WATERBURY, Conn.
A member of the Waterbury police department was arrested Wednesday, accused of arranging to buy illegally prescribed pain pills.
Laura Donovan, 40, of Waterbury, surrendered at police headquarters the day after police arrested a man they said illegally bought OxyContin and Percocet for her.
Donovan, a 10-year-member of the force, was charged with criminal attempt to possess narcotics in connection with illegal drug buys on Tuesday and Saturday, police said.
Members of the police department were watching Tuesday as John Soricelli, 34, of Waterbury, pulled into a Huntington Avenue parking lot to buy drugs from Domenic George, 57, of Waterbury, police said.
Both men were arrested, then police saw Donovan’s personal car drive by the parking lot, police said. She was not on duty or in uniform, police said.
After being arrested, Soricelli told police he was buying pills for Donovan, police said.
Soricelli also bought OxyContin for Donovan in another location on Saturday, police said.
Donovan was arrested Wednesday. She was suspended from the force with pay, pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation, police said.
Donovan was released and is scheduled to appear in court next week.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Former Employee of Sheriff's Office Pleads Guilty to Rape of Child
MEMPHIS, TN
A former Shelby County Sheriff’s Office employee pleaded guilty to charges of Rape and Rape of a Child.
According to court documents, 60 year-old Wayne Logan has been sentenced to six years in prison for rape and eight years for raping a child after pleading guilty, Thursday, September 11, 2008.
The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office says Crawford had sex with an 8 year-old girl several times over a two year period. Investigators say the girl’s mother knew about the rape and took money from Crawford. She was indicted on charges of Facilitation of Rape and Facilitation of Rape of a Child.
Police say the abuse was brought to the attention of authorities after the little girl told her teacher that Crawford was having sex with her.
Crawford worked as a civilian employee at the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.
Former Chief Paul Gill Convicted of Murder
EL DORADO, Ark.
A jury has convicted a former Fordyce police chief of first-degree murder in the shooting death of his wife.
The Union County jury recommended a 40-year prison sentence for Paul Douglas Gill. The jury deliberated for about four hours today before convicting Gill in the death of his wife, Sandra Kaye Gill.
Gill testified yesterday that he did not kill his wife, and witnesses said he wept and expressed grief after her death. Doug Gill had been charged with capital murder, though prosecutors did not seek the death penalty.
Sandra Kaye Gill was found in bed in March 2007 with a gunshot wound to her head.
Gill was a former police chief at Fordyce in the early 1990s and also a former deputy sheriff. At the time of the crime, he was a quality control inspector with Georgia Pacific in Fordyce.
Prosecutors allege that gunpowder residue from Gill's clothing showed he killed Sandra Gill as she lay in bed. They argue Gill tried to make his wife's death look like a suicide.
Former Officer Chancy Jones Arrested for Killing Mistress
The Memphis police officer accused of shooting and killing his mistress remained behind bars Thursday. After Chancy Jones first court appearance, his attorney said that he fears for his client's safety.
After appearing before a judge Thursday, Patrol Officer Chancy Jones spent the rest of the day sitting in jail without bond.
His attorney said Jones has a large target on his back because he's possibly with criminals he's arrested and he used to be a corrections officer inside the jail.
Jones walked into court wearing a green jail jumper. His sisters and daughter sat outside the courtroom waiting to be allowed in.
Jones' wife was not there.
After getting inside and seeing Jones, a few of them left the courtroom in tears and declined to speak on camera.
"I'm sure they're going through the same shock the family of the lady is," said Jones' attorney Ted Hansom. "It's a tragedy no matter how you look at it."
He said he hasn't had a chance to sit down and talk with his client, but he is aware Jones gave a written statement to police admitting to shooting and killing his mistress Phyllis Malone.
"I think it's easy to say he's upset," he said. "Other than that, I really couldn't comment."
Investigators said for the past few weeks, Jones was having an extramarital affair with Malone.
Early Tuesday morning, a delivery driver found a woman slumped over in a car outside a gas station on Whitten Road.
It was Malone. Authorities said she died from multiple gun shot wounds and police have confirmed that she was not pregnant.
Hansom said his client is being held in a secured location because of the publicity of the case and because his client is a Memphis police officer and a former Shelby County correctional officer.
"You have some people who are frequent fliers who come back here, that come back here when he was here," he said. "So yeah, security is a concern."
No one from Malone's family came to court.
Jones will have a bond hearing Monday. He's been charged with second degree murder. Police Director Larry Godwin said this was domestic violence taken to the extreme.
*********
I hope he get's his ass beat! He's no better than the people he put in jail.
He was nothing but a criminal with a badge.
After appearing before a judge Thursday, Patrol Officer Chancy Jones spent the rest of the day sitting in jail without bond.
His attorney said Jones has a large target on his back because he's possibly with criminals he's arrested and he used to be a corrections officer inside the jail.
Jones walked into court wearing a green jail jumper. His sisters and daughter sat outside the courtroom waiting to be allowed in.
Jones' wife was not there.
After getting inside and seeing Jones, a few of them left the courtroom in tears and declined to speak on camera.
"I'm sure they're going through the same shock the family of the lady is," said Jones' attorney Ted Hansom. "It's a tragedy no matter how you look at it."
He said he hasn't had a chance to sit down and talk with his client, but he is aware Jones gave a written statement to police admitting to shooting and killing his mistress Phyllis Malone.
"I think it's easy to say he's upset," he said. "Other than that, I really couldn't comment."
Investigators said for the past few weeks, Jones was having an extramarital affair with Malone.
Early Tuesday morning, a delivery driver found a woman slumped over in a car outside a gas station on Whitten Road.
It was Malone. Authorities said she died from multiple gun shot wounds and police have confirmed that she was not pregnant.
Hansom said his client is being held in a secured location because of the publicity of the case and because his client is a Memphis police officer and a former Shelby County correctional officer.
"You have some people who are frequent fliers who come back here, that come back here when he was here," he said. "So yeah, security is a concern."
No one from Malone's family came to court.
Jones will have a bond hearing Monday. He's been charged with second degree murder. Police Director Larry Godwin said this was domestic violence taken to the extreme.
*********
I hope he get's his ass beat! He's no better than the people he put in jail.
He was nothing but a criminal with a badge.
Sgt. James Pence Arrested for Domestic Violence
A Springfield police sergeant has been arrested and charged with domestic violence in Portage.
Sgt. James Pence, 37, was arrested after an incident in Portage Tuesday and arraigned Wednesday in Kalamazoo County, Springfield Public Safety Director Rob Coles confirmed. A spokesman for the Portage Police Department could not be reached Wednesday.
Coles, reached while on vacation and out of the city, said he was not aware of details of the incident, which apparently occurred at Spence's home.
A warrant is also being sought by Battle Creek police against Pence for stalking and making harassing phone calls to a former girlfriend in Battle Creek, according to Commander James Saylor of the Battle Creek Police Department.
Information on that incident at a home Pence once shared with the woman on Clubhouse Drive early Tuesday afternoon, is being reviewed by the Calhoun County Prosecutor, Saylor said.
Pence is already serving a 14-day suspension from the department for an unrelated off-duty incident, Coles said, and is scheduled to return to work Sept. 17.
Department officials are collecting information on the Tuesday incidents and will conduct their own department investigation, the chief said.
Sgt. James Pence, 37, was arrested after an incident in Portage Tuesday and arraigned Wednesday in Kalamazoo County, Springfield Public Safety Director Rob Coles confirmed. A spokesman for the Portage Police Department could not be reached Wednesday.
Coles, reached while on vacation and out of the city, said he was not aware of details of the incident, which apparently occurred at Spence's home.
A warrant is also being sought by Battle Creek police against Pence for stalking and making harassing phone calls to a former girlfriend in Battle Creek, according to Commander James Saylor of the Battle Creek Police Department.
Information on that incident at a home Pence once shared with the woman on Clubhouse Drive early Tuesday afternoon, is being reviewed by the Calhoun County Prosecutor, Saylor said.
Pence is already serving a 14-day suspension from the department for an unrelated off-duty incident, Coles said, and is scheduled to return to work Sept. 17.
Department officials are collecting information on the Tuesday incidents and will conduct their own department investigation, the chief said.
Officer Carlos Martin Charged with Giving False Information
A Richmond police officer has been placed on leave after he was charged in a false-information case.
The department said officer Carlos Martin was charged yesterday with two misdemeanor counts of false summons or giving false reports to law enforcement officials.
The department would not release details of the case other than to say the arrest grew from a citizen complaint and was being investigated by the department's office of professional responsibility in consultation with Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Michael N. Herring.
Martin, 34 and a five-year member of the department, has been placed on leave without pay.
The department said officer Carlos Martin was charged yesterday with two misdemeanor counts of false summons or giving false reports to law enforcement officials.
The department would not release details of the case other than to say the arrest grew from a citizen complaint and was being investigated by the department's office of professional responsibility in consultation with Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Michael N. Herring.
Martin, 34 and a five-year member of the department, has been placed on leave without pay.
Officer Juan Tapia Arrested by FBI and DEA
San Diego, California
United States Attorney Karen P. Hewitt announced that Juan Hurtado Tapia, a uniformed officer of the San Diego Police Department, was arraigned in federal court in San Diego by United States Magistrate Judge Leo S. Papas on a criminal complaint charging him with misuse of his status as a law enforcement officer to obtain and pass sensitive information to associates who were involved in drug trafficking crimes.
Mr. Tapia was arrested by FBI and DEA agents on September 2, 2008.
The complaint alleges that during the course of a long-term drug trafficking investigation being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the San Diego Police Department, investigating agents became aware in May 2008 that the targets of their investigation were in contact with Juan Hurtado Tapia, a patrol officer employed by the San Diego Police Department.
According to the complaint, information obtained through court-authorized wiretaps uncovered that Tapia was utilizing his position as a law enforcement officer to run criminal history checks on behalf of people involved in illegal drug trafficking. The complaint further alleges that Tapia passed on to those same individuals specific sensitive information regarding the then-ongoing drug investigation that he had obtained through the course of his official duties.
The individuals to whom Tapia passed the information were arrested in July 2008 and have since been charged along with several others in the Southern District of California in a criminal indictment in Case No. 08CR2642JAH.
Tapia is scheduled to be in court next on September 16, 2008, before Magistrate Judge Papas for a preliminary hearing.
United States Attorney Karen P. Hewitt announced that Juan Hurtado Tapia, a uniformed officer of the San Diego Police Department, was arraigned in federal court in San Diego by United States Magistrate Judge Leo S. Papas on a criminal complaint charging him with misuse of his status as a law enforcement officer to obtain and pass sensitive information to associates who were involved in drug trafficking crimes.
Mr. Tapia was arrested by FBI and DEA agents on September 2, 2008.
The complaint alleges that during the course of a long-term drug trafficking investigation being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the San Diego Police Department, investigating agents became aware in May 2008 that the targets of their investigation were in contact with Juan Hurtado Tapia, a patrol officer employed by the San Diego Police Department.
According to the complaint, information obtained through court-authorized wiretaps uncovered that Tapia was utilizing his position as a law enforcement officer to run criminal history checks on behalf of people involved in illegal drug trafficking. The complaint further alleges that Tapia passed on to those same individuals specific sensitive information regarding the then-ongoing drug investigation that he had obtained through the course of his official duties.
The individuals to whom Tapia passed the information were arrested in July 2008 and have since been charged along with several others in the Southern District of California in a criminal indictment in Case No. 08CR2642JAH.
Tapia is scheduled to be in court next on September 16, 2008, before Magistrate Judge Papas for a preliminary hearing.
Officer Rick Johnson Fired for Having Sex with Teen
An Altoona police officer accused of having sex with a teenage girl has been fired from his job.
Just hours after Rick Johnson waived his preliminary hearing Wednesday, Altoona City Council voted unanimously to fire him, citing a violation of the city's code of conduct.
It was not immediately clear if Johnson will be eligible to collect his police pension.
Officials with the city's pension board said, as far as they are concerned, there is no reason Johnson should be denied his pension.
Officer Rick Johnson Arrested for Having Sex with Teen
An Altoona police officer remains on administrative leave as authorities investigate his relationship with a 16-year-old girl.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General is leading the investigation. State police are also working the case, waiting for lab results and conducting additional interviews.
Rick Johnson was arrested Tuesday on charges of endangering the welfare of children and corruption of minors.
Police allege Johnson had sex with a 16-year-old girl from Indiana who he met on the Internet. The girl had visited Johnson a couple of times with her parents before visiting him alone last week.
Police said Johnson and the girl had sex three times when she visited him alone. Investigators said the girl's friends showed inappropriate text messages to the girl's parents, who in turn called police.
Johnson was not charged with statutory rape because the girl is 16 years old and the sex was consensual, police said.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General is leading the investigation. State police are also working the case, waiting for lab results and conducting additional interviews.
Rick Johnson was arrested Tuesday on charges of endangering the welfare of children and corruption of minors.
Police allege Johnson had sex with a 16-year-old girl from Indiana who he met on the Internet. The girl had visited Johnson a couple of times with her parents before visiting him alone last week.
Police said Johnson and the girl had sex three times when she visited him alone. Investigators said the girl's friends showed inappropriate text messages to the girl's parents, who in turn called police.
Johnson was not charged with statutory rape because the girl is 16 years old and the sex was consensual, police said.
Officer Chad Broder Accused of Fondling Handcuffed Teen
A 25-year-old Erie police officer has been arrested for investigation of unlawful sexual contact and attempted sexual assault of a young woman he had taken into custody.
The officer, Chad Aaron Broder, 25, allegedly fondled an 18-year-old woman whom he arrested for violating a restraining order.
According to Greeley police spokesman Sgt. Joe Tymkowych, Broder handled the arrest differently than most, placing the cuffed hands of the woman in front of her and letting her ride in the front passenger seat of the police cruiser.
Tymkowych said it is standard procedure to place arrested individuals in the back seat and to cuff their hands behind them.
The incident allegedly occurred the night of Aug. 31 in the 2400 block of O Street in Greeley.
Tymkowych said that Broder purportedly started talking to the young woman and then started kissing and fondling her.
The woman said she rebuffed Broder.
After she was released from custody, she told friends, who told a Longmont police officer. The Longmont officer told the woman she needed to report the incident.
Greeley police did an additional investigation after being informed of the allegations. The investigation was aided by the fact that Broder told the 18-year-old how he could be contacted.
There was an exchange of e-mails between the woman and Broder. The content of the e-mails "showed that what she claimed had happened did happen," said Tymkowych.
Broder was arrested at his home in Frederick at about 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Tymkowych said Broder has been with the Erie department for at least two years.
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=99533&catid=188
The officer, Chad Aaron Broder, 25, allegedly fondled an 18-year-old woman whom he arrested for violating a restraining order.
According to Greeley police spokesman Sgt. Joe Tymkowych, Broder handled the arrest differently than most, placing the cuffed hands of the woman in front of her and letting her ride in the front passenger seat of the police cruiser.
Tymkowych said it is standard procedure to place arrested individuals in the back seat and to cuff their hands behind them.
The incident allegedly occurred the night of Aug. 31 in the 2400 block of O Street in Greeley.
Tymkowych said that Broder purportedly started talking to the young woman and then started kissing and fondling her.
The woman said she rebuffed Broder.
After she was released from custody, she told friends, who told a Longmont police officer. The Longmont officer told the woman she needed to report the incident.
Greeley police did an additional investigation after being informed of the allegations. The investigation was aided by the fact that Broder told the 18-year-old how he could be contacted.
There was an exchange of e-mails between the woman and Broder. The content of the e-mails "showed that what she claimed had happened did happen," said Tymkowych.
Broder was arrested at his home in Frederick at about 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Tymkowych said Broder has been with the Erie department for at least two years.
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=99533&catid=188
Former Officer Kevin Johnson Accused of Rape
NEW YORK
A former New York City police officer has been indicted on charges of raping a woman in a hotel bathroom.
Prosecutors say 28-year-old Kevin Johnson was a police officer in April when he met a group of women at a Manhattan bar. They say although he was off duty he told the women he was an officer and one of them invited him back to their hotel room.
Johnson is accused of sexually assaulting another woman as she slept in the bathroom of the hotel room.
Johnson is charged with rape and sexual abuse. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the more serious rape charge. He resigned in June.
Defense attorney Stuart London says Johnson "vehemently denies the charges and looks forward to being vindicated at trial."
A former New York City police officer has been indicted on charges of raping a woman in a hotel bathroom.
Prosecutors say 28-year-old Kevin Johnson was a police officer in April when he met a group of women at a Manhattan bar. They say although he was off duty he told the women he was an officer and one of them invited him back to their hotel room.
Johnson is accused of sexually assaulting another woman as she slept in the bathroom of the hotel room.
Johnson is charged with rape and sexual abuse. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the more serious rape charge. He resigned in June.
Defense attorney Stuart London says Johnson "vehemently denies the charges and looks forward to being vindicated at trial."
Officer Tony Smith Fired for Insubordination
Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo today fired a police officer for insubordination after he said the officer posted a blog entry that his superiors concluded was meant to undermine the chief’s authority, according to a disciplinary memo.
