Tuesday, May 08, 2012
Officer Danielle Scott Arrested for Obstructing an Officer
A probationary Milwaukee police officer was arrested on a state charge of obstructing an officer, the Milwaukee police department said.
Danielle Scott, 22, is accused of providing false information regarding a homicide investigation. The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office is reviewing the case.
"I have lost confidence in her ability to serve on the Milwaukee Police Department and I have terminated her employment," Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn said.
According to the Department, Scott served as a police aide before becoming a police officer in October and graduating from the police academy in March.
The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office is reviewing the case against her.
Police sources told TODAY'S TMJ4 that officer is dating a man arrested for gunning down another man in a violent car jacking.
Russell Setum was shot to death and his mother was also shot. Sources say officer Scott was found at the suspect's home. No charges have been filed yet.
The two have a child together.
Meanwhile, police say Chief Flynn discharged sergeant Christopher Gull last week. According to police, "Gull displayed sexually explicit photos and made inappropriate comments to co-workers and subordinates while on duty."
Gull had 16 years of service with MPD and was a sergeant assigned to the Technical Communications Division.
Chief Flynn is expected to answer questions about the recent discharges of personnel Wednesday afternoon.
Officer Daniel Cruz Arrested for Aggravated DUI
A Rockford police officer was arrested Monday night on charges of
driving under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of a
two-vehicle accident that left a woman critically injured, Boone County
Sheriff’s officials said today.
Daniel A. Cruz, 37, of Machesney Park was arrested on charges of leaving the scene of a personal-injury accident, aggravated DUI, aggravated reckless driving, improper passing, driving in the wrong lane and operating a vehicle without proof of insurance.
The name and age of the critically injured woman and the names and conditions of three others in the same vehicle were not immediately available.
Cruz, a 13-year veteran of the department, reportedly was off-duty when the accident happened.
Witnesses said he was traveling south on Beloit Road in a gray 2010 Dodge Caravan when he entered the intersection of Town Hall Road, which is uphill, on a curve and in a no-passing zone. Cruz’s van struck a northbound vehicle, believed to be an Oldsmobile, containing four people.
According to the complaint filed in Boone County Court, Cruz left the scene of the accident by walking away. He was found a half mile from the scene, still walking.
According to the probable cause statement, Cruz admitted to consuming alcohol.
The officer described Cruz as having a “strong odor of alcoholic beverage on his breath, bloodshot-glassy eyes, unsteady on his feet and using the squad car for balance.”
Boone County State’s Attorney Michelle Courier said Cruz refused all chemical testing. A court order was eventually obtained. However, it was unknown how much time passed before the blood draw was made.
Cruz’s blood-alcohol content was not available.
Rockford police Chief Chet Epperson could not be reached today for comment.
Daniel A. Cruz, 37, of Machesney Park was arrested on charges of leaving the scene of a personal-injury accident, aggravated DUI, aggravated reckless driving, improper passing, driving in the wrong lane and operating a vehicle without proof of insurance.
The name and age of the critically injured woman and the names and conditions of three others in the same vehicle were not immediately available.
Cruz, a 13-year veteran of the department, reportedly was off-duty when the accident happened.
Witnesses said he was traveling south on Beloit Road in a gray 2010 Dodge Caravan when he entered the intersection of Town Hall Road, which is uphill, on a curve and in a no-passing zone. Cruz’s van struck a northbound vehicle, believed to be an Oldsmobile, containing four people.
According to the complaint filed in Boone County Court, Cruz left the scene of the accident by walking away. He was found a half mile from the scene, still walking.
According to the probable cause statement, Cruz admitted to consuming alcohol.
The officer described Cruz as having a “strong odor of alcoholic beverage on his breath, bloodshot-glassy eyes, unsteady on his feet and using the squad car for balance.”
Boone County State’s Attorney Michelle Courier said Cruz refused all chemical testing. A court order was eventually obtained. However, it was unknown how much time passed before the blood draw was made.
Cruz’s blood-alcohol content was not available.
Rockford police Chief Chet Epperson could not be reached today for comment.
Officer Brian foulks Arrested for Domestic Assault
The attorney for a Knoxville Police Department officer charged with
domestic assault disavowed Tuesday any notion of gunplay on the part of
his client in the incident.
KPD Officer Brian Foulks, 33, was arrested early Tuesday morning and jailed under traditional 12-hour "cool down" hold placed in cases of alleged domestic violence after an incident at the home of his estranged wife.
In a report on the incident, his estranged wife, Donna Foulks, told Knox County Sheriff's Office deputies that after a verbal altercation between the two at her Macmont Circle residence, he broke the screen on her laptop computer and grabbed a .38-caliber revolver from a dresser drawer and went into the bathroom with it.
"(She) said she thought she heard (him) unloading it in the bathroom before she ran out," the report states. As she was walking down the road, he followed her in his truck.
"(She) said (he) told her the gun was in the truck, but never pointed it in her direction nor said he would use it," the report states.
Attorney T. Scott Jones, who represents Officer Foulks, said his client came to the home he once shared with his 32-year-old estranged wife unarmed and in his private vehicle. He conceded the two argued but said Officer Foulks merely unloaded and disabled the gun to avoid any escalation of an already tense situation and in no way used the weapon as a threat.
"The gun was already there on a dresser," Jones said. "Once tensions escalated between he and his wife, he located the firearm, unloaded it and rendered it inoperable."
Jones said his client returned the unloaded gun to the dresser, where deputies later found it. The pair eventually wound up outside, where the argument resumed, the report stated.
Donna Foulks told deputies her husband later followed her back inside the house and, after yet another argument, broke her cellphone, knocked items off the kitchen counter and kicked a wooden dining room chair.
Donna Foulks ran to a neighbor's house and called deputies.
Jones said the incident spanned hours, and the arguments between the pair were intermittent. The couple separated in December. Officer Foulks, 33, filed for divorce last month but went to the couple's home in hopes of resolving their marital discord, Jones said.
According to Jones, Officer Foulks has been struggling with the stress of being a full-time student at Liberty University and working overtime at KPD to earn extra money.
"Officer Foulks knows there is no excuse for domestic violence," Jones said. "He's going to get counseling related to this unfortunate incident and to deal with the stress he has been under."
KPD has suspended Foulks' police powers and reassigned him to administrative duties pending an investigation by the internal affairs unit. He has been with KPD since 2006 and was the school resource officer for Central High School.
He is set to be arraigned May 15.
KPD Officer Brian Foulks, 33, was arrested early Tuesday morning and jailed under traditional 12-hour "cool down" hold placed in cases of alleged domestic violence after an incident at the home of his estranged wife.
In a report on the incident, his estranged wife, Donna Foulks, told Knox County Sheriff's Office deputies that after a verbal altercation between the two at her Macmont Circle residence, he broke the screen on her laptop computer and grabbed a .38-caliber revolver from a dresser drawer and went into the bathroom with it.
"(She) said she thought she heard (him) unloading it in the bathroom before she ran out," the report states. As she was walking down the road, he followed her in his truck.
"(She) said (he) told her the gun was in the truck, but never pointed it in her direction nor said he would use it," the report states.
Attorney T. Scott Jones, who represents Officer Foulks, said his client came to the home he once shared with his 32-year-old estranged wife unarmed and in his private vehicle. He conceded the two argued but said Officer Foulks merely unloaded and disabled the gun to avoid any escalation of an already tense situation and in no way used the weapon as a threat.
"The gun was already there on a dresser," Jones said. "Once tensions escalated between he and his wife, he located the firearm, unloaded it and rendered it inoperable."
Jones said his client returned the unloaded gun to the dresser, where deputies later found it. The pair eventually wound up outside, where the argument resumed, the report stated.
Donna Foulks told deputies her husband later followed her back inside the house and, after yet another argument, broke her cellphone, knocked items off the kitchen counter and kicked a wooden dining room chair.
Donna Foulks ran to a neighbor's house and called deputies.
Jones said the incident spanned hours, and the arguments between the pair were intermittent. The couple separated in December. Officer Foulks, 33, filed for divorce last month but went to the couple's home in hopes of resolving their marital discord, Jones said.
According to Jones, Officer Foulks has been struggling with the stress of being a full-time student at Liberty University and working overtime at KPD to earn extra money.
"Officer Foulks knows there is no excuse for domestic violence," Jones said. "He's going to get counseling related to this unfortunate incident and to deal with the stress he has been under."
KPD has suspended Foulks' police powers and reassigned him to administrative duties pending an investigation by the internal affairs unit. He has been with KPD since 2006 and was the school resource officer for Central High School.
He is set to be arraigned May 15.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Officer Jason Davis Arrested for DWI
A Conway police officer is under arrest for DWI.
Police say they got a call to the Centerstone apartments about an accident. When they arrived, they saw a silver truck with significant damage to the front end. When an officer walked to the driver's side door, he immediately recognized Conway police officer Jason Davis, 32, and called his supervisor.
The officer says Davis was slumped over and had a cut to the bridge of his nose. The officer says he could smell alcohol coming from the truck. When the officer woke Davis up, Davis didn't know where he was and he didn't remember the accident. The officer says his speech was slurred and it was difficult to understand. His eyes were also bloodshot and watery and his eyelids were droopy.
The officer was taken to a local hospital to be checked out for further injuries and to have blood drawn.
He was then taken to the Faulkner County Detention Center.
Authorities say Davis was put on administrative leave for previous unrelated issues before the incident. However, we're told that as of 5:00 p.m., Davis has been terminated from the Conway Police Department due to those issues.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Officer Rafael Mendoza arrested in Mesquite; was also arrested in 2011
Dallas Police have placed Officer Rafael Mendoza on administrative leave after his arrest in Mesquite early Sunday.
A Dallas
police officer is on administrative leave after being arrested in
Mesquite. He's also accused of firing a shot into another car.
According to a
statement from Bill Hedgpeth of the Mesquite Police
Department, off-duty Dallas Officer Rafael Mendoza was taken into
custody early Sunday Morning.
"At about
2:40am Sunday morning, Mesquite Police responded to a “person with a
gun” call in the area of IH-30 and Big Town. A caller said that a person
traveling eastbound on IH-30 was holding a gun out of the driver’s side
window."
The vehicle was located near I-30 and Northwest Highway.
"The driver
appeared to be intoxicated and after field sobriety tests were
conducted, he was arrested," the statement said." A handgun was
recovered at the scene and a small amount of marijuana was also located
in the vehicle."
Officer
Mendoza was taken into custody. He is charged with Aggravated Assault
with a Deadly Weapon, Driving While Intoxicated and Possession of
Marijuana under two ounces.
A second caller told police that the driver of vehicle matching Mendoza's fired a bullet into the trunk of his car.
The Dallas Police Department also released a statement.
"Officer
Mendoza is assigned to the Northeast Patrol Division and has been
employed by the Dallas Police Department since December of 2008. In
addition to the criminal charges, an administrative investigation will
be conducted by the Department’s Internal Affairs Division."
The City of Mesquite will investigate the incident.
In August of 2011, NBC 5 reported Mendoza's arrest for domestic assault and unlawful restraint.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Deputy Felipe Torres Arrested for Domestic Violence
Laredo Police rush to a residence after a call to 9-1-1 informed the officers about a man's violent behavior.
The suspect taken into custody is a Webb County Sheriff Deputy who was arrested after allegedly assaulting his wife.
44 year old Felipe Torres was arrested on charges of assault.
According to police a call came in around 2:45 in the morning in the three thousand block of Saint Issac Loop.
The caller advised that the subject was a Sheriff Deputy and alcohol could be the reason for his behavior.
The victim claimed to be choked by Torres.
When police arrived they arrested Felipe Torres for assaulting his wife impeding her breathing and circulation which is a felony three.
Torres was taken to Webb County Jail.
The suspect taken into custody is a Webb County Sheriff Deputy who was arrested after allegedly assaulting his wife.
44 year old Felipe Torres was arrested on charges of assault.
According to police a call came in around 2:45 in the morning in the three thousand block of Saint Issac Loop.
The caller advised that the subject was a Sheriff Deputy and alcohol could be the reason for his behavior.
The victim claimed to be choked by Torres.
When police arrived they arrested Felipe Torres for assaulting his wife impeding her breathing and circulation which is a felony three.
Torres was taken to Webb County Jail.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Protective Order Filed Against Tulsa Officer Accused Of Sexual Misconduct
An emergency protective order was filed against a Tulsa police captain accused of sexual misconduct with a minor.
The new allegations come just weeks after he was suspended for sex acts on the job that happened three years ago.04/27/2012 Related Story: Tulsa Police Chief: No Access To Suspended Officer's Personal Computer
News on 6 spoke with the officer and his attorney.
Captain Shawn King says he is not ready to get into the details of the allegations made against him. But his attorney says they're false. He says it's all part of a plan by an angry ex-girlfriend to ruin King's name.
An Osage County judge granted an emergency protective order against Captain Shawn King on behalf of Keena Roberts and her minor children. The order was filed late Friday.
"What's happened today is evidence of Ms. Robert's ongoing and continuous vendetta against Capt. King since their break up," wrote King's attorney Scott Wood.
Wood says King and Roberts ended their relationship sometime in the past six months. And says that ever since, Roberts has gone to great lengths to "attack" his client.
Wood says the protective order is another example of that. But the accusations in that order are serious.
Read More About Protective Orders in Oklahoma
Roberts' attorney alleges that King molested one of Roberts' underage children. In the protective order, the attorney confirms that King is accused of groping, kissing and forcibly raping the child with his fingers.
Roberts' attorney alleges the incidents happened many times over a period of several years. The allegations surfaced after the child spent time in therapy.
King's attorney calls the allegations false and outrageous.
"Another example of how desperate Ms. Robert's is to wreck havoc on Captain King's life," Wood said in a statement.
