A New Orleans police officer was arrested Thursday morning on charges he beat two people and stole a wallet while on duty.
Officer Rydell Diggs, 31, a seven-year veteran of the NOPD assigned to the 2nd District, was booked into the Orleans Parish jail on two counts of aggravated battery, one count of theft and one count of malfeasance in office, according to jail records.
The charges against Diggs allege that he committed aggravated battery with a police baton on a man and aggravated battery with pepper spray on a woman.
The charges resulted from a complaint brought to the Police Department's Public Integrity Bureau, the department's internal investigative unit, police said. The complainant accused the officer of taking $300 and beating the man during a traffic stop on Aug. 7, 2007, at Monroe and Hickory streets in West Carrollton.
Diggs was a patrolman assigned to the 2nd District, which covers a wide swath of Uptown. NOPD spokesman Bob Young said the time between the complaint and the charges are because of the extensive work required in developing the case.
"It took time to develop witnesses in the case," Young said.
As of Thursday, Diggs was suspended without pay pending the outcome of the case and final review by the police superintendent, according to police.
The charges against Diggs have been accepted by the Orleans Parish district attorney, according to jail records. The case, however, has not been allotted to a criminal court judge and a court date has not been set.
A spokeswoman for the district attorney's office declined to comment.
Diggs' criminal case file was not available Thursday, according to the magistrate clerk's office.
He was released on his own recognizance Thursday via an order by Judge Laurie White, according to court records. That means he did not have to pay bail or show up for a first appearance in magistrate court.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Officer Sean Moran Fired after Being Charged With Attempted Murder
Duxbury
Sean Moran, who has been charged with assault and attempted murder on his girlfriend, a Milton police officer, has been fired from the Duxbury Police Department.
In Town Manager Richard MacDonald’s written decision to fire Moran, he stated that Moran violated the police department’s rules by committing acts that are arrestable offenses.
“In doing so, Officer Moran has made a mockery of his badge and the responsibilities it signifies,” MacDonald stated.
MacDonald went on to state that Moran’s actions undercut the reputation and morale of the department.
“The public cannot place confidence in police officers who themselves violate the standards to which they are required to apply to others,” he stated.
Moran, 30, was arrested Nov. 9 after he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend by smashing her head against a highway overpass fence and used his fists to smash the dashboard of the vehicle she was driving. At a dangerousness hearing in November, Norfolk County Judge Mark Coven ruled that Moran was a danger to his girlfriend and ordered him held without bail.
During the hearing, Quincy Police Sgt. Joseph Lencki testified that Moran’s girlfriend called a friend and stayed outside until the friend arrived because she was afraid of what he would do to her.
On Jan. 17, Moran was indicted by Norfolk County Superior Court on charges of intimidation of a witness, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon (a gun), malicious destruction of property exceeding $250; three counts of assault and battery, and one count of threatening to commit a crime. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison for the most serious charge, armed assault with intent to murder.
On Feb. 7, Moran pleaded not guilty to all charges. On May 5, he was released on $10,000 bail after the 90-day dangerousness statute under which he was being held expired. Prosecutors asked for bail to be set at $100,000 cash, but the court set bail at $10,000. Moran is required to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet on his ankle, and he will reside at his parents’ home in Duxbury.
Moran has been on administrative leave from the Duxbury Police Department since he was arrested, at which time the department immediately confiscated his badge and gun.
MacDonald based his findings for firing Moran on a document prepared from a hearing conducted by attorney Charles M. Sabatt, who MacDonald designated as the hearing officer for Moran’s disciplinary hearing.
Sabatt concluded that Moran committed four violations specified by Police Chief Mark DeLuca, leading to his finding that Moran’s actions granted punishment or dismissal. The four violations were conduct unbecoming of an officer, neglect of duty, criminal conduct and absence.
In his decision, MacDonald found the that first two items in Sabatt’s conclusion warranted enough reason for Moran’s dismissal, and that the other two items were not necessary to support to his decision that Moran violated department policy.
“My decision was based on the facts as presented to me by the hearing officer,” MacDonald said. “This whole situation is unfortunate.”
The first violation in Sabatt’s report stemmed from the incident which led to his arrest, and the second referred to an Oct. 18, 2007, incident in which Moran allegedly removed his girlfriend’s loaded duty weapon and threatened to kill her and kill her and himself if she reported the incident.
