A Denver Police officer accused of assaulting a teenager has been cleared of wrongdoing by a jury.
But Denver Police say they have a lot more investigating to do in the case of Juan Vasquez, the teenage boy who was seriously injured last April after a foot chase with police.
The officer accused of the beating, 13-year veteran Charles Porter, was cleared of first-degree assault March 12 by a jury that heard conflicting stories from officers about what happened the day Vasquez was beaten.
Now the department is trying to figure out who lied.
"We know that this kid was assaulted by a Denver police officer, and we know that at least one Denver police officer committed perjury in this trial," independent police monitor Richard Rosenthal told The Denver Post.
The case started last April when Vasquez, who was 16 at the time, ran from three officers pursuing him for a possible open-container violation.
During the resulting scuffle, one officer repeatedly jumped on the boy's back, causing serious internal injuries. The city of Denver ended up paying the boy $885,000 to settle a lawsuit over the beating.
In Porter's trial, the three officers gave different accounts of what happened.
Porter, 41, testified that he fell behind during the foot chase and that by the time he arrived, Officers Luis Rivera and Cameron Moerman had Vasquez on the ground, complaining he couldn't breathe.
"I don't know what happened that night. By the time I arrived, the juvenile was handcuffed and in custody," Porter testified.
The other officers, Rivera and Moerman, testified that they saw Porter jump on Vasquez and Rivera heard him say later the beating was "just something I do lately."
Vasquez gave conflicting testimony and seemed unsure which officer jumped on him.
Detective Rufino Trujillo, past president of the state chapter of the National Latino Peace Officers Association, told the newspaper that conflicting stories from the officers led to Porter's acquittal.
Trujillo said that with no clear physical evidence, prosecutors were relying on the credibility of officers Rivera and Moerman. Neither Moerman nor Rivera blamed Porter for the beating until they talked to internal affairs investigators six days after it happened.
"Their credibility was in question, and you were not going to get a conviction," Trujillo said.
Denver Assistant District Attorney Doug Jackson said the other two officers waited to come forward out of loyalty to a fellow officer, not because their story wasn't true.
"They didn't want themselves to be looked on unkindly by other officers for ratting out one of their senior officers," Jackson said.
Porter, who was suspended without pay, remains on suspension but is back on the department payroll. He will also recover salary withheld since he was arrested for assault last May.
Moerman and Rivera remain on duty.
The newspaper reported that the police department plans to continue investigating the beating, and that the FBI may intervene and bring federal civil-rights charges if a review turns up wrongdoing.
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Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com
Sunday, March 22, 2009
15-year-old Boy Dies after Being Tasered
BAY CITY, Mich.
Police in Michigan say a 15-year-old boy has died after being Tasered by officers who were trying to break up a fight.
Police didn't release his name and say state police are investigating.
A Bay City police news release says officers answered a report of an early morning fight on Sunday. The statement says two males were arguing in an apartment, and one of them "attempted to fight the officers."
Police say officers Tasered him, and his reaction led them to immediately call for emergency medical help. He was pronounced dead at Bay Regional Medical Center.
Deputy Chief Thomas Pletzke tells WNEM-TV police placed one officer on administrative leave.
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http://wsgw.com/Tasered-Teen-Dies/4063076
Police in Michigan say a 15-year-old boy has died after being Tasered by officers who were trying to break up a fight.
Police didn't release his name and say state police are investigating.
A Bay City police news release says officers answered a report of an early morning fight on Sunday. The statement says two males were arguing in an apartment, and one of them "attempted to fight the officers."
Police say officers Tasered him, and his reaction led them to immediately call for emergency medical help. He was pronounced dead at Bay Regional Medical Center.
Deputy Chief Thomas Pletzke tells WNEM-TV police placed one officer on administrative leave.
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http://wsgw.com/Tasered-Teen-Dies/4063076
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Jeremy Stevens Claims Police Brutality
A case of mistaken identity allegedly turns into a brutal scene that leaves two young Opelousas men battered and members of OPD being investigated.
Eighteen year old Jeremy Stevens says he was shocked when six members of the Opelousas Police Department Crime Suppression Team stormed into this home in Opelousas Tuesday.
"They were looking for someone they thought ran in the house. All the cops ran in the house. We all ran. I ran in the closet. They found me in the closet put me in handcuffs and started beating me."
Stevens says he and his friend ran from police and were subsequently beaten.
"They'll hold me. One would hit me in my ribs and the other throw CD cases at my face, kicking, scratching in my face, my sides are bruised, sore. I had to miss a couple days of work."
Stevens says after the officers left without making any arrests, he called his grandmother and mother who took him to the hospital.
Morris filed a complaint with the Opelousas Police Department. Chief Perry Gallow says the incident is under investigation
"All of that are just accusations at this point and we're going to get to the bottom of the incident and make sure our officers we're just in what they were doing" says Gallow.
Christy Morris says her son is not the only victim of Opelousas Police brutality.
"Any children that's getting harassed and beat, need to come forward. Because if they don't it's gonna keep going on. This is my child. I love my child and I will do something about it. I'm doing something about it."
Christy Morris says she has not heard back from Chief Gallow since filing the report on Wednesday.
Morris says she will follow up with the Chief on Monday and will not settle for anything less than a full-fledged investigation.
Eighteen year old Jeremy Stevens says he was shocked when six members of the Opelousas Police Department Crime Suppression Team stormed into this home in Opelousas Tuesday.
"They were looking for someone they thought ran in the house. All the cops ran in the house. We all ran. I ran in the closet. They found me in the closet put me in handcuffs and started beating me."
Stevens says he and his friend ran from police and were subsequently beaten.
"They'll hold me. One would hit me in my ribs and the other throw CD cases at my face, kicking, scratching in my face, my sides are bruised, sore. I had to miss a couple days of work."
Stevens says after the officers left without making any arrests, he called his grandmother and mother who took him to the hospital.
Morris filed a complaint with the Opelousas Police Department. Chief Perry Gallow says the incident is under investigation
"All of that are just accusations at this point and we're going to get to the bottom of the incident and make sure our officers we're just in what they were doing" says Gallow.
Christy Morris says her son is not the only victim of Opelousas Police brutality.
"Any children that's getting harassed and beat, need to come forward. Because if they don't it's gonna keep going on. This is my child. I love my child and I will do something about it. I'm doing something about it."
Christy Morris says she has not heard back from Chief Gallow since filing the report on Wednesday.
Morris says she will follow up with the Chief on Monday and will not settle for anything less than a full-fledged investigation.
Deputy Justin Sumner Charged with Shooting out Lights
A Craig County, Oklahoma deputy is charged with felony destruction of property.
Justin Sumner is charged in neighboring Delaware County with two counts of maliciously defacing property of another.
Sumner is accused of shooting and damaging lights on the Arrowhead Yacht Club sign and shooting and damaging a power transformer.
The incident happened in late January and according to court documents, a security guard witnessed someone shooting the lights out.
That security guard told police he followed the suspect vehicle from the Yacht Club into Craig County.
Along the way, the witness told investigators he saw another Craig County deputy, and confirmed it was Sumner’s vehicle.
Sumner has plead not guilty to the charges and will be back in court in April.
Complaints Against Officers for Excessive Force Rarely Upheld
FORT LAUDERDALE
Suspects have complained over the years that Fort Lauderdale police are too rough, city records show. But in the last eight years, not one of those citizen complaints was upheld by investigators, or led to discipline of an officer.
All complaints lodged against Fort Lauderdale police since 2001 for excessive or unnecessary use of force were thrown out by internal affairs investigators, or were closed because the person making the complaint didn't follow up, the city's records show and officials confirmed. The agency couldn't easily retrieve records prior to 2001 because they're not electronic.
Fort Lauderdale's records show many complaints aren't fully investigated. Internal Affairs officials read the arrest reports and close many cases without getting sworn statements or launching a full probe.
Experts said it's not unusual for the vast majority of excessive force complaints to be closed in favor of law enforcement officers. The trend holds true at Broward Sheriff's Office and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, where few complaints led to officer punishment.
In Fort Lauderdale, the brutality track record for officers was perfect, according to the Internal Affairs files. That agency is in the spotlight after a videotape was made public this month showing police officers manhandling a 22-year-old Sunrise man in an elevator. One officer punched Joshua Daniel Ortiz in the face, breaking his nose in the Dec. 5 altercation in a downtown Fort Lauderdale bank lobby.
Ortiz was facing a charge of felony battery on a law enforcement officer, but Broward prosecutors dropped the charge after reviewing the tapes.
Many viewers were outraged, saying the officers should be punished, particularly after reading the police report that described Ortiz as the aggressor. The case was another in which Fort Lauderdale officers were cleared after a review of the tape and reports, without a full investigation.
Experts say the case is typical because often what's perceived by the public as excessive is ruled to be well within with the rules by police officials. Even videotape doesn't always change the outcome.
Police spokesman Sgt. Frank Sousa said the department's clearing of all brutality complaints shows that "the officers are doing their jobs the way they're supposed to."
"We're not in the business of inviting people over for coffee and tea," Sousa said. "Sometimes you have to pull out a gun and shoot someone."
He said each complaint is taken seriously and those that are fully investigated are also reviewed by an independent citizen's board and the State Attorney's Office.
Sousa himself was caught up in a controversy when a German tourist videotaped him kicking a suspect during an arrest outside a bar in September 2006. He was cleared by Fort Lauderdale police and the State Attorney's Office, but his video continues to draw attention on YouTube. "Perception isn't always reality," Sousa said.
Fort Lauderdale's track record isn't far afield from other agencies.
Tod Burke, a former police officer who teaches criminal justice at Radford University in Virginia, said that nationally, the same is true.
"Very few police brutality complaints are actually sustained," he said. " ... What some people will perceive as police brutality really is not."
The person lodging the complaint is often someone charged with crimes, including battery on a law enforcement officer, or resisting arrest, and might not be seen as credible, experts noted.
Lewis Katz, a law professor at Case Western University, said he thinks "we have a national problem with the use of excessive force." The system of investigating complaints is often heavily weighted in favor of police, he said, so most complaints go away.
The public tends to believe a police officer over a suspect, said Katz.
From 2005 through 2008, the years for which all three agencies provided data, Fort Lauderdale had no sustained cases of the 23 investigated, Broward Sheriff's Office had one sustained case out of 50 complaints against deputies that were investigated, or 2 percent; and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office sustained 11 complaints out of 199 investigated, or 5.5 percent, a number that also includes complaints against jail deputies.
Ortiz said without the video, he'd be facing up to 20 years in prison. His college plans were delayed by his legal troubles, he said, but he'll be enrolling in college classes this fall.
That night, he said, he was sticking up for his girlfriend. Some strangers picked a fight in the bank lobby, and their acquaintances were involved. Police arrived, and grabbed a friend of his girlfriend's, Ortiz said.
He said the officers were "telling her to shut the 'F' up and 'I'll take your a-- to jail' because she was crying and begging for the cops to give her her friend back."
Ortiz intervened, shouting at officers on her behalf, when they came into the elevator after him.
Ortiz "walked right up to me, hitting his nose to my nose," Officer Derek Lade wrote in his report.
Ortiz didn't think he deserved to be punched, or charged with battery.
"It's a big problem. They have to do something about it. This is crazy," he said Wednesday. "If it wasn't for that tape, I'd be pretty ruined right now ... I still had my hands in my pockets when he came and rushed in to the elevator and started hitting me. There was really just no need for that."
Sousa said a person screaming on the sidelines of a fight is inciting more violence, and adding to the mayhem. He noted that the videotape didn't include audio. Sousa also defended Lade's report about the incident, which said that Ortiz came after him.
That was true, Sousa said, because Ortiz leaned toward Lade in the elevator.
Frank Scafidi, a former sheriff's deputy in Los Angeles County who is director of public affairs at the National Insurance Crime Bureau in Sacramento, said you can't expect police to enforce laws when some people won't do what they're told unless they're forced to. Public opinion is often on the officer's side, he said.
"Most people understand that there are a lot of knot heads in the world," Scafidi said, "and that they will need to get their head cracked now and then if they get crossways with the cops."
Use of force complaints
Database: Complaints against police
Suspects have complained over the years that Fort Lauderdale police are too rough, city records show. But in the last eight years, not one of those citizen complaints was upheld by investigators, or led to discipline of an officer.
All complaints lodged against Fort Lauderdale police since 2001 for excessive or unnecessary use of force were thrown out by internal affairs investigators, or were closed because the person making the complaint didn't follow up, the city's records show and officials confirmed. The agency couldn't easily retrieve records prior to 2001 because they're not electronic.
Fort Lauderdale's records show many complaints aren't fully investigated. Internal Affairs officials read the arrest reports and close many cases without getting sworn statements or launching a full probe.
Experts said it's not unusual for the vast majority of excessive force complaints to be closed in favor of law enforcement officers. The trend holds true at Broward Sheriff's Office and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, where few complaints led to officer punishment.
In Fort Lauderdale, the brutality track record for officers was perfect, according to the Internal Affairs files. That agency is in the spotlight after a videotape was made public this month showing police officers manhandling a 22-year-old Sunrise man in an elevator. One officer punched Joshua Daniel Ortiz in the face, breaking his nose in the Dec. 5 altercation in a downtown Fort Lauderdale bank lobby.
Ortiz was facing a charge of felony battery on a law enforcement officer, but Broward prosecutors dropped the charge after reviewing the tapes.
Many viewers were outraged, saying the officers should be punished, particularly after reading the police report that described Ortiz as the aggressor. The case was another in which Fort Lauderdale officers were cleared after a review of the tape and reports, without a full investigation.
Experts say the case is typical because often what's perceived by the public as excessive is ruled to be well within with the rules by police officials. Even videotape doesn't always change the outcome.
Police spokesman Sgt. Frank Sousa said the department's clearing of all brutality complaints shows that "the officers are doing their jobs the way they're supposed to."
"We're not in the business of inviting people over for coffee and tea," Sousa said. "Sometimes you have to pull out a gun and shoot someone."
He said each complaint is taken seriously and those that are fully investigated are also reviewed by an independent citizen's board and the State Attorney's Office.
Sousa himself was caught up in a controversy when a German tourist videotaped him kicking a suspect during an arrest outside a bar in September 2006. He was cleared by Fort Lauderdale police and the State Attorney's Office, but his video continues to draw attention on YouTube. "Perception isn't always reality," Sousa said.
Fort Lauderdale's track record isn't far afield from other agencies.
Tod Burke, a former police officer who teaches criminal justice at Radford University in Virginia, said that nationally, the same is true.
"Very few police brutality complaints are actually sustained," he said. " ... What some people will perceive as police brutality really is not."
The person lodging the complaint is often someone charged with crimes, including battery on a law enforcement officer, or resisting arrest, and might not be seen as credible, experts noted.
Lewis Katz, a law professor at Case Western University, said he thinks "we have a national problem with the use of excessive force." The system of investigating complaints is often heavily weighted in favor of police, he said, so most complaints go away.
The public tends to believe a police officer over a suspect, said Katz.
From 2005 through 2008, the years for which all three agencies provided data, Fort Lauderdale had no sustained cases of the 23 investigated, Broward Sheriff's Office had one sustained case out of 50 complaints against deputies that were investigated, or 2 percent; and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office sustained 11 complaints out of 199 investigated, or 5.5 percent, a number that also includes complaints against jail deputies.
Ortiz said without the video, he'd be facing up to 20 years in prison. His college plans were delayed by his legal troubles, he said, but he'll be enrolling in college classes this fall.
That night, he said, he was sticking up for his girlfriend. Some strangers picked a fight in the bank lobby, and their acquaintances were involved. Police arrived, and grabbed a friend of his girlfriend's, Ortiz said.
He said the officers were "telling her to shut the 'F' up and 'I'll take your a-- to jail' because she was crying and begging for the cops to give her her friend back."
Ortiz intervened, shouting at officers on her behalf, when they came into the elevator after him.
Ortiz "walked right up to me, hitting his nose to my nose," Officer Derek Lade wrote in his report.
Ortiz didn't think he deserved to be punched, or charged with battery.
"It's a big problem. They have to do something about it. This is crazy," he said Wednesday. "If it wasn't for that tape, I'd be pretty ruined right now ... I still had my hands in my pockets when he came and rushed in to the elevator and started hitting me. There was really just no need for that."
Sousa said a person screaming on the sidelines of a fight is inciting more violence, and adding to the mayhem. He noted that the videotape didn't include audio. Sousa also defended Lade's report about the incident, which said that Ortiz came after him.
That was true, Sousa said, because Ortiz leaned toward Lade in the elevator.
Frank Scafidi, a former sheriff's deputy in Los Angeles County who is director of public affairs at the National Insurance Crime Bureau in Sacramento, said you can't expect police to enforce laws when some people won't do what they're told unless they're forced to. Public opinion is often on the officer's side, he said.