According to the memo, officer Tony Smith posted an article from the blog on a bulletin board regarding a sexual harassment claim against Acevedo when he worked with the California Highway patrol. The memo alleges that Smith circulated the printout in protest of the firing of Sgt. Dustin Lee.
Lee was fired in June after he was accused of repeatedly sexually harassing a police employee and lying about it to internal affairs investigators.
According to the memo, Smith said during a dismissal hearing that he, “posted the blog because it was interesting and denied any intent to criticize, ridicule, or undermine,” Acevedo.
His chain of command disagreed, according to the memo, and concluded that Smith intended to undermine the chief’s authority.
Acevedo said in the memo that he recused himself from the review hearing because the incident involved himself. He left it up to Smith’s chain of command to recommend an appropriate discipline.
Smith has worked for the department since 2003, and has been disciplined several times, the memo said.
In 2005, he was suspended for 60 days after he was accused of refusing to end a relationship with a methamphetamine user and misusing city equipment to check the woman for warrants at her request, according to the memo. He was also accused of failing to take police action when he believed the woman was purchasing drugs, the memo said.
Several years ago, Acevedo, then a chief with the California highway patrol, was sued along with the highway patrol by a female employee whom Acevedo had dated a decade earlier. She said in the lawsuit that he had taken nude photos of her and shown them to other agency officials.
The lawsuit was dismissed, except for one allegation that Acevedo said was unrelated to his work and was settled. Acevedo said terms of the settlement prevent him from discussing the matter, and the case has been sealed by a judge.
http://www.txcn.com/sharedcontent/dws/txcn/austin/stories/091008kvue_APD_officer_fired-cb.63390686.html
According to the memo, officer Tony Smith posted an article from the blog on a bulletin board regarding a sexual harassment claim against Acevedo when he worked with the California Highway patrol. The memo alleges that Smith circulated the printout in protest of the firing of Sgt. Dustin Lee.
Lee was fired in June after he was accused of repeatedly sexually harassing a police employee and lying about it to internal affairs investigators.
According to the memo, Smith said during a dismissal hearing that he, “posted the blog because it was interesting and denied any intent to criticize, ridicule, or undermine,” Acevedo.
His chain of command disagreed, according to the memo, and concluded that Smith intended to undermine the chief’s authority.
Acevedo said in the memo that he recused himself from the review hearing because the incident involved himself. He left it up to Smith’s chain of command to recommend an appropriate discipline.
Smith has worked for the department since 2003, and has been disciplined several times, the memo said.
In 2005, he was suspended for 60 days after he was accused of refusing to end a relationship with a methamphetamine user and misusing city equipment to check the woman for warrants at her request, according to the memo. He was also accused of failing to take police action when he believed the woman was purchasing drugs, the memo said.
Several years ago, Acevedo, then a chief with the California highway patrol, was sued along with the highway patrol by a female employee whom Acevedo had dated a decade earlier. She said in the lawsuit that he had taken nude photos of her and shown them to other agency officials.
The lawsuit was dismissed, except for one allegation that Acevedo said was unrelated to his work and was settled. Acevedo said terms of the settlement prevent him from discussing the matter, and the case has been sealed by a judge.
http://www.txcn.com/sharedcontent/dws/txcn/austin/stories/091008kvue_APD_officer_fired-cb.63390686.html
Fire Chief Facing Charges of Rape Resigns
Boston Deputy Fire Chief Peter Pearson, facing charges of rape and attempted rape, resigned yesterday and is seeking a pension that could pay him more than $75,000 a year.
Based on calculations of age, years of service, military history, and his three highest paid consecutive years of service, Pearson could receive at least $76,874 a year and as much as $91,459.
Pearson's attorney, Kevin J. Reddington of Brockton, said his client, a 23-year Fire Department member, had no choice but to resign and apply for his pension after receiving notice from the fire administration that his job was in jeopardy. Under the notice, which he received last week, he had 14 days to return to work or he could be fired.
"It appears what Peter has to do to protect his family and his loved ones is to submit the paperwork he did," Reddington said. "He's got many, many years of distinguished service, and he's entitled to retirement."
Pearson was arrested on Aug. 18 after a prostitute in Brockton alleged that he raped her weeks earlier while posing as a State Police officer and showing a gun. He was initially released on $50,000 cash bail.
Within a week, five other women made allegations that he raped or tried to rape them. In all, four of them said he showed a gun. Pearson has since been held under the state's dangerousness statute.
Pearson has been in jail since Aug. 22. He applied for a four-month leave of absence, but Fire Commissioner Roderick Fraser rejected the request.
Reddington said Pearson will contest the charges and is appealing his detention. But, he said, Pearson needed to resign and seek his pension once he received the letter.
Retirement pensions are calculated on a complex formula based on age, years of service, history in the military, and the three highest paid consecutive years of service. According to city records, Pearson received an average of $158,539 over the last three years.
The state Board of Retirement calculations said Pearson, 51, is eligible to receive at least $76,874 a year if he retires immediately.
An alternative is to collect a pension at a later time. If he chooses to collect a pension at age 65, he could receive more than $91,459 a year.
City retirement officials have said that employees convicted of criminal charges can have their pensions revoked if their employer petitions the Boston Retirement Board. The officials have said it is very unusual for the board to revoke pensions. It was not clear whether the crime has to be related to job duty.
Individuals who face losing their pensions do have the opportunity to appear before the retirement board and make a case for keeping their retirement benefits.
Steve MacDonald, a spokesman for the Fire Department, said he could not comment on Pearson's salary, saying the issue will go before the city Retirement Board, which must approve city employee retirements.
http://www3.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO87698/
Based on calculations of age, years of service, military history, and his three highest paid consecutive years of service, Pearson could receive at least $76,874 a year and as much as $91,459.
Pearson's attorney, Kevin J. Reddington of Brockton, said his client, a 23-year Fire Department member, had no choice but to resign and apply for his pension after receiving notice from the fire administration that his job was in jeopardy. Under the notice, which he received last week, he had 14 days to return to work or he could be fired.
"It appears what Peter has to do to protect his family and his loved ones is to submit the paperwork he did," Reddington said. "He's got many, many years of distinguished service, and he's entitled to retirement."
Pearson was arrested on Aug. 18 after a prostitute in Brockton alleged that he raped her weeks earlier while posing as a State Police officer and showing a gun. He was initially released on $50,000 cash bail.
Within a week, five other women made allegations that he raped or tried to rape them. In all, four of them said he showed a gun. Pearson has since been held under the state's dangerousness statute.
Pearson has been in jail since Aug. 22. He applied for a four-month leave of absence, but Fire Commissioner Roderick Fraser rejected the request.
Reddington said Pearson will contest the charges and is appealing his detention. But, he said, Pearson needed to resign and seek his pension once he received the letter.
Retirement pensions are calculated on a complex formula based on age, years of service, history in the military, and the three highest paid consecutive years of service. According to city records, Pearson received an average of $158,539 over the last three years.
The state Board of Retirement calculations said Pearson, 51, is eligible to receive at least $76,874 a year if he retires immediately.
An alternative is to collect a pension at a later time. If he chooses to collect a pension at age 65, he could receive more than $91,459 a year.
City retirement officials have said that employees convicted of criminal charges can have their pensions revoked if their employer petitions the Boston Retirement Board. The officials have said it is very unusual for the board to revoke pensions. It was not clear whether the crime has to be related to job duty.
Individuals who face losing their pensions do have the opportunity to appear before the retirement board and make a case for keeping their retirement benefits.
Steve MacDonald, a spokesman for the Fire Department, said he could not comment on Pearson's salary, saying the issue will go before the city Retirement Board, which must approve city employee retirements.
http://www3.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO87698/
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Deputy Jeffery Nation Arrested for Assaulting Teen
AIKEN, S.C.
Authorities say a former Aiken County Sheriff’s deputy is charged with assaulting an 18-year-old he was arresting.
The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office said 40-year-old Jeffrey Nation of Aiken was arrested Tuesday, two days after he hit a New Ellenton teenager. Nation was charged with assault and battery and misconduct in office.
Sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Michael Frank said Nation was no longer an officer as of Tuesday morning.
Assault charges against the teen were dismissed. A statement from the sheriff’s office said Nation falsely accused the teen of trying to head-butt him.
Sheriff Michael Hunt said he asked the South Carolina Law Enforcement to investigate, and he apologized to the teen for unacceptable behavior by an officer.
Authorities say a former Aiken County Sheriff’s deputy is charged with assaulting an 18-year-old he was arresting.
The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office said 40-year-old Jeffrey Nation of Aiken was arrested Tuesday, two days after he hit a New Ellenton teenager. Nation was charged with assault and battery and misconduct in office.
Sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Michael Frank said Nation was no longer an officer as of Tuesday morning.
Assault charges against the teen were dismissed. A statement from the sheriff’s office said Nation falsely accused the teen of trying to head-butt him.
Sheriff Michael Hunt said he asked the South Carolina Law Enforcement to investigate, and he apologized to the teen for unacceptable behavior by an officer.
Officer Kevin Kovalovsky Request Denied
A former Freemansburg police officer charged with drunken driving faces a preliminary hearing again after his request for a first-time offender program was denied.
Kevin Kovalovsky, 32, was a full-time police officer when he was charged in December with two counts of drunken driving while off-duty. State police found Kovalovsky in his car along Route 33 in Bushkill Township and said his blood-alcohol content was more than three times the legal limit for driving of .08 percent.
Kovalovsky had waived his right to a preliminary hearing so he could be considered for the county's Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for first-time offenders. But Kovalovsky has been rejected for the program, said Northampton County Assistant District Attorney Bill Blake.
Kovalovsky asked the court to send the drunken driving charges back to a district judge and the request was granted Tuesday by Northampton County Judge F.P. Kimberly McFadden.
No new date has been set for the preliminary hearing, Blake said.
Last month, Kovalovsky was fired from the Freemansburg Police Department. Kovalovsky had served with the department since 1997.
In March, Kovalovsky was charged with public drunkenness by his own department in the early morning after St. Patrick's Day. That charge was later dismissed.
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf?/base/news-0/122101956449010.xml&coll=3
Kevin Kovalovsky, 32, was a full-time police officer when he was charged in December with two counts of drunken driving while off-duty. State police found Kovalovsky in his car along Route 33 in Bushkill Township and said his blood-alcohol content was more than three times the legal limit for driving of .08 percent.
Kovalovsky had waived his right to a preliminary hearing so he could be considered for the county's Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for first-time offenders. But Kovalovsky has been rejected for the program, said Northampton County Assistant District Attorney Bill Blake.
Kovalovsky asked the court to send the drunken driving charges back to a district judge and the request was granted Tuesday by Northampton County Judge F.P. Kimberly McFadden.
No new date has been set for the preliminary hearing, Blake said.
Last month, Kovalovsky was fired from the Freemansburg Police Department. Kovalovsky had served with the department since 1997.
In March, Kovalovsky was charged with public drunkenness by his own department in the early morning after St. Patrick's Day. That charge was later dismissed.
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf?/base/news-0/122101956449010.xml&coll=3
Officer Shaun Asher Arrested for Domestic Dispute
RIPLEY
A West Union Police officer was recently arrested following an alleged domestic dispute in the Ripley Post Office.
According to a report from the Ripley Police Department, on Aug. 23, at approximately 2:39 p.m., Officer Kevin Little of the Ripley Police department was advised of a fight at the Ripley Post Office on U.S. 52.
According to the report submitted by Officer Little, the argument involved a man and two women. The man was later identified by Ripley Police Officer Brad Liming to be West Union Police Officer Shaun Asher.
In his report, Little states that he approached Asher, who refused to cooperate and calm down. After Officer Little had tried several times to get Asher under control, he warned Asher that he would be shot with the taser due to his "anger being out of control."
According to Little, Asher stated that his girlfriend, a juvenile, and his wife, Jennifer Asher, were arguing and that he was trying to break it up. Little advised the girlfriend to leave the premises.
According to the report, Asher continued to persist, cursing and, at times becoming uncontrollable. A short time later, Lieutenant David Benjamin and Sergeant Donald Newman of the Ripley Police Department arrived on the scene. The two advised that Asher had been recently warned of his behavior at a bar at 19 Main Street.
Allegedly, Asher then stated that he was a cop and that he would "get out of it." All officers at the scene attempted to get Asher into a cab or other form of transportation, but Asher refused and told the officers to arrest him.
According to the officers, Asher allegedly turned to his wife and told her, "Shut up or I'll hit you up side the head." Upon uttering this statement, Asher was arrested for verbal domestic violence and persistent disorderly conduct. Asher was then placed in a police cruiser where he continued to curse and attempted to kick and hit the windows.
Sergeant Newman contacted the Brown County Sheriff's Office to advise of Asher's transportation to the Brown County Jail. He also contacted West Union Police Chief Roy Stricklet about the arrest. Chief Stricklet had no comment on the matter.
Allegedly, Asher continued to struggle during his travel to the Brown County Jail, claiming that he was going to fight everyone in the jail.
"Asher was afforded ample opportunities to keep himself out of jail," reported Sergeant Newman. "He decided not to use them."
A West Union Police officer was recently arrested following an alleged domestic dispute in the Ripley Post Office.
According to a report from the Ripley Police Department, on Aug. 23, at approximately 2:39 p.m., Officer Kevin Little of the Ripley Police department was advised of a fight at the Ripley Post Office on U.S. 52.
According to the report submitted by Officer Little, the argument involved a man and two women. The man was later identified by Ripley Police Officer Brad Liming to be West Union Police Officer Shaun Asher.
In his report, Little states that he approached Asher, who refused to cooperate and calm down. After Officer Little had tried several times to get Asher under control, he warned Asher that he would be shot with the taser due to his "anger being out of control."
According to Little, Asher stated that his girlfriend, a juvenile, and his wife, Jennifer Asher, were arguing and that he was trying to break it up. Little advised the girlfriend to leave the premises.
According to the report, Asher continued to persist, cursing and, at times becoming uncontrollable. A short time later, Lieutenant David Benjamin and Sergeant Donald Newman of the Ripley Police Department arrived on the scene. The two advised that Asher had been recently warned of his behavior at a bar at 19 Main Street.
Allegedly, Asher then stated that he was a cop and that he would "get out of it." All officers at the scene attempted to get Asher into a cab or other form of transportation, but Asher refused and told the officers to arrest him.
According to the officers, Asher allegedly turned to his wife and told her, "Shut up or I'll hit you up side the head." Upon uttering this statement, Asher was arrested for verbal domestic violence and persistent disorderly conduct. Asher was then placed in a police cruiser where he continued to curse and attempted to kick and hit the windows.
Sergeant Newman contacted the Brown County Sheriff's Office to advise of Asher's transportation to the Brown County Jail. He also contacted West Union Police Chief Roy Stricklet about the arrest. Chief Stricklet had no comment on the matter.
Allegedly, Asher continued to struggle during his travel to the Brown County Jail, claiming that he was going to fight everyone in the jail.
"Asher was afforded ample opportunities to keep himself out of jail," reported Sergeant Newman. "He decided not to use them."
Probation Officer Arrested on Theft and Forgery
A current and former employee of Cameron County's Probation Department have been arrested on theft and forgery charges after they were accused of selling $70,000 worth of forged Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark passes.
Sylvia Gonzalez, 37, and Angela Garcia, 32, both of Brownsville, were released on $7,500 personal recognizance bonds following their Monday arrests and arraignments, officials said.
Investigators believe the women sold approximately 600 forged Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark passes this year alone, said Jason Moody, spokesman for the District Attorney's office.
Schlitterbahn officials are conducting an audit to determine if any fake passes might have been sold in previous years.
Gonzalez was arrested at the probation office where she worked as an office clerk. It is not immediately known where Garcia was arrested.
Garcia resigned from her job as a probation officer two weeks ago.
Gonzalez will most likely be suspended with or without pay depending on the circumstances of her case, Human Resources Director Manuel Villarreal said.
Gonzalez's and Garcia's arrests are the result of a month-long investigation by the Cameron County District Attorney's Office Special Operations Group.
The district attorney's office had been contacted by Schlitterbahn employee, Mike Bigelow, director of marketing and sales, who alleged that numerous season passes had been copied and forged.
Bigelow stated that the passes were similar to the ones sold by the county's Human Resources Department to county employees at a discount.
A preliminary investigation shows that Gonzalez and Garcia were allegedly selling adult passes at $30 to $45 and passes for children at $25 to $40. The adult passes normally sell for $99, and season passes for children sell for $69.
Commenting on the arrest and charges, District Attorney Armando Villalobos said, he is disappointed with the situation in which " a few bad apples have taken advantage of a county perk for illicit gain... we are deeply offended that it included persons associated with law enforcement. We will seek jail time."
Authorities urge anyone who may have bought forged passes to contact the district attorney's office.
Sylvia Gonzalez, 37, and Angela Garcia, 32, both of Brownsville, were released on $7,500 personal recognizance bonds following their Monday arrests and arraignments, officials said.
Investigators believe the women sold approximately 600 forged Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark passes this year alone, said Jason Moody, spokesman for the District Attorney's office.
Schlitterbahn officials are conducting an audit to determine if any fake passes might have been sold in previous years.
Gonzalez was arrested at the probation office where she worked as an office clerk. It is not immediately known where Garcia was arrested.
