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Archive for the ‘DELAWARE’ Category
Lawsuit Charges Rehoboth Beach Delaware Police Chief Kieth W. Banks With Retaliation
July 1st, 2008
REHOBOTH BEACH, DELAWARE - An ex-Rehoboth Beach Police officer is suing the city, alleging the police chief retaliated against her after she rebuffed his sexual advances.
Bonnie O’Bier, who filed her civil suit earlier this month in New Castle County Superior Court, offers no details of the alleged harassment by Chief Keith W. Banks, or when it may have occurred.
Instead, the suit details what O’Bier claims was retaliation by Banks in 2006.
Rehoboth Beach Mayor Samuel Cooper said Sunday he was not aware of the lawsuit and declined to comment.
The suit seeks damages and charges unlawful employment practices, retaliation and the creation of a hostile work environment.
According to the lawsuit, in April 2005 O’Bier completed work to become an emergency medical technician and informed Banks she wanted to seek part-time employment with the Rehoboth Beach Fire Department in addition to her police work.
Read MoreAttorneys Challenge Death Penalty After Delaware Prison Botched 2005 Execution
June 23rd, 2008
DOVER, DELAWARE - Delaware prison officials botched the execution of a murderer who was put to death three years ago, attorneys challenging Delaware’s use of lethal injection said in court papers filed Monday.
Attorneys representing Delaware death row inmates in a class-action lawsuit claim that Brian Steckel was executed in 2005 without the proper anesthesia.
They are seeking to have Delaware’s use of lethal injection to be declared unconstitutional.
Prison officials noticed that the anesthetic being administered to Steckel before he received doses of two lethal chemicals began leaking into tissue surrounding the needle in his arm, the attorneys said.
“Mr. Steckel was administered a paralytic drug and then an extremely painful heart-stopping drug without having received adequate anesthesia,” federal public defender Michael Wiseman wrote.
Steckel was sentenced to death in 1997 for the 1994 murder of Sandra Lee Long in her apartment near Wilmington. Long was burned to death in a fire Steckel set after strangling her into unconsciousness and raping and sodomizing her.
Read MoreFormer California Highway Patrol Police Officer Richard Redmond Shot And Killed In Standoff By Delaware State Police Trooper
June 13th, 2008
DELAWARE - For seven years, Richard D. Redmond and his wife, Terri, were respected members in their Milford area neighborhood.
But early Saturday morning, a Delaware State Police trooper shot and killed Richard Redmond, after a lengthy standoff that prompted police to evacuate some neighboring residents.
Redmond, a 52-year-old former California Highway Patrol officer, was suffering from a terminal illness, according to state police.
“This is truly a tragic day,” said Delaware State Police Col. Thomas F. Mac Leish, at a press conference Saturday afternoon.
Mac Leish said Redmond had been involved in a verbal argument with a 32-year-old neighbor in the hours before the incident. Police learned that the neighbor had not started the confrontation.
Mac Leish said that during the argument, Redmond threatened to kill the neighbor.
He then told another neighbor that he intended to kill the 32-year-old and showed a black handgun. That neighbor called 911 at 8:59 p.m. Friday, Mac Leish said.
Read MorePolice Departments Forced To Cut Back On Fuel Use, Some Officers Fintally Have To Get Their Fat Asses Out Of Their Cars And Walk
May 23rd, 2008
NEWBERRY, SOUTH CAROLINA - With gasoline climbing toward $4 a gallon, police officers around the country are losing the right to take their patrol cars home and are being forced to double up in cruisers and walk the beat more.
The gas crunch could also put an end to the time-honored way cops leave their engines running when they get out to investigate something.
Some police chiefs think the moneysaving measures are not all bad, and might actually help them do a better job. But they worry about the loss of take-home cars, saying the sight of a cruiser parked in a driveway or out in front of a home deters neighborhood crime.
In Newberry, population 10,000, Chief Jackie Swindler is telling his officers to turn off the ignition whenever they are stopped for more than a minute or so, and to get out and walk around more.
Read MoreDelaware State Police Trooper HyunJin Kim Arrested, Charged With Armed Robbery
March 6th, 2008
DOVER, DELAWARE - Delaware State Police say a trooper had been arrested for participating in the armed robbery of card players last month at the Wild Quail Golf and Country Club near Wyoming.
HyunJin Kim, 27, of Dover, was initially reported as a victim of the crime but was charged with 11 counts of first-degree robbery and related offenses on Monday after a search of his home and vehicle. Bail was set at $246000 pending a Friday court hearing.
