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Louisville Kentucky Police Shoot And Kill Man Using Taser Weapon
July 3rd, 2008
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - A man died after Metro Louisville police used an electrical stun device on him to break up a fight.
A police spokeswoman told the Courier-Journal the man went into what she described as a “medical emergency” after a police officer shocked him with the stun gun late Wednesday night.
Police performed CPR on him until an ambulance arrived, but the man was pronounced dead at a hospital. Police spokeswoman Alicia Smiley said the man and his brother were fighting and the first officer on the scene called for backup.
The man, his brother and the two officers were not immediately identified. In September 2006, Louisville police shocked another man with a stun gun and he also died.
A coroner’s report concluded that man died of a condition known as excited delirium.
3 Of West Warwick Rhode Island Police Officers Return To Duty After Beating Mentally Ill Man To Death
July 3rd, 2008
WEST WARWICK, RHODE ISLAND — Three of the officers involved in the arrest of a man who died in police custody are back on active patrol, while two others remain suspended.
Officers Thomas Nye, Michael Nye and Marcus Palazzo returned to patrols yesterday, while officers Patrick Kelly and Sean Lukowicz remain on administrative duty, West Warwick Police Chief Paul A. Villa announced in a news conference yesterday.
“Pursuant to the preliminary investigation, Nye, Palazzo and Nye shall return to full active duty as of today,” Villa said, reading from a statement. “This decision is based upon their limited involvement in the matter. Officers Kelly and Lukowicz will remain on administrative duty until the completion of the state police investigation, which should be completed, hopefully, by the end of the week. At that time, their status will be reviewed.”
Read MoreLawsuit Settled After Fromer San Diego Charger Steve Foley Was Shot By Nutcase Coronado California Police Officer Aaron Mansker In Road Rage Incident
July 3rd, 2008
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - A former San Diego Charger who was shot by an off-duty police officer has settled his civil suit with the officer and the city of Coronado, NBC 7/39 reports.
Former Chargers linebacker Steve Foley agreed on Tuesday to a settlement of his lawsuit against the city of Coronado and Coronado police Officer Aaron Mansker, who shot Foley on Sept. 3, 2006.
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Neither side would disclose terms of the settlement, which was reached in the chambers of Superior Court Judge Richard Strauss on Wednesday morning.
As attorneys hammered out the agreement before the jury was brought into court, an emotional Foley was led into the judge’s chambers by his mother, Betty, after several minutes of pacing and glaring across the courtroom at Mansker. At one point, Foley moved in the officer’s direction before Foley’s mother stood in her son’s way and linked one of her arms with his.
Read MoreSnoqualmie Washington Juvenile Prison Staff Member Robert Fox Arrested, Charged With Having Sex With A Female Inmate
July 3rd, 2008
SNOQUALMIE, WASHINGTON - A staff member at a Snoqualmie juvenile prison who is accused of having sex with a female inmate has been charged with custodial sexual misconduct.
Robert Fox, who worked as an intermittent staff member at Echo Glen Children’s Center, faces up to a year in jail if convicted of the felony, said Dan Donohoe, spokesman for King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg. Fox, 38, will be arraigned on July 10.
The 19-year-old inmate told investigators that Fox came into her room on May 6 and had sex with her, according to court charging papers filed late last week. The girl is in prison for burglary, theft and forgery.
Three Los Angeles California Police Officers “Reassigned” After Video Surfaces Pointing To Bogus Drug Charges And Purjury
July 3rd, 2008
LOS ANGLES, CALIFORNIA - Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton said Tuesday he has placed three officers on home assignment as the department moved swiftly to investigate allegations that officers lied under oath during a recently dismissed drug possession trial.
Bratton said he ordered the reassignment after one of the officers notified a Los Angeles Police Department watch commander that a judge had thrown out the charges, ruling that a videotape of the arrest contradicted testimony by two of the officers.
“We will not tolerate breaking the law to enforce the law,” Bratton told police commissioners during their weekly meeting.
In the meantime, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said he was disappointed by the allegations but praised the department for taking them seriously.
“There will always be some people who don’t follow the norm, who engage in activity that is either illegal or inappropriate,” the mayor told reporters during a visit to Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles. “And in those cases, people will be made responsible for their actions.”
Read MoreSacramento California Couple Face $746 Fine After Allowing Their Lawn To Die In Order To Save Water During Statewide Drought
July 3rd, 2008
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - If Sacramento wanted a poster couple for its “green city” aspirations, it would be hard to do better than Anne Hartridge and Matt George.