"Most people understand that there are a lot of knot heads in the world," Scafidi said, "and that they will need to get their head cracked now and then if they get crossways with the cops."
Use of force complaints
Database: Complaints against police
Officer Tarin Miller Charged with Drunk Driving
YAKIMA
A Yakima police officer will be arraigned April 15 after being charged with drunken driving.
A judge found probable cause for the charge against Officer Tarin Miller at a Wednesday hearing in Yakima County District Court.
Miller, 39, was placed on paid administrative leave following the March 2 arrest while the police department conducts a routine internal investigation, deputy police chief Kelly Rosenow said Wednesday.
A Yakima police officer stopped Miller shortly before midnight March 2 near Tieton Drive and 35th Avenue, according to a citation filed by the Washington State Patrol.
Breath tests showed her blood-alcohol level at .168 and .174, more than double the .08 legal threshold for driving, according to the ticket.
Troopers handled the case at the request of Yakima police.
Miller is a charter member of the police department's Gang Enforcement Team.
She is known for handling graffiti cases, including a downtown spree that caused thousands of dollars in damage in 2006 and resulted in two men being convicted.
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http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_yakima_police_dui.html
A Yakima police officer will be arraigned April 15 after being charged with drunken driving.
A judge found probable cause for the charge against Officer Tarin Miller at a Wednesday hearing in Yakima County District Court.
Miller, 39, was placed on paid administrative leave following the March 2 arrest while the police department conducts a routine internal investigation, deputy police chief Kelly Rosenow said Wednesday.
A Yakima police officer stopped Miller shortly before midnight March 2 near Tieton Drive and 35th Avenue, according to a citation filed by the Washington State Patrol.
Breath tests showed her blood-alcohol level at .168 and .174, more than double the .08 legal threshold for driving, according to the ticket.
Troopers handled the case at the request of Yakima police.
Miller is a charter member of the police department's Gang Enforcement Team.
She is known for handling graffiti cases, including a downtown spree that caused thousands of dollars in damage in 2006 and resulted in two men being convicted.
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http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_yakima_police_dui.html
Officer Darrius Clipps Charged with Home Invasions
A rookie New Orleans police officer has found himself on the other side of the law. That's after a number of home invasions, thought to have been committed by a police impersonator.
Officer Darrius Clipps is charged with aggravated burglary and sexual assault. New Orleans Police Superintendent Warren Riley says Clipps was on the force about a year. Clipps is accused of bursting into homes, demanding drugs and money, and asking the homeowners to take off their clothes.
After a composite sketch came forward of the suspect, several officers recognized Clipps. One witness even remembered Clipps' badge number. He resigned after his arrest.
Clipps has been booked with malfeasance in office, sexual battery, false imprisonment with a weapon, simple and aggravated kidnapping, aggravated burglary, and unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling.
Killeen Officer Being Investigated After Shooting Soldier
KILLEEN, Texas
A Killeen police officer early Saturday morning fatally shot a Fort Hood soldier driving an SUV after authorities said the officer was dragged through a parking lot as he tried to detain a man while others inside the vehicle were trying to pull the man inside.
The name of the 21-year-old soldier was being withheld until his family was notified, authorities said.
The officer, whose name also was not disclosed, was able to free himself from the SUV and fell to the ground. He was treated at a hospital and released and was placed on administrative leave.
Police said when the officer spotted a disturbance early Saturday in the parking lot of a nightclub and went to investigate, one of the participants ran.
As the officer gave chase, the fleeing man tried to jump through the passenger window of a Chevrolet Trailblazer. The policeman attempted to stop him by grabbing him around his waist as he was half into the sport utility vehicle. The officer's arms became pinned as the driver began to leave.
The officer was able to break one arm free and fire at the driver. The officer continued to be dragged until he was able free his other arm and fell to the ground. The fleeing vehicle then continued through the parking lot, hitting a car and several handrails before coming to a stop. Police said the man who initially ran was still hanging in the window when the car wrecked.
Killeen police spokeswoman Carroll Smith said several people were arrested in relation to the incident, including the man in the window. She did not have any information on charges.
A Killeen police officer early Saturday morning fatally shot a Fort Hood soldier driving an SUV after authorities said the officer was dragged through a parking lot as he tried to detain a man while others inside the vehicle were trying to pull the man inside.
The name of the 21-year-old soldier was being withheld until his family was notified, authorities said.
The officer, whose name also was not disclosed, was able to free himself from the SUV and fell to the ground. He was treated at a hospital and released and was placed on administrative leave.
Police said when the officer spotted a disturbance early Saturday in the parking lot of a nightclub and went to investigate, one of the participants ran.
As the officer gave chase, the fleeing man tried to jump through the passenger window of a Chevrolet Trailblazer. The policeman attempted to stop him by grabbing him around his waist as he was half into the sport utility vehicle. The officer's arms became pinned as the driver began to leave.
The officer was able to break one arm free and fire at the driver. The officer continued to be dragged until he was able free his other arm and fell to the ground. The fleeing vehicle then continued through the parking lot, hitting a car and several handrails before coming to a stop. Police said the man who initially ran was still hanging in the window when the car wrecked.
Killeen police spokeswoman Carroll Smith said several people were arrested in relation to the incident, including the man in the window. She did not have any information on charges.
Federal Prosecutors Want to Keep Judge Cletus Maricle Behind Bars
Federal prosecutors want to keep a former Clay County circuit judge charged in a vote-buying scheme behind bars until his trial.
Former Circuit Judge R. Cletus Maricle and seven others charged with him in the federal case pleaded not guilty at their first court appearance Friday.
After spending the night in jail Thursday, all but Maricle, 65, were released until the trial, scheduled for May 19. They didn't have to post a financial bond.
Freddy Thompson is running for County Clerk against Jennings White who says he (White) was shot at in one of several election-related shootings in Clay County, Manchester, KY, Tuesday, May 21, 2002.
Clay County Clerk Freddy Thompson. Several prominent officials in Clay County schemed to buy votes in the May 2004 primary election, a federal grand jury has alleged. Manchester Enterprise
- Clay County school superintendent Doug Adams. Several prominent officials in Clay County schemed to buy votes in the May 2004 primary election, a federal grand jury has alleged. Photo provided by the Laurel County Detention Center
- Wayne Jones, chairman of the Clay County Democratic Party. Several prominent officials in Clay County schemed to buy votes in the May 2004 primary election, a federal grand jury has alleged. Photo provided by the Laurel County Detention Center
- Paul E. Bishop of Manchester, Ky. Several prominent officials in Clay County schemed to buy votes in the May 2004 primary election, a federal grand jury has alleged.
- William E. Stivers, an election officer in Clay County. Several prominent officials in Clay County schemed to buy votes in the May 2004 primary election, a federal grand jury has alleged. Photo provided by the Laurel County Detention Center
- Cletus Maricle, a Kentucky Circuit Court Judge, in an undated file photo supplied by the Administrative Office of the Courts.
However, Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen C. Smith asked that Maricle remain in jail.
Smith said Maricle, facing a potential maximum sentence of 20 years, has been charged with asking a witness to lie and has hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets, raising the potential that he has the money to flee.
The prosecutor also said that Maricle told people cooperating in the case that he was trying to find out where the FBI agent investigating the allegations lived and what kind of vehicle he drove.
Smith didn't say why Maricle allegedly wanted that information, but said there was no reason he would seek it "unless he was up to no good."
Smith also said Maricle had indicated some instability in an interview after his arrest, telling a probation officer he had "struggled with the will to live" recently.
Maricle's son died several weeks ago of a heart attack.
Maricle's attorney, former federal prosecutor Mark Wohlander, argued that Maricle is not a flight risk or a danger to anyone. Maricle hasn't said he wants to kill himself, just that things had been rough since his son's death, Wohlander said.
And the incident when Maricle allegedly sought information about an officer in the investigation was in May 2007, Wohlander said.
"If it was so serious, why wasn't my client arrested a year and a half ago?" he said.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Wier ruled that Maricle would have to stay in jail at least until another hearing scheduled for Monday.
Also Friday, state Supreme Court Chief Justice John Minton suspended Maricle from the senior judge program.
Maricle was circuit judge in Clay County from 1991 until July 2007. Since then, he has been a senior judge, meaning he fills in for other judges.
Those charged with Maricle are Doug Adams, school superintendent in Clay County; County Clerk Freddy W. Thompson; Charles Wayne Jones, the county's Democratic election commissioner; William E. Stivers, who has been an election officer and is chairman of the county Democratic Party; Paul E. Bishop; and William and Debra Morris.
All eight are charged with racketeering for allegedly using the county election board as a vehicle to corrupt elections. All but Adams and Bishop face at least one additional charge of conspiracy to buy votes, while some face several additional charges.
Wearing handcuffs, they said little during their first court appearance other than to acknowledge they understood the charges. Family members, some emotional, crowded the courtroom for the hearing at the federal building in London.
Smith told Wier the trial could take four weeks.
Smith said in a court motion that the case involving Maricle and the others was opened in March 2006. The eight were indicted March 3, but the charges were sealed until after they were arrested Thursday.
The charges are the latest in a federal investigation in which several officials who once held prominent roles in the county have already gone to prison.
Former Circuit Judge R. Cletus Maricle and seven others charged with him in the federal case pleaded not guilty at their first court appearance Friday.
After spending the night in jail Thursday, all but Maricle, 65, were released until the trial, scheduled for May 19. They didn't have to post a financial bond.
Freddy Thompson is running for County Clerk against Jennings White who says he (White) was shot at in one of several election-related shootings in Clay County, Manchester, KY, Tuesday, May 21, 2002.
Clay County Clerk Freddy Thompson. Several prominent officials in Clay County schemed to buy votes in the May 2004 primary election, a federal grand jury has alleged. Manchester Enterprise
- Clay County school superintendent Doug Adams. Several prominent officials in Clay County schemed to buy votes in the May 2004 primary election, a federal grand jury has alleged. Photo provided by the Laurel County Detention Center
- Wayne Jones, chairman of the Clay County Democratic Party. Several prominent officials in Clay County schemed to buy votes in the May 2004 primary election, a federal grand jury has alleged. Photo provided by the Laurel County Detention Center
- Paul E. Bishop of Manchester, Ky. Several prominent officials in Clay County schemed to buy votes in the May 2004 primary election, a federal grand jury has alleged.
- William E. Stivers, an election officer in Clay County. Several prominent officials in Clay County schemed to buy votes in the May 2004 primary election, a federal grand jury has alleged. Photo provided by the Laurel County Detention Center
- Cletus Maricle, a Kentucky Circuit Court Judge, in an undated file photo supplied by the Administrative Office of the Courts.
However, Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen C. Smith asked that Maricle remain in jail.
Smith said Maricle, facing a potential maximum sentence of 20 years, has been charged with asking a witness to lie and has hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets, raising the potential that he has the money to flee.
The prosecutor also said that Maricle told people cooperating in the case that he was trying to find out where the FBI agent investigating the allegations lived and what kind of vehicle he drove.
Smith didn't say why Maricle allegedly wanted that information, but said there was no reason he would seek it "unless he was up to no good."
Smith also said Maricle had indicated some instability in an interview after his arrest, telling a probation officer he had "struggled with the will to live" recently.
Maricle's son died several weeks ago of a heart attack.
Maricle's attorney, former federal prosecutor Mark Wohlander, argued that Maricle is not a flight risk or a danger to anyone. Maricle hasn't said he wants to kill himself, just that things had been rough since his son's death, Wohlander said.
And the incident when Maricle allegedly sought information about an officer in the investigation was in May 2007, Wohlander said.
"If it was so serious, why wasn't my client arrested a year and a half ago?" he said.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Wier ruled that Maricle would have to stay in jail at least until another hearing scheduled for Monday.
Also Friday, state Supreme Court Chief Justice John Minton suspended Maricle from the senior judge program.
Maricle was circuit judge in Clay County from 1991 until July 2007. Since then, he has been a senior judge, meaning he fills in for other judges.
Those charged with Maricle are Doug Adams, school superintendent in Clay County; County Clerk Freddy W. Thompson; Charles Wayne Jones, the county's Democratic election commissioner; William E. Stivers, who has been an election officer and is chairman of the county Democratic Party; Paul E. Bishop; and William and Debra Morris.
All eight are charged with racketeering for allegedly using the county election board as a vehicle to corrupt elections. All but Adams and Bishop face at least one additional charge of conspiracy to buy votes, while some face several additional charges.
Wearing handcuffs, they said little during their first court appearance other than to acknowledge they understood the charges. Family members, some emotional, crowded the courtroom for the hearing at the federal building in London.
Smith told Wier the trial could take four weeks.
Smith said in a court motion that the case involving Maricle and the others was opened in March 2006. The eight were indicted March 3, but the charges were sealed until after they were arrested Thursday.
The charges are the latest in a federal investigation in which several officials who once held prominent roles in the county have already gone to prison.
Other Information:
Friday, March 20, 2009
Former Officer Reuben Delgadillo Arrested for Lewd Conduct with Minor
Reuben Delgadillo, 26, Caldwell, was arrested Thursday morning in Ada County on a felony warrant issued by the Canyon County Sheriff's Office.
Caldwell Police Chief Chris Allgood said Friday that Delgadillo was an officer in the police department from early 2005 to late 2008. He said Delgadillo resigned last year.
Allgood said he did not know when the alleged lewd conduct with a minor occurred.
"The state investigated, and I have very few details," the police chief said.
Calls to the Canyon County Sheriff's Office were not returned Friday.
$1.15 Million Lawsuit Settled Against NYPD Shooting
NEW YORK
The families of two robbery suspects who died in a barrage of police bullets more than a decade ago settled a lawsuit with the city Friday for $1.15 million.
The families' attorneys had just rested their case during the trial when the deal was announced. Relatives had sought $20 million, but their attorney said they were content, accepting the settlement as affirmation that excessive force was used.
"We believe justice has been done," lawyer Seth Harris said. "The city waved the white flag, and this clearly shows the officers used excessive force, and these boys didn't have to die."
Hilton Vega was shot eight times and his cousin Anthony Rosario 14 times when they arrived at an apartment on Jan. 12, 1995. The officers, James Crowe and Patrick Brosnan, had been there interviewing residents on a tip that a robbery would take place.
The victims were face-down on the ground when they were killed. Some of the 28 shots fired hit the floorboards.
The city Law Department continued to defend the now-retired officers. A New York Police Department investigation found the officers acted within department guidelines, and a grand jury in the Bronx brought no criminal charges. Federal prosecutors said there wasn't enough evidence for them to pursue charges.
"We believe that our police officers acted appropriately when confronted with three armed gunmen after being called by a man in fear of his life," said Fay Leoussis, chief of the Law Department's Tort Division. "However, we have agreed to resolve these cases in light of the uncertainties of litigation."
Versions of what happened the night of the shooting varied greatly during the civil trial, including who was shot first, how the men came to be face-down, and what the detectives were doing at the apartment.
Crowe and Brosnan were there for at least an hour before Rosario and Vega arrived. The victims said they had come to the building to collect a debt they believed was owed to one of their girlfriends in a scam run by the man who lived at the apartment.
The officers told them to get on the ground and opened fire when Rosario and Vega did not comply quickly enough. Vega, 21, and the 18-year-old Rosario died, and another man with them was injured. The men were armed, but they fired no shots.
The officers retired from the force on a disability pension related to the incident in 1996.
The shooting happened during an era of community outrage against then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani's administration over allegations of excessive force by police officers who, like those in the Bronx case, received little or no punishment. Critics said the NYPD had overlooked incriminating details because Brosnan served as a volunteer bodyguard for the mayor's 1993 campaign.
_______________
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/nyregion/21jury.html
The families of two robbery suspects who died in a barrage of police bullets more than a decade ago settled a lawsuit with the city Friday for $1.15 million.
The families' attorneys had just rested their case during the trial when the deal was announced. Relatives had sought $20 million, but their attorney said they were content, accepting the settlement as affirmation that excessive force was used.
"We believe justice has been done," lawyer Seth Harris said. "The city waved the white flag, and this clearly shows the officers used excessive force, and these boys didn't have to die."
Hilton Vega was shot eight times and his cousin Anthony Rosario 14 times when they arrived at an apartment on Jan. 12, 1995. The officers, James Crowe and Patrick Brosnan, had been there interviewing residents on a tip that a robbery would take place.
The victims were face-down on the ground when they were killed. Some of the 28 shots fired hit the floorboards.
The city Law Department continued to defend the now-retired officers. A New York Police Department investigation found the officers acted within department guidelines, and a grand jury in the Bronx brought no criminal charges. Federal prosecutors said there wasn't enough evidence for them to pursue charges.
"We believe that our police officers acted appropriately when confronted with three armed gunmen after being called by a man in fear of his life," said Fay Leoussis, chief of the Law Department's Tort Division. "However, we have agreed to resolve these cases in light of the uncertainties of litigation."