Earlier this month, King was suspended a week without pay after TPD Chief Chuck Jordan says King engaged in sexual activity in his patrol car. That incident happened in 2009.
An interoffice memo from Chief Jordan's classifies the activity as "Conduct Unbecoming of an Officer."
"No allegation was made to the police department regarding any criminal activity, including activity involving children," Scott Wood said.
A hearing for a permanent protective order is set for May 22, 2012, in Osage County. But King's attorney is hoping to get a quicker hearing.
He says depending on the outcome, his client make take legal action against Roberts. As of now, Captain King is still reporting to work as a shift supervisor in the Gilcrease Hills Division.
Former Ohio Officer Charged with Sex Crimes Against Minor
A former Ohio police officer has been charged with multiple sex crimes against a minor.
Media outlets report Friday's charges of rape, unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and eight other counts stem from his relationship with a woman who was a minor when he allegedly began sexually abusing her.
The reports say the 43-year-old Heath man used to be an officer in Hebron and Union Township in central Ohio.
He is accused of having a decade-long sexual relationship with a girl, now 26, when she was 8 and he was an officer.
Officials handling a child support case became suspicious when they learned the oldest of the couple's three children was 10.
The Associated Press is not naming the man to avoid identifying a suspected victim of sexual assault.
Media outlets report Friday's charges of rape, unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and eight other counts stem from his relationship with a woman who was a minor when he allegedly began sexually abusing her.
The reports say the 43-year-old Heath man used to be an officer in Hebron and Union Township in central Ohio.
He is accused of having a decade-long sexual relationship with a girl, now 26, when she was 8 and he was an officer.
Officials handling a child support case became suspicious when they learned the oldest of the couple's three children was 10.
The Associated Press is not naming the man to avoid identifying a suspected victim of sexual assault.
Three NY State Troopers Suspended for Prostitution
An internal investigation into alleged misconduct has led to the suspension of three State Troopers.
A State Police press release says Titus Taggart, 41, allegedly organized parties that may have involved the promotion of prostitution. The alleged incidents happened when Taggart was off duty. Taggart is assigned to Troop T in Buffalo, which patrols the Thruway.
A NYS Police spokesman in Albany confirms for 13WHAM News that Taggart's father, Arthur, was a 34-year veteran of the State Police who retired in 1997 as a Colonel who served directly under two past superintendents.
Two troopers who are assigned to the Troop T Henrietta barracks have also been suspended without pay.
Jeremy Smith, 34, and Michael Petritz, 33, are accused of misconduct. A State Police press release says they were not involved in organizing the parties.
The suspensions are the result of an internal investigation and the NY State Police spokesman added that a parallel criminal investigation is also underway. He would not comment on the status of any other investigations by outside agencies. The spokesman was unaware how many Troopers could be caught up in the ongoing investigations.
Numerous media reports have cited sources that claim the women involved were brought into Western New York from Canada.
Criminal charges have not been filed.
A State Police press release says Titus Taggart, 41, allegedly organized parties that may have involved the promotion of prostitution. The alleged incidents happened when Taggart was off duty. Taggart is assigned to Troop T in Buffalo, which patrols the Thruway.
A NYS Police spokesman in Albany confirms for 13WHAM News that Taggart's father, Arthur, was a 34-year veteran of the State Police who retired in 1997 as a Colonel who served directly under two past superintendents.
Two troopers who are assigned to the Troop T Henrietta barracks have also been suspended without pay.
Jeremy Smith, 34, and Michael Petritz, 33, are accused of misconduct. A State Police press release says they were not involved in organizing the parties.
The suspensions are the result of an internal investigation and the NY State Police spokesman added that a parallel criminal investigation is also underway. He would not comment on the status of any other investigations by outside agencies. The spokesman was unaware how many Troopers could be caught up in the ongoing investigations.
Numerous media reports have cited sources that claim the women involved were brought into Western New York from Canada.
Criminal charges have not been filed.
Nisqually Tribal Officer Arrested for Hit and Run
A Nisqually tribal police officer was arrested Friday morning, suspected of DUI and hit and run.
Police say the man was off duty and driving his own car when he apparently swerved off 183rd Avenue Southwest and ran over two mailboxes around 2 a.m.
Witnesses say he drove away from the scene. He was arrested minutes later.
“A cop should know better than that,” said Faye Hull, who was awakened by the sound of the car hitting her mailbox..
“Drinking and driving don’t mix,” said Hull, “And cops know the rules.”
Police say the man was off duty and driving his own car when he apparently swerved off 183rd Avenue Southwest and ran over two mailboxes around 2 a.m.
Witnesses say he drove away from the scene. He was arrested minutes later.
“A cop should know better than that,” said Faye Hull, who was awakened by the sound of the car hitting her mailbox..
“Drinking and driving don’t mix,” said Hull, “And cops know the rules.”
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Captain Shawn King Suspended for Engaging in Sexual Activity in His Cop Car
A sex scandal is rocking the Tulsa Police Department. A police Captain
has been suspended for engaging in sexual activity while on duty and in
his cop car.
The news broke early Thursday afternoon when a document was released by Police Chief Chuck Jordan.
It says Captain Shawn King was suspended for five days earlier this month.
The document is directly from Chief Jordan to Captain King and it's addressed April 3.
It explains that King violated a TPD rule, "Conduct Unbecoming of an Officer or Police Employee."
Below the legal speak it shows what took place back in 2009.
The document states "Specifically in 2009, during first shift hours, you engaged in sexual activity while on-duty, in your patrol unit, in an area near the Tulsa zoo."
Captain King has worked for TPD for 15 years and has done interviews with Channel Eight in the past.
As of right now we believe he is back on the streets working as a Captain at the Gilcrease division.
Just to clarify this not a crime but a violation of a TPD policy.
The news broke early Thursday afternoon when a document was released by Police Chief Chuck Jordan.
It says Captain Shawn King was suspended for five days earlier this month.
The document is directly from Chief Jordan to Captain King and it's addressed April 3.
It explains that King violated a TPD rule, "Conduct Unbecoming of an Officer or Police Employee."
Below the legal speak it shows what took place back in 2009.
The document states "Specifically in 2009, during first shift hours, you engaged in sexual activity while on-duty, in your patrol unit, in an area near the Tulsa zoo."
Captain King has worked for TPD for 15 years and has done interviews with Channel Eight in the past.
As of right now we believe he is back on the streets working as a Captain at the Gilcrease division.
Just to clarify this not a crime but a violation of a TPD policy.
Officer Victor Rodriquez Arrested for harassing 13-year-old
The Laredo Police Department has arrested one of it's own, accused of harassing a 13-year-old girl.
Police say the cop was sending inappropriate messages to the teen.
Our Annette Garcia spoke to the chief of police about the matter.
“I’m certainly disappointed. We expect our officers to act in a certain fashion and if they don't we are going to take action against that.”
Disappointed at the embarrassing arrest of one of their own.
Ten-year-veteran officer Victor Raul Rodriguez, arrested for harassing a 13-year-old girl by repeatedly calling the teen and sending her unwanted text messages.
"It was a 13 year old and even that in and of itself is troubling.”
Authorities say the messages were inappropriate in nature and were all sent on April 1st by the 35-year-old officer who is known to the victim.
“The victim wanted the person to stop and she wanted the person to stop the harassing phone calls but they continued.”
The next day a report was filed with police.
“That was reviewed by the district attorney's office who ultimately decides what charge will be filed.”
The chief of police says the case will not be taken lightly and says their investigation is far from over.
“From my perspective this person can loose his job. But it doesn’t necessarily require a conviction I’ll leave it at that.”
Officers he says, are held to the highest standards.
“I want the community to be rest assured that the organization is one they can be very, very proud of. We’ve done a lot in the community over the last few years and years before that in terms of protecting the community and we will continue to do so.”
Rodriguez was taken to jail this morning, where his bond was set at $30,000 dollars.
He will remain on administrative duty pending the outcome of the case.
Police say the cop was sending inappropriate messages to the teen.
Our Annette Garcia spoke to the chief of police about the matter.
“I’m certainly disappointed. We expect our officers to act in a certain fashion and if they don't we are going to take action against that.”
Disappointed at the embarrassing arrest of one of their own.
Ten-year-veteran officer Victor Raul Rodriguez, arrested for harassing a 13-year-old girl by repeatedly calling the teen and sending her unwanted text messages.
"It was a 13 year old and even that in and of itself is troubling.”
Authorities say the messages were inappropriate in nature and were all sent on April 1st by the 35-year-old officer who is known to the victim.
“The victim wanted the person to stop and she wanted the person to stop the harassing phone calls but they continued.”
The next day a report was filed with police.
“That was reviewed by the district attorney's office who ultimately decides what charge will be filed.”
The chief of police says the case will not be taken lightly and says their investigation is far from over.
“From my perspective this person can loose his job. But it doesn’t necessarily require a conviction I’ll leave it at that.”
Officers he says, are held to the highest standards.
“I want the community to be rest assured that the organization is one they can be very, very proud of. We’ve done a lot in the community over the last few years and years before that in terms of protecting the community and we will continue to do so.”
Rodriguez was taken to jail this morning, where his bond was set at $30,000 dollars.
He will remain on administrative duty pending the outcome of the case.
Two New York Troopers Suspended for Prostitution
Two more New York State Troopers were suspended without pay Thursday night in connection with a prostitution investigation.
Jeremy Smith, 34, and Michael Petritz, 33, both of Troop T Henrietta, are accused of engaging in misconduct.
The investigation began in December, and kicked off with Titus Taggart, 41, of Troop T Buffalo.
According to State Police, Taggart is under investigation for allegedly organizing parties that may have promoted prostitution while off-duty.
Taggart is an 18-year veteran of the force, while Smith and Petritz have 18 combined years with State Police.
Jeremy Smith, 34, and Michael Petritz, 33, both of Troop T Henrietta, are accused of engaging in misconduct.
The investigation began in December, and kicked off with Titus Taggart, 41, of Troop T Buffalo.
According to State Police, Taggart is under investigation for allegedly organizing parties that may have promoted prostitution while off-duty.
Taggart is an 18-year veteran of the force, while Smith and Petritz have 18 combined years with State Police.
Former Officer Michael McKethan Jr Arrested Again
An Oklahoma City police officer who resigned last year to avoid criminal charges after a drive-by shooting at a strip club was arrested again after his ex-girlfriend reported he broke into her house, according to a police report released Friday.
Michael Wayne McKethan Jr., 37, was arrested April 10 on a burglary complaint. According to the report, McKethan broke into the woman's home in the 2700 block of NW 164 Terrace just before 10 p.m. “It's an old girlfriend of his,” said Scott Adams, McKethan's attorney.
“He didn't do anything wrong. After all the facts come out, I'm sure he will be acquitted or charges won't even be filed. He didn't commit any crimes.”
Court records list the woman as Toni Ann Cooper. She told police she had been living with McKethan, but broke up with him and moved out of his house March 1.
What is alleged. Cooper said she was in her bathroom when McKethan walked in and surprised her. She told him to leave and refused his request to take him back. McKethan then grabbed a glass bathroom sink and broke it on the floor, and went to the living room and ripped a television from the wall and threw it to the ground, Cooper told officers.
Cooper filed a victim's protective order against McKethan earlier that day, court records show. McKethan resigned from the Oklahoma City Police department in 2011 after he and another officer were charged with a drive-by shooting two years earlier at Night Trips, an Oklahoma City strip club. In return for both officers' resignations, prosecutors dropped charges in the case. Charges in a separate insurance fraud case also were dropped after McKethan agreed to pay restitution.
Michael Wayne McKethan Jr., 37, was arrested April 10 on a burglary complaint. According to the report, McKethan broke into the woman's home in the 2700 block of NW 164 Terrace just before 10 p.m. “It's an old girlfriend of his,” said Scott Adams, McKethan's attorney.
“He didn't do anything wrong. After all the facts come out, I'm sure he will be acquitted or charges won't even be filed. He didn't commit any crimes.”
Court records list the woman as Toni Ann Cooper. She told police she had been living with McKethan, but broke up with him and moved out of his house March 1.
What is alleged. Cooper said she was in her bathroom when McKethan walked in and surprised her. She told him to leave and refused his request to take him back. McKethan then grabbed a glass bathroom sink and broke it on the floor, and went to the living room and ripped a television from the wall and threw it to the ground, Cooper told officers.
Cooper filed a victim's protective order against McKethan earlier that day, court records show. McKethan resigned from the Oklahoma City Police department in 2011 after he and another officer were charged with a drive-by shooting two years earlier at Night Trips, an Oklahoma City strip club. In return for both officers' resignations, prosecutors dropped charges in the case. Charges in a separate insurance fraud case also were dropped after McKethan agreed to pay restitution.
New Jersey Officer Steven Vigorito Jr Charged with Texting Child Explicit Photos
A New Jersey police officer has been arrested and charged after he
allegedly pursued sexual contact with a 12-year-old girl, texting her
explicit photos of himself in uniform.
According to the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, Woodland Park Police Officer Steven Vigorito Jr. was charged with attempted aggravated assault, luring and enticing a child, attempted endangering of a child, attempted sex assault and official misconduct.
Investigators said, Vigorito met the girl after responding to a domestic dispute at a home in Woodland Park on April 23. While at the scene, the officer gave the girl his personal cell phone number.
The 12-year-old victim immediately alerted her mother who in turn told authorities.
In the following days, detectives posed as the girl and reached out to Vigorito which prompted several explicit text messages from the 39-year-old officer, including photos where he's in uniform and exposing himself. Officials say some of the photos are believed to have been taken at the station house.
When Vigorito attempted to lure the girl to a location for sex, undercover officers went in and arrested him, officials said.
Vigorito, a 12-year veteran with the Woodland Park Police Department, was arrested Tuesday night while on duty. He was arraigned Wednesday and remains in custody with a $250,000 bond.