The husband and wife bought a home in east Sacramento for easy biking to work and shopping. They installed solar panels and efficient appliances. Their laundry dries on a clothesline.
They didn’t own a car until four years ago, when their eldest son, then 18 months old, was being treated frequently for food allergies. They bought a Prius.
So when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a statewide drought June 4, Hartridge decided it was only right to let her front lawn die to save water.
“The whole water conservation ethic is very important to me,” said Hartridge, a state employee who bikes or rides the bus to work.
But that ethic didn’t agree with her neighbors, or with the city.
Read MoreUpdate: Road Rage: New York State Trooper Lester Hooper Busted After Writing Man 5 Bogus Traffic Tickets In Three Westchester Towns Without Having Pulled Him Over - After The Motorist Didn’t Pull Out Of Brooklyn Parking Spot Fast Enough
July 3rd, 2008
NEW YORK - A state trooper took road rage to a whole new level - writing up five phony traffic tickets to a Brooklyn man as payback after getting into a heated argument with him over a parking spot, authorities said yesterday.
Lester Hooper, 35, wrote the summonses - alleging traffic violations in three Westchester towns from Jan. 28 to Feb. 6 - without ever pulling over Derrick Perry, according to the Westchester County DA’s Office.
The sham tickets , featuring Perry’s name and license-plate number, were issued in retribution for a parking beef in Brooklyn, officials said.
The State Police Internal Affairs Bureau gave no details of the Jan. 26 quarrel - but Hooper’s lawyer, Pat Bonanno, would only say it involved “offensive” contact between Perry and Hooper’s wife.
Read MoreFormer Bucks County Pennsylvania Prosecuor Joseph James Scafidi Pleads Guilty In Mortgage Theft, Sentenced To 18 To 36 Months In Prison
July 3rd, 2008
BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA - A former Bucks County prosecutor who had pleaded guilty to stealing mortgage payments, writing bad checks, and forging a judge’s signature was sentenced to prison by a Delaware County Court judge yesterday.
Joseph James Scafidi, 53, of Warminster, was sentenced to serve 18 to 36 months in state prison and five years on probation, ordered to pay $42,000 in restitution to the homeowners, and forbidden to work in the mortgage or any other financial business.
Scafidi, who was working as a mortgage broker when he was arrested, also pleaded guilty yesterday to new charges, including perjury. He had earlier told authorities under oath he didn’t know of any more fraudulent cases, but later acknowledged he was involved with others. The sentencing for the new charges was combined yesterday with the previous cases.
Read MoreFormer Sulphur Springs Police Chief Andrew Little Arrested, Charged With Theft After Stealing Stepfather’s Guns
July 3rd, 2008
BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS - Prosecutors have filed a formal theft charge against the former police chief of Sulphur Springs.
On Monday, Andrew Little, 24, of Gentry was charged with theft of property, a class B felony punishable with a prison sentence ranging from five to 20 years.
Little was arrested April 22 and was later released on felony citation.
According to a probable-cause affidavit in the case, in early March, Little told his stepfather, Richard Cummins, that five of his weapons had been stolen in a burglary.
Little first claimed the alleged thief had been arrested, but that the guns were being held by the Fort Smith Police Department until after the case went to court on April 18.
Cummins told police he later discovered that two more guns were also missing. Little told Cummins the guns were in a Sulphur Springs evidence locker and could not yet be returned, according to the affidavit.
Read MoreLittering Charges Dropped Against Heart Patient Who Dropped Apple Core - Arrested By 5 Swinton UK Officers, £5,000 Spent On Investigation
July 3rd, 2008
SWINTON, UK - A former plumber with a heart condition who was arrested for dropping an apple core has had the case against him halted following a £5,000 investigation.
Keith Hirst, 54, was arrested by five police officers, taken to a police station and had his DNA and fingerprints taken.
He spent 18 hours in a cell and had to be seen twice by a doctor as he complained of dizziness and chest pains.
Mr Hirst had been due to appear in court later this week.
However, the CPS disclosed that its lawyers have now dropped the littering charge against him.
A second charge of obstructing a police officer in the course of his duty was dropped at an earlier hearing.
The case against Mr Hirst, from Swinton, Greater Manchester, is thought to have cost more than £5,000 in police time and preparatory work carried out by the CPS.