Garcia resigned from her job as a probation officer two weeks ago.
Gonzalez will most likely be suspended with or without pay depending on the circumstances of her case, Human Resources Director Manuel Villarreal said.
Gonzalez's and Garcia's arrests are the result of a month-long investigation by the Cameron County District Attorney's Office Special Operations Group.
The district attorney's office had been contacted by Schlitterbahn employee, Mike Bigelow, director of marketing and sales, who alleged that numerous season passes had been copied and forged.
Bigelow stated that the passes were similar to the ones sold by the county's Human Resources Department to county employees at a discount.
A preliminary investigation shows that Gonzalez and Garcia were allegedly selling adult passes at $30 to $45 and passes for children at $25 to $40. The adult passes normally sell for $99, and season passes for children sell for $69.
Commenting on the arrest and charges, District Attorney Armando Villalobos said, he is disappointed with the situation in which " a few bad apples have taken advantage of a county perk for illicit gain... we are deeply offended that it included persons associated with law enforcement. We will seek jail time."
Authorities urge anyone who may have bought forged passes to contact the district attorney's office.
Detention Officer Clayton Buycks Arrested
Sheriff Joe Arpaio has arrested one of his own on charges of sexual assault and kidnapping.
28 year-old Clayton Darnell Buycks is a detention officer, accused of fondling a female inmate inside an elevator at the East Courthouse in downtown Phoenix last month.
The inmate was being transported to court to face drug charges when the attack occurred and investigators say she was handcuffed, resulting in the kidnapping charge.
Buycks spent the last 5 years as a detention officer with the Sheriff's Office, but Arpaio says he's been placed on administrative leave with pay while they continue their investigation.
http://www.azfamily.com/news/homepagetopstory/stories/phoenix-local-news-090908-officer-arrest.5ecdd5ce.html
28 year-old Clayton Darnell Buycks is a detention officer, accused of fondling a female inmate inside an elevator at the East Courthouse in downtown Phoenix last month.
The inmate was being transported to court to face drug charges when the attack occurred and investigators say she was handcuffed, resulting in the kidnapping charge.
Buycks spent the last 5 years as a detention officer with the Sheriff's Office, but Arpaio says he's been placed on administrative leave with pay while they continue their investigation.
http://www.azfamily.com/news/homepagetopstory/stories/phoenix-local-news-090908-officer-arrest.5ecdd5ce.html
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Officer Chancy Jones Charged with Murder
MEMPHIS, TN
A Memphis police officer has been arrested and charged with Second Degree Murder in the death of his mistress.
According to Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin, Officer Chancy Jones was in a sexual relationship with the victim, Phyllis Malone, over a period of weeks. Jones was married and had two children. At some point, Jones’ relationship with Malone became troubled. The two agreed to meet at a gas station in the 1700 block of Whitten Road, where investigators believe the murder happened, said Godwin. Malone’s body was found, slumped over the wheel of a car at the Shell gas station in Northeast Memphis, by a Wonder Bread delivery driver, Tuesday, September 9, 2008, around 5:40 a.m.
Director Godwin says an investigation led detectives to Officer Jones as a suspect in the shooting. Investigators say Jones committed the murder and then went to work as scheduled Tuesday afternoon. Investigators say the evidence quickly pointed to Jones and he was called back to his precinct Tuesday evening and taken to headquarters for questioning.
Officer Jones’ Personnel File at the Memphis Police Department shows that Jones appears to have been a model police officer. There was no disciplinary record for Jones, but there were many commendations and comments of praise within his file.
According to Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin, Officer Chancy Jones was in a sexual relationship with the victim, Phyllis Malone, over a period of weeks. Jones was married and had two children. At some point, Jones’ relationship with Malone became troubled. The two agreed to meet at a gas station in the 1700 block of Whitten Road, where investigators believe the murder happened, said Godwin. Malone’s body was found, slumped over the wheel of a car at the Shell gas station in Northeast Memphis, by a Wonder Bread delivery driver, Tuesday, September 9, 2008, around 5:40 a.m.
Director Godwin says an investigation led detectives to Officer Jones as a suspect in the shooting. Investigators say Jones committed the murder and then went to work as scheduled Tuesday afternoon. Investigators say the evidence quickly pointed to Jones and he was called back to his precinct Tuesday evening and taken to headquarters for questioning.
Officer Jones’ Personnel File at the Memphis Police Department shows that Jones appears to have been a model police officer. There was no disciplinary record for Jones, but there were many commendations and comments of praise within his file.
Officers Trying to Get Away with Using Fake Degrees
Berwyn Police Officer Thomas Skryd insisted he was well-qualified for promotion to sergeant: Just look at his test scores and master's degree in criminal justice, with an emphasis in "crimes of the powerful."
But when the city refused to consider the diploma, awarded by a university that approves advanced degrees overnight, Skryd fired back with a lawsuit.
The case, eventually dismissed, is another example tying the suburb's police department with recently uncovered diploma scandals.
Last month the Tribune reported that the names of five other current or former Berwyn police officers turned up on a federal list of 9,600 suspected buyers of degrees from phony schools as part of a Washington state criminal diploma scheme. Skryd is not on the list.
Through city records, it showed that a now-retired Berwyn Fire Department employee claimed a master of science degree in fire-safety management awarded from a university that state and federal officials don't recognize.
Police Chief William Kushner said his department has launched an investigation into whether the police officers and the Fire Department official used bogus academic credentials illegally to gain undeserved promotions and pay raises. Kushner said he also talked to the public integrity section of the Cook County state's attorney's office about possible charges.
And because the City of Berwyn offers a tuition-reimbursement program, Kushner said part of the investigation will look into whether anyone had wrongfully gotten tuition reimbursement for fake degrees, which can go from $500 a year for an associate's degree to $1,500 a year for a postgraduate diploma.
"It's a black eye on a fine department," Kushner said.
Because Kushner refused to honor Skryd's diploma, Skryd is not part of the investigation, Kushner said.
Documents obtained by the Tribune show that one retired police officer was approved for a $1,900 tuition reimbursement for a doctorate in criminal justice from Glencullen University, an institution whose accreditation isn't recognized by the federal government. Kushner said he has yet to determine whether any payments actually went through.
With the exception of Skryd, the Tribune is not naming the officials who allegedly bought the degrees because they have not been charged with a crime. Skryd's name became public when he filed the lawsuit.
Kushner said he has gone through the academic credentials of all current officers to make sure they are legitimate, and he has found no further problems.
Skryd, who never got his promotion, said he was not aware that the Belford University degree he obtained was questionable. He said that his lawsuit, filed in 2006, covered other issues apart from his degree, and that he was embarrassed to learn the nature of Belford University.
"It was one of those situations where I should've known," he said. "It was too good to be true."
Skryd's wife is Ald. Michele Skryd, who he said was unaware of his degree. "Once I realized what had happened, I was probably too embarrassed even to tell her," he said.
Kushner, who assumed his job early in 2006, talked with Skryd before he filed his suit, noting the problems with the university.
Kushner said he asked Skryd if he knew the degree had no value. "[Skryd] said, 'Well, I guess I do now,' " according to Kushner.
Still, he included the degree in his suit—an act he now blames on "cognitive dissonance."
Berwyn officials emphasize that the alleged abuses took place under a previous police chief and mayor, and that Kushner and the human resources department now must approve degrees that are submitted.
The investigation was recently aired at a City Council meeting after aldermen demanded more information.
Some of them had heard rumors that there was no investigation, "which was furthest from the truth," Mayor Michael O'Connor said. "We would never stand in the way."
The names of the current and former Berwyn officers under fire came to light after federal agents investigated the Washington diploma scheme. That probe eventually led to guilty pleas this year from diploma mill officials.
Some of the diplomas allegedly obtained by the Berwyn officers came from schools such as St. Regis University, part of the Washington scheme that federal officials shut down, and LaSalle University in Mandeville, La., which collapsed after its president was imprisoned for fraud in connection with the selling of degrees in the late 1990s.
Others, such as Glencullen University, have accreditation that isn't recognized by either the state or federal government, or both.
Records obtained by the Tribune show that the retired Berwyn Fire Department employee was awarded a degree in 2005 by Madison University, a Mississippi institution whose accreditation state and federal officials don't recognize. Fire Chief Denis J. O'Halloran said he turned the case over to Kushner.
As for Skryd's school, Belford University, it grants degrees within a few hours based on undocumented "life experience" submitted by applicants. George Gollin, a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a diploma-mill buster, tested the system and was quickly approved for a doctorate in public policy. "I gave them as my life experience that I read the newspaper and I watch the evening television news," Gollin said. "And they wrote back to say, 'Sure thing,' and I think they wanted about 500 bucks for the degree."
To apply to Belford, Skryd said he filled out a multiple-choice questionnaire and submitted his résumé online, listing his years of work on the beat, in-service training and other experience. Within a few days, he was approved for the degree, Skryd said.
But he said the degree didn't help his career; he is still waiting for promotion to sergeant.
"I never did benefit from it," Skryd said, "and I certainly would never do something like that again."
But when the city refused to consider the diploma, awarded by a university that approves advanced degrees overnight, Skryd fired back with a lawsuit.
The case, eventually dismissed, is another example tying the suburb's police department with recently uncovered diploma scandals.
Last month the Tribune reported that the names of five other current or former Berwyn police officers turned up on a federal list of 9,600 suspected buyers of degrees from phony schools as part of a Washington state criminal diploma scheme. Skryd is not on the list.
Through city records, it showed that a now-retired Berwyn Fire Department employee claimed a master of science degree in fire-safety management awarded from a university that state and federal officials don't recognize.
Police Chief William Kushner said his department has launched an investigation into whether the police officers and the Fire Department official used bogus academic credentials illegally to gain undeserved promotions and pay raises. Kushner said he also talked to the public integrity section of the Cook County state's attorney's office about possible charges.
And because the City of Berwyn offers a tuition-reimbursement program, Kushner said part of the investigation will look into whether anyone had wrongfully gotten tuition reimbursement for fake degrees, which can go from $500 a year for an associate's degree to $1,500 a year for a postgraduate diploma.
"It's a black eye on a fine department," Kushner said.
Because Kushner refused to honor Skryd's diploma, Skryd is not part of the investigation, Kushner said.
Documents obtained by the Tribune show that one retired police officer was approved for a $1,900 tuition reimbursement for a doctorate in criminal justice from Glencullen University, an institution whose accreditation isn't recognized by the federal government. Kushner said he has yet to determine whether any payments actually went through.
With the exception of Skryd, the Tribune is not naming the officials who allegedly bought the degrees because they have not been charged with a crime. Skryd's name became public when he filed the lawsuit.
Kushner said he has gone through the academic credentials of all current officers to make sure they are legitimate, and he has found no further problems.
Skryd, who never got his promotion, said he was not aware that the Belford University degree he obtained was questionable. He said that his lawsuit, filed in 2006, covered other issues apart from his degree, and that he was embarrassed to learn the nature of Belford University.
"It was one of those situations where I should've known," he said. "It was too good to be true."
Skryd's wife is Ald. Michele Skryd, who he said was unaware of his degree. "Once I realized what had happened, I was probably too embarrassed even to tell her," he said.
Kushner, who assumed his job early in 2006, talked with Skryd before he filed his suit, noting the problems with the university.
Kushner said he asked Skryd if he knew the degree had no value. "[Skryd] said, 'Well, I guess I do now,' " according to Kushner.
Still, he included the degree in his suit—an act he now blames on "cognitive dissonance."
Berwyn officials emphasize that the alleged abuses took place under a previous police chief and mayor, and that Kushner and the human resources department now must approve degrees that are submitted.
The investigation was recently aired at a City Council meeting after aldermen demanded more information.
Some of them had heard rumors that there was no investigation, "which was furthest from the truth," Mayor Michael O'Connor said. "We would never stand in the way."
The names of the current and former Berwyn officers under fire came to light after federal agents investigated the Washington diploma scheme. That probe eventually led to guilty pleas this year from diploma mill officials.
Some of the diplomas allegedly obtained by the Berwyn officers came from schools such as St. Regis University, part of the Washington scheme that federal officials shut down, and LaSalle University in Mandeville, La., which collapsed after its president was imprisoned for fraud in connection with the selling of degrees in the late 1990s.
Others, such as Glencullen University, have accreditation that isn't recognized by either the state or federal government, or both.
Records obtained by the Tribune show that the retired Berwyn Fire Department employee was awarded a degree in 2005 by Madison University, a Mississippi institution whose accreditation state and federal officials don't recognize. Fire Chief Denis J. O'Halloran said he turned the case over to Kushner.
As for Skryd's school, Belford University, it grants degrees within a few hours based on undocumented "life experience" submitted by applicants. George Gollin, a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a diploma-mill buster, tested the system and was quickly approved for a doctorate in public policy. "I gave them as my life experience that I read the newspaper and I watch the evening television news," Gollin said. "And they wrote back to say, 'Sure thing,' and I think they wanted about 500 bucks for the degree."
To apply to Belford, Skryd said he filled out a multiple-choice questionnaire and submitted his résumé online, listing his years of work on the beat, in-service training and other experience. Within a few days, he was approved for the degree, Skryd said.
But he said the degree didn't help his career; he is still waiting for promotion to sergeant.
"I never did benefit from it," Skryd said, "and I certainly would never do something like that again."
Deputy Jeffery Gerres Charged with Assault
A Harford County sheriff's deputy was arrested Sunday morning in Southeast Baltimore after a woman told police she was coaxed into a residence for a bachelor party and pushed down a flight of stairs, according to court records.
But Deputy Jeffery Gerres, a member of the sheriff's office's violent street crimes unit who received a commendation in 2007, filed his own complaint yesterday against Denise Lillian Rothwell, 47, a twice-convicted prostitute, alleging that she hit him in the eye after he rejected her advances.
Police found Rothwell about 3:30 a.m., crying with her face bruised and bloodied. She told police that a group of five men drove up to her, one of whom flashed a police badge, and asked her to join them for a bachelor party in the 3300 block of O'Donnell St., city police wrote in charging documents.
Rothwell said that she was offered $100 to perform a sex act on the bachelor, who was not identified, but alleged that the man with the badge later asked for the money back, saying that the bills were marked. She added that the man pushed her toward the front door and pushed her again down the stairs, causing her to fall face-first.
Crime lab technicians responded to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, where she was taken for treatment and examination.
An officer went to the O'Donnell Street residence, where Gerres, 29, of Rising Sun, allegedly answered the door and identified himself as a sheriff's deputy. He said he was standing on the front steps of the home when the woman asked him if he was "looking for a party." When he told her no, she struck him in the eye, he said. The officer later observed that Gerres had bruises around his left eye.
Police charged Gerres that morning with second-degree assault and allowing a person into a building for prostitution; yesterday, Gerres filed second-degree assault charges against the woman in District Court.
A spokeswoman for the county sheriff's office said Gerres' police powers have been suspended pending further investigation.
http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=ef5e95fc-1ff5-4ffd-9df5-80e238fc3ff8
But Deputy Jeffery Gerres, a member of the sheriff's office's violent street crimes unit who received a commendation in 2007, filed his own complaint yesterday against Denise Lillian Rothwell, 47, a twice-convicted prostitute, alleging that she hit him in the eye after he rejected her advances.
Police found Rothwell about 3:30 a.m., crying with her face bruised and bloodied. She told police that a group of five men drove up to her, one of whom flashed a police badge, and asked her to join them for a bachelor party in the 3300 block of O'Donnell St., city police wrote in charging documents.
Rothwell said that she was offered $100 to perform a sex act on the bachelor, who was not identified, but alleged that the man with the badge later asked for the money back, saying that the bills were marked. She added that the man pushed her toward the front door and pushed her again down the stairs, causing her to fall face-first.
Crime lab technicians responded to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, where she was taken for treatment and examination.
An officer went to the O'Donnell Street residence, where Gerres, 29, of Rising Sun, allegedly answered the door and identified himself as a sheriff's deputy. He said he was standing on the front steps of the home when the woman asked him if he was "looking for a party." When he told her no, she struck him in the eye, he said. The officer later observed that Gerres had bruises around his left eye.
Police charged Gerres that morning with second-degree assault and allowing a person into a building for prostitution; yesterday, Gerres filed second-degree assault charges against the woman in District Court.
A spokeswoman for the county sheriff's office said Gerres' police powers have been suspended pending further investigation.
http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=ef5e95fc-1ff5-4ffd-9df5-80e238fc3ff8
Officer Anthony Scatena Pleads Guilty to Invasion of Privacy
A Fort Wayne police officer who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor this spring was fired Monday after the city's board of public safety determined the officer had an unacceptable pattern of misconduct and a disregard for a court order.
Anthony Scatena, a 13-year veteran of the department, pleaded guilty to an invasion-of-privacy charge, a Class A misdemeanor, in April. The board had little discussion of board chairwoman Sharon Peters' motion before voting to dismiss him. The two newest board members, Bob Elder and Steve Boerger, did not hear evidence related to the case and abstained from voting.
Scatena declined to comment Monday evening. Police Chief Rusty York said he would be formally notified of the board's decision today.
