime.
“Our thoughts and prayers are, of course, with the victims and with (Heard’s) family,” Melton said Monday. “We’re praying that God holds their hand through this trying time, because this is just awful.”
A witness who saw the robber flee The Central Store in a Chevrolet Avalanche wrote down the truck’s license plate. After a license plate check identified Heard, sheriff’s deputies contacted Melton’s department. They confirmed Heard’s previous employment there, and verified the type of truck he drove.
“While the investigation was going on, we received information that another store was hit in Shorter, and we feel (Heard) is a suspect in that robbery as well,” Sheriff Bill Franklin said.
An Elmore County deputy who knew Heard called his cell phone not long after The Central Store hold-up, and Heard said he wanted to turn himself in, but needed to speak with an attorney first.
“Apparently, that was a ruse,” Franklin said.
A regional bulletin to “be on the lookout,” called a BOLO, was issued.
Lowery also spoke with Heard around 11 p.m. Friday, asking him to come in to talk about “something that happened in the county.”
Heard was apprehended in Biloxi, Miss., parking lot around 4 a.m. Saturday, Biloxi Police Investigator Susan Kimball said. He did not resist arrest, she added, and the handgun allegedly used in the crime was found in Heard’s truck. The former policeman is also suspected in a 2 a.m. robbery at an Exxon station in Moss Point, Miss., Kimball said.
Kimball said Heard is being held at the Harrison County Adult Detention Center. An extradition hearing was planned for Tuesday or today, she added.
Elmore County investigators were surprised to see the tag number lead to a former police officer, Lowery said, but since Heard allegedly “broke the law, we treated him just like any other suspect.”
Melton said Heard patrolled Roanoke in two stints totaling 11 years. A native of nearby Wedowee, he worked for the RPD from 1994-2000 and 2001-2006, before resigning to take a job with a neighboring sheriff’s department, Melton said.
“I’m just at a loss of words,” Melton said. “He had been one of ours, but I believe in punishment for what we do wrong. If we can do anything, for the victims, his family or for Jonathan, I’m happy to talk to whomever.”
Jonathan Heard, a former investigator with the Roanoke Police Department in Randolph County, allegedly wielded a “semi-automatic pistol” and demanded cash from a cashier at the store around 6:30 Friday night, according to the Elmore County Sheriff’s Department.
According to victims and witnesses at The Central Store "9 miles north of Wetumpka on Alabama Highway 9” Heard came in asking for directions to Alexander City around 5 p.m.
Elmore County Chief Deputy Ricky Lowery said Heard returned an hour and a half later, pointed a handgun at the clerk, and left with “an undisclosed amount of currency.”
Roanoke Police Chief Adam Melton said his department did everything it could to cooperate with local investigators, despite their “shock and disbelief” that one of their own could commit such a crime.
“Our thoughts and prayers are, of course, with the victims and with (Heard’s) family,” Melton said Monday. “We’re praying that God holds their hand through this trying time, because this is just awful.”
A witness who saw the robber flee The Central Store in a Chevrolet Avalanche wrote down the truck’s license plate. After a license plate check identified Heard, sheriff’s deputies contacted Melton’s department. They confirmed Heard’s previous employment there, and verified the type of truck he drove.
“While the investigation was going on, we received information that another store was hit in Shorter, and we feel (Heard) is a suspect in that robbery as well,” Sheriff Bill Franklin said.
An Elmore County deputy who knew Heard called his cell phone not long after The Central Store hold-up, and Heard said he wanted to turn himself in, but needed to speak with an attorney first.
“Apparently, that was a ruse,” Franklin said.
A regional bulletin to “be on the lookout,” called a BOLO, was issued.
Lowery also spoke with Heard around 11 p.m. Friday, asking him to come in to talk about “something that happened in the county.”
Heard was apprehended in Biloxi, Miss., parking lot around 4 a.m. Saturday, Biloxi Police Investigator Susan Kimball said. He did not resist arrest, she added, and the handgun allegedly used in the crime was found in Heard’s truck. The former policeman is also suspected in a 2 a.m. robbery at an Exxon station in Moss Point, Miss., Kimball said.
Kimball said Heard is being held at the Harrison County Adult Detention Center. An extradition hearing was planned for Tuesday or today, she added.