Read MoreFormer Gulf Breeze Florida Police Officer Duane Leifur Gets A Special Plea Deal And Slap On The Wrist After Trading Woman’s Freedom For Sex
July 3rd, 2008
GULF BREEZE, FLORIDA - A former Gulf Breeze police officer accused of not arresting a woman in exchange for sex has been sentenced to six months of house arrest and five years probation.
Duane Leifur had pleaded no contest to unlawful compensation as part of a plea deal to get a sexual assault charge dismissed. He was also ordered to stay away from the woman and to attend counseling.
Leifur pulled over the woman in April 2007 under suspicion of drunken driving. The woman said she felt pressured to have sex with Leifur because he did not arrest her. They then engaged in sex dozens of times before his arrest. Appeared Here
Woman’s Lawsuit Charges “Pathologically Aggressive Lesbian” Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff Paula Sue Wood With Repeated Jail Rapes
July 3rd, 2008
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA - A 39-year-old woman who claims that while an inmate at the Sacramento County main jail she was repeatedly raped by a female sheriff’s deputy, has sued the county and five individuals, alleging violations of her civil rights under federal and state laws.
The divorced mother of two spent nearly 3 1/2 years in the jail, charged with submitting a fraudulent insurance claim, attempted grand theft and failure to appear. She was sentenced June 11 to four years and eight months and paroled the next day, never serving a day in prison.
Her lawsuit was filed Monday by attorney Stewart Katz in U.S. District Court. The Bee is not naming the plaintiff because she claims to be a victim of sexual assault.
Paula Sue Wood, 42, is described in the complaint as “a pathologically aggressive lesbian … who, at her request, was assigned to work at a female housing unit in the mail jail. She had successfully resisted several suggestions that she change assignments.”
Read MoreSaline County Kansas Corrections Officer Eric A. Taylor Arrested, Fired, Charged With Sexual Attacks On Three Inmates
July 3rd, 2008
SALINE COUNTY, KANSAS - A Saline County Jail corrections officer was fired and arrested Monday after he was accused of touching three female inmates.
Eric A. Taylor, 27, Bridgeport, had worked for the sheriff’s office for two years, but Sheriff Glen Kochanowski said he did not believe this had been a pattern of behavior.
“As far as we know, this was a one-time event,” he said. “It’s something that should never happen, but it happens.”
Kochanowski said the three inmates were housed together. Taylor allegedly touched them in a sexual way June 24. When the sheriff’s office received information about the allegations, an internal affairs investigation and a sheriff’s office criminal investigation were launched simultaneously.
Kochanowski said the information about what was alleged to have occurred did not come from the inmates, but he refused to identify the source of that information.
Read MoreMitchell Indiana Police Chief Jim Richardson Suspended After Failing To Complete Required Training
July 3rd, 2008
MITCHELL, INDIANA — The Mitchell Police Department is short one more officer today with the suspension of Chief Jim Richardson.
Mayor Dan Terrell sad Richardson was suspended without pay effective Tuesday morning.
At issue is a required set of training sessions.
Richardson, a former Indiana State Police officer, retired from full-time police work in 1999. Terrell originally planned to name him safety director, a new position that was met with opposition in the city. He then named Richardson police chief, but Richardson had to finish required training by July 1.
Initially, that meant a second round through the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. But this spring the Indiana Legislature changed the law, Richardson said, so that he had to complete 120 hours of training.
“He had to have that done by today,” Terrell said Tuesday, “and he did not. … He knew he had to have it, and he didn’t get it done.
Read MoreFormer Oak Lawn Illinois Police Officer Steve Harrison, Out On Bail For Robbing Motorists, Arrested On Drug Charges
July 3rd, 2008
OAK LAWN, ILLINOIS - Former Oak Lawn police officer Steve Harrison has again been arrested — this time on a drug charge.
According to reports, on June 20, Harrison was seen by a Chicago police officer allegedly making a drug exchange, with money, on the 4700 block of West Lake Street in Chicago.
Harrison was arrested and charged with a felony for possession of a controlled substance.
Harrison was the officer who was arrested in October of 2007 for allegedly extorting money from Hispanic drivers on their way to work in Alsip.
Harrison allegedly pulled the drivers over and told them they could pay him money or go to jail.
Oak Lawn police found ticket stubs that Harrison allegedly used as receipts that he gave to the Hispanic drivers.
Harrison’s bail is set at $55,000 after a judge added $5,000 to the bail because Harrison was arrested for the drug charge when he was on bond from the extortion charge.