"The person called to assist the family, ended up preying on the family," Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes said a press conference Wednesday.
Vigorito has been suspended without pay.
PIX 11 News paid a visit to Vigorito's Woodland Park home Tuesday afternoon. Two women slammed the door at first and quickly closed the garage doors before coming back outside.
"He's not that kind of guy, he's a good guy, he's a clean guy," said a woman who wouldn't identify herself. The home had toys and children's games on the front lawn, and the woman was holding a young child.
According to the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, Woodland Park Police Officer Steven Vigorito Jr. was charged with attempted aggravated assault, luring and enticing a child, attempted endangering of a child, attempted sex assault and official misconduct.
Investigators said, Vigorito met the girl after responding to a domestic dispute at a home in Woodland Park on April 23. While at the scene, the officer gave the girl his personal cell phone number.
The 12-year-old victim immediately alerted her mother who in turn told authorities.
In the following days, detectives posed as the girl and reached out to Vigorito which prompted several explicit text messages from the 39-year-old officer, including photos where he's in uniform and exposing himself. Officials say some of the photos are believed to have been taken at the station house.
When Vigorito attempted to lure the girl to a location for sex, undercover officers went in and arrested him, officials said.
Vigorito, a 12-year veteran with the Woodland Park Police Department, was arrested Tuesday night while on duty. He was arraigned Wednesday and remains in custody with a $250,000 bond.
"The person called to assist the family, ended up preying on the family," Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes said a press conference Wednesday.
Vigorito has been suspended without pay.
PIX 11 News paid a visit to Vigorito's Woodland Park home Tuesday afternoon. Two women slammed the door at first and quickly closed the garage doors before coming back outside.
"He's not that kind of guy, he's a good guy, he's a clean guy," said a woman who wouldn't identify herself. The home had toys and children's games on the front lawn, and the woman was holding a young child.
LA Deputy Manuel Perallon Jr Arrested for Sex Crimes Against Teen Girl
A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy was arrested this week and charged
with sex crimes against a teenage girl enrolled in the department’s
program for youths interested in law enforcement.
Deputy Manuel Enrique Perallon Jr. was charged with one felony count of oral copulation of a minor and misdemeanor child molesting. The deputy’s victim, authorities said, was a 16-year-old girl enrolled in the sheriff's department’s Explorer program.
Perallon, 36, was in charge of overseeing the volunteer youth program at the Cerritos station. Sheriff’s officials received information last year that the deputy was engaged in an “inappropriate relationship” with a teenage Explorer and a probe was launched, said sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore.
The investigation determined that Perallon had victimized the teen, Whitmore said, over the span of several months, sometimes while the deputy was on duty.
Supervision and auditing of the youth program has been heightened as a result, Whitmore said, though sheriff’s investigators do not believe Perallon had other victims.
The deputy faces a maximum prison term of four years. Following the felony charge, he was relieved of duty without pay.
“All crimes are heinous, especially ones like this,” Whitmore said. “Not only is it illegal, but it’s categorically unacceptable.”
The sheriff’s Explorer program is an incubator for youth interested in careers in law enforcement. Teen volunteers are allowed to assist law enforcement in basic tasks and are provided guidance in how to become cops once they’re older.
Deputy Manuel Enrique Perallon Jr. was charged with one felony count of oral copulation of a minor and misdemeanor child molesting. The deputy’s victim, authorities said, was a 16-year-old girl enrolled in the sheriff's department’s Explorer program.
Perallon, 36, was in charge of overseeing the volunteer youth program at the Cerritos station. Sheriff’s officials received information last year that the deputy was engaged in an “inappropriate relationship” with a teenage Explorer and a probe was launched, said sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore.
The investigation determined that Perallon had victimized the teen, Whitmore said, over the span of several months, sometimes while the deputy was on duty.
Supervision and auditing of the youth program has been heightened as a result, Whitmore said, though sheriff’s investigators do not believe Perallon had other victims.
The deputy faces a maximum prison term of four years. Following the felony charge, he was relieved of duty without pay.
“All crimes are heinous, especially ones like this,” Whitmore said. “Not only is it illegal, but it’s categorically unacceptable.”
The sheriff’s Explorer program is an incubator for youth interested in careers in law enforcement. Teen volunteers are allowed to assist law enforcement in basic tasks and are provided guidance in how to become cops once they’re older.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Officer Todd Charles Harris Arrested for Domestic Violence Assault
An off-duty Seattle police officer was arrested Sunday in Snohomish
County for a misdemeanor domestic violence assault, the Seattle Police
Department confirmed Tuesday.
Details of the arrest were not released, but Seattle police said the officer had been arrested by Everett police. The officer, Todd Charles Harris, is assigned to the Special Operations Bureau.
"He has been administratively re-assigned to home pending the on-going investigation," a release by the police department said.
Details of the arrest were not released, but Seattle police said the officer had been arrested by Everett police. The officer, Todd Charles Harris, is assigned to the Special Operations Bureau.
"He has been administratively re-assigned to home pending the on-going investigation," a release by the police department said.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Officer Thomas Welsh Arrested for Stealing Baby Food
A Nassau County police officer was arrested Tuesday morning after he
allegedly stole baby food from a West Hempstead store at an earlier
date.
According to investigators, Thomas Welsh, 48, entered the Stop and Shop located at 520 Cherry Valley Lane in West Hempstead and secreted numerous pouches of baby food on his person using plastic bags and a bungee cord. The value of the merchandise was approximately $40.
The Nassau County Internal Affairs Unit arrested Welsh Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. at police headquarters in Mineola.
Welsh was charged with petit larceny and possession of burglary tools. He was released on an appearance ticket and will appear at First District Court in Hempstead on May 17.
A police spokesman told The Associated Press that Welsh, a 25-year veteran of the force assigned to the Records Bureau, has been suspended without pay for 30 days.
According to investigators, Thomas Welsh, 48, entered the Stop and Shop located at 520 Cherry Valley Lane in West Hempstead and secreted numerous pouches of baby food on his person using plastic bags and a bungee cord. The value of the merchandise was approximately $40.
The Nassau County Internal Affairs Unit arrested Welsh Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. at police headquarters in Mineola.
Welsh was charged with petit larceny and possession of burglary tools. He was released on an appearance ticket and will appear at First District Court in Hempstead on May 17.
A police spokesman told The Associated Press that Welsh, a 25-year veteran of the force assigned to the Records Bureau, has been suspended without pay for 30 days.
Seattle Officer Arrested for Domestic Violence
An off-duty Seattle police officer was arrested by
Everett Police on Sunday for investigation of misdemeanor domestic
violence, according to a statement from Seattle Police spokesman Jeff Kappel released Tuesday night.
The unidentified male officer has been “re-assigned to home” while the matter is investigated, Kappel wrote. He said Seattle police were informed of the arrest on Sunday afternoon.
Everett Police spokesman Lt. Robert Goetz confirmed the arrest but declined to offer any details about the circumstances surrounding it.
“We investigated the incident, we had probable cause to believe an incident occurred, and we were mandated to make an arrest,” Goetz said.
The Seattle Police Department has begun the complaint process with the Office of Professional Accountability (OPA), which will keep abreast of developments in the Everett police investigation, he said.
When the Everett investigation has concluded, the OPA will conduct a separate administrative investigation into the matter, Kappel wrote.
Sunday’s domestic-violence arrest was the second involving a Seattle police officer in the past year.
Last fall, Ronald Lee Murray, 55, a detective sergeant with the Seattle Police Domestic Violence Unit, was arrested and charged with fourth-degree assault in Leavenworth after Chelan County sheriff’s deputies saw him drag his girlfriend by her hair across a parking lot.
The unidentified male officer has been “re-assigned to home” while the matter is investigated, Kappel wrote. He said Seattle police were informed of the arrest on Sunday afternoon.
Everett Police spokesman Lt. Robert Goetz confirmed the arrest but declined to offer any details about the circumstances surrounding it.
“We investigated the incident, we had probable cause to believe an incident occurred, and we were mandated to make an arrest,” Goetz said.
The Seattle Police Department has begun the complaint process with the Office of Professional Accountability (OPA), which will keep abreast of developments in the Everett police investigation, he said.
When the Everett investigation has concluded, the OPA will conduct a separate administrative investigation into the matter, Kappel wrote.
Sunday’s domestic-violence arrest was the second involving a Seattle police officer in the past year.
Last fall, Ronald Lee Murray, 55, a detective sergeant with the Seattle Police Domestic Violence Unit, was arrested and charged with fourth-degree assault in Leavenworth after Chelan County sheriff’s deputies saw him drag his girlfriend by her hair across a parking lot.
Corrections Officer Jeffery Williams Arrested for Child Porn
An officer with
the Arizona Department of Corrections has been arrested and charged
after multiple images of child pornography were discovered on his
personal computer.
On 4/12/2012, Members of the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office and the Casa Grande Police Department responded to a computer repair shop in Casa Grande after a technician reported a computer that had been brought in by a customer for repair, identified as Jeffrey Williams, 46, of Casa Grande, contained images of children being sexually abused.
Detectives with CGPD seized the computer and obtained a search warrant to have the hard drive examined. Investigators with the PCSO Computer Forensic Lab were able to pull several images including videos of children being sexually abused.
Based on the materials found, an arrest warrant for Williams was issued as well as search warrant for his residence. Agents with the US Marshall’s Office Fugitive Apprehension Team assisted in arresting Williams at the Arizona DOC prison in Florence where Williams works as a corrections officer.
Read More.
On 4/12/2012, Members of the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office and the Casa Grande Police Department responded to a computer repair shop in Casa Grande after a technician reported a computer that had been brought in by a customer for repair, identified as Jeffrey Williams, 46, of Casa Grande, contained images of children being sexually abused.
Detectives with CGPD seized the computer and obtained a search warrant to have the hard drive examined. Investigators with the PCSO Computer Forensic Lab were able to pull several images including videos of children being sexually abused.
Based on the materials found, an arrest warrant for Williams was issued as well as search warrant for his residence. Agents with the US Marshall’s Office Fugitive Apprehension Team assisted in arresting Williams at the Arizona DOC prison in Florence where Williams works as a corrections officer.
Read More.
Officer Brandon Singleton Arrested for Hit and Run
Des Moines police say a police officer has been arrested in a hit-and-run involving a squad car.
Police say Officer Brandon Singleton was arrested on Tuesday after an internal investigation that began with his request for a service truck to change a tire. Police say a supervisor noticed damage that was not consistent with Singleton's account of the incident.
Police say investigators determined Singleton had been involved in a hit-and-run. Police says marijuana and methamphetamine were found in the police car.
Singleton is charged with hitting an unoccupied vehicle and three drug charges. His case is not on the online court system, and it's unclear if he has an attorney.
Police say Officer Brandon Singleton was arrested on Tuesday after an internal investigation that began with his request for a service truck to change a tire. Police say a supervisor noticed damage that was not consistent with Singleton's account of the incident.
Police say investigators determined Singleton had been involved in a hit-and-run. Police says marijuana and methamphetamine were found in the police car.
Singleton is charged with hitting an unoccupied vehicle and three drug charges. His case is not on the online court system, and it's unclear if he has an attorney.
Seattle Officer Arrested for Domestic Violence
A member of the Seattle Police Department has been reassigned following a weekend domestic violence arrest.
In a statement released Tuesday evening, the department said the male officer, who has not been named, was arrested Sunday by Everett police for misdemeanor domestic violence assault. The officer was off duty at the time.
The officer, who works in the Special Operations Bureau, has been administratively reassigned to his home pending an investigation into the incident, according to police.
Lt. Robert Goetz of the Everett Police Department said the alleged assault victim was not seriously injured and was not taken to the hospital. Goetz also said the case would be handled by the Everett Municipal Prosecutor and not the Snohomish County Prosecutor.
The department has initiated a complaint with the Office of Professional Accountability, and the OPA will keep an eye on Everett PD's criminal case for developments.
When the criminal case is wrapped up, OPA officials will begin their own investigation to the officers conduct.
In a statement released Tuesday evening, the department said the male officer, who has not been named, was arrested Sunday by Everett police for misdemeanor domestic violence assault. The officer was off duty at the time.
The officer, who works in the Special Operations Bureau, has been administratively reassigned to his home pending an investigation into the incident, according to police.
Lt. Robert Goetz of the Everett Police Department said the alleged assault victim was not seriously injured and was not taken to the hospital. Goetz also said the case would be handled by the Everett Municipal Prosecutor and not the Snohomish County Prosecutor.
The department has initiated a complaint with the Office of Professional Accountability, and the OPA will keep an eye on Everett PD's criminal case for developments.
When the criminal case is wrapped up, OPA officials will begin their own investigation to the officers conduct.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Corruption case shines light on NYPD
NYPD badges out, Kelvin Jones and the other armed men turned up out of nowhere at a New Jersey warehouse and began barking orders.
Jones told startled workers that the New York Police Department had sent the team there to inspect for counterfeit goods - even though the wholesale dealer of Prada, Versace and other fragrances was legitimate.
The men herded about a dozen employees into a tiny back office and tied them up. By then, it was obvious something was amiss.
"We were kind of shocked," one worker recalled. "We were like, why is the NYPD coming in here like this?"
Another blurted: "You're not cops."
But Jones was indeed an NYPD officer. In fact, he had held an elite undercover position. Two with him were also part of the NYPD. A third was a former officer. But these were hardly "New York's Finest."
What they'd set up to look like a police raid was instead a brazen, $1 million robbery.
Eventually, the 30-year-old Jones would face trial. And his case, though largely overlooked, isn't isolated. In the past two years, prosecutors have accused officers of planting evidence in drug investigations, of running illegal guns, of robbing drug dealers, of routinely fixing traffic tickets as favors.