Elmore County investigators were surprised to see the tag number lead to a former police officer, Lowery said, but since Heard allegedly “broke the law, we treated him just like any other suspect.”
Melton said Heard patrolled Roanoke in two stints totaling 11 years. A native of nearby Wedowee, he worked for the RPD from 1994-2000 and 2001-2006, before resigning to take a job with a neighboring sheriff’s department, Melton said.
“I’m just at a loss of words,” Melton said. “He had been one of ours, but I believe in punishment for what we do wrong. If we can do anything, for the victims, his family or for Jonathan, I’m happy to talk to whomever.”
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Videotape Shows Officer Lied
Around 9:30 on Friday night, a bicyclist pedaling down Seventh Avenue veered to the left, trying to avoid hitting a police officer who was in the middle of the street.
But the officer, Patrick Pogan, took a few quick steps toward the biker, Christopher Long, braced himself and drove his upper body into Mr. Long.
Officer Pogan, an all-star football player in high school, hit Mr. Long as if he were a halfback running along the sidelines, and sent him flying.
As of Tuesday evening, a videotape of the encounter had been viewed about 400,000 times on YouTube. “I can’t explain why it happened,” Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said on Tuesday. “I have no understanding as to why that would happen.”
But this episode was not just a powerful crash between one bicyclist and a police officer. It may turn out to be yet another head-on collision between false stories told by some police officers in criminal court cases and documentary evidence that directly contradicts them. And while in many instances the inaccurate stories have been tolerated by police superiors and prosecutors, Officer Pogan’s account is getting high-level scrutiny.
Later that night, Officer Pogan composed a story of his encounter with Mr. Long. It bore no resemblance to the events seen on the videotape. Based on the sworn complaint, Mr. Long was held for 26 hours on charges of attempted assault and disorderly conduct.
Over the weekend, though, the videotape, made by a tourist in Times Square with his family, fell into the hands of people involved with Critical Mass, the monthly bicycle rally that Mr. Long had been riding in.
The availability of cheap digital technology — video cameras, digital cameras, cellphone cameras — has ended a monopoly on the history of public gatherings that was limited to the official narratives, like the sworn documents created by police officers and prosecutors. The digital age has brought in free-range history.
Hundreds of cases against people arrested during the 2004 Republican National Convention collapsed under an avalanche of videotaped evidence that either completely contradicted police accounts, or raised significant questions about their reliability. The videotapes were made by people involved in the protests, bystanders, tourists and police officers.
At the New York Public Library, a small group holding a banner against one of the stone lions was arrested and charged with blocking traffic in the middle of 42nd Street, although video showed they were on the steps, and nowhere near the street.
In another case at the library, a police officer testified that he and three other officers had to carry one protester, Dennis Kyne, by his hands and feet down the library steps. Videotape showed that Mr. Kyne walked down the steps under his own power, and that the officer who testified against him had no role in his arrest. The charges were dismissed; the Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to bring perjury charges against the officer who gave the testimony.
Dozens of complaints were sworn by police officers who said they had witnessed people violating the law on Fulton Street and near Union Square, but later admitted under oath that their only involvement was to process the arrests, and that they had not actually seen the disorderly conduct that was charged.
An assistant to District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau wrote to the Police Department to stress the importance of officers’ not swearing to things they had not seen for themselves. The prosecutors said the confusion surrounding mass arrests made it hard to bring perjury charges.
The case of Christopher Long and Officer Pogan is shaping up as another example of an official narrative being directly challenged by videotape.
In a criminal court complaint, Officer Pogan wrote that Mr. Long deliberately attacked him with the bike — although the videotape shows Mr. Long veering away from Officer Pogan, who pursues him toward the curb.
The officer said he was knocked to the ground by Mr. Long. Throughout the tape, though, he remains on his feet, even after banging into Mr. Long.
The police officer wrote that Mr. Long had been “weaving” in and out of traffic, “thereby forcing multiple vehicles to stop abruptly or change their direction in order to avoid hitting” Mr. Long. However, in the videotape, it appears that there are no cars on the street.
Mr. Long is due back in court in early September. By then, most of Mr. Long’s bruises are likely to have healed. The prognosis for the truth is not so clear.
But the officer, Patrick Pogan, took a few quick steps toward the biker, Christopher Long, braced himself and drove his upper body into Mr. Long.
Officer Pogan, an all-star football player in high school, hit Mr. Long as if he were a halfback running along the sidelines, and sent him flying.