Scatena was initially arrested on two misdemeanor charges of battery and domestic battery after police were called to his home in November. The Allen County prosecutor dropped those two charges a few days after the invasion-of-privacy charge was filed.
According to court records, Scatena called or was called by the same woman he allegedly battered 261 times between January and February - a violation of a no-contact order issued as part of the domestic battery case. The phone calls ranged in length of one minute to 27 minutes.
York asked the board to fire Scatena in May, and a closed-door evidentiary hearing was held in July to consider whether the officer violated any departmental rules and regulations.
During the hearing, the three-member board learned that Scatena initiated 64 phone calls to the woman. Scatena told the board that the woman, who was living in his house, called him to ensure the bills were paid. An outside employer told the board that the woman tried to contact Scatena at the business several times and had seen text messages and phone calls the woman made to his cell phone, the written findings said.
The board found that Scatena violated the no-contact order repeatedly and showed a "complete disregard for an order of the court." The police department's domestic relations policy states a protective order is a court order and that violators may be arrested, the board wrote in its findings.
The board also cited Scatena's disciplinary history in determining that "Scatena's conduct demonstrates an unacceptable pattern of conduct and a clear disregard for the rules of the department."
The board detailed six reprimands and suspensions. All but one disciplinary action involved complaints that Scatena was rude, made inappropriate comments or used profanity. He also was suspended for leaving his district and a filing a false report.
York told the board that "Scatena's sustained allegations show a disregard for rules and a pattern of rudeness and confrontation," according to the written findings.
York told the board that a Class A misdemeanor conviction under the department's rules and regulations is cause for dismissal or a suspension to be determined by the board. He also said that Scatena's credibility was "impaired," the findings said.
York said after the meeting that he was concerned that by pleading guilty to disregarding a judge's order, that would hamper Scatena's ability to work with the prosecutor's office and even other divisions within the police department. For example, victims' assistance was involved in Scatena's case, York said.
The board last voted to terminate a city employee in 2002, when it fired firefighter Kenneth Burson. His dismissal was later overturned in court, and he resigned from the department. The board also fired police officers Nathan Alexander in 1999 and James Chin in 2001 - both resulted in lawsuits.
Anthony Scatena, a 13-year veteran of the department, pleaded guilty to an invasion-of-privacy charge, a Class A misdemeanor, in April. The board had little discussion of board chairwoman Sharon Peters' motion before voting to dismiss him. The two newest board members, Bob Elder and Steve Boerger, did not hear evidence related to the case and abstained from voting.
Scatena declined to comment Monday evening. Police Chief Rusty York said he would be formally notified of the board's decision today.
Scatena was initially arrested on two misdemeanor charges of battery and domestic battery after police were called to his home in November. The Allen County prosecutor dropped those two charges a few days after the invasion-of-privacy charge was filed.
According to court records, Scatena called or was called by the same woman he allegedly battered 261 times between January and February - a violation of a no-contact order issued as part of the domestic battery case. The phone calls ranged in length of one minute to 27 minutes.
York asked the board to fire Scatena in May, and a closed-door evidentiary hearing was held in July to consider whether the officer violated any departmental rules and regulations.
During the hearing, the three-member board learned that Scatena initiated 64 phone calls to the woman. Scatena told the board that the woman, who was living in his house, called him to ensure the bills were paid. An outside employer told the board that the woman tried to contact Scatena at the business several times and had seen text messages and phone calls the woman made to his cell phone, the written findings said.
The board found that Scatena violated the no-contact order repeatedly and showed a "complete disregard for an order of the court." The police department's domestic relations policy states a protective order is a court order and that violators may be arrested, the board wrote in its findings.
The board also cited Scatena's disciplinary history in determining that "Scatena's conduct demonstrates an unacceptable pattern of conduct and a clear disregard for the rules of the department."
The board detailed six reprimands and suspensions. All but one disciplinary action involved complaints that Scatena was rude, made inappropriate comments or used profanity. He also was suspended for leaving his district and a filing a false report.
York told the board that "Scatena's sustained allegations show a disregard for rules and a pattern of rudeness and confrontation," according to the written findings.
York told the board that a Class A misdemeanor conviction under the department's rules and regulations is cause for dismissal or a suspension to be determined by the board. He also said that Scatena's credibility was "impaired," the findings said.
York said after the meeting that he was concerned that by pleading guilty to disregarding a judge's order, that would hamper Scatena's ability to work with the prosecutor's office and even other divisions within the police department. For example, victims' assistance was involved in Scatena's case, York said.
The board last voted to terminate a city employee in 2002, when it fired firefighter Kenneth Burson. His dismissal was later overturned in court, and he resigned from the department. The board also fired police officers Nathan Alexander in 1999 and James Chin in 2001 - both resulted in lawsuits.
Former deputy accused of forcing child to perform sex acts at gunpoint
MAYSVILLE, S.C.
A former Lee County sheriff's deputy who police say forced a 9-year-old child to perform sex acts on him at gunpoint has been arrested.
Fifty-six-year-old Wayne Atkinson of Mayesville was being held Wednesday at a Sumter County detention center.
He is charged with criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
It's not clear if Atkinson had an attorney.
A number for Atkinson was not published and a woman at the jail said she didn't know if he had a lawyer.
Also, 51-year-old Shirley Jackson is charged with unlawful
conduct toward a child.
Investigators think the child was Jackson's foster child.
A former Lee County sheriff's deputy who police say forced a 9-year-old child to perform sex acts on him at gunpoint has been arrested.
Fifty-six-year-old Wayne Atkinson of Mayesville was being held Wednesday at a Sumter County detention center.
He is charged with criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
It's not clear if Atkinson had an attorney.
A number for Atkinson was not published and a woman at the jail said she didn't know if he had a lawyer.
Also, 51-year-old Shirley Jackson is charged with unlawful
conduct toward a child.
Investigators think the child was Jackson's foster child.
Officer Garry Ferguson Pleads No Contest
A Maricopa Police officer accused of having sex with minors entered a plea of no contest in court Monday afternoon.
Last week, 30-year-old Garry Ferguson rejected a plea deal, that would have put him behind bars for nine years.
Monday the prosecutor said she will ask for only eight years.
Ferguson is accused of sexually abusing three teenagers in Kings County. He is also being investigated in Kern County for sexual misconduct with a minor.
http://www.turnto23.com/news/17424860/detail.html
Last week, 30-year-old Garry Ferguson rejected a plea deal, that would have put him behind bars for nine years.
Monday the prosecutor said she will ask for only eight years.
Ferguson is accused of sexually abusing three teenagers in Kings County. He is also being investigated in Kern County for sexual misconduct with a minor.
http://www.turnto23.com/news/17424860/detail.html
Officer Slawomir Plewa Arrested for Trying to Frame Woman
CHICAGO
A Chicago police officer and another man have been charged with taking part in a scheme to arrest the man's estranged wife after planting drugs and a gun in her car.
Slawomir Plewa, 30, faces charges of perjury, obstruction of justice, official misconduct, unlawful restraint and other charges. He was ordered held in lieu of $250,000 bail by Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. during a hearing Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court.
Bogdan Mazur, 48, of Crystal Lake was arrested on false reporting, obstruction of justice as well as drug and gun conspiracy charges. He was also ordered held in lieu of $250,000 bail Tuesday.
Mazur was angry with his estranged wife over money and "some of her parenting decisions" and hatched a plan with Plewa, whom he met through a mutual friend, to frame her, according to court documents filed by the Cook County state's attorney's office.
The documents say Mazur admitted to taking part in the scheme with Plewa and an uncharged coconspirator and that he and the uncharged coconspirator agreed to split a corporation owned by Mazur and his wife "after the victim was arrested and presumably convicted and sent to jail."
On April 1 of last year Mazur was with the couple's two young children in a Chicago garage when he called his wife, told her his vehicle wouldn't start, and asked her to pick up their children, officials said. Mazur and the coconspirator had already placed drugs and the gun into the spare tire compartment of the woman's car.
When she arrived at the garage, Plewa and other officers were waiting.
"Plewa provided false information indicating that an anonymous individual walked into the police station and provided information that led to the stop and arrest of the victim," according to prosecutors in the document, a motion to set bail.
When the woman arrived, Plewa asked if he could search the vehicle — a search that revealed the hidden items, prosecutors alleged.
The woman was arrested on drugs and weapons charges. She was acquitted of the charges during a trial in which Plewa allegedly provided false testimony, prosecutors said.
Plewa's attorney, Dan Herbert, said after Tuesday's hearing that his client was innocent and followed standard police procedure.
"He gathered information and made an arrest based on that information," Herbert said.
"His relationship with Mazur was a typical relationship between a police officer and if, in fact, there was a set up, Officer Plewa had no way of knowing of this," he said.
The case marks the latest embarrassment for Chicago's police department, which has tried to restore public confidence after a string of allegations of police brutality and misconduct.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-chicago-cop-arrest-10-bothsep10,0,5995079.story
A Chicago police officer and another man have been charged with taking part in a scheme to arrest the man's estranged wife after planting drugs and a gun in her car.
Slawomir Plewa, 30, faces charges of perjury, obstruction of justice, official misconduct, unlawful restraint and other charges. He was ordered held in lieu of $250,000 bail by Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. during a hearing Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court.
Bogdan Mazur, 48, of Crystal Lake was arrested on false reporting, obstruction of justice as well as drug and gun conspiracy charges. He was also ordered held in lieu of $250,000 bail Tuesday.
Mazur was angry with his estranged wife over money and "some of her parenting decisions" and hatched a plan with Plewa, whom he met through a mutual friend, to frame her, according to court documents filed by the Cook County state's attorney's office.
The documents say Mazur admitted to taking part in the scheme with Plewa and an uncharged coconspirator and that he and the uncharged coconspirator agreed to split a corporation owned by Mazur and his wife "after the victim was arrested and presumably convicted and sent to jail."
On April 1 of last year Mazur was with the couple's two young children in a Chicago garage when he called his wife, told her his vehicle wouldn't start, and asked her to pick up their children, officials said. Mazur and the coconspirator had already placed drugs and the gun into the spare tire compartment of the woman's car.
When she arrived at the garage, Plewa and other officers were waiting.
"Plewa provided false information indicating that an anonymous individual walked into the police station and provided information that led to the stop and arrest of the victim," according to prosecutors in the document, a motion to set bail.
When the woman arrived, Plewa asked if he could search the vehicle — a search that revealed the hidden items, prosecutors alleged.
The woman was arrested on drugs and weapons charges. She was acquitted of the charges during a trial in which Plewa allegedly provided false testimony, prosecutors said.
Plewa's attorney, Dan Herbert, said after Tuesday's hearing that his client was innocent and followed standard police procedure.
"He gathered information and made an arrest based on that information," Herbert said.
"His relationship with Mazur was a typical relationship between a police officer and if, in fact, there was a set up, Officer Plewa had no way of knowing of this," he said.
The case marks the latest embarrassment for Chicago's police department, which has tried to restore public confidence after a string of allegations of police brutality and misconduct.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-chicago-cop-arrest-10-bothsep10,0,5995079.story
Officer John Lee May Arrested for Stealing Puppy
A Putnam County Sheriff’s Office K-9 officer and school resource officer who was fired from his job last week was arrested Monday after an 11-year-old boy reportedly saw him steal a dog from a pet shop.
John Lee May, 39, of San Mateo was arrested on a charge of grand theft in connection with the theft of a tea-cup Chihuahua.
According to Sheriff’s Maj. Keith Riddick, May went into the Acme Pet shop on U.S. 17 in San Mateo on Saturday wearing a heavy jacket. The pet shop owner later told deputies that a customer noticed a man acting suspiciously and the customer’s 11-year-old son saw the man put the tiny dog into a jacket pocket.
May was arrested on a warrant Monday and shortly afterward posted the $1,004 bond in the case, Riddick said.
May had worked for the Sheriff’s Office three times over the past eight years and the dog theft case was apparently unrelated to his release from the agency, Riddick said.
The agency terminated May a week ago after completing what Riddick said was “an internal investigation into a complaint of possible domestic violence involving his ex-girlfriend.”
May had been a K-9 officer in the School Resource Unit and was working as a middle school resource deputy when he was let go.
John Lee May, 39, of San Mateo was arrested on a charge of grand theft in connection with the theft of a tea-cup Chihuahua.
According to Sheriff’s Maj. Keith Riddick, May went into the Acme Pet shop on U.S. 17 in San Mateo on Saturday wearing a heavy jacket. The pet shop owner later told deputies that a customer noticed a man acting suspiciously and the customer’s 11-year-old son saw the man put the tiny dog into a jacket pocket.
May was arrested on a warrant Monday and shortly afterward posted the $1,004 bond in the case, Riddick said.
May had worked for the Sheriff’s Office three times over the past eight years and the dog theft case was apparently unrelated to his release from the agency, Riddick said.
The agency terminated May a week ago after completing what Riddick said was “an internal investigation into a complaint of possible domestic violence involving his ex-girlfriend.”
May had been a K-9 officer in the School Resource Unit and was working as a middle school resource deputy when he was let go.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Captain Tony Surles Arrested on Felony Charges
A Roseboro police captain has been arrested on a felony charge for allegedly using town funds to purchase a transmission for a vehicle not owned by the town or its police department.
Capt. Tony Surles, of the Roseboro Police Department, turned himself in to investigators at the Sampson County Law Enforcement Center Monday. He was charged with obtaining property by false pretenses, a felony offense.
Authorities said the arrest was the culmination of a two-month joint investigation by the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office. The probe was conducted at the request of the Roseboro Board of Commissioners.
“The town board, through our attorney, requested an investigation into some alleged inconsistencies in our town policies and procedures,” Roseboro mayor Roland Hall said when reached by phone Monday night.
According to sheriff’s officials, the investigation was initiated after town officials discovered that a false purchase order number from the town of Roseboro was used to obtain a vehicle transmission for a style of vehicle that is not in the town’s fleet.
The mayor said the decision was made by the town board “to seek out whatever agency was appropriate to conduct the investigation.”
The Sheriff’s Office took over the investigation and discussed the case with the District Attorney’s Office before obtaining a warrant on Surles.
“After conducting interviews and examining evidence collected, investigators consulted with District Attorney Dewey Hudson, who decided that sufficient probable cause was available to charge Surles,” a press release from the Sheriff’s Office stated.
Upon turning himself in, Surles was administratively processed at the Sampson County Detention Center Monday evening and released under a $500 unsecured bond.
Surles served in an interim capacity as police chief for a short time in 2006 before Preston Howell Jr. was hired to the chief’s post. Later that same year, then-chief Howell promoted Surles from sergeant to captain, a position in which Surles has served since then.
Hall said Monday night that he could not speak to any additional disciplinary action that would be taken by the town of Roseboro in light of the felony charge against Surles.
“I’m not in a position where I can make any comment on that right now,” Hall said. “The board is not in session until tomorrow night (Tuesday).”
The Roseboro mayor said board members would likely discuss the issue at that time.
“We will deal with that, probably in closed session because it is a personnel matter,” said Hall.
Capt. Tony Surles, of the Roseboro Police Department, turned himself in to investigators at the Sampson County Law Enforcement Center Monday. He was charged with obtaining property by false pretenses, a felony offense.
Authorities said the arrest was the culmination of a two-month joint investigation by the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office. The probe was conducted at the request of the Roseboro Board of Commissioners.
“The town board, through our attorney, requested an investigation into some alleged inconsistencies in our town policies and procedures,” Roseboro mayor Roland Hall said when reached by phone Monday night.
According to sheriff’s officials, the investigation was initiated after town officials discovered that a false purchase order number from the town of Roseboro was used to obtain a vehicle transmission for a style of vehicle that is not in the town’s fleet.
The mayor said the decision was made by the town board “to seek out whatever agency was appropriate to conduct the investigation.”
The Sheriff’s Office took over the investigation and discussed the case with the District Attorney’s Office before obtaining a warrant on Surles.
“After conducting interviews and examining evidence collected, investigators consulted with District Attorney Dewey Hudson, who decided that sufficient probable cause was available to charge Surles,” a press release from the Sheriff’s Office stated.
Upon turning himself in, Surles was administratively processed at the Sampson County Detention Center Monday evening and released under a $500 unsecured bond.
Surles served in an interim capacity as police chief for a short time in 2006 before Preston Howell Jr. was hired to the chief’s post. Later that same year, then-chief Howell promoted Surles from sergeant to captain, a position in which Surles has served since then.
Hall said Monday night that he could not speak to any additional disciplinary action that would be taken by the town of Roseboro in light of the felony charge against Surles.
“I’m not in a position where I can make any comment on that right now,” Hall said. “The board is not in session until tomorrow night (Tuesday).”
The Roseboro mayor said board members would likely discuss the issue at that time.
“We will deal with that, probably in closed session because it is a personnel matter,” said Hall.
Officers Accused of Using Excessive Force
Police are under fire again for using excessive force.
Onset resident Paul Andrade, 52, recounted his story to the Board of Selectmen Tuesday night.
Andrade told the board he was driving down Depot Street with his brother behind a police car Saturday, Sept. 6. When the two cars got to the Onset VFW, the officer pulled over to the side of the road and let Andrade pass. As soon as Andrade passed the police car, it began to follow him up the street.