Versions of what happened the night of the shooting varied greatly during the civil trial, including who was shot first, how the men came to be face-down, and what the detectives were doing at the apartment.
Crowe and Brosnan were there for at least an hour before Rosario and Vega arrived. The victims said they had come to the building to collect a debt they believed was owed to one of their girlfriends in a scam run by the man who lived at the apartment.
The officers told them to get on the ground and opened fire when Rosario and Vega did not comply quickly enough. Vega, 21, and the 18-year-old Rosario died, and another man with them was injured. The men were armed, but they fired no shots.
The officers retired from the force on a disability pension related to the incident in 1996.
The shooting happened during an era of community outrage against then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani's administration over allegations of excessive force by police officers who, like those in the Bronx case, received little or no punishment. Critics said the NYPD had overlooked incriminating details because Brosnan served as a volunteer bodyguard for the mayor's 1993 campaign.
_______________
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/nyregion/21jury.html
Former Officer James Beck Jr Arrested for Misconduct
A former Bridgeport Police officer has been indicted on two charges of abusing his position.
53 year old James T. Beck Jr. was arrested after the Jackson County Grand Jury returned the indictment. The document reads in part that Beck:
Willfully obtained or sought to obtain criminal offender record information by acessing the the Law Enforcement Tactical System, under false pretenses that it was for an official law enforcement or criminal justice purpose.
Willfully communicated or sought to communicate criminal offender information in a manner not in accordance with the law.
Beck could face a fine and up to ten years in jail.
______________
http://www.whnt.com/news/whnt-bridgeport-officer-misuse-of-data,0,6625346.story
53 year old James T. Beck Jr. was arrested after the Jackson County Grand Jury returned the indictment. The document reads in part that Beck:
Willfully obtained or sought to obtain criminal offender record information by acessing the the Law Enforcement Tactical System, under false pretenses that it was for an official law enforcement or criminal justice purpose.
Willfully communicated or sought to communicate criminal offender information in a manner not in accordance with the law.
Beck could face a fine and up to ten years in jail.
______________
http://www.whnt.com/news/whnt-bridgeport-officer-misuse-of-data,0,6625346.story
Officer Douglas Franks Charged with Family Assault
MARSHALL COUNTY
A Scottsboro police officer turned himself in to Marshall County authorities Friday evening.
Douglas Dale Franks of Grant is charged with simple family assault. A source tells WHNT the charge is basically a harassment charge.
Scottsboro Police Chief Ralph Dawe says Franks will remain on the force. He tells WHNT that as far as he is concerned, Franks is innocent until he's proven guilty.
A Scottsboro police officer turned himself in to Marshall County authorities Friday evening.
Douglas Dale Franks of Grant is charged with simple family assault. A source tells WHNT the charge is basically a harassment charge.
Scottsboro Police Chief Ralph Dawe says Franks will remain on the force. He tells WHNT that as far as he is concerned, Franks is innocent until he's proven guilty.
Officer Andrew Barone Charged with Assault
WILTON
A town police officer arrested in February by Central Connecticut State University police resigned Tuesday.
Andrew Barone, 23, was arrested Feb. 3 and charged with second-degree assault and three counts of third-degree computer crime in regard to a campus incident.
"He has resigned and is no longer a part of the department," Capt. Michael Lombardo said. "We're disappointed anytime we lose an officer under circumstances like this."
Barone had been on administrative leave since Feb. 13, Lombardo said. He had been on the force for just more than a year. Lombardo did not comment as to whether Barone, a Trumbull resident, was asked to resign.
A town police officer arrested in February by Central Connecticut State University police resigned Tuesday.
Andrew Barone, 23, was arrested Feb. 3 and charged with second-degree assault and three counts of third-degree computer crime in regard to a campus incident.
"He has resigned and is no longer a part of the department," Capt. Michael Lombardo said. "We're disappointed anytime we lose an officer under circumstances like this."
Barone had been on administrative leave since Feb. 13, Lombardo said. He had been on the force for just more than a year. Lombardo did not comment as to whether Barone, a Trumbull resident, was asked to resign.
Former Deputy Standric Choice Enters Guilty Plea to Drug Charges
A former Dallas County sheriff's deputy has agreed to plead guilty to cocaine-related charges, the U.S. attorney's office said Friday.
Standric Choice, 36, is expected to formally enter his guilty plea next week before a U.S. magistrate.
Choice agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, possessing a firearm during and in relation to a drug-trafficking crime, and possession with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine while at a truck stop, the U.S. attorney's office said.
He faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and could get a life sentence, as well as a $4.25 million fine.
Choice and two co-defendants, Terry Kemone Anderson, 29, and Charlie Lee Hill, 31, were arrested in January.
Hill pleaded guilty earlier this month to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
Anderson has agreed to plead guilty to the same offense.
Hill and Anderson each face five to 40 years in prison.
According to court records, an informant posing as a drug dealer told Hill he planned to buy four kilograms of cocaine from a South Texas trafficker.
Hill, who is believed to be Choice's brother-in-law, said Choice could pretend to arrest the informant and grab the cocaine, the U.S. attorney's office said. The informant and Hill then would split the drugs and compensate Choice.
On Jan. 9, according to the court records, Choice confronted the "drug dealer" at TA Truck Stop on Interstate 20 and Bonnie View Road in southern Dallas. He confiscated the cocaine and forced the man to go with him.
Choice then left the truck stop, and Hill and Anderson, who had both been observing the phony arrest, followed Choice for about a mile before stopping in a secluded area. Choice released the informant and handed over the cocaine.
Choice was arrested after returning to the Dallas County sheriff's office. Hill and Anderson were arrested near the truck stop.
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Previous Post: http://whathappenedtoprotectandserve.blogspot.com/2009/01/deputy-standric-choice-two-others.html
http://whathappenedtoprotectandserve.blogspot.com/2009/01/deputy-standric-choice-arrested-by-fbi.html
Standric Choice, 36, is expected to formally enter his guilty plea next week before a U.S. magistrate.
Choice agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, possessing a firearm during and in relation to a drug-trafficking crime, and possession with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine while at a truck stop, the U.S. attorney's office said.
He faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and could get a life sentence, as well as a $4.25 million fine.
Choice and two co-defendants, Terry Kemone Anderson, 29, and Charlie Lee Hill, 31, were arrested in January.
Hill pleaded guilty earlier this month to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
Anderson has agreed to plead guilty to the same offense.
Hill and Anderson each face five to 40 years in prison.
According to court records, an informant posing as a drug dealer told Hill he planned to buy four kilograms of cocaine from a South Texas trafficker.
Hill, who is believed to be Choice's brother-in-law, said Choice could pretend to arrest the informant and grab the cocaine, the U.S. attorney's office said. The informant and Hill then would split the drugs and compensate Choice.
On Jan. 9, according to the court records, Choice confronted the "drug dealer" at TA Truck Stop on Interstate 20 and Bonnie View Road in southern Dallas. He confiscated the cocaine and forced the man to go with him.
Choice then left the truck stop, and Hill and Anderson, who had both been observing the phony arrest, followed Choice for about a mile before stopping in a secluded area. Choice released the informant and handed over the cocaine.
Choice was arrested after returning to the Dallas County sheriff's office. Hill and Anderson were arrested near the truck stop.
____________
Previous Post: http://whathappenedtoprotectandserve.blogspot.com/2009/01/deputy-standric-choice-two-others.html
http://whathappenedtoprotectandserve.blogspot.com/2009/01/deputy-standric-choice-arrested-by-fbi.html
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Sgt. Terry Stayer Investigated for Falsifying Time Sheet
HALTOM CITY
A police sergeant is under investigation after a complaint that she falsified her time sheet for the past six months, claiming she was at work while she was attending college classes during the day.
The Haltom City Law Enforcement Association filed the complaint against Sgt. Terry Stayer, who is over the police department’s internal affairs investigations. It alleges that the sergeant also had used a city-owned vehicle to attend classes during the day.
She is not allowed to use the vehicle, according to the complaint, filed with city officials last month and with the City Council earlier this week.
Attempts to reach Stayer were unsuccessful. An office voice-mail message indicated that the sergeant was out until Monday. An e-mail sent late Thursday by Interim Chief of Police Patrick C. Bridges said that Stayer could not discuss the matter because it is a pending investigation.
The 70-member association first made the complaint on Feb. 12 to then-Haltom City Police Chief Ken Burton and the city’s human resources department.
But it also sent the complaint to city council members Wednesday, unhappy with what the association saw as a lack of action on the matter.
“The HCLEA fears that this extremely serious and sensitive allegation is not being adequately investigated,” Haltom City police Sgt. Shawn Holt said in an e-mail to council members on Wednesday.
But City Manager Tom Muir said on Thursday an internal investigation should be complete in about 10 days. Muir said the city has retained Fort Worth attorney Bettye Lynn to investigate the complaint.
“We did get on it,” Muir said. “They (association members) are not happy because they wanted the Texas Rangers or another outside agency to investigate, but I decided to go with retaining counsel.”
The complaint alleged that police officials were showing favoritism toward the sergeant because she remains in her position as supervisor in charge of professional standards and is responsible for internal affairs investigations.
Last year, Stayer alleged that four other Haltom City police officers falsified time sheets, according to the complaint. At least one of the officers was placed on administrative leave, association members said.
One was charged with theft; charges against the other three were dropped, the complaint states.
Police officials told association members that Stayer would be working on Saturdays to make up the four hours needed to attend the college classes, according to the complaint.
But the complaint states that officers have not seen the sergeant on Saturdays and officers are not allowed to make up the work at home.
A police sergeant is under investigation after a complaint that she falsified her time sheet for the past six months, claiming she was at work while she was attending college classes during the day.
The Haltom City Law Enforcement Association filed the complaint against Sgt. Terry Stayer, who is over the police department’s internal affairs investigations. It alleges that the sergeant also had used a city-owned vehicle to attend classes during the day.
She is not allowed to use the vehicle, according to the complaint, filed with city officials last month and with the City Council earlier this week.
Attempts to reach Stayer were unsuccessful. An office voice-mail message indicated that the sergeant was out until Monday. An e-mail sent late Thursday by Interim Chief of Police Patrick C. Bridges said that Stayer could not discuss the matter because it is a pending investigation.
The 70-member association first made the complaint on Feb. 12 to then-Haltom City Police Chief Ken Burton and the city’s human resources department.
But it also sent the complaint to city council members Wednesday, unhappy with what the association saw as a lack of action on the matter.
“The HCLEA fears that this extremely serious and sensitive allegation is not being adequately investigated,” Haltom City police Sgt. Shawn Holt said in an e-mail to council members on Wednesday.
But City Manager Tom Muir said on Thursday an internal investigation should be complete in about 10 days. Muir said the city has retained Fort Worth attorney Bettye Lynn to investigate the complaint.
“We did get on it,” Muir said. “They (association members) are not happy because they wanted the Texas Rangers or another outside agency to investigate, but I decided to go with retaining counsel.”
The complaint alleged that police officials were showing favoritism toward the sergeant because she remains in her position as supervisor in charge of professional standards and is responsible for internal affairs investigations.
Last year, Stayer alleged that four other Haltom City police officers falsified time sheets, according to the complaint. At least one of the officers was placed on administrative leave, association members said.
One was charged with theft; charges against the other three were dropped, the complaint states.
Police officials told association members that Stayer would be working on Saturdays to make up the four hours needed to attend the college classes, according to the complaint.
But the complaint states that officers have not seen the sergeant on Saturdays and officers are not allowed to make up the work at home.
Former Judge George Korpita Convicted of 2nd DWI Charge
SPARTA, N.J.
A former municipal court judge in Morris County who lost that job after admitting to drunken driving has been convicted of another DWI charge.
George R. Korpita received a suspended 45-day jail term after being found guilty Thursday in Sparta Township Municipal Court. He also must continue to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings six days a week for two years _ the time his driver's license will be revoked _ and will be jailed if he misses meetings.
The conviction stemmed from Korpita's arrest in February 2008.
He had served as a judge for Dover, Rockaway Borough and Victory Gardens before stepping down in December 2007. That came after he admitted driving drunk in Roxbury a few weeks earlier and threatening the police officers who arrested him.
A former municipal court judge in Morris County who lost that job after admitting to drunken driving has been convicted of another DWI charge.
George R. Korpita received a suspended 45-day jail term after being found guilty Thursday in Sparta Township Municipal Court. He also must continue to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings six days a week for two years _ the time his driver's license will be revoked _ and will be jailed if he misses meetings.
The conviction stemmed from Korpita's arrest in February 2008.
He had served as a judge for Dover, Rockaway Borough and Victory Gardens before stepping down in December 2007. That came after he admitted driving drunk in Roxbury a few weeks earlier and threatening the police officers who arrested him.
Trooper Carrie Rindal Reprimanded for Using Car to Ram Van
The Minnesota State Patrol announced Wednesday that it has reprimanded a state trooper who used her squad car to ram the van of a Hudson, Wis., man and then arrest him for fleeing.
A State Patrol review board concluded that while trooper Carrie Rindal had reason for heightened concern, ramming the van was not justified at the time or place she did it.
The board also found that the driver, Sam Salter, 40, who had his three young children with him in the van, was not "actively intending to flee" during the incident in St. Paul on New Year's Eve.
Col. Mark Dunaski, chief of the patrol, called it "a regrettable incident" that will be incorporated into a semi-annual training program all troopers will go through this year.
Rindal arrested Salter at gunpoint for fleeing, and took him to the Ramsey County Law Enforcement Center, where he was jailed for 37 hours. The county attorney's office later declined to prosecute.
The incident was first reported by the Star Tribune in February.
Salter said in an interview that he never attempted to flee and wanted only to find a safe place to pull over, but there was snow on the shoulder, and he did not want to be struck from behind. He was eastbound on Interstate 94 shortly before midnight when he saw the trooper's emergency lights. He turned off on Hwy. 61 and turned right onto Burns Avenue. He was pulling over when Rindal struck his van in what is known as a P.I.T. maneuver, which stands for pursuit intervention technique.
The children were in the back seats of his Toyota Sienna van. His wife picked up the kids while he was transported to jail.
"I think there are some people might say, 'Well, gee, a letter of reprimand, that sounds like a slap on the wrist,'" said Dunaski in an interview. "Minnesota takes that very seriously. We don't hand out a lot of letters of reprimand." She will also get additional training, Dunaski said. The Patrol said Rindal declined to comment.
Salter said he appreciated the patrol's statement
"I feel they came to the right, logical decision," he said. "I think they came to the decision that I was indeed not fleeing. ... I spent two nights in jail for something I didn't do, and it should have been clear to them at the time."
Salter has discussed a relatively small settlement with the patrol, but gave no details.
Rindal's P.I.T. maneuver resulted in two dents with damage estimated at $2,200.
Three weeks after the incident, the patrol mailed Salter a $130 ticket for making an illegal lane change. Dunaski said that in retrospect, it probably should not have been sent. Salter has already paid the fine.
The patrol's Critical Incident Review Board, a seven-member body, found that one minute and 23 seconds elapsed from the time Rindal activated her lights to when she performed the P.I.T. maneuver.
Dunaski declined to say it was improper for Rindal to do a P.I.T. He said the problems were when she did it and where, and how the vehicle was struck. He said it should not have been done next to a snow bank or curb that could damage the vehicle.
"Part of the regrettable portion of this was that Mr. Salter had to spend two days incarcerated," said Dunaski, noting Salter was in jail all New Year's Day. He said on-duty supervisors will make inquiries in the future in such cases.
Dunaski praised Rindal, an 11-year veteran, for her work getting impaired drivers off the highway. He said that while a "poor decision," was made in this case, it should be seen in the context that it was New Year's Eve, and she was looking for impaired drivers. He said she saw traffic violations and that when she turned on the emergency lights, Salter did not stop.
Asked what drivers should do if a trooper is behind them, he said, "When you see a vehicle approaching with red lights and sirens, the driver's responsibility is to pull over immediately." He said law enforcement officers are trained to stop vehicles in places that are safe, and drivers should rely on the officers' judgment.
But he added that he understood Salter's concern about finding a safe spot.
Information & Video:
http://www.startribune.com/local/east/41438062.html?page=1&c=y
Lawsuit settlement: http://www.startribune.com/local/east/41541612.html?elr=KArks:DCiUtEia_nDaycUiacyKUnciaec8O7EyUr
A State Patrol review board concluded that while trooper Carrie Rindal had reason for heightened concern, ramming the van was not justified at the time or place she did it.
The board also found that the driver, Sam Salter, 40, who had his three young children with him in the van, was not "actively intending to flee" during the incident in St. Paul on New Year's Eve.