Kim had worked as a trooper for 2 1/2 years and was assigned to the Troop 3 patrol division south of Camden. He has been suspended from the force.
According to court records, Kim was one of 12 card players ordered to the floor on Feb. 22, bound and shrouded with red pillowcases, and robbed by three armed masked men during a regular organized Thursday night card game.
Read MoreDelaware River And Bay Authority Police Officer Ismael Torres Arrested, Charged With Terroristic Threats And Offensive Touching While Trying To Keep Car From Being Reposessed
November 10th, 2007
GEORGETOWN, DELAWARE - WGMD has learned that an off-duty Delaware River and Bay Authority police officer has been arrested for offensive touching, terroristic threatening, and reckless endangering. 32 year old Ismael Torres is employed by the Delaware River and Bay Authority Police Department in Lewes.
Three employees of the Complete Auto Recovery Company based in Millsboro complained that Torres identified himself as a police officer and threatened to shoot them as they attempted to repossess a 2002 Ford Explorer parked on private property near Savannah Road in the town limits of Georgetown.
In addition, investigators learned that when the Ford Explorer was in the process of being affixed to a wrecker for repossession, Torres allegedly entered the Ford and drove it away from the recovery equipment causing one of the straps to hit a member of the recovery service. Torres has been released on over 2000 dollars unsecured bond.
Read MoreVeteran University Of Delaware Police Officer Mark V. Stallmann Receives A Slap On The Wrist For Downloading Child Pornography While On Duty
November 3rd, 2007
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE — An 18-year University of Delaware police veteran was sentenced today to 60 days in prison for downloading child pornography while on the job.
“I am truly ashamed of my actions,” 47-year-old Mark V. Stallmann said before being sentenced on two counts of possession of child pornography and one count of official misconduct.
At the conclusion of his prison term, Stallmann must serve two years probation, at which time he cannot use a computer or come in contact with the University of Delaware. He will also have to register as a low level sex offender.
According to court documents and court testimony, Stallmann used three University of Delaware police department computers to view child pornography on nine occasions, starting April 12, 2004, and ending Oct. 17, 2006. The child porn was just a fraction of pornography he was downloading, according to court testimony.
Read MoreLawsuit Charges Former Laurel Police Officer Kevin D. Hovatter With Hate-Based Rape, Town With Hiring Bad Cop And Ignoring Background
October 30th, 2007
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE — A 57-year-old woman, who says she was raped by a Laurel police officer, filed a civil lawsuit today in Superior Court charging that the town is responsible for the crime because the previous police chief had a policy of hiring unqualified officers and ignoring background-check requirements.
Gail Weal, of Laurel, charges that the former Laurel officer, Kevin D. Hovatter, was driven from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office because of multiple complaints lodged against him by another woman. The suit also said Hovatter was decertified as a police officer by Maryland and placed on its rehiring “black list.” Yet, Laurel hired him.
Weal’s attorney, Thomas S. Neuberger, called the assault a hate crime. Weal is black, Hovatter is white.
Read More2007 School Shooting Tour Moves From Newark New Jersey To Dover Delaware - Two Students Shot - No Arrests
September 21st, 2007
DOVER, DELAWARE — Two students were shot and wounded, one seriously, at Delaware State University early Friday, and the campus was locked down as police searched for a gunman, officials said.
Classes were canceled for the day and students were being kept inside.
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“They’ve been directed to stay in their dorms,” university spokesman Carlos Holmes said. “We don’t know where the shooter’s at.”
Read MoreUniversity Of Delaware Police Employee Mark V. Stallmann Pleads Guilty To Downloading Child Pornography Using Department Computer
September 16th, 2007
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE —- A 47-year-old Middletown man pleaded guilty to charges of downloading child pornography while on the job at the University of Delaware police department.
Mark V. Stallmann, of the 300 block of Chesapeake Canal Court, pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of possession of child pornography and one count of official misconduct.
According to court documents, Stallmann used a University of Delaware police department computer to view child pornography on nine occasions, starting April 12, 2004, and ending Oct. 17, 2006.
According to University of Delaware records, Stallmann began working with the school’s Department of Public Safety in 1989. The 2006-2007 UD campus directory listed Stallmann as an investigator. He no longer works there.
Stallmann was indicted in May on nine counts of unlawfully dealing in child pornography, a felony, and nine counts of official misconduct, a misdemeanor.
A sentencing date was not issued.