The third violation in Sabatt’s report cited further incidents of alleged abuse by Moran, and the final violation was Moran’s unexcused absence from his duties as a police officer while incarcerated. Sabatt stated that Moran’s incarceration was caused by his own misconduct, which does not excuse him from his duty.
A disciplinary hearing for Moran was held on Jan. 24, and continued on April 1 at the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office. Moran, who is due back in court June 17 at 2 p.m., has the right to appeal his firing.
Moran’s lawyer, Daniel O’Malley, could not be reached for comment.
Sean Moran, who has been charged with assault and attempted murder on his girlfriend, a Milton police officer, has been fired from the Duxbury Police Department.
In Town Manager Richard MacDonald’s written decision to fire Moran, he stated that Moran violated the police department’s rules by committing acts that are arrestable offenses.
“In doing so, Officer Moran has made a mockery of his badge and the responsibilities it signifies,” MacDonald stated.
MacDonald went on to state that Moran’s actions undercut the reputation and morale of the department.
“The public cannot place confidence in police officers who themselves violate the standards to which they are required to apply to others,” he stated.
Moran, 30, was arrested Nov. 9 after he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend by smashing her head against a highway overpass fence and used his fists to smash the dashboard of the vehicle she was driving. At a dangerousness hearing in November, Norfolk County Judge Mark Coven ruled that Moran was a danger to his girlfriend and ordered him held without bail.
During the hearing, Quincy Police Sgt. Joseph Lencki testified that Moran’s girlfriend called a friend and stayed outside until the friend arrived because she was afraid of what he would do to her.
On Jan. 17, Moran was indicted by Norfolk County Superior Court on charges of intimidation of a witness, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon (a gun), malicious destruction of property exceeding $250; three counts of assault and battery, and one count of threatening to commit a crime. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison for the most serious charge, armed assault with intent to murder.
On Feb. 7, Moran pleaded not guilty to all charges. On May 5, he was released on $10,000 bail after the 90-day dangerousness statute under which he was being held expired. Prosecutors asked for bail to be set at $100,000 cash, but the court set bail at $10,000. Moran is required to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet on his ankle, and he will reside at his parents’ home in Duxbury.
Moran has been on administrative leave from the Duxbury Police Department since he was arrested, at which time the department immediately confiscated his badge and gun.
MacDonald based his findings for firing Moran on a document prepared from a hearing conducted by attorney Charles M. Sabatt, who MacDonald designated as the hearing officer for Moran’s disciplinary hearing.
Sabatt concluded that Moran committed four violations specified by Police Chief Mark DeLuca, leading to his finding that Moran’s actions granted punishment or dismissal. The four violations were conduct unbecoming of an officer, neglect of duty, criminal conduct and absence.
In his decision, MacDonald found the that first two items in Sabatt’s conclusion warranted enough reason for Moran’s dismissal, and that the other two items were not necessary to support to his decision that Moran violated department policy.
“My decision was based on the facts as presented to me by the hearing officer,” MacDonald said. “This whole situation is unfortunate.”
The first violation in Sabatt’s report stemmed from the incident which led to his arrest, and the second referred to an Oct. 18, 2007, incident in which Moran allegedly removed his girlfriend’s loaded duty weapon and threatened to kill her and kill her and himself if she reported the incident.
The third violation in Sabatt’s report cited further incidents of alleged abuse by Moran, and the final violation was Moran’s unexcused absence from his duties as a police officer while incarcerated. Sabatt stated that Moran’s incarceration was caused by his own misconduct, which does not excuse him from his duty.
A disciplinary hearing for Moran was held on Jan. 24, and continued on April 1 at the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office. Moran, who is due back in court June 17 at 2 p.m., has the right to appeal his firing.
Moran’s lawyer, Daniel O’Malley, could not be reached for comment.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
FBI Agent Says Police Officer Feared Being Labeled a 'RAT'
Arthur Bruce Tesler said he didn't object to lies to get a search warrant and helped cover up the crime after an innocent woman was killed, because he feared retribution from Atlanta police if he became a "rat," an FBI agent said Tuesday.
"He said in 2003 he had tried to report an officer who was involved in excessive force," FBI Agent Joe Robuck told the Fulton County jury Tuesday. "All that resulted in his co-workers thinking of him as a rat and Mr. Tesler being transferred to a less desirable position in the Atlanta Police Department."
The prosecution rested at noon in Tesler's trial in Superior Court. where he faces charges including lying in an official investigation and violating his oath of office for his role in the narcotics raid that resulted in the death of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston on Nov. 21, 2006.