Col. Mark Dunaski, chief of the patrol, called it "a regrettable incident" that will be incorporated into a semi-annual training program all troopers will go through this year.
Rindal arrested Salter at gunpoint for fleeing, and took him to the Ramsey County Law Enforcement Center, where he was jailed for 37 hours. The county attorney's office later declined to prosecute.
The incident was first reported by the Star Tribune in February.
Salter said in an interview that he never attempted to flee and wanted only to find a safe place to pull over, but there was snow on the shoulder, and he did not want to be struck from behind. He was eastbound on Interstate 94 shortly before midnight when he saw the trooper's emergency lights. He turned off on Hwy. 61 and turned right onto Burns Avenue. He was pulling over when Rindal struck his van in what is known as a P.I.T. maneuver, which stands for pursuit intervention technique.
The children were in the back seats of his Toyota Sienna van. His wife picked up the kids while he was transported to jail.
"I think there are some people might say, 'Well, gee, a letter of reprimand, that sounds like a slap on the wrist,'" said Dunaski in an interview. "Minnesota takes that very seriously. We don't hand out a lot of letters of reprimand." She will also get additional training, Dunaski said. The Patrol said Rindal declined to comment.
Salter said he appreciated the patrol's statement
"I feel they came to the right, logical decision," he said. "I think they came to the decision that I was indeed not fleeing. ... I spent two nights in jail for something I didn't do, and it should have been clear to them at the time."
Salter has discussed a relatively small settlement with the patrol, but gave no details.
Rindal's P.I.T. maneuver resulted in two dents with damage estimated at $2,200.
Three weeks after the incident, the patrol mailed Salter a $130 ticket for making an illegal lane change. Dunaski said that in retrospect, it probably should not have been sent. Salter has already paid the fine.
The patrol's Critical Incident Review Board, a seven-member body, found that one minute and 23 seconds elapsed from the time Rindal activated her lights to when she performed the P.I.T. maneuver.
Dunaski declined to say it was improper for Rindal to do a P.I.T. He said the problems were when she did it and where, and how the vehicle was struck. He said it should not have been done next to a snow bank or curb that could damage the vehicle.
"Part of the regrettable portion of this was that Mr. Salter had to spend two days incarcerated," said Dunaski, noting Salter was in jail all New Year's Day. He said on-duty supervisors will make inquiries in the future in such cases.
Dunaski praised Rindal, an 11-year veteran, for her work getting impaired drivers off the highway. He said that while a "poor decision," was made in this case, it should be seen in the context that it was New Year's Eve, and she was looking for impaired drivers. He said she saw traffic violations and that when she turned on the emergency lights, Salter did not stop.
Asked what drivers should do if a trooper is behind them, he said, "When you see a vehicle approaching with red lights and sirens, the driver's responsibility is to pull over immediately." He said law enforcement officers are trained to stop vehicles in places that are safe, and drivers should rely on the officers' judgment.
But he added that he understood Salter's concern about finding a safe spot.
Information & Video:
http://www.startribune.com/local/east/41438062.html?page=1&c=y
Lawsuit settlement: http://www.startribune.com/local/east/41541612.html?elr=KArks:DCiUtEia_nDaycUiacyKUnciaec8O7EyUr
Sgt. Mark Sawyer Charged with Domestic Assault
OAKLAND
A Maine State Police sergeant arrested Monday on charges of aggravated domestic assault is on paid administrative leave.
Mark Sawyer, 43, of Sparkling Lake Lane, was arrested at 6:30 p.m. Monday after police received a call about 5 p.m. of an alleged assault, police Capt. Rick Stubbert said Thursday.
Sawyer was booked at 7:30 p.m. and bailed from the Police Department on $500 cash bond, Stubbert said.
"The case is still under investigation; there's a lot of stuff we're still following up on," he said.
Stubbert said he could not release details of the case while it is being investigated. He said four officers went to Sawyer's home Monday where he was arrested. Sawyer was cooperative, he said.
Aggravated assault is a Class B felony. Stubbert said no weapons were involved.
"The 'aggravated' part comes into play as far as the victim's injuries," he said.
He said he could not reveal information about those injuries.
Stubbert said information is not being withheld because Sawyer is a law enforcement officer; Oakland police are doing exactly what they would with anyone else arrested under such circumstances.
"That's been our biggest concern right from the beginning -- to handle it just like any other case," he said.
Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety, said Thursday that Sawyer is a 23-year member of the state police and is a sergeant with the commercial vehicle enforcement unit.
McCausland said he could not release more information about Sawyer's case.
"He is on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of this charge," he said.
Sawyer's attorney, Michael Turndorf of Brunswick, said his client is innocent.
"It's not a question of being innocent until proven guilty; simply put, he is innocent," Turndorf said Thursday. "The fact of his arrest is not evidence of anything other than he was arrested."
Turndorf said there is more to the story, and when the story comes out, Sawyer will not be convicted of any offense. He said the call to police about the alleged assault did not come from Sawyer's home.
"There was no call at all from the alleged victim," Turndorf said.
The standard by which police officers conduct an arrest is based on probable cause and probable cause is really the lowest standard of proof that exists, he said.
"All they need is a pointed finger to arrest someone and they don't need much more. That's not any criticism against police -- that's just a statement of fact."
Turndorf declined to identify the alleged victim, or say whether it was a family member of Sawyer's.
Kennebec County Deputy District Attorney Alan Kelley also said he could not divulge details.
"The case is still under investigation, and we don't feel comfortable revealing any other information at this point," he said.
Sawyer is scheduled to appear at a hearing in Kennebec County Superior Court in Augusta at 8:30 a.m. April 14.
"As it approaches, obviously we're going to have more and more information and at some point, it will be appropriate to discuss it," Kelley said. "But not right now."
Other Information: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008887319_appolicearrested.html
A Maine State Police sergeant arrested Monday on charges of aggravated domestic assault is on paid administrative leave.
Mark Sawyer, 43, of Sparkling Lake Lane, was arrested at 6:30 p.m. Monday after police received a call about 5 p.m. of an alleged assault, police Capt. Rick Stubbert said Thursday.
Sawyer was booked at 7:30 p.m. and bailed from the Police Department on $500 cash bond, Stubbert said.
"The case is still under investigation; there's a lot of stuff we're still following up on," he said.
Stubbert said he could not release details of the case while it is being investigated. He said four officers went to Sawyer's home Monday where he was arrested. Sawyer was cooperative, he said.
Aggravated assault is a Class B felony. Stubbert said no weapons were involved.
"The 'aggravated' part comes into play as far as the victim's injuries," he said.
He said he could not reveal information about those injuries.
Stubbert said information is not being withheld because Sawyer is a law enforcement officer; Oakland police are doing exactly what they would with anyone else arrested under such circumstances.
"That's been our biggest concern right from the beginning -- to handle it just like any other case," he said.
Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety, said Thursday that Sawyer is a 23-year member of the state police and is a sergeant with the commercial vehicle enforcement unit.
McCausland said he could not release more information about Sawyer's case.
"He is on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of this charge," he said.
Sawyer's attorney, Michael Turndorf of Brunswick, said his client is innocent.
"It's not a question of being innocent until proven guilty; simply put, he is innocent," Turndorf said Thursday. "The fact of his arrest is not evidence of anything other than he was arrested."
Turndorf said there is more to the story, and when the story comes out, Sawyer will not be convicted of any offense. He said the call to police about the alleged assault did not come from Sawyer's home.
"There was no call at all from the alleged victim," Turndorf said.
The standard by which police officers conduct an arrest is based on probable cause and probable cause is really the lowest standard of proof that exists, he said.
"All they need is a pointed finger to arrest someone and they don't need much more. That's not any criticism against police -- that's just a statement of fact."
Turndorf declined to identify the alleged victim, or say whether it was a family member of Sawyer's.
Kennebec County Deputy District Attorney Alan Kelley also said he could not divulge details.
"The case is still under investigation, and we don't feel comfortable revealing any other information at this point," he said.
Sawyer is scheduled to appear at a hearing in Kennebec County Superior Court in Augusta at 8:30 a.m. April 14.
"As it approaches, obviously we're going to have more and more information and at some point, it will be appropriate to discuss it," Kelley said. "But not right now."
Other Information: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008887319_appolicearrested.html
Former Officer Lawrence Alspaugh II Enters Diversion Program After Ramming into Cast-Iron Fence
TAMPA
A former Tampa police officer has been offered an agreement on a criminal charge stemming from an incident where investigators say he rammed the fence of a romantic rival.
The Polk County State Attorney's Office last week submitted a proposed agreement to Lawrence Alspaugh II, allowing him to enter a pre-trial diversion program for first-time offenders.
Alspaugh and his attorney have not yet responded to the offer, Chip Thullbery, a spokesman for the state attorney's office, said today.
Alspaugh, 32, resigned from the Tampa Police Department in January during a departmental investigation that found he had violated several policies. One of those was using a law-enforcement database to pull the driver's license photo of a Lakeland man he considered a romantic rival and posting the picture on MySpace, Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.
Alspaugh had been with the department since Nov. 2003. He will not receive a pension, police said.
Alspaugh, who lives in Lakeland, was off-duty in November when the Polk County Sheriff's Office said he rammed the cast-iron fence of Lakeland resident Donald Hardwick with a Nissan sport-utility vehicle.
McElroy said the situation arose because Hardwick had a relationship with Alspaugh's former girlfriend. His being off-duty at the time did not dampen the seriousness of the incident, she said. "Once you pin on the badge, you're always an officer."
In an interview today, Alspaugh said he and his girlfriend, who have a young son together, were still involved in a relationship when he learned she was seeing Hardwick. About two days before the fence incident, he was so upset about the situation he was prescribed sedatives, he said.
Alspaugh said that though he did strike the fence, it wasn't deliberate. "I was driving on sedatives when I shouldn't have been,'' he said.
Alspaugh said he has been unemployed since he resigned. "I'm trying to remain in law enforcement.''
Hardwick provided a description of the vehicle and the license tag to deputies, who stopped Alspaugh a short distance away from Hardwick's home.
In a sheriff's office report, Alspaugh told deputies he had gone to talk with Hardwick, but Hardwick would not open the fence.
Alspaugh also said in the report that his bumper had become jammed in the fence.
The sheriff's office charged Alspaugh on Nov. 20 with felony criminal mischief, saying he caused $1,600 in damage. Alspaugh in December entered a written plea of not guilty, online records show.
Before the department opened a lengthier investigation, Alspaugh had been reprimanded over the incident with the fence, but had no other serious discipline on his record.
He and two other officers received an award in 2004 after they pulled a motorist from a burning Jeep Cherokee in Ybor City, records show.
__________________
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/mar/20/na-ex-officer-offered-a-deal/
A former Tampa police officer has been offered an agreement on a criminal charge stemming from an incident where investigators say he rammed the fence of a romantic rival.
The Polk County State Attorney's Office last week submitted a proposed agreement to Lawrence Alspaugh II, allowing him to enter a pre-trial diversion program for first-time offenders.
Alspaugh and his attorney have not yet responded to the offer, Chip Thullbery, a spokesman for the state attorney's office, said today.
Alspaugh, 32, resigned from the Tampa Police Department in January during a departmental investigation that found he had violated several policies. One of those was using a law-enforcement database to pull the driver's license photo of a Lakeland man he considered a romantic rival and posting the picture on MySpace, Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.
Alspaugh had been with the department since Nov. 2003. He will not receive a pension, police said.
Alspaugh, who lives in Lakeland, was off-duty in November when the Polk County Sheriff's Office said he rammed the cast-iron fence of Lakeland resident Donald Hardwick with a Nissan sport-utility vehicle.
McElroy said the situation arose because Hardwick had a relationship with Alspaugh's former girlfriend. His being off-duty at the time did not dampen the seriousness of the incident, she said. "Once you pin on the badge, you're always an officer."
In an interview today, Alspaugh said he and his girlfriend, who have a young son together, were still involved in a relationship when he learned she was seeing Hardwick. About two days before the fence incident, he was so upset about the situation he was prescribed sedatives, he said.
Alspaugh said that though he did strike the fence, it wasn't deliberate. "I was driving on sedatives when I shouldn't have been,'' he said.
Alspaugh said he has been unemployed since he resigned. "I'm trying to remain in law enforcement.''
Hardwick provided a description of the vehicle and the license tag to deputies, who stopped Alspaugh a short distance away from Hardwick's home.
In a sheriff's office report, Alspaugh told deputies he had gone to talk with Hardwick, but Hardwick would not open the fence.
Alspaugh also said in the report that his bumper had become jammed in the fence.
The sheriff's office charged Alspaugh on Nov. 20 with felony criminal mischief, saying he caused $1,600 in damage. Alspaugh in December entered a written plea of not guilty, online records show.
Before the department opened a lengthier investigation, Alspaugh had been reprimanded over the incident with the fence, but had no other serious discipline on his record.
He and two other officers received an award in 2004 after they pulled a motorist from a burning Jeep Cherokee in Ybor City, records show.
__________________
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/mar/20/na-ex-officer-offered-a-deal/
Seven McKeesport Officers Suspended for Pay Scam
Seven McKeesport police officers suspended after city officials said they bilked the city of unearned overtime pay included two lieutenants and all four members of the department's narcotics unit. Two weeks ago, after Chief Joe Pero said he discovered that the officers were billing the city for court appearances they never made, the seven were suspended without pay. Officials declined to identify the officers involved, but sources familiar with the investigation said the group suspended included the lieutnenant and three detectives who constituted the narcotics unit, in addition to another detective, another lieutenant and a patrolman. All were reassigned. The four in the narcotics squad also were members of the District Attorney's Narcotics Enforcement Team, a county-wide task force that includes members of local police departments and investigators from the district attorney's office. Mike Manko, a spokesman for the district attorney's office, confirmed that some of the suspended officers had connections to DANET. "While we don't anticipate any problems with cases they have been on, we will be reviewing all of those cases to make sure there are no problems," he said in an e-mail.
Last week, the Allegheny County district attorney's office recommended that McKeesport audit cases involving the men going back to January 2008, to make sure all incidents of misappropriation are caught. Mayor Jim Brewster said last week that he had elected to use a private firm for the audit. Meanwhile, some public and elected officials expressed frustration that they were kept out of the loop of what was going on in the department. A few said they learned of the situation from media reports or when they were contacted by reporters. "I think that's poor communication flow, not keeping your council informed," said Councilman Paul Shelly Jr. "I wish the entire council and the [city] controller [Ray Malinchak] had been kept abreast as soon ... as the chief thought he had found something." Mr. Shelly was hesitant to comment further because he said he didn't know enough about what had happened. But he said he was pleased that the chief and the mayor moved quickly to rectify the situation. On Tuesday, Mr. Shelly sent a letter to council members and other city officials requesting a special meeting to discuss the issue. He said he hoped he would learn more then.
Mr. Malinchak said he had received no correspondence from the mayor or the police chief regarding the situation, and was highly skeptical of the mayor's claim that the city had not lost any money in the scheme. Last week, Mayor Brewster said the city was able to recover the money paid in unearned overtime because the men were suspended without pay. Mr. Malinchak said he wanted evidence that the officers actually paid the money back, and that suspending them without pay was not punishment enough. "If someone down at the city thinks they have the authority ... to negotiate another settlement, then I have a problem with that," he said. Councilman Dale McCall said he thought it was proper that the mayor and the chief handled the situation without council's oversight, noting that the police department is officially overseen by the mayor. "I give them a lot of credit for taking the bull by the horns and taking care of that," he said. Ultimately, he said that he trusted Mayor Brewster and Chief Pero to handle the situation wisely.
Last week, the Allegheny County district attorney's office recommended that McKeesport audit cases involving the men going back to January 2008, to make sure all incidents of misappropriation are caught. Mayor Jim Brewster said last week that he had elected to use a private firm for the audit. Meanwhile, some public and elected officials expressed frustration that they were kept out of the loop of what was going on in the department. A few said they learned of the situation from media reports or when they were contacted by reporters. "I think that's poor communication flow, not keeping your council informed," said Councilman Paul Shelly Jr. "I wish the entire council and the [city] controller [Ray Malinchak] had been kept abreast as soon ... as the chief thought he had found something." Mr. Shelly was hesitant to comment further because he said he didn't know enough about what had happened. But he said he was pleased that the chief and the mayor moved quickly to rectify the situation. On Tuesday, Mr. Shelly sent a letter to council members and other city officials requesting a special meeting to discuss the issue. He said he hoped he would learn more then.
Mr. Malinchak said he had received no correspondence from the mayor or the police chief regarding the situation, and was highly skeptical of the mayor's claim that the city had not lost any money in the scheme. Last week, Mayor Brewster said the city was able to recover the money paid in unearned overtime because the men were suspended without pay. Mr. Malinchak said he wanted evidence that the officers actually paid the money back, and that suspending them without pay was not punishment enough. "If someone down at the city thinks they have the authority ... to negotiate another settlement, then I have a problem with that," he said. Councilman Dale McCall said he thought it was proper that the mayor and the chief handled the situation without council's oversight, noting that the police department is officially overseen by the mayor. "I give them a lot of credit for taking the bull by the horns and taking care of that," he said. Ultimately, he said that he trusted Mayor Brewster and Chief Pero to handle the situation wisely.