Still, Jones stands out because of his background as an undercover operative for the NYPD's Intelligence Division. The department credits the unit with thwarting numerous terror and other threats against New Yorkers.
Recent stories by The Associated Press have detailed how the unit also sought to infiltrate and monitor mosques, Muslim student organizations and left-wing political organizations - even beyond city limits - using methods that critics say infringe on civil rights, though the department denies it.
How Jones became an undercover and the exact nature of his assignment weren't made public at his trial in Newark in 2010, and police officials won't discuss it. But court documents offer hints: They show the NYPD authorized the Caribbean-born Jones to use the aliases Michael Kingston and Kelvin Johns. And in a handwritten journal, he made cryptic references to assignments in cities far from New York. That was before he was demoted to ordinary patrol - a transfer that still gave him access to an internal police database he used to help hatch the warehouse holdup.
Jones "abused his authority for his own personal gain," Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Gramiccioni told jurors. "Instead of protecting and serving the citizens, he decided to rob them and hold them hostage." While not commenting directly on Jones, the NYPD insists it carefully vets candidates for undercover work, especially those assigned to Intelligence Division.
Some are chosen because they speak Arabic or other languages needed to make their undercover roles convincing, or because they've demonstrated a mental toughness needed to withstand the rigors of leading a double life. Jones' demeanor would have made him a good choice, said his attorney, Michael Orozco. "For that kind of work," Orozco said, "you'd obviously want to have someone who's cool, calm and collected - and that's him."
But a rambling journal entry addressing his girlfriend reveals that the duality was difficult for Jones. "I never told you I was cop," he wrote, "because I was in too DEEP." ___ Back in 2003, Kelvin Jones was listed in the media guide for the Southeast Missouri Redhawks as a 6-foot, 210-pound linebacker, a "hard hitter" with "a good nose for the football."
Originally from the island of Grenada, Jones had grown up in Brooklyn, the son of a contractor and a dietitian. In his last season at the school in Cape Girardeau, Mo., the Redhawks finished with a forgettable 5-7 record. But Jones stuck to his studies and graduated with a degree in criminal justice.
He played professionally in the now-defunct National Indoor Football League, leading the Fayetteville Guard in tackles and interceptions in 2006, according to a league blog, but he quit the team before a playoff game. The reason? To enter the police academy in New York City.
On his NYPD application, Jones listed his criminal justice degree and his gridiron work. And to a question about distinguishing markings on his body, he responded, "I got a tattoo on the right side of my back ... Lord's Prayer on a scroll." The application offers nothing especially remarkable, nothing to explain Jones' next move. Orozco believes Jones went to work for the Intelligence Division "right out the academy."
Jones declined to be interviewed. His family declined comment as well. NYPD supervisors have at times plucked recruits out of the police academy and given them special training to become undercover investigators. But police officials, citing privacy rules, declined to discuss his employment history.
In court documents, the NYPD confirmed only that Jones had been an Intelligence Division undercover who used aliases. His defense claimed that he also had permission to get a New Jersey driver's license using a fake name.
Two former NYPD officials familiar with Jones told The Associated Press that one of his assignments was to monitor the Nation of Islam - part of the Intelligence Division's effort to monitor groups considered to have extreme political agendas. Since the ex-officials weren't authorized to speak about the case, both spoke only on condition of anonymity. Jones' journal offered murky clues.
He described having "orders from my captain not to let anyone know I was in Las Vegas" - but no clue what for. Another time, he was on the road because "we got a lead from an informant that someone we were investigating would be in the LA area."
Still another trip took him to Miami. At a nightclub there, he wrote, he introduced his girlfriend to a "friend" - actually another undercover on assignment with him. "I didn't pay for my flight to Miami," he said. "It was paid for by the unit."
The girlfriend, he wrote knew him only as Kelvin Johns - not Jones - and the deceit was not his only regret. He worried that someday he was "going to get shot." Still, he reasoned, "This NYPD career is just a stepping stone for me." He saw it leading to future job in federal law enforcement.
Though Jones told his lawyer that his supervisors "loved him," one of the former police officials who spoke to the AP said Jones proved unreliable and difficult to supervise. And at some point, the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau began investigating allegations he gave protection to drug dealers in exchange for cash or narcotics, court records say. Internal investigators noted his lifestyle, flashy for someone on an officer's salary.
Witnesses described how he drove a BMW sedan, wore expensive clothes, owned a condo and, according to his girlfriend, Sahar Saidi, bankrolled her Spanish studies in South America. "This is the kind of person I know Kelvin to be - thoughtful, considerate and generous," she wrote in a letter of support to the court.
The NYPD revealed a different view when it reassigned him from Intelligence to regular duty. But if the idea was to neutralize him, it didn't work.
In his new assignment, Jones met officers already making a mockery of the department's "New York's Finest" moniker. He learned that two patrolmen were routinely robbing prostitutes and brothels, according to trial testimony.
Jones sought out one, Brian Checo, to get in on the action. "I told him it's not worth it because it's not a lot of money," recalled Checo, who pleaded guilty and agreed to become a government witness. "And that's when he said he is going to have something for us and he is going to let us know."
About two months later, Jones let Checo know he wanted help robbing a warehouse.
This one was in Brooklyn, and it stored counterfeit clothing. Checo and two others - patrolman Richard LeBlanca and ex-officer Orlando Garcia - signed on. Jones "had been sitting on a spot" - police slang for reconnaissance - "for a while and that if I was interested ...he would be paying us $4,000 each," Garcia testified.
The plan called for them to wear NYPD raid jackets, bulletproof vests and badges. "We were going to try to make it seem like an official NYPD raid. ... Just make it look like, you know, a sting," Garcia said. Converging on the Brooklyn warehouse, the officers used a broom to knock out a security camera. Jones shouted out the names of the employees before the men handcuffed them and trucks began showing up to haul merchandise away. He told his crew the goods would be sold to a fence.
Word later came that the same fence had made Jones an offer he couldn't refuse, this time regarding a perfume warehouse in Carlstadt, N.J.: If he and his cohorts could "get four trucks of perfumes, he will give them $500,000." Jones had learned the other side of the law from his police work. He was always careful to use prepaid cell phones. "You gotta change it up," he told Checa. Also, Jones' black BMW had South Carolina plates.
Another tactic came straight out of the surveillance playbook: He had gone to the New Jersey warehouse before that heist to photograph the cars outside. Plugging license plate numbers into NYPD computers, he called up the vehicle registrations and made printouts of names and other information on employees.
On the day of the robbery in 2010, Jones, using the name Mike Smith, went with the others to rent two 24-foot trucks. LeBlanca maxed out his debit card renting one, and Garcia had to use his card, too. Both, incredibly, used their real names - a mistake that would come back to haunt them. It was still daylight when they arrived at the In Style, USA warehouse. Jones led the fake raid wearing a hat and a hoodie that obscured his face.
A police badge hung from his thick neck. "We have papers, documentation," Jones told them, reading names from his printouts. He told employees they were suspected of selling knockoff merchandise, and accused their boss of hiring undocumented workers and not paying taxes.
The robber-cops used plastic ties to bind the employees. "We were tied up for three hours," one said later. "It was really bad for everyone." But fear did not silence everyone. The warehouse owner spoke out at one point, saying, according to police testimony: "You're not cops." The helpless hostages heard the beeping noise of trucks backing up.
Day laborers hired by the holdup crew did the loading. There were six trucks in all. Four carrying hundreds of boxes of perfume and other merchandise valued at $1 million got away, but the two 24-foot trucks rented earlier that day were left behind after someone called the police.
Afterward, panic set in. Jones advised his cohorts to report that cards used at the truck rental office had been stolen. But when it dawned on Checo that Jones had made himself a "ghost" - with the prepaid phones, the alias, the out-of-state plates - and he lashed out. "If I get arrested and lose my job, I'm going to rat you out," he recalled telling Jones.
Tension only grew when Jones paid the men $2,000 apiece, half of what they were promised. "They are coming," Checo told Jones, referring to police investigators. And he was right. Police and federal agents arrested the officers.
The owner of the truck rental agency picked Jones out of a photo array. Checo, as promised, flipped, and the other two robbers also cooperated. Jones was convicted at a federal trial in Newark in December 2010.
At sentencing, he claimed, "I was framed," but the judge was unmoved.
The former NYPD undercover is serving a 16-year sentence in an Ohio prison.
Jones told startled workers that the New York Police Department had sent the team there to inspect for counterfeit goods - even though the wholesale dealer of Prada, Versace and other fragrances was legitimate.
The men herded about a dozen employees into a tiny back office and tied them up. By then, it was obvious something was amiss.
"We were kind of shocked," one worker recalled. "We were like, why is the NYPD coming in here like this?"
Another blurted: "You're not cops."
But Jones was indeed an NYPD officer. In fact, he had held an elite undercover position. Two with him were also part of the NYPD. A third was a former officer. But these were hardly "New York's Finest."
What they'd set up to look like a police raid was instead a brazen, $1 million robbery.
Eventually, the 30-year-old Jones would face trial. And his case, though largely overlooked, isn't isolated. In the past two years, prosecutors have accused officers of planting evidence in drug investigations, of running illegal guns, of robbing drug dealers, of routinely fixing traffic tickets as favors.
Still, Jones stands out because of his background as an undercover operative for the NYPD's Intelligence Division. The department credits the unit with thwarting numerous terror and other threats against New Yorkers.
Recent stories by The Associated Press have detailed how the unit also sought to infiltrate and monitor mosques, Muslim student organizations and left-wing political organizations - even beyond city limits - using methods that critics say infringe on civil rights, though the department denies it.
How Jones became an undercover and the exact nature of his assignment weren't made public at his trial in Newark in 2010, and police officials won't discuss it. But court documents offer hints: They show the NYPD authorized the Caribbean-born Jones to use the aliases Michael Kingston and Kelvin Johns. And in a handwritten journal, he made cryptic references to assignments in cities far from New York. That was before he was demoted to ordinary patrol - a transfer that still gave him access to an internal police database he used to help hatch the warehouse holdup.
Jones "abused his authority for his own personal gain," Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Gramiccioni told jurors. "Instead of protecting and serving the citizens, he decided to rob them and hold them hostage." While not commenting directly on Jones, the NYPD insists it carefully vets candidates for undercover work, especially those assigned to Intelligence Division.
Some are chosen because they speak Arabic or other languages needed to make their undercover roles convincing, or because they've demonstrated a mental toughness needed to withstand the rigors of leading a double life. Jones' demeanor would have made him a good choice, said his attorney, Michael Orozco. "For that kind of work," Orozco said, "you'd obviously want to have someone who's cool, calm and collected - and that's him."
But a rambling journal entry addressing his girlfriend reveals that the duality was difficult for Jones. "I never told you I was cop," he wrote, "because I was in too DEEP." ___ Back in 2003, Kelvin Jones was listed in the media guide for the Southeast Missouri Redhawks as a 6-foot, 210-pound linebacker, a "hard hitter" with "a good nose for the football."
Originally from the island of Grenada, Jones had grown up in Brooklyn, the son of a contractor and a dietitian. In his last season at the school in Cape Girardeau, Mo., the Redhawks finished with a forgettable 5-7 record. But Jones stuck to his studies and graduated with a degree in criminal justice.
He played professionally in the now-defunct National Indoor Football League, leading the Fayetteville Guard in tackles and interceptions in 2006, according to a league blog, but he quit the team before a playoff game. The reason? To enter the police academy in New York City.
On his NYPD application, Jones listed his criminal justice degree and his gridiron work. And to a question about distinguishing markings on his body, he responded, "I got a tattoo on the right side of my back ... Lord's Prayer on a scroll." The application offers nothing especially remarkable, nothing to explain Jones' next move. Orozco believes Jones went to work for the Intelligence Division "right out the academy."
Jones declined to be interviewed. His family declined comment as well. NYPD supervisors have at times plucked recruits out of the police academy and given them special training to become undercover investigators. But police officials, citing privacy rules, declined to discuss his employment history.
In court documents, the NYPD confirmed only that Jones had been an Intelligence Division undercover who used aliases. His defense claimed that he also had permission to get a New Jersey driver's license using a fake name.
Two former NYPD officials familiar with Jones told The Associated Press that one of his assignments was to monitor the Nation of Islam - part of the Intelligence Division's effort to monitor groups considered to have extreme political agendas. Since the ex-officials weren't authorized to speak about the case, both spoke only on condition of anonymity. Jones' journal offered murky clues.
He described having "orders from my captain not to let anyone know I was in Las Vegas" - but no clue what for. Another time, he was on the road because "we got a lead from an informant that someone we were investigating would be in the LA area."
Still another trip took him to Miami. At a nightclub there, he wrote, he introduced his girlfriend to a "friend" - actually another undercover on assignment with him. "I didn't pay for my flight to Miami," he said. "It was paid for by the unit."
The girlfriend, he wrote knew him only as Kelvin Johns - not Jones - and the deceit was not his only regret. He worried that someday he was "going to get shot." Still, he reasoned, "This NYPD career is just a stepping stone for me." He saw it leading to future job in federal law enforcement.
Though Jones told his lawyer that his supervisors "loved him," one of the former police officials who spoke to the AP said Jones proved unreliable and difficult to supervise. And at some point, the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau began investigating allegations he gave protection to drug dealers in exchange for cash or narcotics, court records say. Internal investigators noted his lifestyle, flashy for someone on an officer's salary.
Witnesses described how he drove a BMW sedan, wore expensive clothes, owned a condo and, according to his girlfriend, Sahar Saidi, bankrolled her Spanish studies in South America. "This is the kind of person I know Kelvin to be - thoughtful, considerate and generous," she wrote in a letter of support to the court.
The NYPD revealed a different view when it reassigned him from Intelligence to regular duty. But if the idea was to neutralize him, it didn't work.