Read Moreindianapolis Indiana Narcotics Police Officer Jason Barber Released From Jail After Judge Sets Tiny Bond - Charged With Selling A Gun To A Felon During Sting Operation And Official Misconduct
July 3rd, 2008
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - A suspended Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer was released from jail today after a judge granted his request for reduced bond, his attorney said.
Jason Barber, 31, faces charges of selling a handgun to a felon and official misconduct in Marion Superior Court. The narcotics officer, now suspended without pay, is one of four IMPD officers to face charges in two separate cases in recent weeks. He is accused of selling the gun to a confidential informant during a sting.
During a hearing this morning, Judge William Young reduced Barber’s bond to $5,000 from $100,000. That means his family will have to pay $500.
Lawrence Brodeur, chief of the Marion County prosecutor’s narcotics and guns division, said the amount of the new bond did not surprise him based on the charges and Barber’s lack of a criminal history.
Read MoreFranklin County Washington Judge Cameron Mitchell Denies Man Access To Public Records
July 3rd, 2008
FRANKLIN COUNTY, WASHINGTON - A Franklin County judge agreed this week that the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and jail don’t have to give any more records to a convicted arsonist serving time in Aberdeen.
Judge Cameron Mitchell said there was no legitimate purpose behind the 39 public-records requests Allan W. Parmelee filed with the Sheriff’s Office asking for jail employees’ photos, training records, performance evaluations, complaints and work phone numbers, among other information.
Mitchell on Monday granted a permanent injunction, which stops Parmelee from requesting this information from either the Sheriff’s Office or the jail.
But it wouldn’t stop him from submitting public-records requests to other Franklin County departments, said Ryan Verhulp, the county’s chief civil deputy prosecutor.
Parmelee, who has never been a Franklin County inmate, has blanketed agencies across the state with hundreds of public-records requests.
Read MoreLawsuit Charges Portland Oregon Police Officer Kevin J. Wolf With Pointing Gun At Woman Working On A Home
July 3rd, 2008
PORTLAND, OREGON - A woman who was helping her boyfriend work on a house in Silverton has filed a lawsuit accusing an off-duty Portland officer of negligence for pointing his service pistol at her without properly investigating that they weren’t burglars.
Kamichia Renee Riddle filed the suit against the officer, Kevin J. Wolf, and the city of Portland. The complaint also accuses Wolf of failing to identify himself as he pointed his handgun at Riddle in December 2006, ordered her to sit down and refused to let her get her cell phone.
According to the lawsuit, Wolf said to the two: “All you need to know is I am a concerned citizen — you can send me a Christmas card.”
Riddle said she was helping her boyfriend install a heating system in the house and was carrying a bucket of screws from the house to a van when Wolf approached her about 10:45 p.m. He was within arm’s length when he pointed his gun at her. Riddle suspects Wolf had been drinking, the suit says.
Read MoreDisgraced Former Bridgeport Connecticut Police Officer Douglas Bepko May Be Rehired After Firing For Choking His Former Girlfriend
July 3rd, 2008
BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT — A former city police officer, fired after he was charged with choking a former girlfriend, will be allowed to carry a gun if he is rehired by the Police Department, a judge ruled today.
Douglas Bepko, a 13-year veteran of the police force, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Brian Fischer to a one-year suspended term followed by two years probation for the misdemeanor charge of breach of peace.
Despite the objections of Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Kevin Dunn, the judge agreed to allow Bepko to resume carrying a handgun if he is employed as a police officer. But he would have to surrender his weapon when his shift ends.
The 40-year-old Bepko was fired by the Board of Police Commissioners last year at the recommendation of Police Chief Bryan Norwood following Bepko’s arrest for third-degree assault, second-degree unlawful restraint, criminal possession of a firearm, violation of a protective order and threatening.
Read MoreAnother Victim Hurt In Winnipeg Canada Police Officer Derek Harvey-Zenk’s Fatal Drunken Wreck
July 3rd, 2008
WINNIPEG, CANADA — An inquiry into a controversial plea bargain for an off-duty policeman who killed a Manitoba woman in a car crash has heard from another victim for the first time.
Crystal Taman, 40, died in February 2005 when her small car was rear-ended at a red light by a pickup truck that belonged to Derek Harvey-Zenk, a Winnipeg police constable who later resigned.
The inquiry heard Wednesday that the force of the pickup truck pushed Taman’s vehicle into the back of Kathie Beattie’s car.