Deputy Chris Johansen Arrested for Domestic Violence
Dallas County deputy sheriff Chris Johansen was arrested Saturday, March 14, and charged with OWI, first offense, as well as open container and failure to maintain control.
Johansen, 43, of rural Dallas Center was already being sought by fellow law enforcement regarding a domestic altercation earlier in the week. His arrested occurred only a short distance from his home.
An initial investigation was conducted by the Dallas County Sheriff's Department, and was then handed over to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. The drunk driving, open container and traffic offenses were filed by the Sheriff's Department.
Johansen appeared in Dallas County District Court Sunday on those charges, and was released to await trial by a magistrate.
Sheriff Chad Leonard was out of state on a planned family vacation when the alleged incidents leading to Johansen's arrest occurred. He was not able to comment on the case; phone calls seeking comment from the DCI were not returned.
Leonard said Johansen has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the DCI's investigation.
Johansen, 43, of rural Dallas Center was already being sought by fellow law enforcement regarding a domestic altercation earlier in the week. His arrested occurred only a short distance from his home.
An initial investigation was conducted by the Dallas County Sheriff's Department, and was then handed over to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. The drunk driving, open container and traffic offenses were filed by the Sheriff's Department.
Johansen appeared in Dallas County District Court Sunday on those charges, and was released to await trial by a magistrate.
Sheriff Chad Leonard was out of state on a planned family vacation when the alleged incidents leading to Johansen's arrest occurred. He was not able to comment on the case; phone calls seeking comment from the DCI were not returned.
Leonard said Johansen has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the DCI's investigation.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Officer James Bryant Charged with Contributing to Delinquency of Minor
COOS BAY, Ore.
Coos Bay police have arrested a Coquille police officer on charges of attempted contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor and furnishing alcohol to a minor.
A citizen complaint alleged that officer James Bryant gave alcohol to a teenage girl and solicited sex from another. Police say the teenagers are 17 and 18.
Coquille asked Coos Bay to investigate. Bryant was jailed and released.
Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels says Bryant is on administrative leave.
Bryant is the second Coquille police officer arrested in six months. Randy Ulmer pleaded guilty to stealing at least $8,500 from the evidence locker at Coquille Police Department and is serving a 20-day sentence.
Information from: The World, http://www.theworldlink.com
Coos Bay police have arrested a Coquille police officer on charges of attempted contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor and furnishing alcohol to a minor.
A citizen complaint alleged that officer James Bryant gave alcohol to a teenage girl and solicited sex from another. Police say the teenagers are 17 and 18.
Coquille asked Coos Bay to investigate. Bryant was jailed and released.
Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels says Bryant is on administrative leave.
Bryant is the second Coquille police officer arrested in six months. Randy Ulmer pleaded guilty to stealing at least $8,500 from the evidence locker at Coquille Police Department and is serving a 20-day sentence.
Information from: The World, http://www.theworldlink.com
Police in Mount Vernon & Yonkers Being Sued for Physically Abusing Woman & 3 Boys
WHITE PLAINS
Police in Mount Vernon and Yonkers are being sued for allegedly physically abusing a woman and three boys in two separate cases.
Their attorney, Jonathan Lovett, is seeking $1 million in punitive damages for each of those plaintiffs and $500,000 in compensatory damages. In both cases, the cops allegedly cursed and yelled racial slurs.
“It’s America 2009, it’s unbelievable,” Lovett said.
In a February 6 incident, it is alleged that a white Mount Vernon officer pulled over a black female motorist for a traffic violation and punched her in the face, dragged her from her car, slammed her head against the vehicle and forced her to the ground. A sergeant arrived and allegedly cursed at her and struck her in the head with a police baton.
In a February 28 incident, white Mount Vernon Police and Yonkers Police officers the latter with a K-9, responded to an alarm at the Mount Vernon Middle School where they allegedly beat three black boys, one 12 years old and the other two, 13 years of age. The court papers allege the officers yelled racial slurs and physically abused the boys.
Mount Vernon Mayor Clinton Young, Jr. issued a statement Tuesday that excessive force “is not tolerated by me or anyone in my administration.” He warned, though, that if the purpose of the lawsuit is to divide the city or the police department, “that goal is not one that will be realized.”
Young also had a message to the police officers in the city. “If you see anything going on in the department that you don’t like or that you have concerns over go to your superiors to report it,” he said. “If you don’t feel comfortable doing that, I have an open door policy. Come to me.”
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http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=6716723
Police in Mount Vernon and Yonkers are being sued for allegedly physically abusing a woman and three boys in two separate cases.
Their attorney, Jonathan Lovett, is seeking $1 million in punitive damages for each of those plaintiffs and $500,000 in compensatory damages. In both cases, the cops allegedly cursed and yelled racial slurs.
“It’s America 2009, it’s unbelievable,” Lovett said.
In a February 6 incident, it is alleged that a white Mount Vernon officer pulled over a black female motorist for a traffic violation and punched her in the face, dragged her from her car, slammed her head against the vehicle and forced her to the ground. A sergeant arrived and allegedly cursed at her and struck her in the head with a police baton.
In a February 28 incident, white Mount Vernon Police and Yonkers Police officers the latter with a K-9, responded to an alarm at the Mount Vernon Middle School where they allegedly beat three black boys, one 12 years old and the other two, 13 years of age. The court papers allege the officers yelled racial slurs and physically abused the boys.
Mount Vernon Mayor Clinton Young, Jr. issued a statement Tuesday that excessive force “is not tolerated by me or anyone in my administration.” He warned, though, that if the purpose of the lawsuit is to divide the city or the police department, “that goal is not one that will be realized.”
Young also had a message to the police officers in the city. “If you see anything going on in the department that you don’t like or that you have concerns over go to your superiors to report it,” he said. “If you don’t feel comfortable doing that, I have an open door policy. Come to me.”
___________________
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=6716723
Officer Francisco Santiago Arrested for Domestic Violence
A police officer assigned to LA/Ontario International Airport was arrested on suspicion of felony spousal abuse Tuesday in Rancho Cucamonga.
Francisco Santiago, 46, was arrested at about 5 p.m. in the 7100 block of Westhaven Place, which lies northeast of Rochester Avenue and Base Line Road.
Santiago remained jailed in lieu of $50,000 bail this afternoon at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.
He is set to be arraigned Thursday morning in West Valley Superior Court, according to online records from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
The circumstances of Santiago's arrest remained unclear this afternoon. A spokeswoman for the Rancho Cucamonga sheriff's station did not return calls seeking comment today.
Sgt. Jim Holcomb, a public information officer for the Los Angeles Airport Police Department, said he can't reveal whether Santiago, an airport safety officer, is on leave or faces any other punishment because of his arrest.
Holcomb declined to say how long Santiago has been employed by the department. The position of airport safety officer is not an entry-level job, Holcomb said.
The Los Angeles Airport Police Department patrols LAX, LA/Ontario and other airports operated by Los Angeles World Airports.
Its officers are responsible for firefighting in addition to traditional police duties, Holcomb said.
Francisco Santiago, 46, was arrested at about 5 p.m. in the 7100 block of Westhaven Place, which lies northeast of Rochester Avenue and Base Line Road.
Santiago remained jailed in lieu of $50,000 bail this afternoon at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.
He is set to be arraigned Thursday morning in West Valley Superior Court, according to online records from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
The circumstances of Santiago's arrest remained unclear this afternoon. A spokeswoman for the Rancho Cucamonga sheriff's station did not return calls seeking comment today.
Sgt. Jim Holcomb, a public information officer for the Los Angeles Airport Police Department, said he can't reveal whether Santiago, an airport safety officer, is on leave or faces any other punishment because of his arrest.
Holcomb declined to say how long Santiago has been employed by the department. The position of airport safety officer is not an entry-level job, Holcomb said.
The Los Angeles Airport Police Department patrols LAX, LA/Ontario and other airports operated by Los Angeles World Airports.
Its officers are responsible for firefighting in addition to traditional police duties, Holcomb said.
Officer Kevin Hicks Resigns After Hitting Woman
ST. PETERSBURG
Before he served the city as a police officer, Kevin Hicks served his country as a soldier. As an Army National Guard cavalry scout in Afghanistan, his commander said Hicks displayed "high moral standards and common sense."
But authorities say those traits were lacking in December when Hicks became involved in a drunken street brawl that left Hicks shirtless, bloody and under suspicion. Witnesses said Hicks slugged a woman during the fracas.
The Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office believed them. After reviewing the evidence, prosecutors charged Hicks with misdemeanor battery last month.
Hicks denied it and said he was the one who was attacked. He had been restricted to desk duty since the Dec. 21 incident. But once charged with a crime, the department intended to suspend him without pay.
Before that happened, Hicks resigned Monday. The 29-year-old was an officer for 16 months.
But the fight's not over yet. Hicks pleaded not guilty to the charge. His attorney said Hicks will contest the allegations.
"That's exactly what they are," said attorney Joseph Ciarciaglino Jr. "Allegations."
• • •
Kevin Hicks and a host of witnesses provided dozens of pages of statements to a detective. Here's the short version:
Hicks said his evening started out at the St. Petersburg Bowl with his sister and brother. By 2 a.m., they were at Durty Nelly's at 661 Central Ave, Hicks told investigators.
It was his fifth bar that night, Hicks said, and he had imbibed 10 to 12 alcoholic drinks.
Central Avenue was in chaos. Two women fought on the street.
When one of the women tried to back her car out, police said, she accidentally rolled over a man who was leaning his bicycle against her car, breaking his leg.
Witnesses said Hicks reached into the woman's car and took her cell phone, then said he was an officer and needed to call 911.
A friend of the driver, Rebecca Reed, 21, said she told Hicks to give it back and to use his own phone. Reed said Hicks hid the phone behind his back and said he was an "undercover cop." The two kept arguing.
Then Reed said Hicks punched her with his right hand.
Her left jaw was visibly swollen and red, the report said.
Then several men, Reed said, rushed Hicks.
Two days after the incident, Hicks told a detective that's not what happened.
Hicks said he went to help the bicyclist. He denied reaching into the car or taking anything.
Then, Hicks said, several men confronted him. He showed them his badge. But Hicks said he was punched and kicked to the ground. His shirt was torn off and he was left bleeding.
His brother, Andrew Hicks, backed up that account.
"I mean, you could tell that these guys were just out for blood," Kevin Hicks said. "They were just going to fight."
• • •
The woman who ran over the bicyclist was not cited. A police spokesman could not say why, but speculated she may not have been at fault.
No one was arrested for assaulting Hicks. But two men who police said admitted taking part in that night's brawling were arrested on charges they carried illegal brass knuckles.
Joseph Vanwart, 26, pleaded no contest Feb. 24 to a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon and paid a fine.
Steven Kelly, 25, faces a felony charge of being a felon in possession of a concealed weapon. He told police he carried them for protection in a bad economy.
Hicks, a graduate of St. Petersburg Catholic High School, was charged with battery on Feb. 27. An internal police investigation is ongoing. A police spokesman would not say if a conviction would have led to Hicks' firing.
His attorney said Hicks was done with law enforcement.
"He's just moving on," said Ciarciaglino, general counsel for the Pinellas County Police Benevolent Association. "This kid's a sharp kid with a lot of opportunities, and that's why he resigned."
Before he served the city as a police officer, Kevin Hicks served his country as a soldier. As an Army National Guard cavalry scout in Afghanistan, his commander said Hicks displayed "high moral standards and common sense."
But authorities say those traits were lacking in December when Hicks became involved in a drunken street brawl that left Hicks shirtless, bloody and under suspicion. Witnesses said Hicks slugged a woman during the fracas.
The Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office believed them. After reviewing the evidence, prosecutors charged Hicks with misdemeanor battery last month.
Hicks denied it and said he was the one who was attacked. He had been restricted to desk duty since the Dec. 21 incident. But once charged with a crime, the department intended to suspend him without pay.
Before that happened, Hicks resigned Monday. The 29-year-old was an officer for 16 months.
But the fight's not over yet. Hicks pleaded not guilty to the charge. His attorney said Hicks will contest the allegations.
"That's exactly what they are," said attorney Joseph Ciarciaglino Jr. "Allegations."
• • •
Kevin Hicks and a host of witnesses provided dozens of pages of statements to a detective. Here's the short version:
Hicks said his evening started out at the St. Petersburg Bowl with his sister and brother. By 2 a.m., they were at Durty Nelly's at 661 Central Ave, Hicks told investigators.
It was his fifth bar that night, Hicks said, and he had imbibed 10 to 12 alcoholic drinks.
Central Avenue was in chaos. Two women fought on the street.
When one of the women tried to back her car out, police said, she accidentally rolled over a man who was leaning his bicycle against her car, breaking his leg.
Witnesses said Hicks reached into the woman's car and took her cell phone, then said he was an officer and needed to call 911.
A friend of the driver, Rebecca Reed, 21, said she told Hicks to give it back and to use his own phone. Reed said Hicks hid the phone behind his back and said he was an "undercover cop." The two kept arguing.
Then Reed said Hicks punched her with his right hand.
Her left jaw was visibly swollen and red, the report said.
Then several men, Reed said, rushed Hicks.
Two days after the incident, Hicks told a detective that's not what happened.
Hicks said he went to help the bicyclist. He denied reaching into the car or taking anything.
Then, Hicks said, several men confronted him. He showed them his badge. But Hicks said he was punched and kicked to the ground. His shirt was torn off and he was left bleeding.
His brother, Andrew Hicks, backed up that account.
"I mean, you could tell that these guys were just out for blood," Kevin Hicks said. "They were just going to fight."
• • •
The woman who ran over the bicyclist was not cited. A police spokesman could not say why, but speculated she may not have been at fault.
No one was arrested for assaulting Hicks. But two men who police said admitted taking part in that night's brawling were arrested on charges they carried illegal brass knuckles.
Joseph Vanwart, 26, pleaded no contest Feb. 24 to a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon and paid a fine.
Steven Kelly, 25, faces a felony charge of being a felon in possession of a concealed weapon. He told police he carried them for protection in a bad economy.
Hicks, a graduate of St. Petersburg Catholic High School, was charged with battery on Feb. 27. An internal police investigation is ongoing. A police spokesman would not say if a conviction would have led to Hicks' firing.
His attorney said Hicks was done with law enforcement.
"He's just moving on," said Ciarciaglino, general counsel for the Pinellas County Police Benevolent Association. "This kid's a sharp kid with a lot of opportunities, and that's why he resigned."
Two Baltimore Officers Accused of Forcing Black Detective to View KKK Material
Two Baltimore police officers accused of forcing a black homicide detective to look at racist material on the Internet could be suspended without pay and have letters of reprimand placed in their permanent files, city police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said yesterday.
The officers, Lt. James W. Hagin Jr. and Detective Paul A. Kidd, can accept the discipline or fight the charges at a departmental hearing called a trial board.
In a complaint filed in March last year, Hagin is alleged to have ordered Sgt. Kelvin Sewell to view a Ku Klux Klan Web site. Guglielmi listed the administrative charges against Hagin as neglect of duty, bringing disrespect to the department and conduct unbecoming an officer related to inappropriate use of a police computer.
It is alleged that Kidd tampered with the computer by removing the hard drive. Guglielmi said the charge against him was neglect of duty.
The local chapter of the NAACP had pressured the Police Department to move forward on the case; the head of the police union backed the officers and said the police commissioner shouldn't be influenced by "outside groups and sources."
A third officer - Charles Bealefeld, the brother of Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III - was also found to have given a false report in the case. However, he has since joined the Annapolis Police Department. Baltimore police do not typically attempt to bring charges against former employees.
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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008880048_apofficersracistmaterial.html
The officers, Lt. James W. Hagin Jr. and Detective Paul A. Kidd, can accept the discipline or fight the charges at a departmental hearing called a trial board.
In a complaint filed in March last year, Hagin is alleged to have ordered Sgt. Kelvin Sewell to view a Ku Klux Klan Web site. Guglielmi listed the administrative charges against Hagin as neglect of duty, bringing disrespect to the department and conduct unbecoming an officer related to inappropriate use of a police computer.
It is alleged that Kidd tampered with the computer by removing the hard drive. Guglielmi said the charge against him was neglect of duty.
The local chapter of the NAACP had pressured the Police Department to move forward on the case; the head of the police union backed the officers and said the police commissioner shouldn't be influenced by "outside groups and sources."