In his new assignment, Jones met officers already making a mockery of the department's "New York's Finest" moniker. He learned that two patrolmen were routinely robbing prostitutes and brothels, according to trial testimony.
Jones sought out one, Brian Checo, to get in on the action. "I told him it's not worth it because it's not a lot of money," recalled Checo, who pleaded guilty and agreed to become a government witness. "And that's when he said he is going to have something for us and he is going to let us know."
About two months later, Jones let Checo know he wanted help robbing a warehouse.
This one was in Brooklyn, and it stored counterfeit clothing. Checo and two others - patrolman Richard LeBlanca and ex-officer Orlando Garcia - signed on. Jones "had been sitting on a spot" - police slang for reconnaissance - "for a while and that if I was interested ...he would be paying us $4,000 each," Garcia testified.
The plan called for them to wear NYPD raid jackets, bulletproof vests and badges. "We were going to try to make it seem like an official NYPD raid. ... Just make it look like, you know, a sting," Garcia said. Converging on the Brooklyn warehouse, the officers used a broom to knock out a security camera. Jones shouted out the names of the employees before the men handcuffed them and trucks began showing up to haul merchandise away. He told his crew the goods would be sold to a fence.
Word later came that the same fence had made Jones an offer he couldn't refuse, this time regarding a perfume warehouse in Carlstadt, N.J.: If he and his cohorts could "get four trucks of perfumes, he will give them $500,000." Jones had learned the other side of the law from his police work. He was always careful to use prepaid cell phones. "You gotta change it up," he told Checa. Also, Jones' black BMW had South Carolina plates.
Another tactic came straight out of the surveillance playbook: He had gone to the New Jersey warehouse before that heist to photograph the cars outside. Plugging license plate numbers into NYPD computers, he called up the vehicle registrations and made printouts of names and other information on employees.
On the day of the robbery in 2010, Jones, using the name Mike Smith, went with the others to rent two 24-foot trucks. LeBlanca maxed out his debit card renting one, and Garcia had to use his card, too. Both, incredibly, used their real names - a mistake that would come back to haunt them. It was still daylight when they arrived at the In Style, USA warehouse. Jones led the fake raid wearing a hat and a hoodie that obscured his face.
A police badge hung from his thick neck. "We have papers, documentation," Jones told them, reading names from his printouts. He told employees they were suspected of selling knockoff merchandise, and accused their boss of hiring undocumented workers and not paying taxes.
The robber-cops used plastic ties to bind the employees. "We were tied up for three hours," one said later. "It was really bad for everyone." But fear did not silence everyone. The warehouse owner spoke out at one point, saying, according to police testimony: "You're not cops." The helpless hostages heard the beeping noise of trucks backing up.
Day laborers hired by the holdup crew did the loading. There were six trucks in all. Four carrying hundreds of boxes of perfume and other merchandise valued at $1 million got away, but the two 24-foot trucks rented earlier that day were left behind after someone called the police.
Afterward, panic set in. Jones advised his cohorts to report that cards used at the truck rental office had been stolen. But when it dawned on Checo that Jones had made himself a "ghost" - with the prepaid phones, the alias, the out-of-state plates - and he lashed out. "If I get arrested and lose my job, I'm going to rat you out," he recalled telling Jones.
Tension only grew when Jones paid the men $2,000 apiece, half of what they were promised. "They are coming," Checo told Jones, referring to police investigators. And he was right. Police and federal agents arrested the officers.
The owner of the truck rental agency picked Jones out of a photo array. Checo, as promised, flipped, and the other two robbers also cooperated. Jones was convicted at a federal trial in Newark in December 2010.
At sentencing, he claimed, "I was framed," but the judge was unmoved.
The former NYPD undercover is serving a 16-year sentence in an Ohio prison.
Sgt. Phil Williams Under Investigation
A veteran Oklahoma City police inspector has come under investigation because of accusations he leaked information about the Julie Mitchell homicide case and other cases to defense attorneys, The Oklahoman learned.
Sgt. Phil A. Williams, 51, was placed on administrative leave, with pay, on Jan. 30. He denies wrongdoing. He has been an Oklahoma City police officer 18 years.
Williams acknowledged he is frustrated, that he has not been told why he is being investigated and that he has not even been interviewed yet. “All I know is the rumors,” he said.
He makes $37.60 per hour, records show.
Police Chief Bill Citty confirmed that internal affairs officers are investigating allegations a police officer provided information to outside sources that could have jeopardized investigations.
“We are looking at information that could rise to the level of criminal misconduct,” Citty said.
The chief did not identify the officer by name, but he was responding to questions from The Oklahoman about Williams.
Williams is being represented by and is a longtime friend of prominent Oklahoma City defense attorney Scott Adams.
Adams told The Oklahoman that internal affairs investigators went to the jail to interview one of his clients. He said the investigators wanted to know whether that client had any advance warning of a search.
He said the client told the investigators “that I've never given him any inside information, ever.”
Adams angrily complained in a profanity-laced interview about the gossip surrounding the investigation of Williams.
“I can tell you right now, Phil has never given me anything on any case — ever,” Adams told The Oklahoman. “I've known him for 20 ... years. I'm sick of it because I've spent the last 23 years guarding my reputation with the utmost integrity. And, then, simply because I win cases and am successful, somehow they think we have to cheat to do it that way and it offends me.”
He also said, “You've got to understand as a lawyer all I have is my reputation — my reputation with judges, with prosecutors, and police officers, with people in the general public.”
The attorney called Williams ethical and honorable.
The attorney also said he would not want inside police information about clients before they're arrested.
“I mean how ludicrous is that to think that I'm going to go keep them from being arrested so they don't have to pay me anything. It's retarded. I don't make money if they don't charge them,” he said.
Adams said he is ready for the internal affairs investigators to come question him because “I have absolutely ... nothing to hide.”
“They can come and grind on me all they want,” he said.
Adams suggested Williams is being investigated because he discovered wrongdoing by an Oklahoma City police captain.
The police chief said, “There's no retaliation. The investigation is based on specific allegations.”
In a court affidavit last year, Williams wrote he has worked for more than 10 years in a Special Projects Group for the police. He wrote he has helped stop drug traffickers and busted up large-scale theft rings that “resulted in recovery of millions of dollars worth of stolen property and the arrests and convictions of numerous defendants.”
Police refused to release to The Oklahoman an employment photograph of Williams.
Williams was not involved in the investigation of the 2010 beating death of Julie Mitchell at her husband's Oklahoma City home. The case is still unsolved.
Adams is one of the attorneys representing the victim's husband, prominent gambler Teddy Mitchell.
Adams said Williams did intervene in the case on the night of the killing on behalf of Teddy Mitchell's then-1-year-old daughter. The girl was found with her dead mother. Teddy Mitchell was traveling out of state at the time.
“My father knows Teddy Mitchell,” Adams said. “The night of the murder, my father calls Phil and says there's a kid there and we've got relatives that would pick up the kid because they were concerned about the child going into like DHS custody or something. So I think Phil calls the watch commander ... and said we have someone who can take the child.”
Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said the investigation of Williams has not affected any prosecutions because other witnesses were available.
A federal prosecutor in a chop-shop case has notified a judge Williams is on administrative leave and will not be called as a witness at an upcoming sentencing. The prosecutor reported Friday other police officers reviewed the truck-theft case and uncovered no improper actions by Williams.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Correctional Officer David Ekwejunor Charged with Evading Arrest
A 25-year-old Texas Department of Criminal Justice correctional officer
was charged with evading arrest with a motor vehicle Friday afternoon
when he allegedly fled authorities after failing to stop for a school
bus dropping off school children.
David Ekwejunor, 25, who listed a Dallas address, was arrested by Anderson County Precinct 2 Constable Doug Lightfoot around 3:30 p.m. Friday on U.S. 287, north of Palestine.
Ekwejunor, a correctional officer at the TDCJ’s Coffield Unit in Tennessee Colony, was charged with evading arrest/detention with a motor vehicle and a handful of other violations, including failing to stop for a school bus with lights flashing, according to Lightfoot.
Lightfoot was patrolling on U.S. 287 between FM 645 and FM 321 around 3:30 p.m. Friday when he observed a Saturn SUV traveling southbound on U.S. 287 fail to stop for a school bus which had its red lights flashing and was letting school children out in the northbound lane of traffic.
“I observed the violation and attempted to stop the driver,” Lightfoot told the Herald-Press.
The constable said he had his overhead lights activated and also utilized his vehicle’s siren, but the SUV’s driver ignored his attempts to get him to stop.
Lightfoot then notified the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office of the situation.
“They got three sheriff’s office units and two DPS (Texas Department of Public Safety) units to meet the vehicle,” Lightfoot said.
DPS Trooper Chad Sparkman placed “spike strips” across U.S. 287 in the immediate area of Lone Pine Baptist Church, the constable added.
“The driver did not stop at that time and proceeded through the spike strips,” Lightfoot said. “After he hit the spikes, his tires deflated almost immediately and he stopped.”
Ekwejunor, who was the vehicle’s lone occupant, was then arrested by Lightfoot and transported to the Anderson County Jail where he was booked into the facility.
No contraband was found in the suspect’s vehicle, according to the constable.
David Ekwejunor, 25, who listed a Dallas address, was arrested by Anderson County Precinct 2 Constable Doug Lightfoot around 3:30 p.m. Friday on U.S. 287, north of Palestine.
Ekwejunor, a correctional officer at the TDCJ’s Coffield Unit in Tennessee Colony, was charged with evading arrest/detention with a motor vehicle and a handful of other violations, including failing to stop for a school bus with lights flashing, according to Lightfoot.
Lightfoot was patrolling on U.S. 287 between FM 645 and FM 321 around 3:30 p.m. Friday when he observed a Saturn SUV traveling southbound on U.S. 287 fail to stop for a school bus which had its red lights flashing and was letting school children out in the northbound lane of traffic.
“I observed the violation and attempted to stop the driver,” Lightfoot told the Herald-Press.
The constable said he had his overhead lights activated and also utilized his vehicle’s siren, but the SUV’s driver ignored his attempts to get him to stop.
Lightfoot then notified the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office of the situation.
“They got three sheriff’s office units and two DPS (Texas Department of Public Safety) units to meet the vehicle,” Lightfoot said.
DPS Trooper Chad Sparkman placed “spike strips” across U.S. 287 in the immediate area of Lone Pine Baptist Church, the constable added.
“The driver did not stop at that time and proceeded through the spike strips,” Lightfoot said. “After he hit the spikes, his tires deflated almost immediately and he stopped.”
Ekwejunor, who was the vehicle’s lone occupant, was then arrested by Lightfoot and transported to the Anderson County Jail where he was booked into the facility.
No contraband was found in the suspect’s vehicle, according to the constable.
Officer Noe Yanez Arrested for Possession of Child Porn
A nine-year veteran of the Long Beach Police Department has been
arrested on suspicion of felony possession of child pornography after
reportedly meeting a teenager while on patrol and soliciting explicit
photographs of the youth through electronic messages, police said.
Noe Yanez, 40, was taken into custody Thursday evening by Long Beach police after an investigation that began earlier this month. The alleged victim had told a school resources officer about the messages and authorities were alerted. Detectives served several search warrants in the investigation of Yanez's home and other establishments for records of the communications.
Noe Yanez, 40, was taken into custody Thursday evening by Long Beach police after an investigation that began earlier this month. The alleged victim had told a school resources officer about the messages and authorities were alerted. Detectives served several search warrants in the investigation of Yanez's home and other establishments for records of the communications.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Former Officer Sonya Worthington Charged with Assault Files Lawsuit
This suit, filed in United States District Court on Tuesday, is the fifth lawsuit filed against the city by police officers in the space of a year.
In the lawsuit, Sonya Jean Worthington, 44, alleges that the city, through its police chief and her supervisors, ignored its own policies and procedures "particularly to the detriment of the plaintiff and to the benefit of white male officers" to create a hostile work environment."
Among other claims set forth in the document, Worthington spoke of discrimination, saying she was required to take a qualifying test allowing her to become an officer multiple times over as the results were "lost."
Additionally, she claimed the police chief once in the squad room pointed out a newly hired female officer and said "'this one is a sharp one' implying that other female officers currently working at the Bartlesville Police Department, including the plaintiff, were not intelligent."
She also said she was the first to be terminated by the police chief for disagreement with department policies and was immediately reinstated when she brought up that male officers written up for similar action received little to no punishment.
Worthington alleged further discrimination concerning her termination, saying that where she had been promoted and then — following the September incident and a probe by Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation — fired, a male officer who on a prior occasion had reportedly choked a 12-year-old was punished internally and not fired.
She stated in the suit she has filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and has since received a right to sue letter.
Worthington seeks more than $75,000 in actual damages and $75,000 in punitive damages from the city.
She is one of two officers placed on leave in September due to allegations of official misconduct.
She and Stacey Neafus were charged following the conclusion of an investigation by the OSBI of an incident alleged to have occurred on Sept. 18 at Jane Phillips Medical Center.
According to court documents, Neafus and Worthington that day "willfully and unlawfully committed assault and battery" on the alleged victim, a mental patient at the hospital.
Neafus reportedly pushed the alleged victim's upper torso over a metal chair arm with "with the weight of the defendant pressing" the man "who was handcuffed behind his back at the time of the defendant's actions, with force and violence.
Worthington allegedly struck the same alleged victim and placed him in a headlock, pulled and twisted his head while he was handcuffed, "with force and violence," said the information sheet.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Officer Frederick Sayles Arrested for Marijuana
A California police officer and his retired co-worker were arrested
last week in Tysons Corner for allegedly bringing more than 27 pounds of
marijuana from California to Virginia, police said.