Beattie escaped without broken bones, but she said the crash caused back problems that still trouble her to this day, and she lost her job because the vehicle she was driving was a company car.
Beattie, the wife of another police officer, said it’s unfortunate she did not pay closer attention after the crash.
Read MoreNew York Mafia Police Officer Louis Eppolito Sentenced To 18 Months In Federal Prison For Las Vegas Tax Case
July 3rd, 2008
LAS VEGAS, NEW YORK - A former New York police detective accused of moonlighting as a hit man for the mob has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for filing a false income tax return.
A U.S. District Court in Nevada also ordered Louis Eppolito to pay $102,000 in restitution.
Eppolito and another former New York detective were accused of participating in at least eight mob-related killings while working for the Luchese (loo-KAY’-see) crime family.
A New York jury found them guilty of a racketeering conspiracy responsible for multiple murders. A federal judge later ruled the statute of limitations had expired.
The decision is under appeal.
Eppolito has been in federal custody since he was arrested in Las Vegas in 2005.
Prosecutors say he received credit for time served in Tuesday’s sentencing. Appeared Here
Secret Audio Tapes Catch Disgraced Former Orange County California Sheriff Michael Carona Using Racial Slurs, Obscenities, And Sexual Comments
July 3rd, 2008
SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA - Former Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona uses racial slurs and obscenities and makes sexual comments in parts of a conversation secretly recorded by federal investigators building a public corruption case against him.
A transcript of parts of the 10 hours of recordings was filed Monday as an attachment to a defense motion seeking to exclude those comments from the evidence at trial.
Carona’s attorney, Jeffrey M. Rawitz, wrote that the remarks “are irrelevant … and are likely to offend and anger the jury, resulting in unfair prejudice to Carona.”
Carona, 53, left the department in January after he was indicted on federal charges of public corruption, witness tampering and fraud. Prosecutors allege he pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gifts in exchange for political favors.
Read MoreUpdate: Lakewood Colorado Police Officer William O’Shell Does The Right Thing And Kills Himself After Attacks On His 3 Month Old Daughter - Took His Former Cop Wife With Him
July 3rd, 2008
LAKEWOOD, COLORADO - Lakewood police agent William O’Shell and his wife, Tiffany Cuin-O’Shell, died of blunt-force trauma as a result of gunshot wounds, Adams County Coroner Jim Hibbard said Wednesday.
The findings were consistent with investigators’ theory in the double shooting.
Commerce City police said the couple, found in their Henderson home on Monday evening, died in an apparent murder-suicide.
William O’Shell was supposed to talk to Commerce City police on Monday about allegations that he abused his 3-month-old daughter.
Social services officials recently had taken the daughter from the home, and she is living in foster care.
The final autopsy reports on the couple likely won’t be complete for several weeks, Hibbard said.
Police have said nothing about whether the husband or wife was the likely shooter.
Neighbors say the O’Shells moved into the neighborhood, in the 11500 block of River Run Parkway, about six months ago.
Read MoreSeattle Washington City Council Urged To Step Up Police Scrutiny
July 3rd, 2008
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - A Seattle City Council panel on police accountability on Tuesday called for more transparency of the disciplinary process, with one member saying there is a systemic effort to thwart public scrutiny of how the department polices itself.
Panel members urged the council to strengthen the civilian-review board that oversees the Office of Professional Accountability (OPA) in several of its 23 total recommendations. The report was presented to the council Tuesday.
One of the panel members, University of Washington professor Eric Schnapper, writing in an addendum, found that police oversight in Seattle suffers from a systemic effort to thwart public scrutiny.
While pointing out that police misconduct is “happily infrequent,” Schnapper wrote that, “The systematic effort to limit public scrutiny of this issue is both highly creative and too often effective.”
Schnapper chastised those in the department who resist public scrutiny and oversight.
Read MoreSuffolk County New York Police Officer Daniel Koenig Files Lawsuit, Claiming Bullet Fragment Ricocheted Off Target Holder At Firearms Range And Hit His Leg
July 3rd, 2008
RIVERHEAD, NEW YORK - A police officer on Long Island has filed a lawsuit alleging that a bullet fragment that ricocheted off a target holder at a firearms range struck and injured him.
The suit filed by Suffolk County Police Officer Daniel Koenig names the county and Utah-based manufacturer Action Target.
Action Target president Tom Wright says the company is investigating the incident. He says the complaint is the first of its kind. County Attorney Christine Malafi says she will vigorously defend the police department.