“I told my brother that he was going to stop us,” Andrade said.
Andrade pulled into the parking lot of the Oak Grove Package Store and got out of the car. The police car began flashing its blue lights and the officer, who Andrade identified as Charles Pillsbury, instructed Andrade to get back into his vehicle.
While Andrade repeatedly noted that he had something of a checkered past with the Wareham Police Department, he said he had done a lot to straighten out his life. When the officer asked to see his license and registration, Andrade asked why he had been pulled over; he claimed that Pillsbury told him that he didn’t need a reason.
He then told Andrade to step out of the vehicle. Andrade said he protested briefly, and he repeatedly asked the officer why he had been stopped. During this back and forth exchange between Andrade and Pillsbury, the officer sprayed him with mace. Andrade said that by the time the package store manager tried to intervene, Pillsbury must have used almost the whole can of mace.
Pillsbury then placed Andrade under arrest for disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, resisting arrest, failure to produce a license and registration, threat to commit murder, threat to commit bodily harm and failure to signal a turn.
In addition to the charges, Andrade’s car was towed, in spite of an offer from his brother to drive it back home and from the store manager to allow it to be left until Andrade could claim it. Andrade’s dogs were also taken to Dartmouth animal shelter, and he has yet to get his license and registration back.
The complaint comes on the heels of a recent accusation that officers used excessive force against a teenaged girl during an arrest in Onset earlier this summer.
Selectman Bruce Sauvageau offered one explanation, referencing accusations that the police were targeting the Cape Verdean community.
“I also notice you’re a black man, and that was your first mistake,” he said.
Sauvageau also called Officer Pillsbury a “disgrace,” and he claimed that this was the “natural result” of nepotism. Pillsbury’s mother, Mary Jane Pillsbury, is a former selectman and retired library director.
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080910/NEWS/809100326
Onset resident Paul Andrade, 52, recounted his story to the Board of Selectmen Tuesday night.
Andrade told the board he was driving down Depot Street with his brother behind a police car Saturday, Sept. 6. When the two cars got to the Onset VFW, the officer pulled over to the side of the road and let Andrade pass. As soon as Andrade passed the police car, it began to follow him up the street.
“I told my brother that he was going to stop us,” Andrade said.
Andrade pulled into the parking lot of the Oak Grove Package Store and got out of the car. The police car began flashing its blue lights and the officer, who Andrade identified as Charles Pillsbury, instructed Andrade to get back into his vehicle.
While Andrade repeatedly noted that he had something of a checkered past with the Wareham Police Department, he said he had done a lot to straighten out his life. When the officer asked to see his license and registration, Andrade asked why he had been pulled over; he claimed that Pillsbury told him that he didn’t need a reason.
He then told Andrade to step out of the vehicle. Andrade said he protested briefly, and he repeatedly asked the officer why he had been stopped. During this back and forth exchange between Andrade and Pillsbury, the officer sprayed him with mace. Andrade said that by the time the package store manager tried to intervene, Pillsbury must have used almost the whole can of mace.
Pillsbury then placed Andrade under arrest for disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, resisting arrest, failure to produce a license and registration, threat to commit murder, threat to commit bodily harm and failure to signal a turn.
In addition to the charges, Andrade’s car was towed, in spite of an offer from his brother to drive it back home and from the store manager to allow it to be left until Andrade could claim it. Andrade’s dogs were also taken to Dartmouth animal shelter, and he has yet to get his license and registration back.
The complaint comes on the heels of a recent accusation that officers used excessive force against a teenaged girl during an arrest in Onset earlier this summer.
Selectman Bruce Sauvageau offered one explanation, referencing accusations that the police were targeting the Cape Verdean community.
“I also notice you’re a black man, and that was your first mistake,” he said.
Sauvageau also called Officer Pillsbury a “disgrace,” and he claimed that this was the “natural result” of nepotism. Pillsbury’s mother, Mary Jane Pillsbury, is a former selectman and retired library director.
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080910/NEWS/809100326
Monday, September 08, 2008
Officer Josh Senseney Arrested for Drunk Driving
ANDERSON, Ind.
Anderson police arrested one of their own over the weekend.
Police say Officer Josh Senseney was driving his truck when he collided with a car in the 4500 block of Columbus Avenue Saturday night.
The 13 year veteran was initially taken to St. John's Hospital for minor injuries, but later charged with DUI after failing a portable breath test. The driver of the car was not injured.
Officer Senseney has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation.
Anderson police arrested one of their own over the weekend.
Police say Officer Josh Senseney was driving his truck when he collided with a car in the 4500 block of Columbus Avenue Saturday night.
The 13 year veteran was initially taken to St. John's Hospital for minor injuries, but later charged with DUI after failing a portable breath test. The driver of the car was not injured.
Officer Senseney has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Detective and Deputy Charged with Beating Man Unconscious
A Baltimore City homicide detective and a Baltimore County sheriff's deputy have been charged with assault after a man was beaten until he was unconscious last September outside of a Govans barbershop while they were off duty.
Prosecutors charged Terry W. Love Jr., a nine-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department, and Deputy Sheriff Michael Herring with second-degree assault, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, as well as reckless endangerment and use of a deadly weapon with intent to injure. The incident occurred outside of the Detailer Barber Shop on York Road, a block from the Senator Theatre.
The charges were filed Friday, nearly a full year after the Sept. 8, 2007, incident - just before the one-year statute of limitations for misdemeanors was set to expire.
Charges against a third person were dropped last year. But family of victim Andre Thomas, 43, who is in jail on an assault charge, said they were relieved that prosecutors have continued to pursue the case.
"It does my heart well," said brother Tyrone Thomas, a pastor at the Charity Community Church of God. "My brother didn't put his hands on anybody, and they beat him literally until he was unconscious. He could have died, and they went on with their life as usual. They're supposed to uphold the law."
Sterling Clifford, a police spokesman, said Love had been suspended with pay and placed on administrative duties since the incident. With the criminal charges, he has now been suspended without pay and his police powers have been removed, Clifford said. He declined to comment on the charges, as did police union President Paul M. Blair Jr.
"Officers are presumed innocent, just like anybody else," Blair said.
Baltimore County Sheriff R. Jay Fisher did not respond to a request for comment about Herring's status. Neither Herring, 36, nor Love, 31, could be reached.
The officers are not the first to be charged in connection with the attack. Bernard Dutton, 34, a barber at Detailer, was charged the day of the incident with first-degree assault and "conspiring with an unknown person" to assault Thomas. But those charges were dropped three months later.
Thomas' brothers said that before the incident, they would get their hair cut weekly at the barbershop. According to court records from that case, Thomas went into the barbershop looking for one of his brothers and began arguing with Dutton. Thomas left the barbershop and was walking north on York Road when three men began kicking and punching him, the records say.
Another brother, Patrick Thomas, told The Baltimore Sun that Andre Thomas was first struck and knocked to the ground with a kick to the back. Court records show Andre Thomas told police that Dutton was wearing brass knuckles and that another one of the suspects was wearing a black and yellow "sheriff shirt."
In a brief interview, Dutton accused Andre Thomas of filing a "falsified police report" and said that Thomas had been "apprehended" by the officers. Later asked to clarify, he said his lawyer had instructed him not to talk about the incident.
Love's father, Terry W. Love, has been a Baltimore police officer since 1983 and has worked in the department's intelligence section. Court records indicate that last year the father and son both worked on an investigation of a homicide that occurred on The Block.
Terry Love Jr.'s suspension was mentioned in an unrelated nine-count complaint filed in February with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, in which Sgt. Kelvin Sewell wrote that he and Love had been subjected to unusual treatment after Love was transferred to his homicide squad in 2007.
He wrote that Love had been suspended in September 2007 "for an incident that took place off-duty."
"I was advised ... that Detective Love cannot work on any homicide investigations in or outside the office, and he is not allowed to operate any departmental vehicles while suspended," Sewell wrote. "It was explained to me that, by Detective Love working on these homicide cases, he could compromise the investigation because he's suspended."
Sewell is listed as a police witness in the assault case filed Friday.
http://www.wbaltv.com/news/17408678/detail.html
Prosecutors charged Terry W. Love Jr., a nine-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department, and Deputy Sheriff Michael Herring with second-degree assault, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, as well as reckless endangerment and use of a deadly weapon with intent to injure. The incident occurred outside of the Detailer Barber Shop on York Road, a block from the Senator Theatre.
The charges were filed Friday, nearly a full year after the Sept. 8, 2007, incident - just before the one-year statute of limitations for misdemeanors was set to expire.
Charges against a third person were dropped last year. But family of victim Andre Thomas, 43, who is in jail on an assault charge, said they were relieved that prosecutors have continued to pursue the case.
"It does my heart well," said brother Tyrone Thomas, a pastor at the Charity Community Church of God. "My brother didn't put his hands on anybody, and they beat him literally until he was unconscious. He could have died, and they went on with their life as usual. They're supposed to uphold the law."
Sterling Clifford, a police spokesman, said Love had been suspended with pay and placed on administrative duties since the incident. With the criminal charges, he has now been suspended without pay and his police powers have been removed, Clifford said. He declined to comment on the charges, as did police union President Paul M. Blair Jr.
"Officers are presumed innocent, just like anybody else," Blair said.
Baltimore County Sheriff R. Jay Fisher did not respond to a request for comment about Herring's status. Neither Herring, 36, nor Love, 31, could be reached.
The officers are not the first to be charged in connection with the attack. Bernard Dutton, 34, a barber at Detailer, was charged the day of the incident with first-degree assault and "conspiring with an unknown person" to assault Thomas. But those charges were dropped three months later.
Thomas' brothers said that before the incident, they would get their hair cut weekly at the barbershop. According to court records from that case, Thomas went into the barbershop looking for one of his brothers and began arguing with Dutton. Thomas left the barbershop and was walking north on York Road when three men began kicking and punching him, the records say.
Another brother, Patrick Thomas, told The Baltimore Sun that Andre Thomas was first struck and knocked to the ground with a kick to the back. Court records show Andre Thomas told police that Dutton was wearing brass knuckles and that another one of the suspects was wearing a black and yellow "sheriff shirt."
In a brief interview, Dutton accused Andre Thomas of filing a "falsified police report" and said that Thomas had been "apprehended" by the officers. Later asked to clarify, he said his lawyer had instructed him not to talk about the incident.
Love's father, Terry W. Love, has been a Baltimore police officer since 1983 and has worked in the department's intelligence section. Court records indicate that last year the father and son both worked on an investigation of a homicide that occurred on The Block.
Terry Love Jr.'s suspension was mentioned in an unrelated nine-count complaint filed in February with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, in which Sgt. Kelvin Sewell wrote that he and Love had been subjected to unusual treatment after Love was transferred to his homicide squad in 2007.
He wrote that Love had been suspended in September 2007 "for an incident that took place off-duty."
"I was advised ... that Detective Love cannot work on any homicide investigations in or outside the office, and he is not allowed to operate any departmental vehicles while suspended," Sewell wrote. "It was explained to me that, by Detective Love working on these homicide cases, he could compromise the investigation because he's suspended."
Sewell is listed as a police witness in the assault case filed Friday.
http://www.wbaltv.com/news/17408678/detail.html
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Federal Officer Charged with Trafficking in Exchange for Sexual Device
A federal officer was arrested Friday and charged with trafficking in undocumented immigrants in exchange for a sexual device, Cialis pills - used to treat erectile dysfunction - and $2,150 in cash.
A federal grand jury indicted U.S. Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection officer Guadalupe Garza, 64, on Sept. 2.
The indictment charges Garza with 13 counts of conspiracy to transport aliens, transporting them within the United States, bringing them into the country, and bribery.
Officials believe Garza was part of a conspiracy that moved the undocumented immigrants by vehicle or guided them on foot.
Court records show that another or other defendants might have been charged, but those documents remained sealed Friday.
The indictment notes that the activity took place from May 2007 through February 2008.
Garza appeared Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge B. Janice Ellington. She set a $25,000 cash bond.
Arraignment is set for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
At a glance:
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection officer Guadalupe Garza, 64, indicted Sept. 2 by a federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas.
>Count 1: conspiracy to transport aliens
>Counts 2-3: transporting aliens in the U.S.
>Counts 4-8: bringing aliens into the U.S.
>Counts 9-13: bribery
Penalty: For counts 1-3, up to five years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine: counts 4-8, from three to 10 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine; and for counts 9-13, up to 15 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine.
Source: U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/pills_89765___article.html/accused_sex.html
A federal grand jury indicted U.S. Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection officer Guadalupe Garza, 64, on Sept. 2.
The indictment charges Garza with 13 counts of conspiracy to transport aliens, transporting them within the United States, bringing them into the country, and bribery.
Officials believe Garza was part of a conspiracy that moved the undocumented immigrants by vehicle or guided them on foot.
Court records show that another or other defendants might have been charged, but those documents remained sealed Friday.
The indictment notes that the activity took place from May 2007 through February 2008.
Garza appeared Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge B. Janice Ellington. She set a $25,000 cash bond.
Arraignment is set for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
At a glance:
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection officer Guadalupe Garza, 64, indicted Sept. 2 by a federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas.
>Count 1: conspiracy to transport aliens
>Counts 2-3: transporting aliens in the U.S.
>Counts 4-8: bringing aliens into the U.S.
>Counts 9-13: bribery
Penalty: For counts 1-3, up to five years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine: counts 4-8, from three to 10 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine; and for counts 9-13, up to 15 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine.
Source: U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/pills_89765___article.html/accused_sex.html
Correction Officer James Gallichio Charged with Having Sex with Inmate
FLEMINGTON
A corrections officer accused of having a five-month sexual relationship with an inmate at a Hunterdon County women's prison has been indicted on sexual assault and official misconduct charges, according to authorities.
James Gallichio, 24, of Clifton, a corrections officer at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Union Township, Hunterdon, is facing the second-degree charges after an unidentified inmate told investigators that she and Gallichio had a "mutual sexual relationship'' inside the prison, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Court papers state Gallichio got a cell phone so that the inmate could call him "numerous times throughout the day'' from her cottage, or unit, inside the facility. In all, police said they captured 894 phone calls between the two from November 2007 to March 2008.
Because the conversations were done over a recorded line, investigators said they heard the pair professing their love for one another and also taped Gallichio mentioning that he brought the inmate a "wand'' that "tells you something,'' according to court papers.
The inmate said Gallichio had brought the "wand,'' a code name for a pregnancy test, because she thought she was pregnant, according to investigators.
Gallichio was hired as a corrections officer in July 2006 and his yearly salary is $52,553, according to a state Department of Corrections spokesman.
As of today, Gallichio was listed as actively employed, although that could change pending his legal status, said the spokesman, Matthew Schuman.
A corrections officer accused of having a five-month sexual relationship with an inmate at a Hunterdon County women's prison has been indicted on sexual assault and official misconduct charges, according to authorities.
James Gallichio, 24, of Clifton, a corrections officer at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Union Township, Hunterdon, is facing the second-degree charges after an unidentified inmate told investigators that she and Gallichio had a "mutual sexual relationship'' inside the prison, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Court papers state Gallichio got a cell phone so that the inmate could call him "numerous times throughout the day'' from her cottage, or unit, inside the facility. In all, police said they captured 894 phone calls between the two from November 2007 to March 2008.
Because the conversations were done over a recorded line, investigators said they heard the pair professing their love for one another and also taped Gallichio mentioning that he brought the inmate a "wand'' that "tells you something,'' according to court papers.
The inmate said Gallichio had brought the "wand,'' a code name for a pregnancy test, because she thought she was pregnant, according to investigators.
Gallichio was hired as a corrections officer in July 2006 and his yearly salary is $52,553, according to a state Department of Corrections spokesman.
As of today, Gallichio was listed as actively employed, although that could change pending his legal status, said the spokesman, Matthew Schuman.
Wrongly Accused Man May Sue
HAINES CITY
Jean Chery, the Polk County School bus driver who was mistaken by police for a fugitive with the same name, will meet with Florida Civil Rights Association lawyers Monday in Orlando, FCRA announced Saturday.
Chery said Saturday he was unsure whether to pursue legal action.
Haines City police officer Daniel Barnard arrested Chery on Aug. 26 after Chery approached him to ask a question.
Barnard ran Chery's name and discovered a warrant for Chery's arrest from New York City police. Chery spent a day and a half in jail before authorities determined he was not the New York Jean Chery and released him.
"The arrest and imprisonment of Jean Georges Chery of Polk County, Florida demostrates [sic] a clear and reckless act of sloppy police work," wrote FCRA president J. Willie David III in a news release.
David said Haines City police and the Polk County Sheriff's Office "deliberately ignored" facts about Chery that would have shown they had the wrong person.
Chery is a 45-year-old Haitian-born man with a wife and three children who has claimed to have never been to New York. He's lived in Florida for 17 years without a single arrest or traffic violation, Chery said, and passed an FBI background check before he was hired by the Polk County School Board in August 2007.
According to David, the Chery of New York is a white female wanted on a felony assault charge from Manhattan in 1997.
He said law enforcement could have avoided arresting Jean Chery of Haines City based on any number of comparisons, including the differences between each Chery's middle name, national origin, race/color, sex, age, birthdate, and address.