Tesler's two co-defendants, Gregg Junnier and Jason R. Smith, have already pleaded guilty.
They faced more serious charges, including murder, and agreed to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter.
They have not yet been sentenced. Junnier testified last week and his sentence of up to 10 years is dependant on his cooperation.
He testified that Tesler, 42, participated in the coverup but he wasn't the main instigator of the illegal warrant or the coverup scheme, which Junnier blamed on Smith. In a surprise, the prosecution did not call Smith to testify.
FBI agent Robuck was the main witness Tuesday morning and he described a coverup that reached above Tesler and his two co-defendants. The three detectives briefed their sergeant, Wilbert Stallings, that they were changing their story about which officers witnessed an informant buying crack cocaine at Johnston's house at 933 Neal Street after Johnston was shot to death by narcotics unit officers.
"Sgt. Stallings was told there had been a change in the story and his comment, according to the investigation was, was 'Just pick one and stick to it," Robuck said.
The FBI agent described a police narcotics division that repeatedly lied to get warrants and planted evidence in investigations. Stallings, 44, was later convicted and is in prison on charges from another drug investigation that was turned up during the FBI investigation of the Neal Street case.
Robuck interviewed Tesler twice in the FBI investigation of police actions in getting a no-knock warrant to search for a reputed large stash of cocaine owned by a drug dealer, named "Sam," whom police believe operated from 933 Neal Street.
They had arrested a low-level dealer earlier that day who they said claimed to have seen a kilo of cocaine – 2.2 pounds — in the house that day, Nov. 21, 2006.
Instead, Johnston was waiting with a gun when officers broke down her door without announcing they were police. She fired one shot and was killed in a massive return fire.
Tesler, who was covering the back of the house and did not fire his pistol, was so shaken by the killing that he couldn't write his report, Robuck said.
Tesler told such a detailed lie about how he and his partners met with informant Alex White in the afternoon of the raid that he came across as very credible, Robuck said.
"His demeanor was very convincing," the FBI agent said.
The story matched the one that had been told by his partners. Smith, who lied to the magistrate to get the warrant, prepared a script for the detectives to go over to get their stories straight in the days following the shootings, Robuck said.
"Did you ever give [Tesler] a chance to come clean and tell the truth?" prosecutor Peter Odom asked Robuck of the first FBI interview with Tesler on Dec. 7, 2006.
"He said he didn't think there was anything he wanted to correct," Robuck said.
But White, the informant, had contacted the FBI to tell them he was being pressured to lie for the officers and Junnier, unknown to Tesler and Smith, soon confessed to the FBI.
On Dec. 21, 2006, Tesler told the FBI he would cooperate and gave them a lengthy interview after the holidays on Jan. 4, 2007.
Tesler said he went along with the cover-up story — that a reliable drug buy had been made at the house earlier this day — because "he was the low man on the totem pole," Robuck said.
"Did he ever express the concern that no one would believe him over a senior member of the team?" asked Tesler's lawyer, William McKenney, who was at the interview.
"He did say that," Robuck said.
Tesler said he knew Smith had lied to get the warrant when it was read to the eight-member narcotics team shortly before it raided the Johnston house.
He blamed Smith for planting marijuana in Johnston's basement to help justify the raid and claimed he had shaken his head "No" and walked out of the basement when Smith showed him the dope.
But he acknowledged going along with Smith's claim that cocaine seized from the low-level dealer earlier that day had been the cocaine bought from the Johnston house.
Tesler also was with Smith when they destroyed the rest of the marijuana seized earlier in the day at a different location because part of it was planted at Johnston's house and the samples could be linked through testing, Robuck said.
"They destroyed evidence," Odom said.
"Correct," Robuck said.
"He said in 2003 he had tried to report an officer who was involved in excessive force," FBI Agent Joe Robuck told the Fulton County jury Tuesday. "All that resulted in his co-workers thinking of him as a rat and Mr. Tesler being transferred to a less desirable position in the Atlanta Police Department."
The prosecution rested at noon in Tesler's trial in Superior Court. where he faces charges including lying in an official investigation and violating his oath of office for his role in the narcotics raid that resulted in the death of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston on Nov. 21, 2006.
Tesler's two co-defendants, Gregg Junnier and Jason R. Smith, have already pleaded guilty.