A third officer - Charles Bealefeld, the brother of Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III - was also found to have given a false report in the case. However, he has since joined the Annapolis Police Department. Baltimore police do not typically attempt to bring charges against former employees.
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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008880048_apofficersracistmaterial.html
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
911 Dispatcher Jacque Stetler Charged with Misconduct
A 911 dispatcher was arrested on charges of misconduct stemming from an incident in 2008.
According to the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office, Jacque Stetler, 49, of Bath, allegedly used her position as a dispatcher to provide sensitive information to another.
Stetler will appear in Bath Town Court April 2.
According to the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office, Jacque Stetler, 49, of Bath, allegedly used her position as a dispatcher to provide sensitive information to another.
Stetler will appear in Bath Town Court April 2.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio Finally Being Investigated
You might not be familiar with Joe Arpaio. He is the sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona.
Joe gained fame for making inmates wear pink underwear. He literally brags about it.
QUOTE: [ The MCSO uniform is now black and white stripes for every inmate and of course our world famous pink boxer shorts....And of course most men, especially those in jail, do not like the color pink.]
Joe also brags about having the only all-female chain gang in history. Yeah, he brought back chain gangs.
Joe has crossed the line on quite a few occasions. Last year, a class action suit was initiated against Joe.
In July 2008, five individuals and Somos America, a Latino community-based coalition, sued Arpaio, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) and Maricopa County, claiming that they or their members were unlawfully stopped and mistreated by law enforcement agents because they were Latino.
The county, of course, asked the U.S. District Court in Arizona to dismiss the lawsuit. This past February, the ruling was handed down.
A federal judge denied a request by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to dismiss a lawsuit against him that alleges his deputies have racially profiled Hispanics.The ruling Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Mary Murguia allows lawyers for the Hispanic civil rights group Somos America and other plaintiffs to continue pressing their allegations in court.
Now, the U.S. Justice Department is getting involved.
The U.S. Justice Department has launched a civil-rights investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office after months of mounting complaints that deputies are discriminating in their enforcement of federal immigration laws.
Officials from the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division notified Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Tuesday that they had begun the investigation, which will focus on whether deputies are engaging in "patterns or practices of discriminatory police practices and unconstitutional searches and seizures."
An expert said it is the department's first civil-rights probe related to immigration enforcement.
What's the big deal with Sheriff Joe Arpaio?
*Ole Joe has been ordering deputies to "scour" Latino neighborhoods looking for illegal immigrants based on skin color.*
Joe refuses to grant female inmates reproductive rights. Joe refuses to allow female inmates access to abortion clinics without a court order. Why? Joe claims he doesn't run a taxi service from jail to an abortion clinic and back.
Ambrett Spencer was nine months pregnant when she was serving her sentence for drunk driving. Unfortunately, she was in Joe's jail. Joe's sergeant on duty decided that Spencer was not top priority. The baby was born dead.
While Spencer is suing Joe, that is just one lawsuit of the more than 2,500 jail conditions lawsuits that have been filed against Arpaio in federal court alone.
Joe doesn't allow female inmates to see their babies after birth.
Joe has built a tent city to house his inmates. Temperatures can reach 138 degrees. Joe's response to complaints? "It's 120 degrees in Iraq and the soldiers are living in tents and they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your mouths."
Believe me...those examples are merely samples. There is more. But not everyone thinks Joe is a dick.
Despite criticism from Amnesty International, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Arizona Ecumenical Council, and the Anti-Defamation League, The Fox Reality Channel offered Sheriff Arpaio a reality TV show entitled, "Smile, You're Under Arrest." The show centers around elaborate sting operations run by Sheriff Arpaio to capture people wanted on outstanding warrants.
Ah...family programming.While the U.S. Justice Department is investigating, a petition has been created to urge Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to suspend Arpaio’s 287g agreement that allows him to enforce Federal immigration laws.
Joe gained fame for making inmates wear pink underwear. He literally brags about it.
QUOTE: [ The MCSO uniform is now black and white stripes for every inmate and of course our world famous pink boxer shorts....And of course most men, especially those in jail, do not like the color pink.]
Joe also brags about having the only all-female chain gang in history. Yeah, he brought back chain gangs.
Joe has crossed the line on quite a few occasions. Last year, a class action suit was initiated against Joe.
In July 2008, five individuals and Somos America, a Latino community-based coalition, sued Arpaio, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) and Maricopa County, claiming that they or their members were unlawfully stopped and mistreated by law enforcement agents because they were Latino.
The county, of course, asked the U.S. District Court in Arizona to dismiss the lawsuit. This past February, the ruling was handed down.
A federal judge denied a request by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to dismiss a lawsuit against him that alleges his deputies have racially profiled Hispanics.The ruling Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Mary Murguia allows lawyers for the Hispanic civil rights group Somos America and other plaintiffs to continue pressing their allegations in court.
Now, the U.S. Justice Department is getting involved.
The U.S. Justice Department has launched a civil-rights investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office after months of mounting complaints that deputies are discriminating in their enforcement of federal immigration laws.
Officials from the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division notified Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Tuesday that they had begun the investigation, which will focus on whether deputies are engaging in "patterns or practices of discriminatory police practices and unconstitutional searches and seizures."
An expert said it is the department's first civil-rights probe related to immigration enforcement.
What's the big deal with Sheriff Joe Arpaio?
*Ole Joe has been ordering deputies to "scour" Latino neighborhoods looking for illegal immigrants based on skin color.*
Joe refuses to grant female inmates reproductive rights. Joe refuses to allow female inmates access to abortion clinics without a court order. Why? Joe claims he doesn't run a taxi service from jail to an abortion clinic and back.
Ambrett Spencer was nine months pregnant when she was serving her sentence for drunk driving. Unfortunately, she was in Joe's jail. Joe's sergeant on duty decided that Spencer was not top priority. The baby was born dead.
While Spencer is suing Joe, that is just one lawsuit of the more than 2,500 jail conditions lawsuits that have been filed against Arpaio in federal court alone.
Joe doesn't allow female inmates to see their babies after birth.
Joe has built a tent city to house his inmates. Temperatures can reach 138 degrees. Joe's response to complaints? "It's 120 degrees in Iraq and the soldiers are living in tents and they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your mouths."
Believe me...those examples are merely samples. There is more. But not everyone thinks Joe is a dick.
Despite criticism from Amnesty International, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Arizona Ecumenical Council, and the Anti-Defamation League, The Fox Reality Channel offered Sheriff Arpaio a reality TV show entitled, "Smile, You're Under Arrest." The show centers around elaborate sting operations run by Sheriff Arpaio to capture people wanted on outstanding warrants.
Ah...family programming.While the U.S. Justice Department is investigating, a petition has been created to urge Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to suspend Arpaio’s 287g agreement that allows him to enforce Federal immigration laws.
Charges Dismissed Against Officer Robert Schmidt Arrested for Soliciting Sex from Undercover Officer
A D.C. police officer was arrested in a downtown hotel last month after he allegedly solicited sex from an undercover officer in an Internet sting run by the department's anti-prostitution unit, authorities said yesterday.
The misdemeanor charge against Officer Robert A. Schmidt was routinely dismissed last week after he completed a day-long education program called "john school," in which first-time offenders are instructed in the risks of prostitution, according to his lawyer, Harold D. Martin. He said neither he nor Schmidt would comment on the sting.
Authorities alleged that Schmidt arranged to meet a woman he thought was a prostitute after responding to an advertisement investigators placed on Craigslist, an online classified service.
His meeting with Officer Madeline Collado, who was posing as a prostitute, took place Feb. 20, just after 5 p.m., in a fifth-floor room at the Embassy Suites hotel near 10th and K streets NW, according to an affidavit filed by police in D.C. Superior Court. The document quotes their conversation in a room wired for sound and video.
"So, what do you do for a living?" Collado asked him, after the two had exchanged pleasantries.
"I work with the government," Schmidt said, to which Collado replied, "How cool is that!"
After they set an $80 price for a half-hour of sex, other officers entered the room and arrested Schmidt. He was released with a court summons, a standard procedure in such cases. Because he completed the john school, sponsored by the U.S. attorney's office, the charge of soliciting for prostitution was dismissed March 10 at his first court appearance.
Asked whether Schmidt faces departmental disciplinary action, police spokeswoman Traci Hughes would only say, "There's an administrative investigation underway."
Schmidt, an officer since 1994, worked for several years in a drug enforcement unit in the Narcotics and Special Investigations Division before leaving the division in 2007, said Inspector Brian Bray, head of the NSID. The sting that led to Schmidt's arrest was run by the division's prostitution enforcement unit, Bray said.
He said Schmidt was among eight men arrested in the sting that night.
"He was really one of the better officers in the department when he was working for me, a real hardworking guy," said Bray, who called Schmidt's arrest "sad."
At the time of the sting, Bray said, Schmidt was a youth crimes investigator, a job that often is a path to a promotion to detective. Yesterday, though, Schmidt was working in the 4th District, in the northern part of the city, assigned to a program in which officers walk foot beats to stay in close touch with residents, officials said.
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Other Information:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008879655_apofficerprostitutionsting.html
The misdemeanor charge against Officer Robert A. Schmidt was routinely dismissed last week after he completed a day-long education program called "john school," in which first-time offenders are instructed in the risks of prostitution, according to his lawyer, Harold D. Martin. He said neither he nor Schmidt would comment on the sting.
Authorities alleged that Schmidt arranged to meet a woman he thought was a prostitute after responding to an advertisement investigators placed on Craigslist, an online classified service.
His meeting with Officer Madeline Collado, who was posing as a prostitute, took place Feb. 20, just after 5 p.m., in a fifth-floor room at the Embassy Suites hotel near 10th and K streets NW, according to an affidavit filed by police in D.C. Superior Court. The document quotes their conversation in a room wired for sound and video.
"So, what do you do for a living?" Collado asked him, after the two had exchanged pleasantries.
"I work with the government," Schmidt said, to which Collado replied, "How cool is that!"
After they set an $80 price for a half-hour of sex, other officers entered the room and arrested Schmidt. He was released with a court summons, a standard procedure in such cases. Because he completed the john school, sponsored by the U.S. attorney's office, the charge of soliciting for prostitution was dismissed March 10 at his first court appearance.
Asked whether Schmidt faces departmental disciplinary action, police spokeswoman Traci Hughes would only say, "There's an administrative investigation underway."
Schmidt, an officer since 1994, worked for several years in a drug enforcement unit in the Narcotics and Special Investigations Division before leaving the division in 2007, said Inspector Brian Bray, head of the NSID. The sting that led to Schmidt's arrest was run by the division's prostitution enforcement unit, Bray said.
He said Schmidt was among eight men arrested in the sting that night.
"He was really one of the better officers in the department when he was working for me, a real hardworking guy," said Bray, who called Schmidt's arrest "sad."
At the time of the sting, Bray said, Schmidt was a youth crimes investigator, a job that often is a path to a promotion to detective. Yesterday, though, Schmidt was working in the 4th District, in the northern part of the city, assigned to a program in which officers walk foot beats to stay in close touch with residents, officials said.
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Other Information:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008879655_apofficerprostitutionsting.html
Fairfax County Officers Accused of Cheating Scandal
Two Fairfax County police officers accused in a cheating scandal involving promotional exams have left the department, and two others have been placed on administrative duties with pay, according to police sources.
First Lt. Susan Lamar, 44, an assistant commander in the organized crime-narcotics unit, retired last week after 23 years with the department, sources said. Sgt. Keela M. Lowry, 39, the county's first black female police supervisor, resigned last month, they said.
The scandal erupted last month when Lamar was accused of offering questions from the police department's upcoming sergeant's exam to an officer studying for the exam. Instead of taking the questions, the officer turned in the lieutenant, prompting an internal investigation. Lowry, who was on the testing committee, has since been accused of leaking the questions to Lamar.
Two other sergeants -- Eric P. Leeds and Michael J. Guston -- have been placed on administrative leave with pay while the investigation continues, the sources said. Both declined to comment.
The police internal affairs unit is also investigating the 2006 sergeant's exam, on which Lowry did well and was soon promoted. The written test is given every three years, along with an oral "assessment center," and a promotional list for each rank is created based on the total performance on all test phases.
Mary Ann Jennings, a Fairfax police spokeswoman, confirmed that four people had been linked to the cheating allegations and that one had retired and one had resigned. An officer who retires is allowed to collect pension and benefits, but an officer who resigns cannot, Jennings said.
Meanwhile, a new test was quickly composed so that the promotional exam can still be given Saturday.
In 2008, Fairfax police officers were paid base salaries ranging from about $45,000 to $81,631 for the most experienced officers, county records show. Sergeants were paid a minimum base of about $74,000 and a maximum of $85,713, though some officers and sergeants earn more by working overtime.
Jennings said more than 30 officers were elevated to sergeant in the past three years based on their performance on the 2006 test. Some officers have said that if some of their colleagues were unfairly promoted after the 2006 test, then other officers were unfairly denied promotions and their accompanying pay raises. They asked how the department would rectify that and whether an outside agency should be brought in to investigate.
Jennings said: "The question remains, how does the police department make it right when we don't know who, if anyone, didn't get promoted because of what happened? We're still investigating to see how many people might have been involved. We're trying to be fair. But the bottom line is, it's time to replace that [promotional] list."
She also said there was no reason to ask an outside agency to investigate. The police internal affairs unit uncovered the current problems, and "given the scope and quality of investigations conducted by IA, we see no reason to change our practices," she said.
________________
Other Information:
FAIRFAX COUNTY POLICE: Cheating Admission Raises More Doubts
Fairfax Probes Police Exam Cheating Case, Suspends Two
First Lt. Susan Lamar, 44, an assistant commander in the organized crime-narcotics unit, retired last week after 23 years with the department, sources said. Sgt. Keela M. Lowry, 39, the county's first black female police supervisor, resigned last month, they said.
The scandal erupted last month when Lamar was accused of offering questions from the police department's upcoming sergeant's exam to an officer studying for the exam. Instead of taking the questions, the officer turned in the lieutenant, prompting an internal investigation. Lowry, who was on the testing committee, has since been accused of leaking the questions to Lamar.
Two other sergeants -- Eric P. Leeds and Michael J. Guston -- have been placed on administrative leave with pay while the investigation continues, the sources said. Both declined to comment.
The police internal affairs unit is also investigating the 2006 sergeant's exam, on which Lowry did well and was soon promoted. The written test is given every three years, along with an oral "assessment center," and a promotional list for each rank is created based on the total performance on all test phases.
Mary Ann Jennings, a Fairfax police spokeswoman, confirmed that four people had been linked to the cheating allegations and that one had retired and one had resigned. An officer who retires is allowed to collect pension and benefits, but an officer who resigns cannot, Jennings said.
Meanwhile, a new test was quickly composed so that the promotional exam can still be given Saturday.
In 2008, Fairfax police officers were paid base salaries ranging from about $45,000 to $81,631 for the most experienced officers, county records show. Sergeants were paid a minimum base of about $74,000 and a maximum of $85,713, though some officers and sergeants earn more by working overtime.
Jennings said more than 30 officers were elevated to sergeant in the past three years based on their performance on the 2006 test. Some officers have said that if some of their colleagues were unfairly promoted after the 2006 test, then other officers were unfairly denied promotions and their accompanying pay raises. They asked how the department would rectify that and whether an outside agency should be brought in to investigate.
Jennings said: "The question remains, how does the police department make it right when we don't know who, if anyone, didn't get promoted because of what happened? We're still investigating to see how many people might have been involved. We're trying to be fair. But the bottom line is, it's time to replace that [promotional] list."
She also said there was no reason to ask an outside agency to investigate. The police internal affairs unit uncovered the current problems, and "given the scope and quality of investigations conducted by IA, we see no reason to change our practices," she said.
________________
Other Information:
FAIRFAX COUNTY POLICE: Cheating Admission Raises More Doubts
Fairfax Probes Police Exam Cheating Case, Suspends Two
Officer Matthew Madson Resigns After Investigation of Shots Fired
AMES, Iowa
An Eagle Grove police officer resigned Tuesday from his job following an investigation into a chase in which he fired his weapon.
The chase involved a male juvenile who fled in his pickup truck when Officer Matthew Madson approached the vehicle.
Authorities said that during the chase Madson fired his weapon at one of the truck's tires.
City officials released the following statement on Tuesday in connection with the resignation:
“After reviewing the report and the city’s policy and procedures manual, city officials discussed this information with Officer Madson. The City chose to accept Madson’s resignation at that time. He resigned on March 17, 2009. The City will be looking to fill this position soon."
City officials said they wouldn't comment further about the resignation.
Previous Stories: March 9, 2009: Officer On Leave After Shooting At Truck
March 6, 2009: Neighbors Question Officer's Chase, Shooting
An Eagle Grove police officer resigned Tuesday from his job following an investigation into a chase in which he fired his weapon.