The men, along with a third accomplice, were charged with conspiracy to import and distribute more than five pounds of marijuana. The estimated street value of the marijuana is $635,000, police said.
Police have charged Selma police officer Frederick Michael Sayles, 34, who lives in Selma; former Selma police officer Gabriel Hernandez Sepeda II, 38, of Fresno; and David Ray Flowers, 38, of Fresno.
The investigation was run by Alexandria police and prosecutors along with the DEA, authorities said. All three men are being held in the Alexandria Detention Center without bond.
Read more: The Post’s crime coverage
The men, along with a third accomplice, were charged with conspiracy to import and distribute more than five pounds of marijuana. The estimated street value of the marijuana is $635,000, police said.
Police have charged Selma police officer Frederick Michael Sayles, 34, who lives in Selma; former Selma police officer Gabriel Hernandez Sepeda II, 38, of Fresno; and David Ray Flowers, 38, of Fresno.
The investigation was run by Alexandria police and prosecutors along with the DEA, authorities said. All three men are being held in the Alexandria Detention Center without bond.
Read more: The Post’s crime coverage
Monday, April 16, 2012
Officer Christopher Mattila Arrested for Hit and Run
An Alton police officer was arrested early Monday morning on
suspicion that he was involved in two hit-and-run accidents just outside
of the city, Madison County Sheriff's Department officials said Monday.
Officer Christopher Mattila, 39, of the 3500 block of Hoover Drive in Alton, was charged with one count each of driving under the influence and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and two counts of leaving the scene of an accident with property damage. He was released late Monday morning from the Madison County Jail after posting $300 bail.
Madison County Sheriff's Department Capt. Mike Dixon said calls began coming in around 8:30 p.m. Sunday about an accident involving a Hummer and a dark colored sport utility vehicle at Godfrey Road and Tolle Lane where the driver of the dark SUV had fled the scene.
While at that scene, calls started coming in about another hit-and-run accident at North Humbert Road and Richland Woods Drive where the driver of a dark colored SUV had fled the scene after hitting a Pontiac Grand Am. No one was hurt in either accident, Dixon said.
Authorities later found a green Ford Explorer with extensive front-end damage abandoned on Seminary Road, about a mile from the second accident. The SUV was registered to Mattila.
Mattila was taken into custody at his home just before 1 a.m. Monday morning. Deputies had been at the home since 10 p.m., Dixon said, but Mattila didn't respond to knocks at the door.
Officer Christopher Mattila, 39, of the 3500 block of Hoover Drive in Alton, was charged with one count each of driving under the influence and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and two counts of leaving the scene of an accident with property damage. He was released late Monday morning from the Madison County Jail after posting $300 bail.
Madison County Sheriff's Department Capt. Mike Dixon said calls began coming in around 8:30 p.m. Sunday about an accident involving a Hummer and a dark colored sport utility vehicle at Godfrey Road and Tolle Lane where the driver of the dark SUV had fled the scene.
While at that scene, calls started coming in about another hit-and-run accident at North Humbert Road and Richland Woods Drive where the driver of a dark colored SUV had fled the scene after hitting a Pontiac Grand Am. No one was hurt in either accident, Dixon said.
Authorities later found a green Ford Explorer with extensive front-end damage abandoned on Seminary Road, about a mile from the second accident. The SUV was registered to Mattila.
Mattila was taken into custody at his home just before 1 a.m. Monday morning. Deputies had been at the home since 10 p.m., Dixon said, but Mattila didn't respond to knocks at the door.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Rookie Officer Alexandru Baiasu Arrested for Assaulting Fiancee
A rookie NYPD cop was arrested in Queens Saturday for assaulting his fiancée, officials said.
Off-duty Officer Alexandru Baiasu, 27, was arrested about 10:50 p.m. at his Rego Park home after attacking his 31-year-old fiancée during an argument, cops said.
Baiasu, who was newly assigned to the Police Academy, was charged with assault and harassment, officials said.
Off-duty Officer Alexandru Baiasu, 27, was arrested about 10:50 p.m. at his Rego Park home after attacking his 31-year-old fiancée during an argument, cops said.
Baiasu, who was newly assigned to the Police Academy, was charged with assault and harassment, officials said.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Probation Officer Todd Tronzo Charged with Trafficking
A probation officer has
been charged with selling opium and hydrocodone pills to an undercover
Durham police officer last month, and having illegal drugs in his
possession when he was arrested early Thursday.
Todd Nicholas Tronzo, 35, of 3210 Hayling Drive, Raleigh, is charged with six counts of trafficking opium or heroin, two counts of possessing drug paraphernalia, two counts of maintaining a vehicle for the sale of a controlled substance, and two counts of possession with intent to sell or deliver hydrocodone, which is on the state’s list of controlled substances. He is charged also with one count each of selling and delivering the hydrocodone.
Tronzo is accused of selling 4 to 13 grams of opium – a range set in state law – and 15 hydrocodone pills to a Durham police detective March 21, according to arrest warrants. He kept the drugs in a pretzel snack bag in his 2005 Mercury Mountaineer, police said.
Todd Nicholas Tronzo, 35, of 3210 Hayling Drive, Raleigh, is charged with six counts of trafficking opium or heroin, two counts of possessing drug paraphernalia, two counts of maintaining a vehicle for the sale of a controlled substance, and two counts of possession with intent to sell or deliver hydrocodone, which is on the state’s list of controlled substances. He is charged also with one count each of selling and delivering the hydrocodone.
Tronzo is accused of selling 4 to 13 grams of opium – a range set in state law – and 15 hydrocodone pills to a Durham police detective March 21, according to arrest warrants. He kept the drugs in a pretzel snack bag in his 2005 Mercury Mountaineer, police said.
When arrested, police wrote, Tronzo had the same quantity of opium
– 4 to 13 grams – and more hydrocodone pills in a medicine bottle
bearing the name of Bonnie Tronzo, a woman with whom he owns his Raleigh
home.
Tronzo has worked as a probation officer in North Carolina for five years, according to Pamela Walker, spokeswoman for the State Department of Public Safety. He is now on unapproved leave, she said.
Tronzo is being held in the Durham County jail, his bail set at $1 million. He is scheduled to appear in court April 26.
Tronzo has worked as a probation officer in North Carolina for five years, according to Pamela Walker, spokeswoman for the State Department of Public Safety. He is now on unapproved leave, she said.
Tronzo is being held in the Durham County jail, his bail set at $1 million. He is scheduled to appear in court April 26.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Officer Robert McChester Arrested for Enticing Minor
Robert McChester Jr., 27, has been arrested
on charges of using a facility and means of interstate and foreign
commerce - a telephone and a computer connected to the Internet - to
coerce and entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, United States
Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today.
The complaint alleges that between May 1, 2011, and April 1, 2012, McChester began communicating with a child he knew to be 15 years old. Shortly thereafter, the victim allegedly made an outcry to medical professionals regarding the inappropriate relationship she had been engaged in with a Corpus Christi Police Department (CCPD) officer.
McChester was discovered to be an active duty patrol officer with the CCPD and that he had been communicating with the victim via the Internet for approximately one year beginning in May of 2011 and continuing up to the date of the victim's outcry, according to the complaint. The victim further alleged they had met on several occasions and engaged inappropriate activities.
Online communications between McChester and the victim were recovered and determined to contain content of an inappropriate sexual nature.
McChester was arrested shortly following the filing of the federal complaint Tuesday afternoon and is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge B. Janice Ellington Wednesday.
The investigation was conducted by the Corpus Christi Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations.
The complaint alleges that between May 1, 2011, and April 1, 2012, McChester began communicating with a child he knew to be 15 years old. Shortly thereafter, the victim allegedly made an outcry to medical professionals regarding the inappropriate relationship she had been engaged in with a Corpus Christi Police Department (CCPD) officer.
McChester was discovered to be an active duty patrol officer with the CCPD and that he had been communicating with the victim via the Internet for approximately one year beginning in May of 2011 and continuing up to the date of the victim's outcry, according to the complaint. The victim further alleged they had met on several occasions and engaged inappropriate activities.
Online communications between McChester and the victim were recovered and determined to contain content of an inappropriate sexual nature.
McChester was arrested shortly following the filing of the federal complaint Tuesday afternoon and is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge B. Janice Ellington Wednesday.
The investigation was conducted by the Corpus Christi Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations.
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Officer Ryan Robinson Arrested for theft
A Shreveport police officer was arrested for misdemeanor theft and malfeasance in office Friday for allegedly stealing property during the execution of a search warrant.
Ryan Robinson, 28, is accused of stealing a ceremonial American flag during a search warrant executed by the joint Caddo-Shreveport Narcotics Task Force at a Vivian, Louisiana home back in August of 2010.
Caddo Parish Sheriff, Steve Prator said the flag was not an object of the search, nor was it listed as seized property on the warrant.
It was recently recovered by the Shreveport Police Department and turned over to sheriff's investigators.
Robinson has been placed on administrative leave by Shreveport Police Chief, Willie Shaw.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Officer Robert Bakert Arrested for Using Meth
A Carrollton, Mo., police officer has been charged with possession of a controlled substance.
Marshall police said they received a tip that Robert W. Bakert, 34, of Marshall, had been suspected of using methamphetamine while working for the Carollton Police Department.
"(It was) inconceivable at first," said Carrollton Police Chief Donny King, on how he reacted to news of Bakert's arrest. "You have a hard time imagining anybody that picks this for a career getting involved in that, and then there's the shock."
According to court documents, an officer pulled Bakert over for a traffic violation early Tuesday and searched his vehicle. The officer said Bakert was wearing his police uniform and had his service firearm on a belt in the passenger's side floorboard.
The documents said a K-9 officer was brought to sniff Bakert's vehicle and led officers to a glass smoking pipe that was under a floor mat. Police also said they found a plastic bag with white residue, two near-empty containers of "Pump-It" stimulant in the car.
In the trunk, police said they found an evidence bag containing three spoons covered in a white powdery residue. The evidence bag had been cut open.
Investigators later said the stimulant containers tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine and the spoons tested positive for cocaine.
According to court documents, Bakert said he had not used methamphetamine since December 2010, but said he would not provide a urine sample for drug testing. He initially said the spoons had been intended for use in a display at the Carrollton Police Department, but later said he had planned to dispose of them, but they must have fallen out of a bag and into his trunk.
If convicted, the charges carry a maximum penalty of seven years in prison or up to $5,000 in fines.Bakert graduated from the police academy six months ago and has been working for Carrollton ever since. A hearing is scheduled next Monday to determine whether Bakert should be fired.
"He was a friendly guy and did good work," King said. "(There was) no indication anything like this was going on."
Marshall police said they received a tip that Robert W. Bakert, 34, of Marshall, had been suspected of using methamphetamine while working for the Carollton Police Department.
"(It was) inconceivable at first," said Carrollton Police Chief Donny King, on how he reacted to news of Bakert's arrest. "You have a hard time imagining anybody that picks this for a career getting involved in that, and then there's the shock."
According to court documents, an officer pulled Bakert over for a traffic violation early Tuesday and searched his vehicle. The officer said Bakert was wearing his police uniform and had his service firearm on a belt in the passenger's side floorboard.
The documents said a K-9 officer was brought to sniff Bakert's vehicle and led officers to a glass smoking pipe that was under a floor mat. Police also said they found a plastic bag with white residue, two near-empty containers of "Pump-It" stimulant in the car.
In the trunk, police said they found an evidence bag containing three spoons covered in a white powdery residue. The evidence bag had been cut open.
Investigators later said the stimulant containers tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine and the spoons tested positive for cocaine.
According to court documents, Bakert said he had not used methamphetamine since December 2010, but said he would not provide a urine sample for drug testing. He initially said the spoons had been intended for use in a display at the Carrollton Police Department, but later said he had planned to dispose of them, but they must have fallen out of a bag and into his trunk.
If convicted, the charges carry a maximum penalty of seven years in prison or up to $5,000 in fines.Bakert graduated from the police academy six months ago and has been working for Carrollton ever since. A hearing is scheduled next Monday to determine whether Bakert should be fired.
"He was a friendly guy and did good work," King said. "(There was) no indication anything like this was going on."
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Officer David Pizzolato Arrested for Illegally Recording Girlfriend
David Pizzolato Jr., 41, was employed with the Sheriff’s Office for the past 16 years and was a Sergeant serving in the traffic division. He has also worked in uniform patrol.
According to reports, Pizzolato allegedly entered his ex-girlfriend’s home and hid a digital recording device on the headboard above her bed in early January of 2012.
He then allegedly entered the home on at least eight different occasions to listen to and test the device.
The victim contacted the Sheriff’s Office on February 17th to file a complaint, but did not want to press charges or for the accused to lose his job. The same day the accused informed his supervisor of the device.
The accused said he placed it there to monitor his ex-girlfriend’s treatment of their small child. He later admitted he had a key to the home and entered it on multiple occasions without the victim’s knowledge.
The Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation immediately after receiving the complaint and placed Pizzolato on administrative leave. Once the investigation was complete, he was terminated from the Sheriff’s Office prior to be booked into the prison.
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Officer Megan Laffoon Arrested for DUI
A Kansas City Missouri Police Officer was arrested early Wednesday morning for driving under the influence.
According authorities, KCPD Officer Megan Laffoon, 29, was pulled over in Clay County by a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper around 3:20 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Sheriff’s deputies say Laffoon was swerving out of her lane traveling up the curb that separates northbound from southbound traffic.
Missouri Highway Patrol troopers allege that Laffoon failed a series of field sobriety tests and assaulted a trooper and resisted arrest. She now faces four counts, including DUI, lane violation, assault of a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest.
According to the probable cause statement, Laffoon scratched the arresting officer on the neck with her fingernails and head-butted another officer as they tried to place her under arrest.