They faced more serious charges, including murder, and agreed to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter.
They have not yet been sentenced. Junnier testified last week and his sentence of up to 10 years is dependant on his cooperation.
He testified that Tesler, 42, participated in the coverup but he wasn't the main instigator of the illegal warrant or the coverup scheme, which Junnier blamed on Smith. In a surprise, the prosecution did not call Smith to testify.
FBI agent Robuck was the main witness Tuesday morning and he described a coverup that reached above Tesler and his two co-defendants. The three detectives briefed their sergeant, Wilbert Stallings, that they were changing their story about which officers witnessed an informant buying crack cocaine at Johnston's house at 933 Neal Street after Johnston was shot to death by narcotics unit officers.
"Sgt. Stallings was told there had been a change in the story and his comment, according to the investigation was, was 'Just pick one and stick to it," Robuck said.
The FBI agent described a police narcotics division that repeatedly lied to get warrants and planted evidence in investigations. Stallings, 44, was later convicted and is in prison on charges from another drug investigation that was turned up during the FBI investigation of the Neal Street case.
Robuck interviewed Tesler twice in the FBI investigation of police actions in getting a no-knock warrant to search for a reputed large stash of cocaine owned by a drug dealer, named "Sam," whom police believe operated from 933 Neal Street.
They had arrested a low-level dealer earlier that day who they said claimed to have seen a kilo of cocaine – 2.2 pounds — in the house that day, Nov. 21, 2006.
Instead, Johnston was waiting with a gun when officers broke down her door without announcing they were police. She fired one shot and was killed in a massive return fire.
Tesler, who was covering the back of the house and did not fire his pistol, was so shaken by the killing that he couldn't write his report, Robuck said.
Tesler told such a detailed lie about how he and his partners met with informant Alex White in the afternoon of the raid that he came across as very credible, Robuck said.
"His demeanor was very convincing," the FBI agent said.
The story matched the one that had been told by his partners. Smith, who lied to the magistrate to get the warrant, prepared a script for the detectives to go over to get their stories straight in the days following the shootings, Robuck said.
"Did you ever give [Tesler] a chance to come clean and tell the truth?" prosecutor Peter Odom asked Robuck of the first FBI interview with Tesler on Dec. 7, 2006.
"He said he didn't think there was anything he wanted to correct," Robuck said.
But White, the informant, had contacted the FBI to tell them he was being pressured to lie for the officers and Junnier, unknown to Tesler and Smith, soon confessed to the FBI.
On Dec. 21, 2006, Tesler told the FBI he would cooperate and gave them a lengthy interview after the holidays on Jan. 4, 2007.
Tesler said he went along with the cover-up story — that a reliable drug buy had been made at the house earlier this day — because "he was the low man on the totem pole," Robuck said.
"Did he ever express the concern that no one would believe him over a senior member of the team?" asked Tesler's lawyer, William McKenney, who was at the interview.
"He did say that," Robuck said.
Tesler said he knew Smith had lied to get the warrant when it was read to the eight-member narcotics team shortly before it raided the Johnston house.
He blamed Smith for planting marijuana in Johnston's basement to help justify the raid and claimed he had shaken his head "No" and walked out of the basement when Smith showed him the dope.
But he acknowledged going along with Smith's claim that cocaine seized from the low-level dealer earlier that day had been the cocaine bought from the Johnston house.
Tesler also was with Smith when they destroyed the rest of the marijuana seized earlier in the day at a different location because part of it was planted at Johnston's house and the samples could be linked through testing, Robuck said.
"They destroyed evidence," Odom said.
"Correct," Robuck said.
Mexico Officer Kills Federal Officer
A police officer and four other people with suspected ties to a powerful drug cartel have been arrested in the assassination of Mexico's acting federal police chief, authorities said Monday.
The three men and two women belonged to a criminal cell believed to be acting on the orders of the Sinaloa drug cartel, said Gerardo Garay, the anti-drug coordinator for the federal police. The drug trafficking organization had been a key target of operations led by Edgar Millan Gomez, who was gunned down inside his Mexico City home last week.
The alleged leader of the cell, Jose Antonio Montes Garfias, had been assigned to a federal police unit in the northern state of Sinaloa since February but never reported to work during that period because he was on medical leave, Garay said. He is suspected in the killing of another federal officer days before Millan's death.
Officials at the attorney general's office could not say if lawyers had been assigned to the five suspects.