Koenig was struck in the right calf by the bullet fragment in July 2007 during a close-quarter combat drill. He is on restricted duty. Appeared Here
NBC Settles $105 Million Lawsuit After Terrell Texas Prosecutor Louis William Conradt Jr. Sought Sex With Children - He Did The Right Thing And Killed Himself Prior To Arrest
July 2nd, 2008
TERRELL, TEXAS - NBC has settled a lawsuit filed by the family of a man who killed himself after being confronted regarding his illicit communications with what he believed to be underage boys. The deceased also happened to be a 5 term district attorney and respected prosecutor in Texas.
Federal Trial Delayed For Former South Bend Indiana Police Officer Jamie Buford, FOrmer St. Joseph County Officers Andrew Taghon And Ryan Huston In Police Corruption Case
July 2nd, 2008
HAMMOND, INDIANA — A new trial date has been set for three former Michiana law enforcement officers charged in a police corruption case.
Former South Bend police office Jamie Buford and former St. Joseph County officers Andrew Taghon and Ryan Huston are scheduled now for a two-week jury trial beginning Feb. 2 in federal court in Hammond.
The trial originally had been set to begin Sept. 8, but was postponed by Judge Philip P. Simon, in part, because Huston hired an additional attorney to assist in his defense.
The three ex-officers are charged in a federal indictment that accuses them of using their positions and skills as police officers to commit wire fraud by selling stolen property for which money was transferred electronically to bank accounts. Other charges involve illegal sales of drugs and guns.
All three men have denied the charges and are free on unsecured bonds awaiting trial.
Read More2 Former Davie Florida Police Officers Lose Religious Discrimination Lawsuit
July 2nd, 2008
DAVIE, FLORIDA - A lawsuit filed by two former Davie police officers claiming religious discrimination and retaliation has been dismissed.
The lawsuit, filed in 2005, alleged Matthew Malin was subjected to anti-Semitic comments from his supervisors. Malin, who is Jewish, said he was called a “dirty Jew pig” and told “you Jews are not wanted here in Davie.”
The suit also said Brandon Rivera, who is Catholic, was fired for his “association with a person of the Jewish religion.”
Broward Circuit Judge Leroy Moe dismissed the case last month. It was set for trial in August, but Moe made a summary judgment based on written briefs.
“He basically felt that even if everything was true, there was still not enough evidence to prove discrimination on the part of Davie,” said attorney Harry Boreth, whose partner handled the case for the town.
Read MoreIllegal Alien Invader Charged With Killing Houston Texas Police Officer
July 2nd, 2008
HOUSTON, TEXAS - From his hospital bed, Houston police Officer Joe Pyland spent much of Monday answering phone calls and welcoming visitors.
The outpouring of support is helping him cope with his injuries and deal with the overwhelming loss of his friend Officer Gary Gryder.
Pyland and Gryder were working traffic control along a Katy Freeway feeder road Sunday when a driver smashed through some road barricades and struck the officers. Gryder was killed, and Pyland was seriously injured.
“I lost a friend, you lost a friend. We lost a great police officer,” Pyland said in an exclusive interview with 11 News. “I’m guessing another two or three inches and I am probably gone also.”
Investigators said it is unclear if the driver of the car, Hung Truong, even saw the barricades or the flashing lights on the police car before the collision. Police said preliminary toxicology reports show that no alcohol or drugs were found in his system.
Read MoreLipscomb Alabama Police Officer Antonio Allums Arrested, Faces Yet Another Charge For Harassing A Woman - Previously Received A Tiny Slap On The Wrist After Attack On Woman He Cited For Traffic Violations, Offer To Not Turn In Tickets In Exchange For “Favors”
July 2nd, 2008
LIPSCOMB, ALABAMA - Lipscomb police officer Antonio Allums was released from the Jefferson County Jail this morning after posting bail on a new harassment charge.
[Hmmm. On probation, arrested, jailed, and no probation hold... Seems like a double-standard in operation here...]
Allums, 44, is already serving 24 months probation following a 2007 misdemeanor conviction in district court after a woman accused Allums of entering her home unannounced and fondling her the day after pulling her over in a traffic stop.
In the new charge, filed Tuesday, Allums is accused of harassing a Brighton woman. She was driving through Lipscomb on June 20, Jefferson County Sheriff’s spokesman Randy Christian said, when Allums issued her traffic citations for speeding and no proof of insurance.