The MHP said Laffoon was so belligerent, they called Kansas City, Mo. police for assistance in arresting one of their own.
When she was taken to the Clay County Detention Center, it took seven officers to place Laffoon in a restraint chair, according to the probable cause statement.
The statement reads:
“Laffoon began to fight all the attempts I made to gain control of her. During the struggle, Laffoon scratched the right side of my neck with her fingernails.”
Laffoon has been suspended without pay and will remain on suspension until the case is resolved.
According authorities, KCPD Officer Megan Laffoon, 29, was pulled over in Clay County by a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper around 3:20 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Sheriff’s deputies say Laffoon was swerving out of her lane traveling up the curb that separates northbound from southbound traffic.
Missouri Highway Patrol troopers allege that Laffoon failed a series of field sobriety tests and assaulted a trooper and resisted arrest. She now faces four counts, including DUI, lane violation, assault of a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest.
According to the probable cause statement, Laffoon scratched the arresting officer on the neck with her fingernails and head-butted another officer as they tried to place her under arrest.
The MHP said Laffoon was so belligerent, they called Kansas City, Mo. police for assistance in arresting one of their own.
When she was taken to the Clay County Detention Center, it took seven officers to place Laffoon in a restraint chair, according to the probable cause statement.
The statement reads:
“Laffoon began to fight all the attempts I made to gain control of her. During the struggle, Laffoon scratched the right side of my neck with her fingernails.”
Laffoon has been suspended without pay and will remain on suspension until the case is resolved.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Officer Robert Fourt Arrested for Domestic Violence
A Tuscaloosa police officer is arrested. The victim told responding
officers that the suspect was highly intoxicated and destroying items
inside the residence.
It happened Tuesday night at 6:00pm in the 4600 block of Woodland Hills Drive.
Since the incident involved a Tuscaloosa police officer, Tuscaloosa County Homicide was contacted to investigate.
Robert Ashley Fourt, 54, of Tuscaloosa, was arrested for Domestic Violence Criminal Mischief. He was taken into custody without incident.
Police say that a small fire that had been set by the suspect was found in the garage. It was put out by the Tuscaloosa Fire Department.
Fourt has been with the Tuscaloosa Police Department since 2003 and is currently a Sergeant for its patrol division. He has been placed on administrative leave.
It happened Tuesday night at 6:00pm in the 4600 block of Woodland Hills Drive.
Since the incident involved a Tuscaloosa police officer, Tuscaloosa County Homicide was contacted to investigate.
Robert Ashley Fourt, 54, of Tuscaloosa, was arrested for Domestic Violence Criminal Mischief. He was taken into custody without incident.
Police say that a small fire that had been set by the suspect was found in the garage. It was put out by the Tuscaloosa Fire Department.
Fourt has been with the Tuscaloosa Police Department since 2003 and is currently a Sergeant for its patrol division. He has been placed on administrative leave.
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Homicide Detective Roger Smith Arrested
Roger Smith faces charges of domestic assault and battery and pointing a weapon at another.
In an affidavit from Osage County District Attorney's office, a witness says Smith allegedly pointed a gun at a man in the driveway of his home and sprayed a woman with pepper spray. Smith was arrested and released on $2,000 bond.
An official with TPD says Smith is on restricted duty until further notice.
Read more: http://www.kjrh.com/dpp/news/local_news/tulsa-officer-charged-with-domestic-abuse-and-pointing-weapon-at-another#ixzz1XExEprZY
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Officer Caught In Surveillance Photo Having Sex On Car: Report (GRAPHIC PHOTO)
A photo of what appears to be a police officer having sex with a woman on the hood of a car has caused an uproar in New Mexico.
Albuquerque, N.M. TV station KOB 4 and the Albuquerque Journal both identify the man as a uniformed officer.
The Santa Fe Sheriff's office released pictures to KOB in response to a public records request. The photos were taken from security footage at the Santa Fe Canyon Ranch.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Robert Garcia told the Journal that the photos were taken by a camera set up to catch graffiti taggers or other crimes.
Other uniformed policeman have been caught having sex on the job. Earlier this month, a Louisiana state public safety officer was suspended for reportedly having sex in his patrol car.
In January, a veteran officer resigned after he allegedly did the deed in his cruiser.
New Mexico State Police have not said whether the man pictured on the hood of the car will face any disciplinary measures, according to the Journal.
WATCH video with the GRAPHIC PHOTO:
Video
Albuquerque, N.M. TV station KOB 4 and the Albuquerque Journal both identify the man as a uniformed officer.
The Santa Fe Sheriff's office released pictures to KOB in response to a public records request. The photos were taken from security footage at the Santa Fe Canyon Ranch.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Robert Garcia told the Journal that the photos were taken by a camera set up to catch graffiti taggers or other crimes.
Other uniformed policeman have been caught having sex on the job. Earlier this month, a Louisiana state public safety officer was suspended for reportedly having sex in his patrol car.
In January, a veteran officer resigned after he allegedly did the deed in his cruiser.
New Mexico State Police have not said whether the man pictured on the hood of the car will face any disciplinary measures, according to the Journal.
WATCH video with the GRAPHIC PHOTO:
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Officer Sheldon Czegledi Arrested for Prostitution
A Phoenix police officer was arrested during a prostitution sting in El Paso, Texas.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office Strike Team arrested Officer Sheldon Czegledi, 47, along with 14 others.
According to a sheriff's office report, Czegledi approached a deputy working undercover as a decoy/female prostitute Friday night and solicited the deputy for sexual intercourse for a fee of $45.
Czegledi then drove his vehicle into the parking lot of a motel. According to the report, he gave the deputy $5 as a deposit and stated he would return.
Other deputies conducted a traffic stop and took Czegledi into custody.
Czegledi is a 14-year veteran of the Phoenix Police Department and is currently assigned as a patrol officer at Central City Precinct.
Sgt. Steve Martos with the Phoenix Police Department said an administrative investigation will be launched.
Assistant Chief Brian Lee Kepler Arrested for pointing weapon at his wife
OSBI agents arrested Brian Lee Kepler Tuesday evening at the Amber Police Department.
Kepler, 35, was arrested for feloniously pointing a firearm.
Officials say the charge stems from an argument between he and his wife Aug. 24.
Kepler allegedly pointed his gun at his wife and spoke about a murder-suicide.
Agents say Kepler also waved the gun near the couple's two-year-old twin children and said, "Which one do you want me to shoot first?"
He was booked into the Grady County Jail Tuesday evening.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Officer Bradley Bickett Arrested for Drunk Driving
An Aurora police officer who was arrested for drinking and driving and speeding in Wyoming early this month has resigned from the force, officials announced Monday.
Officer Bradley Bickett was arrested in Goshen County, Wyoming on Aug. 10 after witnesses reported him driving recklessly in his marked police cruiser while a passenger threw trash -possibly beer cans- from a window.
Gerald Kirby, also an Aurora officer, was cited for littering.
Both were on their way to the funeral for one of two officers who were recently killed in Rapid City, South Dakota.
"It is unfortunate that a 31-year career of service in law enforcement was destroyed by a single day of poor judgment," said Chief Daniel J. Oates of Bickett’s resignation.
"I thank Brad for his decision. He made the honorable choice to retire. He has accepted responsibility. His apology will mean a great deal to his colleagues in the Department and will help put this unfortunate event behind us.”"
Kirby is on restricted duty pending a full Internal Affairs investigation, police said.
Officer Bradley Bickett was arrested in Goshen County, Wyoming on Aug. 10 after witnesses reported him driving recklessly in his marked police cruiser while a passenger threw trash -possibly beer cans- from a window.
Gerald Kirby, also an Aurora officer, was cited for littering.
Both were on their way to the funeral for one of two officers who were recently killed in Rapid City, South Dakota.
"It is unfortunate that a 31-year career of service in law enforcement was destroyed by a single day of poor judgment," said Chief Daniel J. Oates of Bickett’s resignation.
"I thank Brad for his decision. He made the honorable choice to retire. He has accepted responsibility. His apology will mean a great deal to his colleagues in the Department and will help put this unfortunate event behind us.”"
Kirby is on restricted duty pending a full Internal Affairs investigation, police said.
Sgt. Aisha Hackley Arrested for Scamming Elderly Woman
A District of Columbia police officer was charged Tuesday with scamming an elderly woman she was assigned to help, authorities said.
Sgt. Aisha Hackley was arrested on a theft charge at the police department’s Second District headquarters, where she works. The 35-year-old was released on personal recognizance and is due back in court later this month.
Hackley forged the signature of an 85-year-old woman she met last December during a fraud investigation, depositing 10 checks from the woman’s Bank of America account that totaled more than $43,000, according to court charging documents. Eight of the checks were made payable to Aisha Jackson, which authorities say is another name for Hackley, and two were written out to Kevin Jackson, her son.
The older woman contacted Bank of America on or about May 31 after noticing a series of suspicious checks charged against her account. She later told a fraud investigator that the signature on eight of the checks was not hers, that she would not have authorized the checks for the amounts written and that she did not know Aisha Jackson or Kevin Jackson, according to court records.
Hackley, when questioned by a bank investigator, said she had met the woman last December after the woman reported being a victim of a lottery scam. Hackley visited the woman’s home several times over the next few months and even helped her open a new PNC Bank account, the documents say.
Hackley’s attorney, Kenneth Auerbach, did not immediately return a call seeking comment. D.C. police spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump said Hackley’s police powers have been revoked and that Hackley came under investigation after the Internal Affairs Division received a tip from a police officer in April.
Hackley’s next court date is June 30.
Hackley was recognized in December 2003, at the Capital Hotels Award Metropolitan Police Service Award Luncheon, for arresting two teenagers who were in a stolen car after she saw the vehicle make an illegal turn.
Sgt. Aisha Hackley was arrested on a theft charge at the police department’s Second District headquarters, where she works. The 35-year-old was released on personal recognizance and is due back in court later this month.
Hackley forged the signature of an 85-year-old woman she met last December during a fraud investigation, depositing 10 checks from the woman’s Bank of America account that totaled more than $43,000, according to court charging documents. Eight of the checks were made payable to Aisha Jackson, which authorities say is another name for Hackley, and two were written out to Kevin Jackson, her son.
The older woman contacted Bank of America on or about May 31 after noticing a series of suspicious checks charged against her account. She later told a fraud investigator that the signature on eight of the checks was not hers, that she would not have authorized the checks for the amounts written and that she did not know Aisha Jackson or Kevin Jackson, according to court records.
Hackley, when questioned by a bank investigator, said she had met the woman last December after the woman reported being a victim of a lottery scam. Hackley visited the woman’s home several times over the next few months and even helped her open a new PNC Bank account, the documents say.
Hackley’s attorney, Kenneth Auerbach, did not immediately return a call seeking comment. D.C. police spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump said Hackley’s police powers have been revoked and that Hackley came under investigation after the Internal Affairs Division received a tip from a police officer in April.
Hackley’s next court date is June 30.
Hackley was recognized in December 2003, at the Capital Hotels Award Metropolitan Police Service Award Luncheon, for arresting two teenagers who were in a stolen car after she saw the vehicle make an illegal turn.
Cedar Rapids Officer Robyn Obadal arrested for Burglary
Obadal, a police officer in Cedar Rapids since 1997, was taken to the Linn County Jail, where she was booked and released on a promise to appear in court on Aug. 10. She has been placed on unpaid administrative leave, pending an internal investigation.
Officer Melissa Henderson, a police spokeswoman, said investigators believe Obadal took the dogs between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Saturday while she was on duty. Homeowner Chad Ramey reported the burglary around 4:10 p.m. that same day.
Obadal strongly denied the allegations Thursday afternoon.
“I did not break into a house, and I didn’t steal somebody’s dogs,” Obadal said. “Anybody who knows me knows I always do the right thing. I don’t do the wrong thing.”
Obadal said she was on routine patrol Saturday morning when a woman on a bike stopped her and told her about two loose dogs. Obadal said one of the dogs was loose by the property, and the other was circling near the neighbor’s fence. Both were filthy, she said.
Obadal said she went onto the porch of the house, which was damaged in the 2008 flood, and saw that the dogs had gotten loose from their kennel.
“There was no way I could put them back into the kennel they came out of,” Obadal said. “It was in unsanitary condition.”
Instead, Obadal said she stretched her emergency blanket over the back seat and got the dogs in her patrol car.Dogs jump in a kennel at 1201 10th St. NW last week before Cedar Rapids police officer Robyn Obadal was accused of stealing them. Obadal said she took the photo to show the unsanitary conditions the dogs were living in and e-mailed it to animal control.
A few minutes later, she said a man came up to her car and said he would take the dogs and get them back to the owner, who he claimed to know. Obadal said she did not ask for man’s name, but agreed to let him have the dogs, which she said was acceptable practice when handling a loose dog call.
“I was covered in dog feces from head to toe, and my back seat was disgusting from the dogs,” Obadal said. “I had one thing on my mind, and that was getting home to wash up my uniform, wash off and scrub the back seat of my car.”
Obadal said she did not notify dispatchers while she was out with the loose dogs, but did go on the radio to say she was stopping at her residence to clean up. She said doesn’t know what the man actually did with the dogs, but thinks he might have been setting her up.
“What I believe is that someone in the neighborhood went over and let the dogs out, and just by chance, I pulled up and they were running loose,” Obadal said. “So I took the blame for the dogs being let loose…
“I was the perfect scapegoat.”
Ramey, the homeowner, said his brother arrived Saturday afternoon and realized the dogs were missing. He said the dogs – a three-year-old female pit bull named Shadow and a two-year-old female German shepherd named Sylvia – were found Sunday running loose along Ellis Boulevard NW.
“Animal Control found them over off of Ellis,” Ramey said. “They magically appeared the next day, after the burglary report was filed.”