Garay refused to say if other federal officers were suspected of involvement, saying only that investigators were not ruling out any possibilities.
Millan was the highest-ranking of four senior officers killed since May 1 in attacks the government has blamed on gangs resisting its crackdown against drug trafficking. The assassinations have prompted stepped up calls from the Bush administration for Congress to approve a US$1.4 billion (euro910 million) proposal to help fight drug crime in Mexico and Central America.
Garay said a lone hit man waited inside Millan's Mexico City home and sprayed him with bullets shortly after the officer opened the door and turned on the lights. Millan's bodyguards immediately captured the alleged hit man, Alejandro Ramirez, who was found with keys to Millan's apartment. The other four suspects were tracked down hours later, Garay said.
Millan was responsible for coordinating drug trafficking operations between federal police and soldiers. He had recently announced the arrest of 12 suspected hit men tied to the Sinaloa cartel. He was named acting chief March 1 after his superior was promoted to a deputy Cabinet position.
Garay said Montes had suspected ties to top Sinaloa cartel leaders known as the Beltran Leyva brothers, although he refused to give any evidence, citing security reasons. One of the brothers, Alfredo Beltran Leyva, was arrested in Sinaloa state in January.
Montes was found with a list of license plates of five vehicles belonging to federal police commanders, including Roberto Bravo Velasco, an inspector gunned down in front of his home days before Millan was killed.
Before being assigned to Sinaloa, Montes had worked as an anti-drug officer in Mexico City's International Airport, Garay said. He had a notebook with detailed information on drug trafficking at the airport, and Garay said federal investigations into those operations may have been a key motive for Millan's killing.
The other three suspects were accused of providing logistical help for the plot, including vehicles and radios.
Since taking office in 2006, President Felipe Calderon has sent more than 25,000 troops to drug hotspots. Cartels have responded with unprecedented violence, beheading police and killing soldiers. Drug-related violence killed more than 2,500 people last year alone in Mexico.
The Bush administration reiterated its appeal Monday for Congress to approve the law enforcement aid package known as the Merida Initiative.
"We are shocked by the escalating violence against Mexican law enforcement officials," said U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, calling recent attacks "a brutal reaction to President Calderon's determination to fight organized crime."
The three men and two women belonged to a criminal cell believed to be acting on the orders of the Sinaloa drug cartel, said Gerardo Garay, the anti-drug coordinator for the federal police. The drug trafficking organization had been a key target of operations led by Edgar Millan Gomez, who was gunned down inside his Mexico City home last week.
The alleged leader of the cell, Jose Antonio Montes Garfias, had been assigned to a federal police unit in the northern state of Sinaloa since February but never reported to work during that period because he was on medical leave, Garay said. He is suspected in the killing of another federal officer days before Millan's death.
Officials at the attorney general's office could not say if lawyers had been assigned to the five suspects.
Garay refused to say if other federal officers were suspected of involvement, saying only that investigators were not ruling out any possibilities.
Millan was the highest-ranking of four senior officers killed since May 1 in attacks the government has blamed on gangs resisting its crackdown against drug trafficking. The assassinations have prompted stepped up calls from the Bush administration for Congress to approve a US$1.4 billion (euro910 million) proposal to help fight drug crime in Mexico and Central America.
Garay said a lone hit man waited inside Millan's Mexico City home and sprayed him with bullets shortly after the officer opened the door and turned on the lights. Millan's bodyguards immediately captured the alleged hit man, Alejandro Ramirez, who was found with keys to Millan's apartment. The other four suspects were tracked down hours later, Garay said.
Millan was responsible for coordinating drug trafficking operations between federal police and soldiers. He had recently announced the arrest of 12 suspected hit men tied to the Sinaloa cartel. He was named acting chief March 1 after his superior was promoted to a deputy Cabinet position.
Garay said Montes had suspected ties to top Sinaloa cartel leaders known as the Beltran Leyva brothers, although he refused to give any evidence, citing security reasons. One of the brothers, Alfredo Beltran Leyva, was arrested in Sinaloa state in January.
Montes was found with a list of license plates of five vehicles belonging to federal police commanders, including Roberto Bravo Velasco, an inspector gunned down in front of his home days before Millan was killed.
Before being assigned to Sinaloa, Montes had worked as an anti-drug officer in Mexico City's International Airport, Garay said. He had a notebook with detailed information on drug trafficking at the airport, and Garay said federal investigations into those operations may have been a key motive for Millan's killing.