Christian said Allums and the woman crossed paths at a gas station the next day. Investigators believe that Allums told the woman that he hadn’t turned in the tickets and that he would make them go away in exchange for favors.
Read MoreBogus Neshoba County Mississippi Rape Charge Dropped Against Poison Drummer Rikki Rockett - He Was In Another State With His Fiance Watching Her Try On Wedding Dresses
July 2nd, 2008
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI - A rape charge against Rikki Rockett has been dropped after authorities determined that the Poison drummer was not in the state at the time of the alleged crime.
Authorities say they are now looking for a man with a history of passing himself off as a rock musician to pick up women.
Rockett was accused of raping a woman at a central Mississippi casino in September 2007 and arrested in March. The Neshoba County district attorney’s office confirmed Tuesday that the charges were dropped.
Rockett said he was in California when the rape was alleged.
“I was with my fiance watching her try on wedding dresses,” Rockett said in a Tuesday phone interview with The Associated Press from Salt Lake City, where Poison is preparing to launch a 49-date tour. “We’ve got eyewitnesses to that.”
Read MoreDemoted Veteran Hamilton New Jersey Deputy Police Chief George Zimmer Jr. Shoots And Kills Himself
July 2nd, 2008
HAMILTON, NEW JERSEY - George Zimmer Jr., who was the police department’s lone deputy chief until last week, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in the basement of his home Tuesday morning, officials said.
George Zimmer Jr.
Zimmer was 55 years old and served as a township police officer for 31 years. He is survived by a wife and two teenage children.
The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office announced Zimmer’s death Tuesday evening, saying it was a suicide, but news of the tragedy rocketed through Mercer County public safety and political circles early Tuesday.
His was the second death to jolt the Hamilton government this week. Kevin “KC” Meara, 24, son of Councilman Kevin Meara, was found dead in his home on Monday.
Read MoreInvestigators Finally Get Around To Questioning Denville New Jersey Police Officer After He Shot And Killed A Motorist - Officials Continue To Hide Details From Family And Taxpayers
July 2nd, 2008
DENVILLE, NEW JERSEY - Morris County investigators today questioned Richard Byrne, the Denville police officer who shot and killed a 21-year-old motorist during a traffic stop last Thursday.
Denville Police Chief Christopher Wagner said Byrne met with investigators from the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office who are trying to determine what led the veteran police officer to shoot Ruben Walter Martinez, 21, five times after attempting to stop the motorist on Franklin Road near Route 46 at 2:14 a.m. Thursday.
Martinez, of formerly of Rockaway Township, tried to leave the scene and a brief chase ensued down Franklin Road, authorities say. The chase ended when Martinez crashed his Mustang GT through a white picket fence, over a brick retaining wall and into an above-ground swimming pool. He was pronounced dead at St. Clare’s at 2:55 a.m.
FUNERAL INFORMATION
Read MoreShelby Township Michigan Police Officer David Essad Fired, Charged After Brutally Beating His Wife On Her Birthday, Threatening To Kill Her With A Gun - Special Plea Deal In The Works?
July 2nd, 2008
SHELBY TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN - A Shelby Township police officer awaiting trial for beating his wife has been fired.
David Essad, 34, was notified recently by township police Chief Robert Leman that his arrest in Oakland County on charges of felonious assault and domestic violence will cost Essad his job.
“Your conduct on April 11, 2008, violates state law and department guidelines,” Leman wrote in a memo dated June 26, 2008. “Your behavior also tarnishes the police department’s mission to serve and protect the citizens of Shelby Township.”
Essad, an 8-year-veteran of the Shelby Township Police Department, is awaiting trial in Oakland County Circuit Court. He’s due back in court July 15 for a pre-trial conference.
Jerome Sabbota, who represents Essad on the criminal charges, said the case “could be resolved” on that date. Asked if that meant a plea bargain, Sabbota replied, “Could be.”
Read MoreRandal County Texas Corrections Officer Derrick DeWayne White Arrested, Fired, Charged With Armed Sexual Assault
July 2nd, 2008
RANDALL COUNTY, TEXAS - A Randall County corrections officer has been fired following his arrest on suspicion of aggravated sexual assault.
Police allege Derrick DeWayne White, 31, is the man responsible for assaulting an acquaintance last weekend.
Randall County Sheriff Joel Richardson said White was a supervisor for the corrections division of the sheriff’s office. He had been in that position since October and been with the sheriff’s office since December 2003, Richardson said.