As of Tuesday evening, a videotape of the encounter had been viewed about 400,000 times on YouTube. “I can’t explain why it happened,” Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said on Tuesday. “I have no understanding as to why that would happen.”
But this episode was not just a powerful crash between one bicyclist and a police officer. It may turn out to be yet another head-on collision between false stories told by some police officers in criminal court cases and documentary evidence that directly contradicts them. And while in many instances the inaccurate stories have been tolerated by police superiors and prosecutors, Officer Pogan’s account is getting high-level scrutiny.
Later that night, Officer Pogan composed a story of his encounter with Mr. Long. It bore no resemblance to the events seen on the videotape. Based on the sworn complaint, Mr. Long was held for 26 hours on charges of attempted assault and disorderly conduct.
Over the weekend, though, the videotape, made by a tourist in Times Square with his family, fell into the hands of people involved with Critical Mass, the monthly bicycle rally that Mr. Long had been riding in.
The availability of cheap digital technology — video cameras, digital cameras, cellphone cameras — has ended a monopoly on the history of public gatherings that was limited to the official narratives, like the sworn documents created by police officers and prosecutors. The digital age has brought in free-range history.
Hundreds of cases against people arrested during the 2004 Republican National Convention collapsed under an avalanche of videotaped evidence that either completely contradicted police accounts, or raised significant questions about their reliability. The videotapes were made by people involved in the protests, bystanders, tourists and police officers.
At the New York Public Library, a small group holding a banner against one of the stone lions was arrested and charged with blocking traffic in the middle of 42nd Street, although video showed they were on the steps, and nowhere near the street.
In another case at the library, a police officer testified that he and three other officers had to carry one protester, Dennis Kyne, by his hands and feet down the library steps. Videotape showed that Mr. Kyne walked down the steps under his own power, and that the officer who testified against him had no role in his arrest. The charges were dismissed; the Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to bring perjury charges against the officer who gave the testimony.
Dozens of complaints were sworn by police officers who said they had witnessed people violating the law on Fulton Street and near Union Square, but later admitted under oath that their only involvement was to process the arrests, and that they had not actually seen the disorderly conduct that was charged.
An assistant to District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau wrote to the Police Department to stress the importance of officers’ not swearing to things they had not seen for themselves. The prosecutors said the confusion surrounding mass arrests made it hard to bring perjury charges.
The case of Christopher Long and Officer Pogan is shaping up as another example of an official narrative being directly challenged by videotape.
In a criminal court complaint, Officer Pogan wrote that Mr. Long deliberately attacked him with the bike — although the videotape shows Mr. Long veering away from Officer Pogan, who pursues him toward the curb.
The officer said he was knocked to the ground by Mr. Long. Throughout the tape, though, he remains on his feet, even after banging into Mr. Long.
The police officer wrote that Mr. Long had been “weaving” in and out of traffic, “thereby forcing multiple vehicles to stop abruptly or change their direction in order to avoid hitting” Mr. Long. However, in the videotape, it appears that there are no cars on the street.
Mr. Long is due back in court in early September. By then, most of Mr. Long’s bruises are likely to have healed. The prognosis for the truth is not so clear.
Former Boston officer sentenced to 11 years
A former Boston police officer was sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison yesterday for conspiring to extort $265,000 on behalf of Colombian drug dealers while in uniform, one of a series of recent corruption scandals in the Police Department.
US District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel sentenced Jose A. "Flaco" Ortiz, 46, formerly of Salem, to 11 years and three months in prison followed by five years of supervised release in connection with extortion and cocaine-related charges.
"Of all our recent cases combating police corruption, this was among the most egregious," US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan said in a statement after sentencing. "To have a uniformed officer, carrying his badge and weapon, extort money on behalf of a Colombian drug ring cuts at the heart of our system of justice."
Ortiz pleaded guilty on April 29. He was the fifth Boston officer to plead guilty to federal charges since September. All the cases, including one involving three officers, involved drugs.
His lawyer, Scott A. Lutes, of Providence, said his client is ashamed and still thinks like a police officer. A few nights ago, Lutes said, Ortiz helped save a fellow inmate who slit his wrists and throat at the Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls.
The case against Ortiz stems from an investigation that began in late 2003 or early 2004, according to federal prosecutors. A man identified as Victim A told authorities that two drug dealers approached him and asked whether he knew anyone who might want to participate in drug trafficking.