The chase involved a male juvenile who fled in his pickup truck when Officer Matthew Madson approached the vehicle.
Authorities said that during the chase Madson fired his weapon at one of the truck's tires.
City officials released the following statement on Tuesday in connection with the resignation:
“After reviewing the report and the city’s policy and procedures manual, city officials discussed this information with Officer Madson. The City chose to accept Madson’s resignation at that time. He resigned on March 17, 2009. The City will be looking to fill this position soon."
City officials said they wouldn't comment further about the resignation.
Previous Stories: March 9, 2009: Officer On Leave After Shooting At Truck
March 6, 2009: Neighbors Question Officer's Chase, Shooting
Two Peoria Officers Arrested After Video Tape Beating
PEORIA, Ill.
Two Peoria police officers have been arrested in connection with the 2008 beating of a man who claims he was pepper sprayed, kicked, punched and shocked with a stun gun following a police chase that was videotaped by a squad car camera.
Officers Andrew Smith, 29, and Gerald Suelter, 39, were arrested Monday night on charges of official misconduct, aggravated battery, battery and mob action, according to the police department. They were jailed pending a Wednesday afternoon court appearance, Peoria County Chief Sheriff's Deputy Joe Needham said Tuesday.
Peoria County State's Attorney Kevin Lyons, who decided to pursue the case after seeing the videotape, said the recording shows Bryce Scott stopped running and cooperated before the officers allegedly beat him.
"You can tell that a person made a conscious decision to pull over," Lyons said. "When you for whatever reason, say 'I'm going to give myself up,' if this is what they are going to do to you ..."
A call to a Peoria telephone listing for an Andrew Smith was not returned. A number listed for a Gerald Suelter was not answered. It was not immediately clear if the men had attorneys.
Police spokesman Doug Burgess declined to comment on specifics of the case, saying only that the officers were on leave, which will be unpaid if they are charged with felonies.
Scott was beaten early May 3 after leading officers on the car chase, authorities said. In a January lawsuit filed against Smith, Suelter and four other unnamed officers, Scott said officers pursued him after his girlfriend's mother called them saying Scott was outside her home.
Scott says he got out of his car at officers' request but was then pepper sprayed, kicked, shocked with a stun gun and punched.
The squad car video shows Scott's SUV being chased, stopping at a stop sign and, after a shouted order from a police officer, the driver sticking his hands out the driver's side window.
An officer then opens the SUV's door and the driver steps out before quickly dropping to the ground and out of the frame. One officer kneels over the spot where the driver appears to be and screaming and moaning can be heard.
Lyons said he didn't pursue the case earlier because he didn't know about the incident until the lawsuit was filed and the videotape emerged. Police never forwarded information about Scott to him, he said.
It wasn't immediately clear whether charges were filed against Scott from the chase.
Scott's attorney in the civil lawsuit, Dan Cusack of Peoria, said that while much of the action his client alleges doesn't appear in the videotape, it's clear to him what happens just off camera.
"Bryce, you know, was in a high speed chase, but then he stopped," Cusack said. "He appears to me and a lot of other people ... to have been obeying commands when the aggressive part of the tape picks up."
Burgess wasn't sure how long either officer had been with the department, only that both had worked there fewer than seven years.
Two Peoria police officers have been arrested in connection with the 2008 beating of a man who claims he was pepper sprayed, kicked, punched and shocked with a stun gun following a police chase that was videotaped by a squad car camera.
Officers Andrew Smith, 29, and Gerald Suelter, 39, were arrested Monday night on charges of official misconduct, aggravated battery, battery and mob action, according to the police department. They were jailed pending a Wednesday afternoon court appearance, Peoria County Chief Sheriff's Deputy Joe Needham said Tuesday.
Peoria County State's Attorney Kevin Lyons, who decided to pursue the case after seeing the videotape, said the recording shows Bryce Scott stopped running and cooperated before the officers allegedly beat him.
"You can tell that a person made a conscious decision to pull over," Lyons said. "When you for whatever reason, say 'I'm going to give myself up,' if this is what they are going to do to you ..."
A call to a Peoria telephone listing for an Andrew Smith was not returned. A number listed for a Gerald Suelter was not answered. It was not immediately clear if the men had attorneys.
Police spokesman Doug Burgess declined to comment on specifics of the case, saying only that the officers were on leave, which will be unpaid if they are charged with felonies.
Scott was beaten early May 3 after leading officers on the car chase, authorities said. In a January lawsuit filed against Smith, Suelter and four other unnamed officers, Scott said officers pursued him after his girlfriend's mother called them saying Scott was outside her home.
Scott says he got out of his car at officers' request but was then pepper sprayed, kicked, shocked with a stun gun and punched.
The squad car video shows Scott's SUV being chased, stopping at a stop sign and, after a shouted order from a police officer, the driver sticking his hands out the driver's side window.
An officer then opens the SUV's door and the driver steps out before quickly dropping to the ground and out of the frame. One officer kneels over the spot where the driver appears to be and screaming and moaning can be heard.
Lyons said he didn't pursue the case earlier because he didn't know about the incident until the lawsuit was filed and the videotape emerged. Police never forwarded information about Scott to him, he said.
It wasn't immediately clear whether charges were filed against Scott from the chase.
Scott's attorney in the civil lawsuit, Dan Cusack of Peoria, said that while much of the action his client alleges doesn't appear in the videotape, it's clear to him what happens just off camera.
"Bryce, you know, was in a high speed chase, but then he stopped," Cusack said. "He appears to me and a lot of other people ... to have been obeying commands when the aggressive part of the tape picks up."
Burgess wasn't sure how long either officer had been with the department, only that both had worked there fewer than seven years.
Former Deputy Ron Chris Crabtree Charged with Child Sexual Misconduct
Authorities with the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office arrested 35-year-old Ron Christopher “Chris” Crabtree, former Georgetown County Sheriff’s Deputy, this afternoon for Criminal Sexual Conduct 2nd Degree and Lewd Act on a Child.
The investigation began on February 2, 2009 when authorities in Ohio made contact with the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office with sexual assault allegations against Deputy Crabtree. The allegations were received from Ohio authorities because the victim lives in Ohio and the incident allegedly occurred in Pawley’s Island.
Georgetown County Sheriff’s Investigators made a preliminary inquiry into the allegations with the authorities in Ohio and subsequent to the preliminary inquiry; Deputy Crabtree was placed on leave with pay.
Sheriff A. Lane Cribb requested that SLED assist in the investigation. During the course of the investigation, Deputy Crabtree’s employment was terminated.
Crabtree was arrested at the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office after turning himself in and transported to the Georgetown County Detention Center by SLED. Crabtree served with the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office for 2.5 years.
http://www.carolinalive.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=274727
The investigation began on February 2, 2009 when authorities in Ohio made contact with the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office with sexual assault allegations against Deputy Crabtree. The allegations were received from Ohio authorities because the victim lives in Ohio and the incident allegedly occurred in Pawley’s Island.
Georgetown County Sheriff’s Investigators made a preliminary inquiry into the allegations with the authorities in Ohio and subsequent to the preliminary inquiry; Deputy Crabtree was placed on leave with pay.
Sheriff A. Lane Cribb requested that SLED assist in the investigation. During the course of the investigation, Deputy Crabtree’s employment was terminated.
Crabtree was arrested at the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office after turning himself in and transported to the Georgetown County Detention Center by SLED. Crabtree served with the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office for 2.5 years.
http://www.carolinalive.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=274727
Monday, March 16, 2009
Detective Michael Cordova Charged with Assault Appears in Court
DENVER
A Denver police officer who was videotaped hitting, kicking and slamming a man's head into the ground during an arrest last April says he's not guilty of assault.
Detective Michael Cordova appeared in court Tuesday to fight two counts of second-degree assault from the arrest on April 4th last year.
The district court judge postponed the disposition and motions hearing in the case one month because Cordova's attorney Marc Colin wants to have an expert analyze the videotape.
The tape was shot by a local sports TV crew on the home opening day of the Colorado Rockies last year outside of Coors Field. It shows the arrest of John Heaney riding his bike past Coors Field and getting into an altercation with Cordova and other officers who were working undercover in a scalping sting.
Before the videotape surfaced, Cordova testified in a court case under oath that Heaney swung and punched at him several times, forcing Cordova to punch back.
Cordova said Heaney "continued to throw wild punches at me, hitting me in the chest area several times forcing me to punch him in the face several times," according to court records and a Denver Police statement.
When he was asked how Heaney's two front teeth were broken, Cordova responded, "I have not a clue."
Heaney was charged with assault in the arrest and was facing prison time when the tape surfaced and was given to 9NEWS.
The tape shows two officers, including Cordova, hitting, kicking and using elbow strikes against Heaney, who does not appear to be resisting. Once on the ground, the videotape shows Cordova grabbing Heaney's ponytail, lifting up his head and slamming it into the ground, breaking his teeth. The sound of the breaking teeth can be heard on the videotape.
Once prosecutors and police were shown the tape, charges were dropped against Heaney and Cordova was charged with assault.
Cordova is out of jail on bond and has been suspended from the police department without pay during his court case.
The case has been continued until April 21st.
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http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=112048&catid=339
A Denver police officer who was videotaped hitting, kicking and slamming a man's head into the ground during an arrest last April says he's not guilty of assault.
Detective Michael Cordova appeared in court Tuesday to fight two counts of second-degree assault from the arrest on April 4th last year.
The district court judge postponed the disposition and motions hearing in the case one month because Cordova's attorney Marc Colin wants to have an expert analyze the videotape.
The tape was shot by a local sports TV crew on the home opening day of the Colorado Rockies last year outside of Coors Field. It shows the arrest of John Heaney riding his bike past Coors Field and getting into an altercation with Cordova and other officers who were working undercover in a scalping sting.
Before the videotape surfaced, Cordova testified in a court case under oath that Heaney swung and punched at him several times, forcing Cordova to punch back.
Cordova said Heaney "continued to throw wild punches at me, hitting me in the chest area several times forcing me to punch him in the face several times," according to court records and a Denver Police statement.
When he was asked how Heaney's two front teeth were broken, Cordova responded, "I have not a clue."
Heaney was charged with assault in the arrest and was facing prison time when the tape surfaced and was given to 9NEWS.
The tape shows two officers, including Cordova, hitting, kicking and using elbow strikes against Heaney, who does not appear to be resisting. Once on the ground, the videotape shows Cordova grabbing Heaney's ponytail, lifting up his head and slamming it into the ground, breaking his teeth. The sound of the breaking teeth can be heard on the videotape.
Once prosecutors and police were shown the tape, charges were dropped against Heaney and Cordova was charged with assault.
Cordova is out of jail on bond and has been suspended from the police department without pay during his court case.
The case has been continued until April 21st.
__________________
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=112048&catid=339
Guthrie Woman Files Lawsuit Claiming she was Wrongfully Arrested
EDMOND
A Guthrie woman claims she was wrongfully arrested on a traffic stop and taken to the Logan County jail where she was subjected to an improper strip search, court papers show.
Anna Lynn Self, of Guthrie, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma that names the Logan County sheriff and the City of Guthrie as defendants. The suit was filed in January.
On March 23, 2008, Guthrie Police Officer Wes Henry was patrolling when he noticed a green 1999 four-door hardtop Volkswagen with the rear driver’s side brake light out, according to a Guthrie Police Department report.
Henry stopped the car at Noble and Seventh Street. Police ran a warrant check, which showed that Self was wanted on a Logan County warrant.
At about 11:47 p.m., Henry arrested Self for the outstanding warrant and a sergeant transported Self to the jail, where she was booked.
That was the end of the police report narrative.
Allegations
Self claims she was forced to remove all of her clothing and expose her private parts for viewing by “agents” of Logan County, a practice and procedure she states was utilized by the county jail, according to court papers.
The sheriff had authority as the final decision-maker for the jail to institute and condone such practices, that have occurred in a “systematic pattern,” making him liable, the lawsuit states.
Furthermore, the sheriff failed to adequately train, supervise and discipline including those who “acting under color of law and based upon past policy and custom, deprived Plaintiff of her Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights, inflicting severe mental and physical anguish, humiliation and degradation, all to her detriment,” the lawsuit claims.
The conduct of personnel involved in the plaintiff’s detention and strip search was “intentional, malicious, willful, wanton and in reckless disregard of Plaintiff’s constitutional rights, and grossly negligent, in that this conduct shocks the conscience and is fundamentally offensive to a civilized society,” the lawsuit states.
Self seeks $250,000 for past and future physical and mental pain and suffering, past and future loss of enjoyment of life, and past and future loss of earnings, according to court papers. She also seeks compensation for costs, interest and attorney’s fees, and such other relief as deemed proper.
David Kirk, Guthrie’s attorney in the lawsuit, said he cannot comment on specifics because the case involves pending litigation. Kirk said he has represented the city in several similar cases in the past and the city usually wins. He said he expects Guthrie to prevail in this matter.
Chris Collins, an attorney for former Logan County Sheriff Randy Richardson, listed as a defendant in the original complaint, declined comment because the case involves pending litigation.
In February, an uncontested motion to substitute party was filed on behalf of Richardson, who left office before the lawsuit was filed.
Court Responses
In court proceedings, Guthrie admits the plaintiff was arrested on a traffic complaint and taken to the county jail, but stated that it lacks sufficient information to either admit or deny any allegation regarding what happened to the plaintiff after she was taken to the jail.
Guthrie denies there was a “false arrest, and that the plaintiff was “subjected to a strip search.” The city denies the allegations stemming from the alleged strip search, and denies that the plaintiff is entitled to the relief she is seeking.
Also in court proceedings, the sheriff denies the allegations listed in the lawsuit.
The plaintiff failed to state a claim against the sheriff in his official capacity for any applicable constitutional violation or remedies, and failed to state a claim under the Fourth, Fifth or 14th amendments, the sheriff’s response states.
The sheriff denied allegations of a “pattern of persistent practices known to and approved by the sheriff, in his official capacity, that would be unconstitutional,” according to court papers.
The sheriff “cannot be held liable for any constitutional violations resulting from the acts of its agents, servants or employees under the doctrine of respondeat superior or vicarious liability.”
The sheriff also states there was probable cause for the plaintiff’s arrest, and that any search was based on a legitimate penal and/or safety and security purpose. Furthermore, the sheriff is exempt from liability under state tort claims law, the sheriff states.
A Guthrie woman claims she was wrongfully arrested on a traffic stop and taken to the Logan County jail where she was subjected to an improper strip search, court papers show.
Anna Lynn Self, of Guthrie, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma that names the Logan County sheriff and the City of Guthrie as defendants. The suit was filed in January.
On March 23, 2008, Guthrie Police Officer Wes Henry was patrolling when he noticed a green 1999 four-door hardtop Volkswagen with the rear driver’s side brake light out, according to a Guthrie Police Department report.
Henry stopped the car at Noble and Seventh Street. Police ran a warrant check, which showed that Self was wanted on a Logan County warrant.
At about 11:47 p.m., Henry arrested Self for the outstanding warrant and a sergeant transported Self to the jail, where she was booked.
That was the end of the police report narrative.
Allegations
Self claims she was forced to remove all of her clothing and expose her private parts for viewing by “agents” of Logan County, a practice and procedure she states was utilized by the county jail, according to court papers.
The sheriff had authority as the final decision-maker for the jail to institute and condone such practices, that have occurred in a “systematic pattern,” making him liable, the lawsuit states.
Furthermore, the sheriff failed to adequately train, supervise and discipline including those who “acting under color of law and based upon past policy and custom, deprived Plaintiff of her Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights, inflicting severe mental and physical anguish, humiliation and degradation, all to her detriment,” the lawsuit claims.
The conduct of personnel involved in the plaintiff’s detention and strip search was “intentional, malicious, willful, wanton and in reckless disregard of Plaintiff’s constitutional rights, and grossly negligent, in that this conduct shocks the conscience and is fundamentally offensive to a civilized society,” the lawsuit states.
Self seeks $250,000 for past and future physical and mental pain and suffering, past and future loss of enjoyment of life, and past and future loss of earnings, according to court papers. She also seeks compensation for costs, interest and attorney’s fees, and such other relief as deemed proper.
David Kirk, Guthrie’s attorney in the lawsuit, said he cannot comment on specifics because the case involves pending litigation. Kirk said he has represented the city in several similar cases in the past and the city usually wins. He said he expects Guthrie to prevail in this matter.
Chris Collins, an attorney for former Logan County Sheriff Randy Richardson, listed as a defendant in the original complaint, declined comment because the case involves pending litigation.
In February, an uncontested motion to substitute party was filed on behalf of Richardson, who left office before the lawsuit was filed.
Court Responses
In court proceedings, Guthrie admits the plaintiff was arrested on a traffic complaint and taken to the county jail, but stated that it lacks sufficient information to either admit or deny any allegation regarding what happened to the plaintiff after she was taken to the jail.