Read MoreVeteran Millsboro Delaware Police Officer Sgt. Shawn A. Davis Shot With Taser Weapon While Playing In Traffic, Arrested, Suspended, Charged With Drunk-And-Disorderly And Resisting Arrest
August 8th, 2007
MILLSBORO, DELAWARE – A nine-year veteran of the Millsboro Police Department was suspended from the force today after he was arrested while off-duty by a Georgetown police officer for being intoxicated in the middle of the road obstructing traffic in Georgetown.
The officer, Sgt. Shawn A. Davis, 31, was released on $3,100 bail on charges of offensive touching of a law enforcement officer, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and being drunk on the highway.
“I am shocked and saddened by the events that occurred,” Millsboro Police Chief John K. Murphy II said. “This is obviously out of character of this officer.”
Murphy said about 1:30 a.m. today Georgetown police officers encountered Davis on East Market Street. He was in the roadway obstructing traffic. When the officers approached Davis to get him off the road, he lunged at one of the officers, who deployed a tazer to take him into custody.
Read MoreDelaware State Trooper Chases Speeder, Ends With Car Crashing Into Garage
July 18th, 2007
BRANDYWINE, DELAWARE – A 23-year-old man was arrested early this morning after crashing a car into a Brandywine Hundred home, Delaware State Police said.
Robert B. Russell of Wilmington was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with no headlights, two counts of failing to stop at a stop sign, failure to stop at command of a police officer, unsafe speed, failure to signal and a seatbelt violation.
Sgt. Joshua Bushweller said a state trooper saw a Chevy Camaro driven by Russell speeding on Marsh Road and attempted to pull the car over for the single traffic violation.
Once the officer pulled out to follow the Camaro, Russell turned off the vehicle headlights and turned off the road, Bushweller said.
The officer temporarily lost sight of the vehicle but when he pulled into the intersection of Stoney Run Drive and Marshfield Road, he found the vehicle had crashed into the garage of a single-family home in the 400 block of Marshfield Road.
Read MoreWoman Sues Lewes Delaware And Police Officer Sgt. Bruce Ritter For Illegal Search Of Her Property, Loss Of Liberty, False Charges, And False Imprisonment
July 11th, 2007
LEWES, DELAWARE – LA Rehoboth Beach woman has filed a civil lawsuit against the City of Lewes, Lewes Police Department and a Lewes police officer, claiming police unreasonably searched her property, deprived her of liberty, falsely charged her with crimes and falsely imprisoned her.
Christina Paoli filed the lawsuit July 2 in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. Paoli’s action seeks unspecified punitive damages, court costs and attorney’s fees.
Paoli said the lawsuit stems from an incident involving Sgt. Bruce Ritter, a 16-year veteran of the Lewes Police Department. Ritter is individually named in Paoli’s lawsuit.
In July 2006 while on-duty, Ritter – without a warrant and without a crime in progress – jimmied open the door of a Washington Avenue trailer home owned by Paoli.
Following a March 2007 grievance hearing in front of the city council, Ritter retained his rank as sergeant even though Lewes Mayor Jim Ford and Lewes Police Chief Ronald “Beau” Gooch had earlier recommended to an administrative trial board that he be reduced in rank as low as patrolman, be placed on disciplinary probation and undergo retraining.
Ignoring State’s Unsolved Murders, Rapes, Robberies, And Assaults, Delaware State Police Take To The Trees To Liberate Money From Driver’s Wallets
July 1st, 2007
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE — As Americans gear up to celebrate freedom this holiday weekend, Delaware State Police don’t want drivers taking too many liberties on the road.
Police are sending out more troopers to target speeders as drivers pack onto Delaware highways, where 60 people have perished in accidents this year.
And they introduced a new tactic Friday to highlight increased enforcement, zeroing in on a stretch of I-495.
Police hoisted a trooper in a DelDOT bucket truck, shrouded partly by trees on the side of the highway. The truck helped conceal and protect the trooper, who was wielding a LIDAR gun — similar to a radar gun but which uses a laser.
The trooper radioed the speeds and car descriptions of violators to a pack of patrol cars behind the truck, lying in wait to pull over the more flagrant drivers.
Read MoreDelaware State Police To Learn About Free Speech Rights After Ejecting Teens From Bookstore
June 29th, 2007
DELAWARE – The American Civil Liberties Union affiliates of Delaware and Pennsylvania have settled a lawsuit filed over a 2005 incident in which four teenagers were ejected from a bookstore where then-U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum was to appear for a book-signing.
The four young women alleged that Santorum staffers Ellen Melrose and Becky Barrett-Toomey, both from the Pittsburgh area, overheard them discussing their opposition to Mr. Santorum’s views and got a Delaware state trooper to remove them from the store, in a mall in Wilmington, Del.