At the advice of the authorities, Victim A introduced the drug dealers to a man supposedly involved in the drug trade. Days later, the drug dealers told Victim A that the man had stolen from them. They blamed Victim A for the theft.
And then, in a startling twist in August 2006, Ortiz showed up in his uniform at Victim A's job in the Boston area, prosecutors said. He said he was there on behalf of drug dealers who would kill Victim A if he didn't pay $265,000.
In May, the victim gave Ortiz $4,000 in cash and 4 kilograms of cocaine in a Revere parking lot, a deal Ortiz said would settle the debt. The FBI then arrested Ortiz.
Retired police officer charged with sex assault
WINNIPEG
A former Winnipeg police sergeant with a history of violating a protection order granted to his ex-wife is being held in custody on charges that he broke into her home and violently sexually assaulted her on the weekend.
The 25-year veteran of the force was arrested Sunday and charged with a number of serious offences, including sexual assault causing bodily harm, breaking into the woman's home and assaulting her, forcible confinement and disobeying a protection order she was granted in July 2006.
The criminal complaint alleges he broke into the woman's home in the Winnipeg neighbourhood of Charleswood on Sunday while wearing a mask, repeatedly sexually assaulted her and choked her.
A former Winnipeg police sergeant with a history of violating a protection order granted to his ex-wife is being held in custody on charges that he broke into her home and violently sexually assaulted her on the weekend.
The 25-year veteran of the force was arrested Sunday and charged with a number of serious offences, including sexual assault causing bodily harm, breaking into the woman's home and assaulting her, forcible confinement and disobeying a protection order she was granted in July 2006.
The criminal complaint alleges he broke into the woman's home in the Winnipeg neighbourhood of Charleswood on Sunday while wearing a mask, repeatedly sexually assaulted her and choked her.
Officer and 5 others Arrested by FBI
EL PASO
A Juárez police officer is accused of leading a gang of kidnappers and killers that was captured after a vehicle chase by federal police in Juárez, officials said.
Federal police Tuesday arrested municipal police officer Juan Gallegos Acosta and five other men, seized four AR-15 and nine AK-47 rifles and three vehicles, including a 2002 GMC Yukon and a 2007 Toyota Solara, both reported stolen in Texas.
"Unfortunately, he is a member of the department," said Javier Torres, police force spokesman. "We are working on purging the department. Bad police officers will be sanctioned."
Federal officials said a chase began when federal police saw the sand-colored Yukon speeding on Zaragoza Avenue while carrying a group of men with assault rifles and bulletproof vests. The chase ended in the Oasis area.
The men and seized items were turned over to a federal organized crime unit in Mexico City. No charges were announced.
The federal agents were part of Joint Operation Chihuahua, the anti-crime offensive sent to Juárez to curb a flood of homicides, which have reached about 650 so far this year party because of a war among drug cartels.
At least seven people were slain Tuesday, including a triple homicide in the southern part of the city.
Chihuahua state investigators said the unidentified bodies of two men and a woman were found shot to death in colonia Hacienda de las Torres III. One man died on the street. The woman was in the front passenger seat of a Jeep Grand Cherokee. The second man died in the front passenger seat of a Ford Crown Victoria with Texas plates inside a garage of a home on Calle Del Abrevadero.
In colonia Partido Iglesias, Juárez police went to a home at the end of a bloody trail left where the stabbed body of Armando Santillan Villegas, 48, had been dragged.
Mercedes Elguero Calderon, 38, and brothers Enrique Alonso and Luis Fernando Reyes Murguia, ages 38 and 36, were detained on suspicion of homicide. Later that morning, the body of an unidentified man shot multiple times was found in colonia Senderos de San Isidro.
Two men were killed in the evening in separate cases.
A Juárez police officer is accused of leading a gang of kidnappers and killers that was captured after a vehicle chase by federal police in Juárez, officials said.
Federal police Tuesday arrested municipal police officer Juan Gallegos Acosta and five other men, seized four AR-15 and nine AK-47 rifles and three vehicles, including a 2002 GMC Yukon and a 2007 Toyota Solara, both reported stolen in Texas.
"Unfortunately, he is a member of the department," said Javier Torres, police force spokesman. "We are working on purging the department. Bad police officers will be sanctioned."