The other three suspects were accused of providing logistical help for the plot, including vehicles and radios.
Since taking office in 2006, President Felipe Calderon has sent more than 25,000 troops to drug hotspots. Cartels have responded with unprecedented violence, beheading police and killing soldiers. Drug-related violence killed more than 2,500 people last year alone in Mexico.
The Bush administration reiterated its appeal Monday for Congress to approve the law enforcement aid package known as the Merida Initiative.
"We are shocked by the escalating violence against Mexican law enforcement officials," said U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, calling recent attacks "a brutal reaction to President Calderon's determination to fight organized crime."
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Officer Jeff Pelo on trial for Rape
Four times between the winters of 2002 and 2005, a blue-eyed man wearing a ski mask and dark clothes crept quietly into the bedrooms of women in Bloomington, Ill., and raped them.
He told the women — all in their 20s and single — that he'd studied them, tracking their habits. He threatened one woman's family if she resisted, reciting their address lest she doubt he knew where to find them.
"I've been watching you," prosecutors say the rapist told another victim as he held a knife to her throat on a December night in 2002.
On Monday, jury selection is expected to begin in the trial of the man prosecutors say was the attacker: Jeff Pelo, a 17-year veteran of the Bloomington Police Department and married father of three.
Pelo, 43, who has pleaded not guilty, faces 28 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and four counts of home invasion. If convicted of all the charges, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
His lawyers have argued that police have held the wrong man behind bars the past 22 months.
They say the charges are based on shaky identifications from women who saw only a man in a ski mask in their darkened bedrooms and who were asked more than a year later to identify him.
Prosecutor Mark Messman and defense attorney Mike Rosenblat of Chicago declined to discuss evidence or other details of the case as they prepared for trial, saying they didn't want to further complicate the process of seating a jury.
The rapes were scattered over 26 months, the first occurring in December 2002, the next in April 2003 and the last two in January 2005. There was little initial indication that they might be connected, only speculation.
"There was talk, but it seems like anytime there was talk, something else would happen, would shift the focus away from it," Messman recalled.
But in December 2005, after an FBI report found strong similarities between the crimes, Bloomington police asked the public for help catching the man they came to believe was a serial rapist.
In June 2006, Pelo, a well-paid sergeant at the time, was arrested and charged with attempted burglary, after another woman called police to report a late-night prowler.
Police say that when an officer found Pelo on foot outside the house just after midnight, he tried to walk away until the officer drew his gun.
"He had a blank stare on his face," Officer David Ziemer testified during one court hearing. "I was yelling 'Stop!' and he wasn't complying with me. I thought it was going to be a deadly force situation."
Pelo finally did stop, and told the officer he was in the neighborhood looking for a house to buy his mother-in-law. The house where he was arrested wasn't for sale.
Pelo faced burglary and stalking charges, but a month later the other charges were added after three of the four women identified Pelo from photos as their attacker. Two of them also said his voice was that of the man who'd raped them.
Pelo has been in jail since, held on $1 million bond. He continued to receive his $81,000-a-year salary until he resigned last November.
After he was charged, his wife, Rickielee, told reporters: "I know without any doubt in my heart that my husband is completely innocent of all these charges."
Messman said there are inherent problems in convincing a jury that a longtime police officer is capable of the sort of vicious, calculated crimes Pelo is charged with committing.
That said, "There are things about him being a police officer that make it more likely that he did," Messman said.
Messman declined to elaborate, but court records indicate that investigators believe Pelo used personal information from police reports and databases to stalk the women.
Other evidence includes a bag containing a ski mask, rope and a pry bar that investigators found in the home where the Pelos lived when he was arrested. Police have said the gear appears to have been used in at least one of the attacks.
Another police search turned up pornographic images of bondage and rape on Pelo's home computer.
The FBI and State Police have tested a human hair found on a pillow case in the bedroom of one of the women, a hair attached to a piece of duct tape used to bind one woman, and cat hair found on the ski mask taken from Pelo's garage.
He told the women — all in their 20s and single — that he'd studied them, tracking their habits. He threatened one woman's family if she resisted, reciting their address lest she doubt he knew where to find them.
"I've been watching you," prosecutors say the rapist told another victim as he held a knife to her throat on a December night in 2002.
On Monday, jury selection is expected to begin in the trial of the man prosecutors say was the attacker: Jeff Pelo, a 17-year veteran of the Bloomington Police Department and married father of three.