A Haines City police representative said Saturday no one would be available to speak to a reporter until Monday.
According to Donna Wood of the Polk County Sheriff's Office, the mistake originated from the national crime database, which listed Jean Chery of New York as a male.
Chery's arrest was questioned at book-in because another document out of New York City listed Chery as female, Wood said, but NYPD requested that Chery be held because the charge was a violent felony, and they wanted a fingerprint comparison.
After two attempts to get fingerprints from NYPD, Wood said, the Sheriff's Office determined Chery of Polk County was not their man, and released him from jail.
The problem had started Aug. 20, David said. After applying for a security guard license, Chery received a letter from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services explaining that they had conducted a background check and found criminal justice information that made Chery ineligible for licensure, David said. Chery said he learned about the warrant when he inquired about the letter, and was told to get copies of his fingerprints to clear his name.
When Chery stopped Barnard in the parking lot of Publix on 17-92 in Haines City on Aug. 26, he explained his situation and asked if it would be possible to get his fingerprints taken at the police station.
Barnard's incident report reads: "On the above date time and location I was flagged down by the suspect in reference to a legal question about a warrant he was told he has out of New York City, I then ran the suspect through FCIC/NCIC via dispatch and was advised that he did have a warrant and they wanted me to hold the suspect ... [sic]"
According to the report, Barnard noted that Chery's birth date was different from the birth date on the warrant. Nevertheless, NYPD wanted police to hold Chery until they could confirm his identity with fingerprints, the report said. Barnard arrested Chery.
In the FCRA news release, David described three more incidents after Chery's arrest.
On Aug. 29, David said, the Sheriff's Office charged Chery $39 to perform a fingerprint comparison with NYPD. Wood said the $39 was not for a comparison but was a standard book-in fee, and that Chery was reimbursed.
On Sept. 4, two deputies went to Chery's home and asked him to sign an agreement releasing the Sheriff's Office from liability.
David said Chery, whose first language is not English, was pressured to sign the document and accept a $500 check on behalf of Haines City police, the Sheriff's Office, Polk County commissioners and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. One of the deputies told Chery he needed to sign the form so the sheriff wouldn't think they took the check for themselves, David said.
Wood said David's statement is not true. The Sheriff's Office called Chery and asked to meet with him at his house. The two lieutenants who went to the house offered Chery an apology and a $500 settlement for his missed wages and the inconvenience of having been held. Chery declined the money, Wood said, but agreed to sign the waiver stating that he and the Sheriff's Office had reached an agreement. The School Board paid Chery his missed wages.
At 10 p.m. that night, another deputy went to Chery's home to deliver a letter stating Chery's prints were not the same as the fugitive Jean Chery from New York, David said. The deputy told Chery to keep the letter in case he was stopped by police.
"Mr. Chery told Lt. Henry and Lt. Williams that he was not upset with the Polk County Sheriff's Office and he was pleased with the extra phone calls and the fact that we treated him graciously. This settlement offer was made in good faith, and is standard agency policy - it was not deceptive, misleading, or coercive," Wood said in a statement.
Reached at home Saturday, Chery said he had not yet decided whether to file a lawsuit.
"I think they discriminated against me," Chery said.
Jean Chery, the Polk County School bus driver who was mistaken by police for a fugitive with the same name, will meet with Florida Civil Rights Association lawyers Monday in Orlando, FCRA announced Saturday.
Chery said Saturday he was unsure whether to pursue legal action.
Haines City police officer Daniel Barnard arrested Chery on Aug. 26 after Chery approached him to ask a question.
Barnard ran Chery's name and discovered a warrant for Chery's arrest from New York City police. Chery spent a day and a half in jail before authorities determined he was not the New York Jean Chery and released him.
"The arrest and imprisonment of Jean Georges Chery of Polk County, Florida demostrates [sic] a clear and reckless act of sloppy police work," wrote FCRA president J. Willie David III in a news release.
David said Haines City police and the Polk County Sheriff's Office "deliberately ignored" facts about Chery that would have shown they had the wrong person.
Chery is a 45-year-old Haitian-born man with a wife and three children who has claimed to have never been to New York. He's lived in Florida for 17 years without a single arrest or traffic violation, Chery said, and passed an FBI background check before he was hired by the Polk County School Board in August 2007.
According to David, the Chery of New York is a white female wanted on a felony assault charge from Manhattan in 1997.
He said law enforcement could have avoided arresting Jean Chery of Haines City based on any number of comparisons, including the differences between each Chery's middle name, national origin, race/color, sex, age, birthdate, and address.
A Haines City police representative said Saturday no one would be available to speak to a reporter until Monday.
According to Donna Wood of the Polk County Sheriff's Office, the mistake originated from the national crime database, which listed Jean Chery of New York as a male.
Chery's arrest was questioned at book-in because another document out of New York City listed Chery as female, Wood said, but NYPD requested that Chery be held because the charge was a violent felony, and they wanted a fingerprint comparison.
After two attempts to get fingerprints from NYPD, Wood said, the Sheriff's Office determined Chery of Polk County was not their man, and released him from jail.
The problem had started Aug. 20, David said. After applying for a security guard license, Chery received a letter from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services explaining that they had conducted a background check and found criminal justice information that made Chery ineligible for licensure, David said. Chery said he learned about the warrant when he inquired about the letter, and was told to get copies of his fingerprints to clear his name.
When Chery stopped Barnard in the parking lot of Publix on 17-92 in Haines City on Aug. 26, he explained his situation and asked if it would be possible to get his fingerprints taken at the police station.
Barnard's incident report reads: "On the above date time and location I was flagged down by the suspect in reference to a legal question about a warrant he was told he has out of New York City, I then ran the suspect through FCIC/NCIC via dispatch and was advised that he did have a warrant and they wanted me to hold the suspect ... [sic]"
According to the report, Barnard noted that Chery's birth date was different from the birth date on the warrant. Nevertheless, NYPD wanted police to hold Chery until they could confirm his identity with fingerprints, the report said. Barnard arrested Chery.
In the FCRA news release, David described three more incidents after Chery's arrest.
On Aug. 29, David said, the Sheriff's Office charged Chery $39 to perform a fingerprint comparison with NYPD. Wood said the $39 was not for a comparison but was a standard book-in fee, and that Chery was reimbursed.
On Sept. 4, two deputies went to Chery's home and asked him to sign an agreement releasing the Sheriff's Office from liability.
David said Chery, whose first language is not English, was pressured to sign the document and accept a $500 check on behalf of Haines City police, the Sheriff's Office, Polk County commissioners and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. One of the deputies told Chery he needed to sign the form so the sheriff wouldn't think they took the check for themselves, David said.
Wood said David's statement is not true. The Sheriff's Office called Chery and asked to meet with him at his house. The two lieutenants who went to the house offered Chery an apology and a $500 settlement for his missed wages and the inconvenience of having been held. Chery declined the money, Wood said, but agreed to sign the waiver stating that he and the Sheriff's Office had reached an agreement. The School Board paid Chery his missed wages.
At 10 p.m. that night, another deputy went to Chery's home to deliver a letter stating Chery's prints were not the same as the fugitive Jean Chery from New York, David said. The deputy told Chery to keep the letter in case he was stopped by police.
"Mr. Chery told Lt. Henry and Lt. Williams that he was not upset with the Polk County Sheriff's Office and he was pleased with the extra phone calls and the fact that we treated him graciously. This settlement offer was made in good faith, and is standard agency policy - it was not deceptive, misleading, or coercive," Wood said in a statement.
Reached at home Saturday, Chery said he had not yet decided whether to file a lawsuit.
"I think they discriminated against me," Chery said.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Officers Plan to Plead Not Guilty
SCHENECTADY
Three city officers accused of beating a drunken driving suspect last winter are scheduled to be arraigned today on criminal charges related to the altercation.
Attorneys for patrolmen Andrew Karaskiewicz and Eric Reyell say their clients plan to plead not guilty to charges in an indictment which is expected to be unsealed by County Court Judge Karen Drago.
Sources familiar with the investigation who requested anonymity identified the third officer facing charges for his alleged role in the incident as Officer Gregory Hafensteiner.
Cheryl Coleman, who represents Reyell, said an official with the state Attorney General's office told her to make arrangements to have her client fingerprinted and processed.
"Obviously they are charging him with something," she said.
Attorney General's office spokesman John Milgrim declined comment. The agency is looking into the allegations related to an incident involving Donald L. Randolph on Dec. 7. The Pattersonville man claims Hafensteiner, Reyell, Karaskiewicz, Daryl Mallard and Kevin Derkowski beat and kicked him at a Union Street McDonald's parking lot and again at Union and McClellan streets. The officers have been on paid leave since late December.
In May, Randolph pleaded guilty in City Court to a misdemeanor second-degree unlicensed motor vehicle operation after originally facing felony driving while intoxicated and a harassment violation. He is suing the department.
The latest development on the brutality case comes as the city is poised to name a new chief in a bid to regain public confidence after various criminal charges against police officers.
Though he stressed he had no official word the officers would be indicted, city Councilman Gary McCarthy, who also chairs the public safety committee, said the latest "self-inflicted wound" is bad news and "another unfortunate incident in the history of the police department," he said.
Three city officers accused of beating a drunken driving suspect last winter are scheduled to be arraigned today on criminal charges related to the altercation.
Attorneys for patrolmen Andrew Karaskiewicz and Eric Reyell say their clients plan to plead not guilty to charges in an indictment which is expected to be unsealed by County Court Judge Karen Drago.
Sources familiar with the investigation who requested anonymity identified the third officer facing charges for his alleged role in the incident as Officer Gregory Hafensteiner.
Cheryl Coleman, who represents Reyell, said an official with the state Attorney General's office told her to make arrangements to have her client fingerprinted and processed.
"Obviously they are charging him with something," she said.
Attorney General's office spokesman John Milgrim declined comment. The agency is looking into the allegations related to an incident involving Donald L. Randolph on Dec. 7. The Pattersonville man claims Hafensteiner, Reyell, Karaskiewicz, Daryl Mallard and Kevin Derkowski beat and kicked him at a Union Street McDonald's parking lot and again at Union and McClellan streets. The officers have been on paid leave since late December.
In May, Randolph pleaded guilty in City Court to a misdemeanor second-degree unlicensed motor vehicle operation after originally facing felony driving while intoxicated and a harassment violation. He is suing the department.
The latest development on the brutality case comes as the city is poised to name a new chief in a bid to regain public confidence after various criminal charges against police officers.
Though he stressed he had no official word the officers would be indicted, city Councilman Gary McCarthy, who also chairs the public safety committee, said the latest "self-inflicted wound" is bad news and "another unfortunate incident in the history of the police department," he said.
Officer Juan Hurtado Tapia Pleads Not Guilty on Federal Charges
SAN DIEGO
A police officer pleaded not guilty to federal charges of using his position to pass information about an investigation to drug suspects.
San Diego police Officer Juan Hurtado Tapia, 38, was arraigned Wednesday in U.S. District Court on charges of obstruction, fraud and making false statements.
A federal complaint alleges he used a police computer to run criminal history checks for suspects in a drug-trafficking ring, and in at least one case warned a suspect not to cross the border into Mexico.
Agents questioned Tapia in July, and he denied warning one of the suspects, the complaint states.
In wiretapped phone conversations in May, investigators heard two men discuss information they received from a police officer they referred to as "Corrupto," the complaint alleges.
Federal authorities said they later identified the officer as Tapia, who remains in federal custody.
FBI agents also arrested four suspects on drug-trafficking charges.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080904-9999-1m4federal.html
A police officer pleaded not guilty to federal charges of using his position to pass information about an investigation to drug suspects.
San Diego police Officer Juan Hurtado Tapia, 38, was arraigned Wednesday in U.S. District Court on charges of obstruction, fraud and making false statements.
A federal complaint alleges he used a police computer to run criminal history checks for suspects in a drug-trafficking ring, and in at least one case warned a suspect not to cross the border into Mexico.
Agents questioned Tapia in July, and he denied warning one of the suspects, the complaint states.
In wiretapped phone conversations in May, investigators heard two men discuss information they received from a police officer they referred to as "Corrupto," the complaint alleges.
Federal authorities said they later identified the officer as Tapia, who remains in federal custody.
FBI agents also arrested four suspects on drug-trafficking charges.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080904-9999-1m4federal.html
Lt. Keith Buckley Charged with Killing Colleague
TRENTON, N.J.
A North Brunswick police lieutenant has been charged with vehicular homicide in the death of a fellow officer following a high-speed car crash last month.
According to investigators, 40-year-old Lt. Keith Buckley allegedly was driving at least 94 mph in a 45 mph zone on Aug. 12 in a rented Dodge Viper. The car crashed into a utility pole, killing 41-year-old Lt. Christopher Zerby, police said.
Zerby was a 15-year veteran of the force and in charge of the North Brunswick police's traffic safety division.
Buckley, an 18-year veteran of the department and head of the patrol division, suffered minor injuries in the crash.
Buckley also is charged with reckless driving and speeding. If convicted of vehicular homicide, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Police said alcohol and drugs were not factors in the crash.
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-13/122067571263230.xml&coll=1
A North Brunswick police lieutenant has been charged with vehicular homicide in the death of a fellow officer following a high-speed car crash last month.
According to investigators, 40-year-old Lt. Keith Buckley allegedly was driving at least 94 mph in a 45 mph zone on Aug. 12 in a rented Dodge Viper. The car crashed into a utility pole, killing 41-year-old Lt. Christopher Zerby, police said.
Zerby was a 15-year veteran of the force and in charge of the North Brunswick police's traffic safety division.
Buckley, an 18-year veteran of the department and head of the patrol division, suffered minor injuries in the crash.
Buckley also is charged with reckless driving and speeding. If convicted of vehicular homicide, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Police said alcohol and drugs were not factors in the crash.
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-13/122067571263230.xml&coll=1
Officer Freddy Guedea Accused of Interfering with an Emergency Call
A Sherman peace officer turns himself in to the police department. The seven-year veteran is accused of interfering with an emergency call, a call investigators say his wife was making.
At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Sherman police Sergeant Bruce Dawsey said the law is the law and it doesn't matter your occupation. He adds that the particular officer involved has never been in trouble with the department before.
Tuesday, a warrant was issued for Federico Guedea.
The 42 year-old turned himself in to the Grayson county jail just before seven Tuesday night. He posted a $1,500 bond and was released the same day.
On August 15th, Sherman Police say that dispatchers got a 911 call from a cell phone... a woman was heard crying and a male voice yelling... then the phone went dead.
Sergeant Dawsey explains how police responded.
"A 911 call was received. It was an open line and officers could hear voices over the phone that they recognized as Michelle and Freddy Guedea so they knew how to respond..typical of a cell phone."
No injuries were reported... only a cell phone was found broken.
Sergeant Dawsey says this isn't the first time fellow officers have responded to the Guedea's residence.
I am also told they do have a small child. It is unknown whether the child was in the home at the time of the incident.
Guedea is currently on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of the police department's internal investigation.
K-10 News
At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Sherman police Sergeant Bruce Dawsey said the law is the law and it doesn't matter your occupation. He adds that the particular officer involved has never been in trouble with the department before.
Tuesday, a warrant was issued for Federico Guedea.
The 42 year-old turned himself in to the Grayson county jail just before seven Tuesday night. He posted a $1,500 bond and was released the same day.
On August 15th, Sherman Police say that dispatchers got a 911 call from a cell phone... a woman was heard crying and a male voice yelling... then the phone went dead.
Sergeant Dawsey explains how police responded.
"A 911 call was received. It was an open line and officers could hear voices over the phone that they recognized as Michelle and Freddy Guedea so they knew how to respond..typical of a cell phone."
No injuries were reported... only a cell phone was found broken.
Sergeant Dawsey says this isn't the first time fellow officers have responded to the Guedea's residence.
I am also told they do have a small child. It is unknown whether the child was in the home at the time of the incident.
Guedea is currently on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of the police department's internal investigation.
K-10 News
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Officer "Corrupto" Charged With Obstruction
San Diego police officer nicknamed “Corrupto” was charged yesterday with using his position to pass information about a narcotics investigation to drug-trafficking suspects.
Related documents
Tapia indictment (PDF)
Officer Juan Hurtado Tapia, 38, was arraigned on federal charges of obstruction, fraud and making false statements, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration agents arrested Tapia on Tuesday at the downtown federal building. He remained in federal custody yesterday, said David Ramirez, San Diego police executive assistant chief.
Ramirez said Tapia's police powers were revoked in August, and he was placed on unpaid leave yesterday.
“We were aware he was being looked at as a possible suspect in this case,” Ramirez said.
Tapia worked as a patrol officer in the Southern Division for his 7½ years with the department, Ramirez said. In 2005, Tapia won an award from the county Auto Theft Advisory Committee for recovering stolen cars.
A federal complaint says Tapia used a police computer to run criminal history checks for suspects in a drug-trafficking ring. It also alleges that he warned at least one suspect against trying to cross the border from Mexico one night.
San Diego police and the DEA were running separate heroin-sales investigations when they realized they were after some of the same men, the federal complaint says. The police investigation started in October. Federal authorities arrested one man, Adrian Jovan Rocha, in April on suspicion of trying to bring 14 pounds of methamphetamine into the United States.