Federal officials said a chase began when federal police saw the sand-colored Yukon speeding on Zaragoza Avenue while carrying a group of men with assault rifles and bulletproof vests. The chase ended in the Oasis area.
The men and seized items were turned over to a federal organized crime unit in Mexico City. No charges were announced.
The federal agents were part of Joint Operation Chihuahua, the anti-crime offensive sent to Juárez to curb a flood of homicides, which have reached about 650 so far this year party because of a war among drug cartels.
At least seven people were slain Tuesday, including a triple homicide in the southern part of the city.
Chihuahua state investigators said the unidentified bodies of two men and a woman were found shot to death in colonia Hacienda de las Torres III. One man died on the street. The woman was in the front passenger seat of a Jeep Grand Cherokee. The second man died in the front passenger seat of a Ford Crown Victoria with Texas plates inside a garage of a home on Calle Del Abrevadero.
In colonia Partido Iglesias, Juárez police went to a home at the end of a bloody trail left where the stabbed body of Armando Santillan Villegas, 48, had been dragged.
Mercedes Elguero Calderon, 38, and brothers Enrique Alonso and Luis Fernando Reyes Murguia, ages 38 and 36, were detained on suspicion of homicide. Later that morning, the body of an unidentified man shot multiple times was found in colonia Senderos de San Isidro.
Two men were killed in the evening in separate cases.
Officer Who Shot Boy Pleads Not Guilty
VISTA, Calif.
A San Diego police officer claims caution prompted him to unload five bullet rounds at an 8-year-old boy and his mother during an off-duty traffic dispute, but prosecutors Tuesday called it a case of "apparent road rage."
Frank White pleaded not guilty to one felony count of discharging a firearm in a grossly negligent manner and one misdemeanor count of drawing a concealed weapon in public. He faces up to nine years in prison if convicted.
Prosecutors accuse White of firing at Rachel Silva's Honda Accord from the driver's seat of his own car after a screaming match triggered by a near-collision at a busy intersection.
One bullet struck Silva's son Johnny in the knee; the boy was hospitalized and required surgery. Two others struck Silva in the upper arm.
White, 28, answered a single procedural question at his arraignment before Superior Court Judge Marshall Hockett and was released on his own recognizance. He declined to speak with reporters as he left the courthouse with his wife, Jacquellyn.
White's attorney, Richard Pinckard, entered the plea on his client's behalf.
"We don't believe that there's anything to support that our client's conduct was unreasonable under the circumstances," Pinckard said after the hearing.
White was also stripped of his police powers and placed on unpaid leave from the San Diego Police Department while his case is under internal review, Chief William Lansdowne said. White was assigned to administrative duty after the March 15 shooting.
White is the second law enforcement officer that Dumanis charged since taking office in 2003; the first was a sheriff's deputy accused of killing his wife. She has faced criticism in some quarters for declining to pursue charges in other high-profile cases, including the 2006 shooting of former Chargers linebacker Steve Foley by an off-duty officer.
"Based on the evidence and the law, these charges are appropriate," Dumanis said in a brief statement. She refused to take questions from reporters.
White was driving his personal car when he and Rachel Silva nearly collided on a busy thoroughfare in Oceanside, about 40 miles north of San Diego. Witnesses said Silva responded aggressively, tailing White and his wife to a parking lot.
According to an arrest warrant filed Tuesday, White was wearing his .38 Smith and Wesson revolver on his waistband and aimed it at Silva as she pulled parallel to him. Silva called 911 and said, "There's a man who's pulling a gun on me," then sideswiped White's car as she reversed past it after he began to open the driver's side door.
White told investigators that he fired because he thought Silva was trying to hit him with her car, according to search warrants filed earlier in the case. He claimed he did not see her son through the windshield.
White's wife, a police dispatcher, was in their car.
Tests showed Silva had a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit. The 27-year-old pleaded not guilty this month to felony child endangerment and misdemeanor drunken-driving and marijuana-possession charges filed by the state attorney general's office.
Her attorney, Michael Pancer, said he was pleased by Dumanis' decision.
"She did the right thing," Pancer said.
Silva and her son have each filed lawsuits seeking damages from the city of San Diego. Lawyers for the boy also filed a complaint in federal court in May claiming police were inadequately screened, trained and disciplined.