Ramey, 27, said he kept the dogs in a kennel behind the house. He said he bought them in Texas, where he was serving in the Air Force, before coming home and buying the house in mid-2009. He said he is repairing the house so he and his wife can move in.
Ramey said he previously kept the dogs at his mother-in-law’s house, but built the kennel for them after it got too crowded there.
“I come over and feed them, clean it, and all that every day,” he said. “They get checked on every single day.”
Obadal said she was questioned by her superiors earlier in the week about the dogs, and told them her story. When she arrived for work Thursday, she was told she was being arrested. Obadal said she was “shocked” and “dumbfounded.”
“I was advised that disciplinary action could be taken even prior to going to court,” Obadal said. “I expect to be fired.”
Obadal’s arrest is the third embarrassing development for the Cedar Rapids Police Department since May. K-9 unit Officer Wayne Handeland, a 21-year-veteran, resigned after his squad car ended up at a Marion bar on May 5. Witnesses told SourceMedia Group he arrived at the bar in the squad car with two women, and appeared intoxicated.
Police conducted a seven-week internal investigation before Handeland stepped down.
Undisclosed disciplinary action was taken against another officer after he was photographed asleep in his squad car on the morning of May 10. The officer’s name was never released.
“Obviously, these are isolated incidents,” said Henderson, the police spokeswoman. “As a whole, I don’t think it’s a true reflection on the department. There are a lot of good things that happen here and a lot of good officers here. Unfortunately, we’ve had a run of bad incidents here.”
Former Trooper facing rape charges due in Logan Co. Court today
Venable resigned from OHP back in July following an internal investigation into allegations that he had taken an intoxicated underage female into custody for DUI and then drove her from Oklahoma City to a residence in Guthrie to have sex.
Venable, who is due in a Logan County Courthouse at 1:30pm today, if found guilty could face up to fifteen years in prison.
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More Information
Monday, August 15, 2011
Colorado officer retires after alleged wild ride
A suburban Denver police officer allowed to represent his department at a South Dakota lawman's funeral has retired after authorities say he and a fellow officer took an alcohol-fueled ride through Wyoming on their way to the service.
In his letter of retirement, Officer Bradley B. Bickett apologized for his conduct.
"I offer my most sincere apologies to the Aurora Police Department, the citizens of Aurora, and all of law enforcement for this incident," he wrote, according to a police statement.
Bickett could not be reached for comment.
He and Gerald Kirby were accused of speeding past traffic with their emergency lights flashing and tossing trash from a window on their way to the South Dakota funeral of a fallen police officer.
Their squad car was pulled over Wednesday after authorities say a volunteer firefighter spotted the car driving erratically on a state highway outside Torrington, Wyo., about 50 miles northeast of Cheyenne. Bickett was charged with driving while impaired, careless driving and speeding, while Kirby was charged with littering.
Aurora Police Chief Daniel Oates thanked Bickett for leaving the department.
"It is unfortunate that a 31-year career of service in law enforcement was destroyed by a single day of poor judgment. He made the honorable choice to retire," Oates said in his statement. "His apology will mean a great deal to his colleagues in the department and will help put this unfortunate event behind us."
Kirby remains on restricted duty pending a full internal affairs investigation.
Aurora police spokesman Bob Friel said Friday that Bickett and Kirby received permission to travel to Rapid City, S.D., to represent their department at a funeral for one of two officers killed in a shootout earlier this month. Bickett knew an officer in the South Dakota department, Friel said.
Goshen County Sheriff Donald J. Murphy said Bickett's blood-alcohol level tested at 0.08 percent, the level at which he said a driver is presumed to be under the influence. Another test determined later his level was 0.077 percent, Murphy said. A beer cooler was found in the back seat.
Bickett's speech was described as "slurred" in a booking report posted on the Goshen County Sheriff's Department website. He was released on his own recognizance early Thursday.
The funeral for the fallen officer, Nick Armstrong, 27, was held Thursday. The officers never made it to the funeral. Two Aurora police officers went to Wyoming to pick up Bickett and Kirby. They were immediately placed on desk duty pending an internal investigation.
Armstrong and Officer J. Ryan McCandless were killed in an Aug. 2 shootout that erupted while they were trying to question four men walking with an open alcohol container, Rapid City police spokeswoman Tarah Heupel said. A third officer, Tim Doyle, was hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds.
In his letter of retirement, Officer Bradley B. Bickett apologized for his conduct.
"I offer my most sincere apologies to the Aurora Police Department, the citizens of Aurora, and all of law enforcement for this incident," he wrote, according to a police statement.
Bickett could not be reached for comment.
He and Gerald Kirby were accused of speeding past traffic with their emergency lights flashing and tossing trash from a window on their way to the South Dakota funeral of a fallen police officer.
Their squad car was pulled over Wednesday after authorities say a volunteer firefighter spotted the car driving erratically on a state highway outside Torrington, Wyo., about 50 miles northeast of Cheyenne. Bickett was charged with driving while impaired, careless driving and speeding, while Kirby was charged with littering.
Aurora Police Chief Daniel Oates thanked Bickett for leaving the department.
"It is unfortunate that a 31-year career of service in law enforcement was destroyed by a single day of poor judgment. He made the honorable choice to retire," Oates said in his statement. "His apology will mean a great deal to his colleagues in the department and will help put this unfortunate event behind us."
Kirby remains on restricted duty pending a full internal affairs investigation.
Aurora police spokesman Bob Friel said Friday that Bickett and Kirby received permission to travel to Rapid City, S.D., to represent their department at a funeral for one of two officers killed in a shootout earlier this month. Bickett knew an officer in the South Dakota department, Friel said.
Goshen County Sheriff Donald J. Murphy said Bickett's blood-alcohol level tested at 0.08 percent, the level at which he said a driver is presumed to be under the influence. Another test determined later his level was 0.077 percent, Murphy said. A beer cooler was found in the back seat.
Bickett's speech was described as "slurred" in a booking report posted on the Goshen County Sheriff's Department website. He was released on his own recognizance early Thursday.
The funeral for the fallen officer, Nick Armstrong, 27, was held Thursday. The officers never made it to the funeral. Two Aurora police officers went to Wyoming to pick up Bickett and Kirby. They were immediately placed on desk duty pending an internal investigation.
Armstrong and Officer J. Ryan McCandless were killed in an Aug. 2 shootout that erupted while they were trying to question four men walking with an open alcohol container, Rapid City police spokeswoman Tarah Heupel said. A third officer, Tim Doyle, was hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Officer Jonathan Kendall Arrested for Dealing in Child Porn
Officer Jonathan Kendall, 37, an active member of the Miller said the Delaware Child Predator Task Force investigated Kendall and found evidence of child pornography after seizing a computer and “other evidence” from his Lincoln home on Jan. 19.
“It is certainly a sad day when one of our own has been arrested, and it is an disappointment,” Harrington Police Chief Norman Barlow said. “We want to assure the citizens of Harrington that we will diligently work hard to move our department past this incident and provide the police service they expect.”
Police also found evidence in Kendall’s vehicle and home after his arrest, Miller said.
Kendall has been charged with 27 counts of dealing in child pornography and one count each of hindering prosecution and official misconduct. He was committed to the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in lieu of $272,000 secured bond.
Kendall’s arrest is part of an ongoing offensive by the child predator task force that also led to the indictment of Shane Kiser, a Beebe Hospital nurse, on the same day.
“We will never let up from our efforts to protect our kids and we will never back down from the challenge of combating child predators,” Attorney General Beau Biden said.
Officer Ronald Jackson Arrested for DUI
A fired Jacksonville police officer spent a night behind bars after his arrest Friday on charges of driving under the influence. Two cars and a fence were hit prior to the DUI stop.
The arrest of Ronald Jackson, 45, comes two weeks after he was fired, ending an 11-year career with three pages of citizen and in-house complaints and disciplinary action, according to his personnel file.
Friday's incident started at Intuition Ale Works at 720 King St. where Jackson showed up for a job as a security officer whose company was hired by the business at 6:45 p.m., then drove off a few minutes later, according to the arrest report. A bit later, officers were called to two hit-and-runs on Ernest Street, a block from the bar. Witnesses told police that a black sport-utility vehicle hit a recycling bin, a pickup truck and a second vehicle and a fence before driving off, according to the police report.
Shortly after 7 p.m. police found a black Ford Explorer stopped on Riverside Avenue and then driving onto Forest Street. Its hood popped up, but the driver stopped and put it down. Officers followed the Explorer, which had a dented front end, until its hood popped up again.
The driver turned onto Magnolia Street, then hit a curb on Riverside Avenue. He got out and said, "Sarge, I'm sorry" to the sergeant who had followed him, ultimately refusing to take a field sobriety test before he was handcuffed and taken to jail just before 10 p.m., according to the arrest report.
Jackson was hired by the Sheriff's Office in April 1999 and has had 25 complaints filed against him, according to his summarized personnel report. Complaints of rudeness, unnecessary force and false arrest were made, most not sustained although he underwent informal counseling and received a supervisor's referral letter on some. In October 2010, he was suspended 20 days for unbecoming conduct and failing to be wholly candid, the records show.
But one final issue saw internal affairs recommend discipline that led to his firing.
On Jan. 20, Jackson disrupted a training academy class by arguing with an instructor over paperwork. Told to leave, he sent a classmate a text message threatening he was "gonna end it all," according to the internal affairs report. He also called the Sheriff's Office's communications center and told another officer he was going to "get his gun and blow his brains out."
Found by police, he was taken to Baptist Medical Center for involuntary examination. After being declared fit for duty on Jan. 28, he told internal affairs investigators that he had an anxiety attack and "snapped," according to the report.
The 23-page internal affairs report recommended charges of unbecoming conduct and failure to obey an order be filed against Jackson, and Undersheriff Dwain Senterfitt fired him July 22. Jackson could not be reached for comment.
The arrest of Ronald Jackson, 45, comes two weeks after he was fired, ending an 11-year career with three pages of citizen and in-house complaints and disciplinary action, according to his personnel file.
Friday's incident started at Intuition Ale Works at 720 King St. where Jackson showed up for a job as a security officer whose company was hired by the business at 6:45 p.m., then drove off a few minutes later, according to the arrest report. A bit later, officers were called to two hit-and-runs on Ernest Street, a block from the bar. Witnesses told police that a black sport-utility vehicle hit a recycling bin, a pickup truck and a second vehicle and a fence before driving off, according to the police report.
Shortly after 7 p.m. police found a black Ford Explorer stopped on Riverside Avenue and then driving onto Forest Street. Its hood popped up, but the driver stopped and put it down. Officers followed the Explorer, which had a dented front end, until its hood popped up again.
The driver turned onto Magnolia Street, then hit a curb on Riverside Avenue. He got out and said, "Sarge, I'm sorry" to the sergeant who had followed him, ultimately refusing to take a field sobriety test before he was handcuffed and taken to jail just before 10 p.m., according to the arrest report.
Jackson was hired by the Sheriff's Office in April 1999 and has had 25 complaints filed against him, according to his summarized personnel report. Complaints of rudeness, unnecessary force and false arrest were made, most not sustained although he underwent informal counseling and received a supervisor's referral letter on some. In October 2010, he was suspended 20 days for unbecoming conduct and failing to be wholly candid, the records show.
But one final issue saw internal affairs recommend discipline that led to his firing.
On Jan. 20, Jackson disrupted a training academy class by arguing with an instructor over paperwork. Told to leave, he sent a classmate a text message threatening he was "gonna end it all," according to the internal affairs report. He also called the Sheriff's Office's communications center and told another officer he was going to "get his gun and blow his brains out."
Found by police, he was taken to Baptist Medical Center for involuntary examination. After being declared fit for duty on Jan. 28, he told internal affairs investigators that he had an anxiety attack and "snapped," according to the report.
The 23-page internal affairs report recommended charges of unbecoming conduct and failure to obey an order be filed against Jackson, and Undersheriff Dwain Senterfitt fired him July 22. Jackson could not be reached for comment.
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
Officer Robb Gray Evans Arrested for Sexual Abuse
The Flagstaff Police Department (FPD)arrested Arizona DPS Officer Robb Gray Evans of Flagstaff late Saturday night. Officers responded to the Greenroom Bar in Flagstaff to a report of a male subject who had inappropriately touched a 30 year old female.
According to officers, they were contacted by the employees of the Greenroom Bar who were out with the alleged suspect. Speaking to the female victim, she told officers she was standing at the bar when the suspect had come up behind her and began inappropriately touching her. The woman said she confronted the male suspect and reported the incident to bar employees.
The suspect identified himself to police as an Arizona DPA Officer which was later confirmed by FPD officers.
Evans has been booked into the Coconino County Jail for one count of Sexual Abuse and is being held on $50,000 bond. According to the FPD, the investigation is still on going.
According to officers, they were contacted by the employees of the Greenroom Bar who were out with the alleged suspect. Speaking to the female victim, she told officers she was standing at the bar when the suspect had come up behind her and began inappropriately touching her. The woman said she confronted the male suspect and reported the incident to bar employees.
The suspect identified himself to police as an Arizona DPA Officer which was later confirmed by FPD officers.
Evans has been booked into the Coconino County Jail for one count of Sexual Abuse and is being held on $50,000 bond. According to the FPD, the investigation is still on going.
Saturday, August 06, 2011
Sheriff Freedom Crawford arrested for Assault
The Roosevelt County sheriff was arrested after a bar fight in Lewistown early Tuesday morning.
Sheriff Freedom Crawford faces misdemeanor charges of assault, obstructing a peace officer, disorderly conduct and criminal mischief.
Lewistown Police Department says they were called to the Montana Tavern just after midnight. A bartender told them Sheriff Crawford threw another patron through a window, then ran away.
That 48-year-old Pennsylvania man was taken to the hospital, treated and released.
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