Pelo, 43, who has pleaded not guilty, faces 28 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and four counts of home invasion. If convicted of all the charges, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
His lawyers have argued that police have held the wrong man behind bars the past 22 months.
They say the charges are based on shaky identifications from women who saw only a man in a ski mask in their darkened bedrooms and who were asked more than a year later to identify him.
Prosecutor Mark Messman and defense attorney Mike Rosenblat of Chicago declined to discuss evidence or other details of the case as they prepared for trial, saying they didn't want to further complicate the process of seating a jury.
The rapes were scattered over 26 months, the first occurring in December 2002, the next in April 2003 and the last two in January 2005. There was little initial indication that they might be connected, only speculation.
"There was talk, but it seems like anytime there was talk, something else would happen, would shift the focus away from it," Messman recalled.
But in December 2005, after an FBI report found strong similarities between the crimes, Bloomington police asked the public for help catching the man they came to believe was a serial rapist.
In June 2006, Pelo, a well-paid sergeant at the time, was arrested and charged with attempted burglary, after another woman called police to report a late-night prowler.
Police say that when an officer found Pelo on foot outside the house just after midnight, he tried to walk away until the officer drew his gun.
"He had a blank stare on his face," Officer David Ziemer testified during one court hearing. "I was yelling 'Stop!' and he wasn't complying with me. I thought it was going to be a deadly force situation."
Pelo finally did stop, and told the officer he was in the neighborhood looking for a house to buy his mother-in-law. The house where he was arrested wasn't for sale.
Pelo faced burglary and stalking charges, but a month later the other charges were added after three of the four women identified Pelo from photos as their attacker. Two of them also said his voice was that of the man who'd raped them.
Pelo has been in jail since, held on $1 million bond. He continued to receive his $81,000-a-year salary until he resigned last November.
After he was charged, his wife, Rickielee, told reporters: "I know without any doubt in my heart that my husband is completely innocent of all these charges."
Messman said there are inherent problems in convincing a jury that a longtime police officer is capable of the sort of vicious, calculated crimes Pelo is charged with committing.
That said, "There are things about him being a police officer that make it more likely that he did," Messman said.
Messman declined to elaborate, but court records indicate that investigators believe Pelo used personal information from police reports and databases to stalk the women.
Other evidence includes a bag containing a ski mask, rope and a pry bar that investigators found in the home where the Pelos lived when he was arrested. Police have said the gear appears to have been used in at least one of the attacks.
Another police search turned up pornographic images of bondage and rape on Pelo's home computer.
The FBI and State Police have tested a human hair found on a pillow case in the bedroom of one of the women, a hair attached to a piece of duct tape used to bind one woman, and cat hair found on the ski mask taken from Pelo's garage.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Ex-police officer arrested on kidnapping, assault charges
A former Pearl River police officer has been arrested on charges of kidnapping his ex-girlfriend and taking her forcefully for a drive in his car last Friday.
According to Pearl River Police Chief Bennie Raynor, ex-policeman Joseph Ciruti Jr. broke into the apartment of his ex-girlfriend, held her at gunpoint, handcuffed and shackled her before forcing her into his car and driving her around Slidell.
Raynor said the girlfriend eventually convinced Ciruti to let her go and to check into a hospital for psychiatric help.
When Ciruti got out of the hospital, Raynor said he was arrested.
Ciruti is in the St. Tammany Parish jail in Covington on charges of second-degree kidnapping, aggravated burglary and aggravated assault.
Officer Fratticcioli Arrested for Distribution of Prescription Drugs
Officer Nicholas A. Fratticcioli who recently graduated from the Trenton Police Academy has been suspended after his arrest on official misconduct and distribution of a prescription drugs.
The 24-year-old was arrested Wednesday night at the city’s police headquarters. He is accused of distributing more than 100 doses of muscle relaxants.
He has been suspended without pay, and is free on a $25,000 bond.
The 24-year-old was arrested Wednesday night at the city’s police headquarters. He is accused of distributing more than 100 doses of muscle relaxants.
He has been suspended without pay, and is free on a $25,000 bond.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Officer Charles Porter Beats Boy Severely
Officer Charles Porter, a 12-year veteran of the Denver Police Department was arrested Thursday on a felony charge of second degree assault after using excessive force against a 16-year-old boy.
The teenager, Juan "Willie" Vasquez suffered a lacerated liver, broken ribs, kidney injuries and still has a tube in his back.