A San Diego police officer claims caution prompted him to unload five bullet rounds at an 8-year-old boy and his mother during an off-duty traffic dispute, but prosecutors Tuesday called it a case of "apparent road rage."
Frank White pleaded not guilty to one felony count of discharging a firearm in a grossly negligent manner and one misdemeanor count of drawing a concealed weapon in public. He faces up to nine years in prison if convicted.
Prosecutors accuse White of firing at Rachel Silva's Honda Accord from the driver's seat of his own car after a screaming match triggered by a near-collision at a busy intersection.
One bullet struck Silva's son Johnny in the knee; the boy was hospitalized and required surgery. Two others struck Silva in the upper arm.
White, 28, answered a single procedural question at his arraignment before Superior Court Judge Marshall Hockett and was released on his own recognizance. He declined to speak with reporters as he left the courthouse with his wife, Jacquellyn.
White's attorney, Richard Pinckard, entered the plea on his client's behalf.
"We don't believe that there's anything to support that our client's conduct was unreasonable under the circumstances," Pinckard said after the hearing.
White was also stripped of his police powers and placed on unpaid leave from the San Diego Police Department while his case is under internal review, Chief William Lansdowne said. White was assigned to administrative duty after the March 15 shooting.
White is the second law enforcement officer that Dumanis charged since taking office in 2003; the first was a sheriff's deputy accused of killing his wife. She has faced criticism in some quarters for declining to pursue charges in other high-profile cases, including the 2006 shooting of former Chargers linebacker Steve Foley by an off-duty officer.
"Based on the evidence and the law, these charges are appropriate," Dumanis said in a brief statement. She refused to take questions from reporters.
White was driving his personal car when he and Rachel Silva nearly collided on a busy thoroughfare in Oceanside, about 40 miles north of San Diego. Witnesses said Silva responded aggressively, tailing White and his wife to a parking lot.
According to an arrest warrant filed Tuesday, White was wearing his .38 Smith and Wesson revolver on his waistband and aimed it at Silva as she pulled parallel to him. Silva called 911 and said, "There's a man who's pulling a gun on me," then sideswiped White's car as she reversed past it after he began to open the driver's side door.
White told investigators that he fired because he thought Silva was trying to hit him with her car, according to search warrants filed earlier in the case. He claimed he did not see her son through the windshield.
White's wife, a police dispatcher, was in their car.
Tests showed Silva had a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit. The 27-year-old pleaded not guilty this month to felony child endangerment and misdemeanor drunken-driving and marijuana-possession charges filed by the state attorney general's office.
Her attorney, Michael Pancer, said he was pleased by Dumanis' decision.
"She did the right thing," Pancer said.
Silva and her son have each filed lawsuits seeking damages from the city of San Diego. Lawyers for the boy also filed a complaint in federal court in May claiming police were inadequately screened, trained and disciplined.
Officer Can't Control His Own Son
The son of a BSO deputy was arrested on Tuesday, charged with pretending to be a law enforcement officer.
It's bad enough when a son takes dad's car out for a joy ride, without asking.
But when the dad is a Broward sheriff's deputy and the car is an unmarked patrol vehicle, the son could face more than grounding.
Tuesday night, Myko Coker, 18, of Sunrise, was in Broward County's main jail, facing grand theft auto and impersonating a law enforcement officer charges.
Here is how police described what happened:
At about 4:30 a.m., a call came into the Sunrise Police Department saying an unmarked police car was making traffic stops near the corner of University Drive and West Oakland Park Boulevard.
There, a Sunrise officer found someone wearing a BSO T-shirt and driving an unmarked police car. There was a passenger in the car.
The driver told the officer he was a BSO deputy and that he was driving home from work when someone cut him off and he pulled the car over, according to Sunrise police spokesman Capt. Robert Voss.
The name he gave was his father's, who is a deputy with the sheriff's office.
The Sunrise officer allowed Coker to leave.
But moments later, the officer saw the unmarked car again. With emergency lights on, the car pulled into a parking lot in the 4500 block of North University Drive, then pulled out and headed west on Northwest 44th Street.
The Sunrise officer turned on his own lights and went after the unmarked car. But the BSO car kept going.
The Sunrise officer turned on his siren.
The BSO cruiser pulled over.
This time, the Sunrise officer asked Coker to show proof he was a deputy.
But Coker had no badge, Voss said.