Working together, the two agencies made drug buys and used court-authorized wiretaps to listen to dealers arranging heroin and meth deliveries. In phone conversations in May, two men talked of getting information on Rocha from a San Diego officer referred to as “Corrupto,” the complaint says.
On May 9, the complaint says, investigators learned that a San Diego patrol officer named Juan, while assigned to the Border Crimes Task Force, had seen an organizational chart naming suspects in the heroin investigation. One suspect worked for a business run by Tapia's family.
Agents arrested four trafficking suspects – William Jesus Amezcua-Flores, Alexander Florencio Mayorquin, Raul Rodriguez-Orozco and Juan Ramon Perez-Mascurro – in July. They were indicted in August and face pretrial hearings Sept. 22, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Smith Jr. said.
FBI agents questioned Tapia in July, and he denied warning Mayorquin not to cross the border, the complaint says. It also says Tapia did not consider his discussion of information with Amezcua-Flores to be a warning.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Leo S. Papas set a preliminary hearing for Tapia on Sept. 16.
Officer Jim Crowley Arrested for Being Drunk While on Duty
The Aspen police chief is defending his decision to fire an officer accused of reporting to work drunk, but an attorney helping the officer says he had a hangover and hadn't been drinking immediately before going on duty.
Jim Crowley, an 18-year veteran of the Aspen force, was dismissed last week and arrested on suspicion of driving while ability-impaired and prohibited use of a weapon.
Police say Crowley smelled of alcohol when he reported on Aug. 28, and a breath test showed his blood-alcohol level at .063, above the 0.05 threshold for driving impaired. Another officer drove him home, where he was arrested later by police from nearby Snowmass Village, who were asked to take over the case.
"I know the question on some people's minds is this was a drastic action," Aspen Police Chief Richard Pryor said Tuesday. "But the distinction for me is this was behavior that is not acceptable. This was a safety issue and not something I could live with. And I've consulted with our attorney, and I believe we're on solid ground and ethical ground."
Pryor said the weapons charge was filed because Crowley had a firearm in his holster at the time he was allegedly intoxicated.
Pitkin County Assistant District Attorney Jeff Cheney said no decision had been made on whether to proceed with a criminal case.
Attorney Lawson Wills, who said he is providing legal advice to Crowley as a friend, said Crowley told him he went to work with a hangover.
"This is not a situation where he was drinking before work," he said.
Wills questioned the ability-impaired charge because, he said, no one witnessed Crowley driving to work.
Wills said he will not be Crowley's attorney in any court proceedings.
Jim Crowley, an 18-year veteran of the Aspen force, was dismissed last week and arrested on suspicion of driving while ability-impaired and prohibited use of a weapon.
Police say Crowley smelled of alcohol when he reported on Aug. 28, and a breath test showed his blood-alcohol level at .063, above the 0.05 threshold for driving impaired. Another officer drove him home, where he was arrested later by police from nearby Snowmass Village, who were asked to take over the case.
"I know the question on some people's minds is this was a drastic action," Aspen Police Chief Richard Pryor said Tuesday. "But the distinction for me is this was behavior that is not acceptable. This was a safety issue and not something I could live with. And I've consulted with our attorney, and I believe we're on solid ground and ethical ground."
Pryor said the weapons charge was filed because Crowley had a firearm in his holster at the time he was allegedly intoxicated.
Pitkin County Assistant District Attorney Jeff Cheney said no decision had been made on whether to proceed with a criminal case.
Attorney Lawson Wills, who said he is providing legal advice to Crowley as a friend, said Crowley told him he went to work with a hangover.
"This is not a situation where he was drinking before work," he said.
Wills questioned the ability-impaired charge because, he said, no one witnessed Crowley driving to work.
Wills said he will not be Crowley's attorney in any court proceedings.
Officer Christopher Russell on Administrative Leave After being charged with DUI
WELLS
A Kennebunk police officer is on administrative leave after being charged with operating under the influence stemming from an Aug. 19 motor vehicle accident.
Patrol Officer Christopher Russell, who serves as the juvenile officer and senior citizen liaison, is currently on administrative leave, said Kennebunk Police.
When contacted, Kennebunk Police Lt. Nick Higgins said the department could not comment on an allegation of criminal conduct by an on- or off-duty police officer.
"If there was an allegation that the department was made aware of there would be an investigation into that alleged conduct," said Higgins Tuesday during a phone interview.
Russell, 27, of Wells, was charged with operating under the influence after skidding through an intersection and hitting a Branch Road guardrail, said Wells police.
Attempts to reach Russell were unsuccessful.
According to Wells Police, Russell was driving down Chick Crossing Road about 11 p.m. when his sunglasses fell onto the floor of his 2002 Dodge pickup truck.
He reached down to pick up the eyewear, but was approaching a stop sign at the Branch Road (Route 9A) intersection and hit his brakes said Wells Police.
Russell went through the stop sign, running off the road and struck a guardrail causing $1,500 worth of damage to the pickup truck, Wells Police said.
No injuries were reported, police said.
Police said they responded to the scene around 11:20 p.m. after receiving reports of the accident from callers, including one place by Russell.
Wells Police Chief Jo-Ann Putnam said the sunglasses most likely slid off the dashboard and that Russell tried to pick them up so the eyewear didn't get caught on the vehicle's pedals.
"It was 11 o'clock at night, he probably didn't have (the sunglasses) on," said Putnam.
Putnam said the police have forwarded the report to the district attorney's office for review.
"I don't know of any other charges at this point," said Putnam. "We're not anticipating any further charges."
Russell is scheduled for an Oct. 30 arraignment in York District Court.
A Kennebunk police officer is on administrative leave after being charged with operating under the influence stemming from an Aug. 19 motor vehicle accident.
Patrol Officer Christopher Russell, who serves as the juvenile officer and senior citizen liaison, is currently on administrative leave, said Kennebunk Police.
When contacted, Kennebunk Police Lt. Nick Higgins said the department could not comment on an allegation of criminal conduct by an on- or off-duty police officer.
"If there was an allegation that the department was made aware of there would be an investigation into that alleged conduct," said Higgins Tuesday during a phone interview.
Russell, 27, of Wells, was charged with operating under the influence after skidding through an intersection and hitting a Branch Road guardrail, said Wells police.
Attempts to reach Russell were unsuccessful.
According to Wells Police, Russell was driving down Chick Crossing Road about 11 p.m. when his sunglasses fell onto the floor of his 2002 Dodge pickup truck.
He reached down to pick up the eyewear, but was approaching a stop sign at the Branch Road (Route 9A) intersection and hit his brakes said Wells Police.
Russell went through the stop sign, running off the road and struck a guardrail causing $1,500 worth of damage to the pickup truck, Wells Police said.
No injuries were reported, police said.
Police said they responded to the scene around 11:20 p.m. after receiving reports of the accident from callers, including one place by Russell.
Wells Police Chief Jo-Ann Putnam said the sunglasses most likely slid off the dashboard and that Russell tried to pick them up so the eyewear didn't get caught on the vehicle's pedals.
"It was 11 o'clock at night, he probably didn't have (the sunglasses) on," said Putnam.
Putnam said the police have forwarded the report to the district attorney's office for review.
"I don't know of any other charges at this point," said Putnam. "We're not anticipating any further charges."
Russell is scheduled for an Oct. 30 arraignment in York District Court.
Officer Brad Wheeler Arrested for Drunk Driving
FRANKLIN, N.H.
An off-duty New Hampshire police officer turned down a chance to avoid a sobriety checkpoint and ended up getting charged with drunken driving.
Franklin police say they arrested Brad Wheeler - a police corporal in Newbury - after he failed a sobriety test during the weekend.
State law requires police to warn drivers they are approaching checkpoints so they can choose alternate routes. Franklin police say they assume Wheeler saw a warning sign but chose to go through the checkpoint.
They say he was put in a holding cell and his car was towed after his arrest.
Newbury police declined to say whether the arrest would affect Wheeler's job.
Information from: WMUR-TV, http://wmur.com
An off-duty New Hampshire police officer turned down a chance to avoid a sobriety checkpoint and ended up getting charged with drunken driving.
Franklin police say they arrested Brad Wheeler - a police corporal in Newbury - after he failed a sobriety test during the weekend.
State law requires police to warn drivers they are approaching checkpoints so they can choose alternate routes. Franklin police say they assume Wheeler saw a warning sign but chose to go through the checkpoint.
They say he was put in a holding cell and his car was towed after his arrest.
Newbury police declined to say whether the arrest would affect Wheeler's job.
Information from: WMUR-TV, http://wmur.com
Police Deny Using Excessive Force
Authorities in Minnesota's Twin Cities have created "a climate of intense police intimidation," protesters at the Republican National Convention contend, but officials say they're merely preserving the peace.
As of 9 a.m. CT Thursday, 422 people had been arrested since the convention began, according to law enforcement's Joint Information Center. Only 40 were still in custody earlier in the day.
St. Paul police had arrested 145 individuals on felony charges, 107 on misdemeanors, and 53 on gross misdemeanors, said Deputy Tracy Martin of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Department. She did not know the charges against 15 others.
More than 100 were detained Wednesday night after a Rage Against the Machine concert, Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan said Thursday. None were charged with felonies.
Most were given citations and released, but about 15 remained in jail after refusing to identify themselves, he said.
"The bottom line with those individuals is they wanted to be arrested," Dolan said.
Another demonstration is due to begin at 5 p.m. before Arizona Sen. John McCain gives his nomination acceptance speech at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
The RNC Welcoming Committee, a self-described anarchist/anti-authoritarian organizing body that has been behind many of the protests, said more than 300 demonstrators were being held as of Wednesday at the Ramsey and Hennepin county jails.
Numerous federal agencies are helping with convention security, but the anarchist group is focusing its outrage at Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher.
"We demand the immediate end to the brutality of Sheriff Bob Fletcher -- who has personally harassed our organizers both in jail and out," the group said.
Fletcher spokeswoman Holli Drinkwine said the hard-core protesters deserved special attention from the police. Eight people arrested during raids last weekend face felony charges including second-degree conspiracy to commit riot in furtherance of terrorism, she said.
Convictions could result in more than 10 years in prison, she said.
"This group had been planning for over a year the destruction that they were going to place on the city during the RNC," Drinkwine said.
Among the acts of terror the group allegedly planned, according to court documents, were kidnapping delegates, sabotaging a local airport, damaging bridges and taking over federal buildings.
"Their ultimate goal was to crash the convention," she said.
The American Civil Liberties Union said it was providing limited representation to many of those arrested during street demonstrations and raids on meeting places.
"Free speech has to be safeguarded during the Republican National Convention, as the workings of our democracy in the streets are as important as those in convention halls," ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero said in a written statement. Watch a woman's shock at being arrested »
iReporter Bob Stewart, a student in Minneapolis, said he saw a group of about 40 protesters in St. Paul vandalize a garbage bin and a bus as they marched toward the Xcel Energy Center earlier this week.
"The cops were pretty cautious. They were holding back," Stewart said. "It wasn't until we got downtown in the streets where they started to more aggressively approach the protesters."
Things started to get out of hand at that point, and police fired bean bags into the crowd, which took off in two directions, he said.
St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington said officers with all the agencies working the convention are trained to give protesters an opportunity to leave the area and issue verbal warnings before using chemical agents or projectiles.
Officers who are attacked are authorized to use pepper spray or Mace without issuing a warning, Harrington said.
An iReporter captured video of a police officer being tackled by a protester while trying to make an arrest; while still on his knees, the officer randomly sprays the surrounding crowd with a chemical agent, then walks away without his detainee. Watch the officer hit the deck »
"There were 10,000 protesters here on Monday -- peaceful protesters -- and there were right around 300 arrests for people who were not peaceful protesters," Drinkwine, the Ramsey County sheriff's spokeswoman, said. "These were people who were doing damages to the city that are criminal.
"There were moms and dads with little kids walking down the street, and then there were people that were setting fire to Dumpsters and throwing feces on state troopers' vehicles and things like that.
"The police showed great restraint in what they were doing," she continued. "They were dealing with 300 criminals on the street while trying to protect the 10,000 peaceful protesters that were in St. Paul that day."
Harrington said having the convention in St. Paul has been worthwhile despite the trouble in the streets.
"Yes, we were tested. But I think that's part of the experience of developing and growing," he said. "... On balance, this has been a great event."
Video http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/04/convention.protests/#cnnSTCVideo
CNN
As of 9 a.m. CT Thursday, 422 people had been arrested since the convention began, according to law enforcement's Joint Information Center. Only 40 were still in custody earlier in the day.
St. Paul police had arrested 145 individuals on felony charges, 107 on misdemeanors, and 53 on gross misdemeanors, said Deputy Tracy Martin of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Department. She did not know the charges against 15 others.
More than 100 were detained Wednesday night after a Rage Against the Machine concert, Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan said Thursday. None were charged with felonies.
Most were given citations and released, but about 15 remained in jail after refusing to identify themselves, he said.
"The bottom line with those individuals is they wanted to be arrested," Dolan said.
Another demonstration is due to begin at 5 p.m. before Arizona Sen. John McCain gives his nomination acceptance speech at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
The RNC Welcoming Committee, a self-described anarchist/anti-authoritarian organizing body that has been behind many of the protests, said more than 300 demonstrators were being held as of Wednesday at the Ramsey and Hennepin county jails.
Numerous federal agencies are helping with convention security, but the anarchist group is focusing its outrage at Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher.
"We demand the immediate end to the brutality of Sheriff Bob Fletcher -- who has personally harassed our organizers both in jail and out," the group said.
Fletcher spokeswoman Holli Drinkwine said the hard-core protesters deserved special attention from the police. Eight people arrested during raids last weekend face felony charges including second-degree conspiracy to commit riot in furtherance of terrorism, she said.
Convictions could result in more than 10 years in prison, she said.
"This group had been planning for over a year the destruction that they were going to place on the city during the RNC," Drinkwine said.
Among the acts of terror the group allegedly planned, according to court documents, were kidnapping delegates, sabotaging a local airport, damaging bridges and taking over federal buildings.
"Their ultimate goal was to crash the convention," she said.
The American Civil Liberties Union said it was providing limited representation to many of those arrested during street demonstrations and raids on meeting places.
"Free speech has to be safeguarded during the Republican National Convention, as the workings of our democracy in the streets are as important as those in convention halls," ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero said in a written statement. Watch a woman's shock at being arrested »
iReporter Bob Stewart, a student in Minneapolis, said he saw a group of about 40 protesters in St. Paul vandalize a garbage bin and a bus as they marched toward the Xcel Energy Center earlier this week.
"The cops were pretty cautious. They were holding back," Stewart said. "It wasn't until we got downtown in the streets where they started to more aggressively approach the protesters."
Things started to get out of hand at that point, and police fired bean bags into the crowd, which took off in two directions, he said.
St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington said officers with all the agencies working the convention are trained to give protesters an opportunity to leave the area and issue verbal warnings before using chemical agents or projectiles.
Officers who are attacked are authorized to use pepper spray or Mace without issuing a warning, Harrington said.
An iReporter captured video of a police officer being tackled by a protester while trying to make an arrest; while still on his knees, the officer randomly sprays the surrounding crowd with a chemical agent, then walks away without his detainee. Watch the officer hit the deck »
"There were 10,000 protesters here on Monday -- peaceful protesters -- and there were right around 300 arrests for people who were not peaceful protesters," Drinkwine, the Ramsey County sheriff's spokeswoman, said. "These were people who were doing damages to the city that are criminal.
"There were moms and dads with little kids walking down the street, and then there were people that were setting fire to Dumpsters and throwing feces on state troopers' vehicles and things like that.
"The police showed great restraint in what they were doing," she continued. "They were dealing with 300 criminals on the street while trying to protect the 10,000 peaceful protesters that were in St. Paul that day."
Harrington said having the convention in St. Paul has been worthwhile despite the trouble in the streets.
"Yes, we were tested. But I think that's part of the experience of developing and growing," he said. "... On balance, this has been a great event."
Video http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/04/convention.protests/#cnnSTCVideo
CNN
Officer David Flaig Was Not Charged
A Williamsburg Borough Police officer currently suspended with pay will not be charged for any criminal misconduct.
State Police say their investigation into Officer David Flaig’s actions has concluded. Flaig was suspended form the department after Williamsburg Mayor John Traxler contacted State Police and requested the investigation.
State Police say the investigation focused on three areas. First, Flaig was accused of showing a minor a cartoon video that included sexual references. The boy and his mother declined prosecution. Next, Flaig was accused of making inappropriate comments to several women while on duty. State Police interviewed the women, each of whom declined any prosecution. The third accusation was that Flaig tampered with official police documents. It involved two traffic tickets issued by a former police officer. State Police say nothing illegal occurred.
State Police say the case has now been turned back over to the Williamsburg Mayor and City Council.
http://wearecentralpa.com/content/fulltext/?cid=27631
State Police say their investigation into Officer David Flaig’s actions has concluded. Flaig was suspended form the department after Williamsburg Mayor John Traxler contacted State Police and requested the investigation.