According to the ACLU, Delaware State Police will adopt a training program on free-speech rights of protesters and pay $15,000 in plaintiffs’ legal fees. The Santorum staffers will pay $2,500 in damages — the amount they were paid to assist Mr. Santorum on his book tour — and send the plaintiffs a letter of regret.
Read MoreWilmington Delaware Police Officer Paul Ciber Charged in Domestic Dispute
June 26th, 2007
MIDDLETOWN, DELAWARE - State Police have charged an Wilmington police officer after he fought with his wife while he was off-duty.
Police say Paul Ciber threatened to ram his car into his garage — and nearly did — during an argument with his wife early yesterday.
The couple and their children, ages 6 and 8, went into their house, where Ciber and his wife started arguing again. Police say Ciber’s wife tried to leave, but he grabbed her arm.
Police say when his wife tried to call 9-1-1, Ciber knocked a cell phone from her hand. Only when one of the children distracted Ciber, was she able to complete the call.
Ciber is charged with reckless endangering, offensive touching, endangering the welfare of a child and malicious interference with emergency communications. He was released on 55-hundred dollars bail.
Newark Delaware Police Charge Child With Child Pornography And He’s Not Allowed To Have Contact With Other Children…
June 8th, 2007
NEWARK, DELAWARE – A Newark teenager has been arrested on child pornography charges after a technician found pornographic images on the boy’s computer.
State police say the 15-year-old’s mother took the computer to a Circuit City in Christiana Mall to have a virus removed. The technician found the pictures on the hard drive and called police.
Police seized two computers and charged the teenager with 20 counts of possession of child pornography. He’s free on bail, and is not allowed to have contact with children.
Former Delaware County Delaware Sheriff Al Myers Quits, Pleads Guilty To Ethics Violations
June 4th, 2007
DELAWARE - A sheriff who abruptly resigned and later pleaded guilty to ethics violations was fined $800 and barred by a judge from holding public office for seven years.
“I’m going to retire and start a new life,” former Delaware County Sheriff Al Myers, 57, said Friday after a court appearance. Visiting Judge James Fais also ordered Myers to perform 50 hours of community service.
Myers, a Republican who was elected sheriff in 1992, announced his resignation in March and days later pleaded guilty to conflict of interest and receiving improper compensation, both first-degree misdemeanors.
Prosecutors said Myers was paid thousands of dollars by an agricultural society and another organization to provide security at Delaware County fair events from 2005 to 2006 - violating a law against public servants receiving supplemental payments when acting in an official capacity.
Read MoreUniversity Of Delaware Police Investigator Mark Stallmann Charged With Viewing Child Pornography At Work
May 31st, 2007
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE - A man employed with the University of Delaware police department is being accused of downloading child pornography while at work.
Forty-six-year-old Mark Stallmann of Middletown has been indicted on nine felony counts of unlawfully dealing in child pornography and nine misdemeanor counts of official misconduct.
The indictment alleges Stallmann used a computer at work to view child pornography nine time between April 2004 and October 2006.
He is listed in the most recent campus directory as an investigator for the police department.
Laurel Delaware Police Officer Kevin D. Hovatter Pleads Guilty To Raping 55 Year Old Woman, Awaits Sentencing
May 16th, 2007
LAUREL, DELAWARE — A former Laurel police officer is now awaiting a judge’s decision on how much time he’ll face after pleading guilty to raping a 55-year-old woman last year.
Kevin D. Hovatter, 27, of Laurel, pleaded guilty this spring to first-degree unlawful sexual contact, considered a Class F felony and punishable by as much as three years behind bars, Delaware Department of Justice officials said. He will be sentenced June 8.
On the night of March 25, 2006, Hovatter — who was a corporal in the Laurel Police Department — was on duty when he followed the victim and her husband from a Laurel bar to Delmar on Route 13 before pulling them over.
Delaware State Police said Hovatter told the victim’s husband he had business with her.
After the victim got out of their vehicle, she told her husband to leave and that she would call him later. Hovatter then placed the woman in his patrol car.
Read MoreDelaware Teens Steal School Bus And State Deputy Attorney General
May 11th, 2007
DELAWARE – One teenager was arrested and authorities were looking for two more boys after they allegedly stole a Delaware school bus, crashed it into the state’s Deputy Attorney General and then drove off with the state official onboard.
Police only identified the arrested minor as a 15-year-old boy from Elkton, Md. He was charged with receiving stolen property, unlawful imprisonment, conspiracy, underage consumption of alcohol and related charges.