“He was relieved of his duties with us. It’s an unfortunate incident for law enforcement, but you can’t expect to be given special treatment because you wear a badge,” said Richardson, who declined further comment on White’s dismissal.
A criminal complaint was filed Tuesday against White, an Amarillo resident. The charge stems from an incident Saturday, Amarillo police Cpl. Jerry Neufeld said. “We were given an anonymous tip,” he said.
Read MoreThree Los Angeles California Police Officers Suspended, Under Investigation After Lying In Court About Arrest - Charges Against Man Dropped - Caught On Video
July 2nd, 2008
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - Three police officers have been placed on leave while internal affairs investigators look into their conduct in a cocaine arrest case.
Police Chief William Bratton told the city Police Commission on Tuesday the men were sent home with pay after a judge stopped a trial and exonerated a man of cocaine charges when a video of the defendant’s arrest contradicted the testimony of at least one officer.
“I assure you that there will be a full, comprehensive investigation,” Bratton said. “We take these matters very seriously. We will not tolerate officers breaking the law to enforce the law.”
The officers were assigned to home, meaning they were placed on a departmental leave for an indefinite period of time, police spokesman Richard French said.
Police officials did not release the names of the officers.
Read MoreVeteran Doraville Georgia Police Officer Lt. Charles Hight, A So-Called “Expert” in DUI’s, Arrested For Drunk Driving With His 3 Year Old Son In Back Seat. Officer Marcella Nelson Arrested For Drunk Driving After Near Wreck With Athens Officer While Running Red Light
July 2nd, 2008
DORAVILLE, GEORGIA - Two Doraville police officers have been put on administrative duties after each was arrested for DUI.
May 28, 2008 the Georgia State Patrol arrested Doraville Police Lt. Charles Hight for driving under the influence. The arresting officer says Hight was speeding in Bartow County without a seatbelt. He reportedly had his 3-year-old son in the backseat and two open beer bottles. According to the arrest report, when Hight blew into a field breathalyzer it registered .138, then later .148. He is charged with, among other things, DUI child endangerment.
Hight has been with the department for 10 years and was just recently promoted to the rank of lieutenant. He has been trained to spot drivers suspected of DUI and has testified numerous times in court as a DUI expert.
“I’m very, very disappointed. We as police officers are, and should be, held to a higher standard,” said Doraville Police Chief John King.
Read MoreCrooked Los Angeles California Police Officer Evan Samuel, Hired By Chino Police Department, Suspended Amid Investigation Into Bogus Drug Charges Against Man - Caught On Video
July 2nd, 2008
CHINO, CALIFORNIA - The Chino Police Department has placed one of its officers on administrative leave pending investigation of possible misconduct while he was a Los Angeles police officer.
Evan Samuel, who joined the Chino department two months ago, was one of two officers involved in a recent drug possession trial that ended Monday in Los Angeles.
A judge stopped the trial, exonerating a man of cocaine charges, after a video of the defendant’s arrest contradicted the testimony of Samuel and Officer Richard Amio.
Both the Los Angeles Police Department and the Chino Police Department have started internal investigations, said Michelle Van Der Linden, Chino spokeswoman. Samuel, who was undergoing supervised field training since being hired in Chino, had not been involved in any investigations before being placed on leave.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is expected to take up the matter.
Read More“Terrorist” With A “Bomb” Shuts Down Part Of Los Angeles International Airport - Of Course It Was Nothing
July 2nd, 2008
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - Traffic has been blocked and gridlocked at LAX at the upper and lower levels of the airport after a man, reportedly between the ages of 20 and 25, went up to police in front of the Tom
Bradley International Terminal and claimed he was a terrorist with a bomb in his bag, according to ABC7. He was immediately arrested and a bomb squad was dispatched to the airport.
“A search of the area found an unattended bag located near a ticket counter,” a statement by the Transportation Security Administration said. A staging area was set up in front of Terminal 3 and nearby people in cars have been evacuated with their vehicles left at the scene, the news station said live on air.
Read MoreBush’s Guantanamo Bay Torture Prison And Kangaroo Court May Close
July 2nd, 2008
WASHINGTON, DC - President Bush will soon decide whether to close Guantanamo Bay as a prison for al-Qaeda suspects, sources tell ABC News. High-level discussions among top advisers have escalated in the past week, with the most senior administration officials in continuous talks about the future of the prison c