State Police say the investigation focused on three areas. First, Flaig was accused of showing a minor a cartoon video that included sexual references. The boy and his mother declined prosecution. Next, Flaig was accused of making inappropriate comments to several women while on duty. State Police interviewed the women, each of whom declined any prosecution. The third accusation was that Flaig tampered with official police documents. It involved two traffic tickets issued by a former police officer. State Police say nothing illegal occurred.
State Police say the case has now been turned back over to the Williamsburg Mayor and City Council.
http://wearecentralpa.com/content/fulltext/?cid=27631
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Deputy Charged with Sexual Assault of 16 year old
An Outagamie County sheriff's deputy is charged with fourth-degree sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl and two counts of disorderly conduct while off-duty.
Police say the girl attended the same high school in Freedom where 35-year-old Adam Burrows was the police school liaison officer.
The criminal complaint in the case accuses the deputy of inappropriately touching the girl while she was camping with another family near Lake Poygan in July.
According to the complaint, while the 16-year-old girl alleges Burrows kissed her inside his cabin, investigators say the teenager told them Burrows put his hand down her pants out by a campfire in front of at least one other person.
According to the complaint, the girl "says she kept trying to move around the fire but the defendant kept following her. She thought the defendant was pretty drunk."
Police say the teen said she knows the sheriff's deputy because she goes to school at Freedom High School where Burrows was the police school liaison officer.
It's a position at the school Burrows no longer holds.
Burrows is on paid administrative leave pending the criminal and an internal investigation.
"The misconduct in question here took place when he was off-duty and out of the county, and not related to his assignment (as liaison officer). Still, any alleged conduct of that nature is of great concern to the department," Captain Mike Jobe, Outagamie County Sheriff's Department, said.
Burrows was not home when we tried to talk to him, but his attorney says the allegations are simply not true.
"I think you know when everything comes out we're fairly confident that Adam is going to be vindicated," attorney Rob Bellin said. "There's going to be plenty of evidence that that story is just not believable."
But the 16-year old isn't the only one alleging misconduct by the off-duty officer, according to this criminal complaint. A woman says Burrows kept putting his arm around her and then tackled her to the ground.
She's the same woman who told police that she removed Burrows's hand from the pants of the 16-year-old girl.
According to the criminal complaint, police say she told him, "She's 16, and if you ever touch her again, I'll kill you."
If he is found guilty, the deputy could spend more than a year behind bars.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-deputy-assault,0,4092128.story
Police say the girl attended the same high school in Freedom where 35-year-old Adam Burrows was the police school liaison officer.
The criminal complaint in the case accuses the deputy of inappropriately touching the girl while she was camping with another family near Lake Poygan in July.
According to the complaint, while the 16-year-old girl alleges Burrows kissed her inside his cabin, investigators say the teenager told them Burrows put his hand down her pants out by a campfire in front of at least one other person.
According to the complaint, the girl "says she kept trying to move around the fire but the defendant kept following her. She thought the defendant was pretty drunk."
Police say the teen said she knows the sheriff's deputy because she goes to school at Freedom High School where Burrows was the police school liaison officer.
It's a position at the school Burrows no longer holds.
Burrows is on paid administrative leave pending the criminal and an internal investigation.
"The misconduct in question here took place when he was off-duty and out of the county, and not related to his assignment (as liaison officer). Still, any alleged conduct of that nature is of great concern to the department," Captain Mike Jobe, Outagamie County Sheriff's Department, said.
Burrows was not home when we tried to talk to him, but his attorney says the allegations are simply not true.
"I think you know when everything comes out we're fairly confident that Adam is going to be vindicated," attorney Rob Bellin said. "There's going to be plenty of evidence that that story is just not believable."
But the 16-year old isn't the only one alleging misconduct by the off-duty officer, according to this criminal complaint. A woman says Burrows kept putting his arm around her and then tackled her to the ground.
She's the same woman who told police that she removed Burrows's hand from the pants of the 16-year-old girl.
According to the criminal complaint, police say she told him, "She's 16, and if you ever touch her again, I'll kill you."
If he is found guilty, the deputy could spend more than a year behind bars.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-deputy-assault,0,4092128.story
UPDATE: Officer William Wike Junior Accused of Fondling 15-year old
HUNTINGTON, Ind.
A Huntington city police officer accused of fondling a 15-year old girl has now been taken off the city pay roll.
The Huntington Board Of Public Works voted to suspend William Wike Junior without pay pending the outcome of his trial.
The eight-year department veteran is charged with one count of sexual misconduct with a minor, a class "C" felony.
According to court documents, Wike allegedly fondled a 15-year old girl several times, between November of 2006 and January of 2007.
But since Wike has not gone to trial yet and the city has to be careful with each step it takes.
Huntington mayor steve updike said, “the procedure is to give the officer, innocent or guilty, the right to go through all the steps to protect himself and to protect our rights as far as the city is concerned. This is just one of the steps that cities and towns take in actions like this.”
Wike's next court appearance is October 30th.
He faces up to four years in prison if convicted.
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080903/LOCAL07/809030350
A Huntington city police officer accused of fondling a 15-year old girl has now been taken off the city pay roll.
The Huntington Board Of Public Works voted to suspend William Wike Junior without pay pending the outcome of his trial.
The eight-year department veteran is charged with one count of sexual misconduct with a minor, a class "C" felony.
According to court documents, Wike allegedly fondled a 15-year old girl several times, between November of 2006 and January of 2007.
But since Wike has not gone to trial yet and the city has to be careful with each step it takes.
Huntington mayor steve updike said, “the procedure is to give the officer, innocent or guilty, the right to go through all the steps to protect himself and to protect our rights as far as the city is concerned. This is just one of the steps that cities and towns take in actions like this.”
Wike's next court appearance is October 30th.
He faces up to four years in prison if convicted.
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080903/LOCAL07/809030350
Officer T. A. Paylor Accused of Hitting Woman in Face
DURHAM
A Durham police officer has been placed on paid leave after being arrested on assault charges Sunday.
Officer T.A. Paylor is accused of hitting a woman in the face, causing her nose to bleed and splitting her lip, and holding her against her will, according to an arrest warrant.
Paylor, 42, was released from the Durham County jail after posting a $30,000 bond the same day. The department's Professional Standards Division is reviewing the case, which is standard procedure.
Paylor is a crime prevention officer who joined the department in 1996. His next court appearance will be Oct. 13.
A Durham police officer has been placed on paid leave after being arrested on assault charges Sunday.
Officer T.A. Paylor is accused of hitting a woman in the face, causing her nose to bleed and splitting her lip, and holding her against her will, according to an arrest warrant.
Paylor, 42, was released from the Durham County jail after posting a $30,000 bond the same day. The department's Professional Standards Division is reviewing the case, which is standard procedure.
Paylor is a crime prevention officer who joined the department in 1996. His next court appearance will be Oct. 13.
Officer Henry Smallwood Caught Smoking Marijuana at Park
WASHINGTON
An off-duty D.C. police officer is facing drug charges after authorities say he was caught smoking marijuana and tried to run.
Sergeant Robert Lachance of the U.S. Park Police say two suspicious men were found smoking in a Rock Creek Park picnic area. Police found marijuana on the scene.
D.C. police confirmed that one of the men is an officer in the department. They identified him as Henry Smallwood and said he has been on the force for 18 years.
Lachance says that after park police confronted them, Smallwood ran to the parking lot and drove a few blocks. He then ditched his vehicle and tried to flee on foot, but was caught.
The officer faces charges for narcotics violations and possibly fleeing to elude. He is currently on administrative leave.
An off-duty D.C. police officer is facing drug charges after authorities say he was caught smoking marijuana and tried to run.
Sergeant Robert Lachance of the U.S. Park Police say two suspicious men were found smoking in a Rock Creek Park picnic area. Police found marijuana on the scene.
D.C. police confirmed that one of the men is an officer in the department. They identified him as Henry Smallwood and said he has been on the force for 18 years.
Lachance says that after park police confronted them, Smallwood ran to the parking lot and drove a few blocks. He then ditched his vehicle and tried to flee on foot, but was caught.
The officer faces charges for narcotics violations and possibly fleeing to elude. He is currently on administrative leave.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Officer Charged with Manslaughter
SOLOMON ISLANDS
The Samoan RAMSI police officer was today formally charged with manslaughter and dangerous driving causing death in relation to the accident that killed Solomon Islands nurse, Hilda Ilabae on the 13th of June 2008.
Police have alleged that the 29-year-old Samoan off-duty RAMSI officer was driving the vehicle that collided with Ms. Hilda Ilibae.
The RAMSI officer appeared in the Honiara Magistrates Court this morning after the Samoan Government confirmed that it would not be asserting jurisdiction in this case.
Under the Facilitation of International Assistance Act which governs RAMSI's presence in Solomon Islands, a contributing country such as Samoa has the option of prosecuting its personnel charged with an offence in Solomon Islands in its own courts.
Acting Commissioner of Police, Johnson Siapu, welcomed Samoa's decision which has cleared the way for the case to be dealt with by the Solomon Islands legal system.
Acting Commissioner Siapu said that the SIPF had worked hard on the investigation.
"Solomon Islands detectives have spoken with many witnesses, and have also travelled to Australia to speak with the other Samoan police officer involved in the incident. A specialist crash scene investigator was also sourced from New Zealand to assist with the investigation," says Acting Commissioner Siapu.
Commissioner Siapu continues to say that a very comprehensive brief of evidence was given to the Director of Public Prosecutions and we have been waiting for the jurisdiction matter to be finalised before we could charge the Samoan in the Solomon Islands.
"When the advice was received this morning that the Samoan Government was not going to assert jurisdiction, the Solomon Islands Police Force immediately arranged for the charges to be laid against the 29-year-old," he said.
Acting Commissioner Siapu said the SIPF appreciated the full cooperation provided by RAMSI during the investigation.
The 29-year-old appeared in the Honiara Magistrates Court today and was bailed to reappear on 1 October 2008.
Arrangements between the Solomon Islands and Samoan Government will permit the 29-year-old to travel to Samoa briefly whilst on bail before he reappears in the Honiara Magistrates Court.
The 29-year-old's travel documents including his passport will be held by the Commissioner of Samoa Police during his brief trip.
Bail conditions imposed today include that the 29-year-old must return from Samoa to Solomon Islands on 29 September 2008, reappear in the Honiara Magistrates Court on the 1st of October 2008, and upon his return must remain at the Guadalacanal Beach Resort and surrender his passport to the Commissioner of the Solomon Islands Police Force.
PRESS RELEASE (POLICE MEDIA UNIT)
The Samoan RAMSI police officer was today formally charged with manslaughter and dangerous driving causing death in relation to the accident that killed Solomon Islands nurse, Hilda Ilabae on the 13th of June 2008.
Police have alleged that the 29-year-old Samoan off-duty RAMSI officer was driving the vehicle that collided with Ms. Hilda Ilibae.
The RAMSI officer appeared in the Honiara Magistrates Court this morning after the Samoan Government confirmed that it would not be asserting jurisdiction in this case.
Under the Facilitation of International Assistance Act which governs RAMSI's presence in Solomon Islands, a contributing country such as Samoa has the option of prosecuting its personnel charged with an offence in Solomon Islands in its own courts.
Acting Commissioner of Police, Johnson Siapu, welcomed Samoa's decision which has cleared the way for the case to be dealt with by the Solomon Islands legal system.
Acting Commissioner Siapu said that the SIPF had worked hard on the investigation.
"Solomon Islands detectives have spoken with many witnesses, and have also travelled to Australia to speak with the other Samoan police officer involved in the incident. A specialist crash scene investigator was also sourced from New Zealand to assist with the investigation," says Acting Commissioner Siapu.
Commissioner Siapu continues to say that a very comprehensive brief of evidence was given to the Director of Public Prosecutions and we have been waiting for the jurisdiction matter to be finalised before we could charge the Samoan in the Solomon Islands.
"When the advice was received this morning that the Samoan Government was not going to assert jurisdiction, the Solomon Islands Police Force immediately arranged for the charges to be laid against the 29-year-old," he said.
Acting Commissioner Siapu said the SIPF appreciated the full cooperation provided by RAMSI during the investigation.
The 29-year-old appeared in the Honiara Magistrates Court today and was bailed to reappear on 1 October 2008.
Arrangements between the Solomon Islands and Samoan Government will permit the 29-year-old to travel to Samoa briefly whilst on bail before he reappears in the Honiara Magistrates Court.
The 29-year-old's travel documents including his passport will be held by the Commissioner of Samoa Police during his brief trip.
Bail conditions imposed today include that the 29-year-old must return from Samoa to Solomon Islands on 29 September 2008, reappear in the Honiara Magistrates Court on the 1st of October 2008, and upon his return must remain at the Guadalacanal Beach Resort and surrender his passport to the Commissioner of the Solomon Islands Police Force.
PRESS RELEASE (POLICE MEDIA UNIT)
Chief's Son, Officer Marquis Williams Charged with Drunk Driving
Ohio,MASSILLON
Massillon police Officer Marquis D. Williams, son of Chief Robert Williams, was charged with drunken driving Saturday by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Several motorists spotted Williams driving out of control in the southbound lanes of I-77 around 3:52 a.m., according to Lt. Eric Sheppard of the Canton Post.
"We had received several citizen's band radio reports of a vehicle traveling southbound on I-77," Sheppard said. "The vehicle exited Everhard Road and was subsequently observed by one of our officers.
"The officer had observed further marked lanes violations, initiated the traffic stop, just east of Belden Village Avenue on Everhard. The officer had seen obvious signs of impairment and placed him under arrest."
Williams, 24, was transported to the Canton Post of the Highway Patrol, where he submitted to an alcohol breath test.
Williams' breath-alcohol content was 0.11 percent, just above the legal limit of 0.08 percent. He faces charges of operating a vehicle impaired and marked lanes violations, both misdemeanors.
Sheppard said he did not know where Williams was coming from or where he was headed or if anyone else was in the car at the time of the arrest. He also did not have the make or model of the vehicle Williams was driving at the time.
Safety Services Director Mike Loudiana said the city was made aware of the incident, but is waiting to see a police report and learn the outcome of a court trial before disciplining Williams.
"I don't have all of the facts," Loudiana said. "I know he was picked up by the State Highway Patrol, but he was released. He was not jailed."
Loudiana said Williams isn't due back to work until Wednesday, the same day he is scheduled for arraignment in Massillon Municipal Court. Loudiana said until then he has no other comment.
Loudiana added that the police chief will have no role in any potential punishment his son may face.
Williams was hired by the city along with two other patrolmen a year ago. He has prior driving violations of speeding (2004) and driving with expired plates (2007), according to court records.
Chief Williams did not return calls Monday seeking comment.
The arrest marks the second time in as many months that a city safety services employee has been arrested for drunken driving. In July, the State Highway Patrol arrested 34-year-old Paul Harbaugh, a firefighter, for driving with a blood-alcohol content of 0.091 percent.
Harbaugh, who was also charged with felonies for drug possession and improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle, failed several field sobriety tests, according to reports.
His case has been transferred to a Stark County grand jury.
Massillon police Officer Marquis D. Williams, son of Chief Robert Williams, was charged with drunken driving Saturday by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Several motorists spotted Williams driving out of control in the southbound lanes of I-77 around 3:52 a.m., according to Lt. Eric Sheppard of the Canton Post.
"We had received several citizen's band radio reports of a vehicle traveling southbound on I-77," Sheppard said. "The vehicle exited Everhard Road and was subsequently observed by one of our officers.
"The officer had observed further marked lanes violations, initiated the traffic stop, just east of Belden Village Avenue on Everhard. The officer had seen obvious signs of impairment and placed him under arrest."
Williams, 24, was transported to the Canton Post of the Highway Patrol, where he submitted to an alcohol breath test.
Williams' breath-alcohol content was 0.11 percent, just above the legal limit of 0.08 percent. He faces charges of operating a vehicle impaired and marked lanes violations, both misdemeanors.
Sheppard said he did not know where Williams was coming from or where he was headed or if anyone else was in the car at the time of the arrest. He also did not have the make or model of the vehicle Williams was driving at the time.
Safety Services Director Mike Loudiana said the city was made aware of the incident, but is waiting to see a police report and learn the outcome of a court trial before disciplining Williams.
"I don't have all of the facts," Loudiana said. "I know he was picked up by the State Highway Patrol, but he was released. He was not jailed."
Loudiana said Williams isn't due back to work until Wednesday, the same day he is scheduled for arraignment in Massillon Municipal Court. Loudiana said until then he has no other comment.
Loudiana added that the police chief will have no role in any potential punishment his son may face.
Williams was hired by the city along with two other patrolmen a year ago. He has prior driving violations of speeding (2004) and driving with expired plates (2007), according to court records.
Chief Williams did not return calls Monday seeking comment.
The arrest marks the second time in as many months that a city safety services employee has been arrested for drunken driving. In July, the State Highway Patrol arrested 34-year-old Paul Harbaugh, a firefighter, for driving with a blood-alcohol content of 0.091 percent.
Harbaugh, who was also charged with felonies for drug possession and improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle, failed several field sobriety tests, according to reports.
His case has been transferred to a Stark County grand jury.
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