Guthrie denies there was a “false arrest, and that the plaintiff was “subjected to a strip search.” The city denies the allegations stemming from the alleged strip search, and denies that the plaintiff is entitled to the relief she is seeking.
Also in court proceedings, the sheriff denies the allegations listed in the lawsuit.
The plaintiff failed to state a claim against the sheriff in his official capacity for any applicable constitutional violation or remedies, and failed to state a claim under the Fourth, Fifth or 14th amendments, the sheriff’s response states.
The sheriff denied allegations of a “pattern of persistent practices known to and approved by the sheriff, in his official capacity, that would be unconstitutional,” according to court papers.
The sheriff “cannot be held liable for any constitutional violations resulting from the acts of its agents, servants or employees under the doctrine of respondeat superior or vicarious liability.”
The sheriff also states there was probable cause for the plaintiff’s arrest, and that any search was based on a legitimate penal and/or safety and security purpose. Furthermore, the sheriff is exempt from liability under state tort claims law, the sheriff states.
Officer John Newman Charged with Indecent Exposure
A Vanderbilt University police officer has been charged with indecent exposure.
A grand jury in Williamson County indicted John B. Newman, 38, last week.
A grand jury in Williamson County indicted John B. Newman, 38, last week.
Newman, who lives on Cavalry Drive in Franklin, is accused of exposing himself to a female while driving on Interstate 65 in Brentwood.
Court records state Newman exposed his genitals to Kacie F. Dunavan on Dec. 17. Dunavan took note of the license plate number on Newman’s vehicle and filed a report with the Brentwood Police Department, according to Capt. Jeff Hughes.
Newman, who holds the rank of commander, was placed on administrative leave on Jan. 15, according to a Vanderbilt University spokeswoman.
“That’s when we were informed about him being under investigation,” said Elizabeth Latt, spokeswoman for the university.
Newman was booked into the Williamson County jail on Friday and released 45 minutes later after posting a $1,000 bond. He is set to appear before a judge for arraignment on March 30.
Newman has been a Vanderbilt police officer since June 24, 2002, according to Latt. He is considered a senior officer. Newman was once reprimanded for getting into a verbal altercation with another officer.
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Officer Thomas Crawford Arrested for Drunk Driving
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio
A Steubenville police officer was arrested on a drunken driving charge this weekend, police said.
According to police reports, Officer Thomas Crawford was off-duty when he ran a red light and crashed into another car at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Estelle Avenue.
Police Chief Bill McCafferty said the city placed Crawford on administrative suspension without pay pending the outcome of the judicial case.
A Steubenville police officer was arrested on a drunken driving charge this weekend, police said.
According to police reports, Officer Thomas Crawford was off-duty when he ran a red light and crashed into another car at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Estelle Avenue.
Police Chief Bill McCafferty said the city placed Crawford on administrative suspension without pay pending the outcome of the judicial case.
Former Officer Hughes Facing Incest & Child Porn Charges
A former Elko police captain facing incest and child pornography charges has been released from jail after a judge reduced his bail.
Court records show Elko District Judge Andrew Puccinelli last week lowered bail for Aaron Hughes from $500,000 to $200,000.
The Elko Daily Free Press reports Hughes posted bail on Friday and was released from a Lander County jail where he was being held.
Under the judge's order, he cannot contact any witnesses in the case or leave Elko County and must live with family.
Hughes was charged in December after police searched his home while investigating unrelated grand larceny charges and seized a computer allegedly containing videos of him engaging in sex with an underage, blood relative.
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Information from: Elko Daily Free Press, http://www.elkodaily.com
Court records show Elko District Judge Andrew Puccinelli last week lowered bail for Aaron Hughes from $500,000 to $200,000.
The Elko Daily Free Press reports Hughes posted bail on Friday and was released from a Lander County jail where he was being held.
Under the judge's order, he cannot contact any witnesses in the case or leave Elko County and must live with family.
Hughes was charged in December after police searched his home while investigating unrelated grand larceny charges and seized a computer allegedly containing videos of him engaging in sex with an underage, blood relative.
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Information from: Elko Daily Free Press, http://www.elkodaily.com
Deputy Alberta Gilbert Accused of Trying to Intimidate Victim
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.
Orange County Deputy Alberta Gilbert is the subject of an Internal Investigation. She is accused of trying to intimidate a victim in a case against her ex-husband.
Deputy Gilbert’s still lives with her ex-husband, James Gilbert. He is a former State Trooper who was fired last year, after Eyewitness News first exposed the serious allegations against him.
James Gilbert is accused of sending more than 600 text messages to a high school student. Many of them were sexually explicit. He was eventually arrested for soliciting a minor.
Now a month before James Gilbert’s trial, an internal investigation is underway at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, involving Deputy Alberta Gilbert.
The mother of the girl who received all of those inappropriate text messages claimed Deputy Gilbert walked into the Turkey Lake Service Plaza, where the woman works, and tried to intimidate her.
The mother said Deputy Gilbert, while in uniform, called her names and hovered over her while rubbing her sheriff’s office handgun.
We tried to get Gilbert’s side of the story, but no one answered at her house. Now, the Sheriff’s Office is trying to determine if she violated policy.
Gilbert is a DUI and motorcycle Deputy. She’s been with the Sheriff’s Office since 1993. She is still on the job, while the Sheriff’s Office completes its investigation.
Her ex-husband’s trial is scheduled to begin on April 27th.
Orange County Deputy Alberta Gilbert is the subject of an Internal Investigation. She is accused of trying to intimidate a victim in a case against her ex-husband.
Deputy Gilbert’s still lives with her ex-husband, James Gilbert. He is a former State Trooper who was fired last year, after Eyewitness News first exposed the serious allegations against him.
James Gilbert is accused of sending more than 600 text messages to a high school student. Many of them were sexually explicit. He was eventually arrested for soliciting a minor.
Now a month before James Gilbert’s trial, an internal investigation is underway at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, involving Deputy Alberta Gilbert.
The mother of the girl who received all of those inappropriate text messages claimed Deputy Gilbert walked into the Turkey Lake Service Plaza, where the woman works, and tried to intimidate her.
The mother said Deputy Gilbert, while in uniform, called her names and hovered over her while rubbing her sheriff’s office handgun.
We tried to get Gilbert’s side of the story, but no one answered at her house. Now, the Sheriff’s Office is trying to determine if she violated policy.
Gilbert is a DUI and motorcycle Deputy. She’s been with the Sheriff’s Office since 1993. She is still on the job, while the Sheriff’s Office completes its investigation.
Her ex-husband’s trial is scheduled to begin on April 27th.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Officer James Watson Charged with Solicitation of Sodomy
James Watson, 27, a Nashville police officer, was arrested Friday night and charged with one count of solicitation of sodomy.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says the Berrien County Sheriff's office received a complaint and turned the matter over to the GBI to investigate.
Watson was not on duty at the time of his arrest.
Officials with the Nashville police department and Sheriff's office declined to comment on this case, saying it is an on-going investigation.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says the Berrien County Sheriff's office received a complaint and turned the matter over to the GBI to investigate.
Watson was not on duty at the time of his arrest.
Officials with the Nashville police department and Sheriff's office declined to comment on this case, saying it is an on-going investigation.
Officer Joseph D'Amelio Charged with Drug Trafficking
A Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer was arrested last night immediately after he and another man received a FedEx package containing hundreds of prescription painkillers, including OxyContin, police said.
Officer Joseph D'Amelio, 38, of East Boston, and Anthony Christallo, 39, of Derry, N.H., face a minimum of 10 years in prison on drug trafficking charges.
Based on FedEx's "internal policies," the company became suspicious of a package addressed to a London Street auto garage in East Boston and notified State Police narcotics detectives. State Police, working in conjunction with Boston police, the Suffolk district attorney's office, the US Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement set up a controlled delivery of the package in an attempt to catch the intended recipients.
According to the district attorney's office, D'Amelio showed up at the garage, Advanced Automotive, shortly after 6 p.m. yesterday to accept the package. He was in a marked MIT police cruiser and wearing his police uniform.
D'Amelio and Christallo were arrested, and the package was seized, along with $12,000. The package reportedly contained 360 OxyContin tablets and an additional quantity of Roxicodone tablets. Roxicodone and OxyContin are brand names for the opioid narcotic painkiller Oxycodone.
The doses in the package are among the strongest available. There was no word on who sent the package.
A spokeswoman for MIT said D'Amelio has been placed on unpaid administrative leave and that the school was cooperating with police.
The men are being held in custody and will be arraigned tomorrow in East Boston District Court.
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http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/2009/03/16/MIT-police-officer-faces-drug/1237201290.html
Officer Joseph D'Amelio, 38, of East Boston, and Anthony Christallo, 39, of Derry, N.H., face a minimum of 10 years in prison on drug trafficking charges.
Based on FedEx's "internal policies," the company became suspicious of a package addressed to a London Street auto garage in East Boston and notified State Police narcotics detectives. State Police, working in conjunction with Boston police, the Suffolk district attorney's office, the US Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement set up a controlled delivery of the package in an attempt to catch the intended recipients.
According to the district attorney's office, D'Amelio showed up at the garage, Advanced Automotive, shortly after 6 p.m. yesterday to accept the package. He was in a marked MIT police cruiser and wearing his police uniform.
D'Amelio and Christallo were arrested, and the package was seized, along with $12,000. The package reportedly contained 360 OxyContin tablets and an additional quantity of Roxicodone tablets. Roxicodone and OxyContin are brand names for the opioid narcotic painkiller Oxycodone.
The doses in the package are among the strongest available. There was no word on who sent the package.
A spokeswoman for MIT said D'Amelio has been placed on unpaid administrative leave and that the school was cooperating with police.
The men are being held in custody and will be arraigned tomorrow in East Boston District Court.
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http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/2009/03/16/MIT-police-officer-faces-drug/1237201290.html
Former Sheriff Bill Keating & 16 others Indicted
MONTAGUE, Texas
For months, perhaps longer, the Montague County Jail was "Animal House" meets Mayberry.
Inside the small brick building across from the courthouse, inmates had the run of the place, having sex with their jailer girlfriends, bringing in recliners, taking drugs and chatting on cell phones supplied by friends or guards, according to authorities. They also disabled some of the surveillance cameras and made weapons out of nails.
The doors to two groups of cells didn't lock, but apparently no one tried to escape — perhaps because they had everything they needed inside.
The jailhouse escapades — some of which date to 2006, according to authorities — have rocked Montague (pronounced mahn-TAYG), a farming and ranching town of several hundred people near the Oklahoma line, about 65 miles northwest of Fort Worth.
There were whispers in the past year about an affair between a female jailer and male inmate, but folks dismissed the rumors as small-town gossip. It was not until late last month, when a Texas grand jury returned a 106-count indictment against the former sheriff and 16 others, that the inmates-gone-wild scandal broke wide open.
The indictment charged Bill Keating, sheriff from 2004 until December, with official oppression and having sex with female inmates. The others indicted include nine guards — seven women and two men — who were charged with various offenses involving sex or drugs and other contraband. Four inmates also were charged.
Local, state and federal authorities are still trying to figure out how this small-town Texas jail was turned into something resembling a frat house.
The new sheriff, Paul Cunningham, said he was stunned while touring the jail for the first time just hours after being sworn into office Jan. 1. He saw partitions made of paper towels that blocked jailers' view into cells, and pills scattered about.
Cunningham, who had not worked for the county before his election in November, immediately ordered the jail closed and moved the nearly 60 inmates to another institution.
"It literally scared me — not for myself but for the employees," Cunningham said. "How somebody kept from being killed was beyond me."
Cunningham, who defeated Keating in the Republican primary last spring, suggested that Keating lost interest in the jail after that and turned his back on the place.
Separately from the indictment, Keating, 62, faces up to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty in January to charges he coerced a woman into having sex with him by threatening to jail her on drug charges.
Keating's attorney, Mark Daniel, called the latest charges against the former sheriff "kind of silly in the face of the federal investigation, like piling on." He declined further comment.
The investigation began with a tip last fall from inside the jail.
An official received a handwritten letter on notebook paper from an inmate arrested on charges of kidnapping his girlfriend. The inmate, Luke C. Bolton, said they met in 2007 when she was a jail guard and he was behind bars on another charge. He said their sexual relationship started in a jail shower and continued during her late-night visits to his cell.
"I'm just reaching out for help to show (the jailer) is a person who abused her power. She broke the law by having sex with me in cell #16 while I was an inmate. ... Please help me. I am telling the truth. Everybody knows I am," Bolton wrote, offering to take a polygraph.
The former jailer is among those indicted. Bolton remains in jail.
Current employees said they were shocked by the scandal.
"People say, `How could you not know?' Well, it didn't go on during our shift," said Jerrie Reed, who works the day shift. Reed said the then-sheriff sometimes asked to see female inmates privately in his office, but she assumed they were informants. She said none ever seemed upset as she led them shackled to and from Keating's office.
Cunningham said it appears that most of the illegal activities occurred in a certain section of the 100-bed, one-story jail, which has several long corridors that make it difficult for anyone to hear what is going on beyond their immediate areas.
The jail will reopen this week following about $1 million in repairs, needed after years of damage by inmates, Cunningham said. Also, the entire department is getting new uniforms, badges and vehicles.
"I just think this office needs to change the image completely," the new sheriff said. "I think we're well on our way to getting the public's confidence back."
For months, perhaps longer, the Montague County Jail was "Animal House" meets Mayberry.
Inside the small brick building across from the courthouse, inmates had the run of the place, having sex with their jailer girlfriends, bringing in recliners, taking drugs and chatting on cell phones supplied by friends or guards, according to authorities. They also disabled some of the surveillance cameras and made weapons out of nails.
The doors to two groups of cells didn't lock, but apparently no one tried to escape — perhaps because they had everything they needed inside.
The jailhouse escapades — some of which date to 2006, according to authorities — have rocked Montague (pronounced mahn-TAYG), a farming and ranching town of several hundred people near the Oklahoma line, about 65 miles northwest of Fort Worth.
There were whispers in the past year about an affair between a female jailer and male inmate, but folks dismissed the rumors as small-town gossip. It was not until late last month, when a Texas grand jury returned a 106-count indictment against the former sheriff and 16 others, that the inmates-gone-wild scandal broke wide open.
The indictment charged Bill Keating, sheriff from 2004 until December, with official oppression and having sex with female inmates. The others indicted include nine guards — seven women and two men — who were charged with various offenses involving sex or drugs and other contraband. Four inmates also were charged.
Local, state and federal authorities are still trying to figure out how this small-town Texas jail was turned into something resembling a frat house.
The new sheriff, Paul Cunningham, said he was stunned while touring the jail for the first time just hours after being sworn into office Jan. 1. He saw partitions made of paper towels that blocked jailers' view into cells, and pills scattered about.
Cunningham, who had not worked for the county before his election in November, immediately ordered the jail closed and moved the nearly 60 inmates to another institution.
"It literally scared me — not for myself but for the employees," Cunningham said. "How somebody kept from being killed was beyond me."
Cunningham, who defeated Keating in the Republican primary last spring, suggested that Keating lost interest in the jail after that and turned his back on the place.
Separately from the indictment, Keating, 62, faces up to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty in January to charges he coerced a woman into having sex with him by threatening to jail her on drug charges.
Keating's attorney, Mark Daniel, called the latest charges against the former sheriff "kind of silly in the face of the federal investigation, like piling on." He declined further comment.
The investigation began with a tip last fall from inside the jail.
An official received a handwritten letter on notebook paper from an inmate arrested on charges of kidnapping his girlfriend. The inmate, Luke C. Bolton, said they met in 2007 when she was a jail guard and he was behind bars on another charge. He said their sexual relationship started in a jail shower and continued during her late-night visits to his cell.
"I'm just reaching out for help to show (the jailer) is a person who abused her power. She broke the law by having sex with me in cell #16 while I was an inmate. ... Please help me. I am telling the truth. Everybody knows I am," Bolton wrote, offering to take a polygraph.
The former jailer is among those indicted. Bolton remains in jail.
Current employees said they were shocked by the scandal.
"People say, `How could you not know?' Well, it didn't go on during our shift," said Jerrie Reed, who works the day shift. Reed said the then-sheriff sometimes asked to see female inmates privately in his office, but she assumed they were informants. She said none ever seemed upset as she led them shackled to and from Keating's office.
Cunningham said it appears that most of the illegal activities occurred in a certain section of the 100-bed, one-story jail, which has several long corridors that make it difficult for anyone to hear what is going on beyond their immediate areas.
The jail will reopen this week following about $1 million in repairs, needed after years of damage by inmates, Cunningham said. Also, the entire department is getting new uniforms, badges and vehicles.
"I just think this office needs to change the image completely," the new sheriff said. "I think we're well on our way to getting the public's confidence back."
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