He has also had two surgeries. A Denver Health physician said Vasquez sustained, "serious bodily injury to his internal organs."
Vasquez claims when he was lying on the ground, an officer stood on his back and jumped up an down three to five times causing him pain.
Lt. Ronald Saunier said that an investigation into the excessive-force case is ongoing and that a decision on formal charges is not expected from the Denver district attorney's office until later this week.
The Denver chapter of the Latino Peace Officers Association, which is composed of more than 80 Denver police officers, has asked Police Chief Gerry Whitman to turn the case over to the FBI for investigation of possible civil-rights violations.
Porter, who has declined comment, has had a past discipline issue.
Safety Manager Al LaCabe last year suspended Porter for 30 days without pay for failing to notify police dispatchers that his partner had shot a suspect on March 29, 2007. A police supervisor eventually made the proper notifications in that case.
Independent monitor Richard Rosenthal, who oversees police internal investigations, had pushed for a harsher penalty for the failure to notify dispatch of the shooting.
In a report on the incident, Rosenthal, without naming Porter, said he thought a harsher penalty of a 60-day suspension was warranted, in part, because Porter originally made a misleading statement to the dispatcher that he and his partner were investigating a one-car crash even after the shots had been fired.
"The officer was deceptive in his communication with dispatch, incomplete in his communication with his supervisor and, as such, put numerous lives in danger," Rosenthal wrote in the report. "In addition, his actions had a negative impact on the integrity of a well- thought out and long-standing officer-involved shooting investigation protocol."
For the recent assault allegations, Porter was booked by the Denver Sheriff Department and posted bond Thursday.
The teenager, Juan "Willie" Vasquez suffered a lacerated liver, broken ribs, kidney injuries and still has a tube in his back.
He has also had two surgeries. A Denver Health physician said Vasquez sustained, "serious bodily injury to his internal organs."
Vasquez claims when he was lying on the ground, an officer stood on his back and jumped up an down three to five times causing him pain.
Lt. Ronald Saunier said that an investigation into the excessive-force case is ongoing and that a decision on formal charges is not expected from the Denver district attorney's office until later this week.
The Denver chapter of the Latino Peace Officers Association, which is composed of more than 80 Denver police officers, has asked Police Chief Gerry Whitman to turn the case over to the FBI for investigation of possible civil-rights violations.
Porter, who has declined comment, has had a past discipline issue.
Safety Manager Al LaCabe last year suspended Porter for 30 days without pay for failing to notify police dispatchers that his partner had shot a suspect on March 29, 2007. A police supervisor eventually made the proper notifications in that case.
Independent monitor Richard Rosenthal, who oversees police internal investigations, had pushed for a harsher penalty for the failure to notify dispatch of the shooting.
In a report on the incident, Rosenthal, without naming Porter, said he thought a harsher penalty of a 60-day suspension was warranted, in part, because Porter originally made a misleading statement to the dispatcher that he and his partner were investigating a one-car crash even after the shots had been fired.
"The officer was deceptive in his communication with dispatch, incomplete in his communication with his supervisor and, as such, put numerous lives in danger," Rosenthal wrote in the report. "In addition, his actions had a negative impact on the integrity of a well- thought out and long-standing officer-involved shooting investigation protocol."
For the recent assault allegations, Porter was booked by the Denver Sheriff Department and posted bond Thursday.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Durant Officer Arrested for Burglary
Police Officer Lieutenant Johnny Rutherford has been arrested for second degree burglary.
On Tuesday a warrant was issued for Officer Rutherford arrest after the OSBI uncovered Rutherford may have been involved in a burglary at Morrison Drugs back in November.
Rutherford is also facing misdemeanor charges after court papers show he broke into his brother-in-law's home, a crime his brother-in-law says was never formally reported.
Dewayne Wingfield, Rutherford's brother-in-law, says, "I called police whenever the incident happened, but I did not do anything beyond that. I filed no police report."
Lt. Rutherford had taken personal time for reasons not related to this crime. Now he's been place on administrative leave.
Lt. Rutherford he says he has not contacted an attorney yet, so he did not want to talk on camera. He also says he's not as bad as everyone is making him out to be.
Officer Rutherford is currently free on bond.
City officials refuse to talk about the arrest, and are keeping his name off the daily report being released to the media.
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Now don't all criminals say its not that bad?
Watch them try to sweep this one under the rug.
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