''He went to the deputy's house that was being impersonated, knocked on the door and asked him where was his car,'' Voss said.
'He looked outside and said `Uh oh, where's my car?' ''
The deputy's name wasn't released.
The passenger wasn't charged, Voss said.
''The deputy's son did something really foolish, and now they're going to have to deal with it as a family,'' said BSO spokesman Jim Leljedal.
Officer has Sex with Prostitute, Stole the Money
Louisville, Ky.
A Louisville metro police officer is the target of a criminal investigation.
The investigation alleges the officer had sex with the prostitute, stole the money he paid her, and then cited her for trespassing.
Sherry McClean says she owns a massage service. She has her own sexually explicit website and today said that last October, she went to Kenneth Wynne’s Louisville apartment to give him a massage. He paid her 80 bucks and agreed to pay more if she’d have sex with him. McClean claims when she balked at one of Wynne’s sexual demands, he held a gun to her head, wouldn’t let her leave, told her he was a police officer and had to charge her with a crime of her choosing. She picked criminal trespassing. That’s what she was cited for. Then McClean says Officer Wynne took back the money he’d just paid her and kept the condom he’d used. McClean says she finally got to leave, immediately calling her attorney and eventually, the police.
According to court records, the trespassing charge against McClean was dismissed when the police officer, Wynne, was not present in court. McClean has a long list of mostly minor criminal charges including two convictions for prostitution.
She says when she left Wynne, she took some of his DNA with her to prove she’s telling the truth.
A Louisville metro police officer is the target of a criminal investigation.
The investigation alleges the officer had sex with the prostitute, stole the money he paid her, and then cited her for trespassing.
Sherry McClean says she owns a massage service. She has her own sexually explicit website and today said that last October, she went to Kenneth Wynne’s Louisville apartment to give him a massage. He paid her 80 bucks and agreed to pay more if she’d have sex with him. McClean claims when she balked at one of Wynne’s sexual demands, he held a gun to her head, wouldn’t let her leave, told her he was a police officer and had to charge her with a crime of her choosing. She picked criminal trespassing. That’s what she was cited for. Then McClean says Officer Wynne took back the money he’d just paid her and kept the condom he’d used. McClean says she finally got to leave, immediately calling her attorney and eventually, the police.
According to court records, the trespassing charge against McClean was dismissed when the police officer, Wynne, was not present in court. McClean has a long list of mostly minor criminal charges including two convictions for prostitution.
She says when she left Wynne, she took some of his DNA with her to prove she’s telling the truth.
Tasered to Death
Case of Louisiana Man Tasered to Death by Police Officer While in Custody Heads to Grand Jury
The case of a former Winnfield, Louisiana police officer who zapped a handcuffed suspect nine times with a Taser goes now before a grand jury to consider whether he will be charged in the death of Baron “Scooter” Pikes.
Pikes, the first cousin of lead Jena Six defendant Mychal Bell, died in January after former Winnfield police officer Scott Nugent used 50,000 volt Taser strikes on him at least nine times, authorities said.
District Attorney R. Chris Nevils of the 8th Judicial District, which includes Winn Parish, said Monday he will convene a grand jury on Aug. 12 to consider possible charges against Nugent.
Winnfield is less than 40 miles from Jena, Louisiana, the scene last year of one of the largest civil rights marches in recent history.
Nugent has acknowledged using a Taser multiple times on Pikes on January 17, 2008, while Pikes was in police custody. Pikes died a short time later, Nevils said in his statement.
The case of a former Winnfield, Louisiana police officer who zapped a handcuffed suspect nine times with a Taser goes now before a grand jury to consider whether he will be charged in the death of Baron “Scooter” Pikes.
Pikes, the first cousin of lead Jena Six defendant Mychal Bell, died in January after former Winnfield police officer Scott Nugent used 50,000 volt Taser strikes on him at least nine times, authorities said.
District Attorney R. Chris Nevils of the 8th Judicial District, which includes Winn Parish, said Monday he will convene a grand jury on Aug. 12 to consider possible charges against Nugent.
Winnfield is less than 40 miles from Jena, Louisiana, the scene last year of one of the largest civil rights marches in recent history.
Nugent has acknowledged using a Taser multiple times on Pikes on January 17, 2008, while Pikes was in police custody. Pikes died a short time later, Nevils said in his statement.
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