While the incident was still in full swing Thursday night, police said, Deputy Attorney General Stephen Smith ran outside of his Newark home when he heard a crash and discovered a bus had crashed into his car.
Smith rushed to the bus to make sure the driver was not hurt, but found three males who appeared to be younger than 16 years old inside, police said. One boy jumped off the bus and was restrained by a neighbor until police arrived, but another drove off with Smith and another teen in the bus.
Read MorePost 911 Hysteria: Federal Money Burning Holes In Delaware Authorities’ Pockets As Police Acquire Unnecessary Gadgets, Equipment Which Collects Dust, And SUV’s For Police Chief’s
May 6th, 2007
DELAWARE ? As terrorist targets go, the small town of Ocean View has neither a large population nor an industry that?s a potentially catastrophic target, such as a nuclear plant or chemical factory.
But no other jurisdiction in Delaware has worked the complex federal Homeland Security system for grants and gear as successfully as Ocean View. And according to Police Chief Kenneth McLaughlin, no town is better prepared for what he believes is the inevitable terrorist attack.
?Our little elementary school is more of a target than the White House,? says McLaughlin, an animated man who wears a white uniform shirt equipped with the kind of stars given to military generals. ?We saw it in the Soviet Union. The Chechens took one. We can?t let our guard down.?
Read MoreAtlanta Georgia Police Recruit Curtis Hamilton Arrested for Bank Robbery - Associated Content
April 24th, 2007
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – Fulton County police trainee Curtis Hamilton had a rude awakening while undergoing police training. While entering some personal information into the county’s computer system (as part of their training), a warrant for his arrest appeared in the national database. What was the crime? Bank robbery…
THE TWISTED STORY
Per Atlanta police officer James Polite, Hamilton, a 26 year-old police recruit was hired on March 20th as a trainee. While waiting to begin his official duties, he was assigned to various clerical tasks, which per Polite – is standard procedure for Atlanta police recruits.
The warrant for Curtis Hamilton’s arrest was issued approximately two weeks after he was hired by the Atlanta Police Department. Officials state that a comprehensive background check was performed on Hamilton. But the warrant was actually issued after that background check had been completed.
Read MoreSecond Veteran Police Officer Testifies That Wilmington Delaware Police Should Not Have Used Deadly Force When They Shot And Killed Man
April 12th, 2007
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE – A second police veteran has testified that Wilmington officers should NOT have used deadly force in a fatal confrontation with a Bear man.
Retired Philadelphia police inspector Joseph Stine told a federal jury today that the confrontation with Harry Smith was badly mishandled.
Stine says it was — quote — “an unreasonable and excessive use of force.” The 25-year-old Smith died in September 2003 after he stole a police car and led officers on a brief chase. He was armed with a scalpel after having fled from Wilmington Hospital, where he was set to be treated for mental problems.
Smith’s family is suing for damages in federal court, charging excessive force and wrongful death.
Former Millville Fire Chief, Ocean View Delaware Police Officer Walter Johnson Charged With Child’s Rape
April 12th, 2007
OCEAN VIEW, DELAWARE — The Millville Volunteer Fire Company will hold a special election this month to name a new chief after the old one was charged with having sex with a 17-year-old Dagsboro girl.
Walter Johnson, 31, who was also an Ocean View police officer, resigned from his post with the fire company after he was charged earlier this month.
Millville Volunteer Fire Company spokesman Bob Powell said the special election will be held later this month, but did not give an exact date.
Johnson was charged with two counts of fourth-degree rape, a charge used when the victim is younger than 18 and the suspect is over 30. Police said the warrant stated that Johnson was not aware of the girl’s age.
Former Police Officer Testifies That Willington Delaware Police Officer Were ‘Running Wild’ Before They Shot And Killed Man
April 11th, 2007
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE – A former Chicago police officer has testified that Wilmington police were “running wild” before they shot a man who took a police car.
Elbert Waters told a federal jury today that it appeared to him that the three officers involved “wanted to punish” Harry Smith for stealing the cruiser. He says they “disregarded all sense of right and wrong.” Smith was shot to death in September 2003 after he fled Wilmington Hospital with a scalpel, tried to carjack a man and took a police car.
Smith’s family is suing for damages in federal court, charging excessive force and wrongful death.
Waters was a Chicago police officer for 15 years and is a cousin through marriage to Anne Sulton, the Smith family’s lawyer.
Ocean View Delaware Police Officer Walter Johnson Arrested For Child Rape
April 1st, 2007
OCEAN VIEW, DELAWARE – Ocean View Police Officer Arrested for Rape in the Fourth Degree
The Delaware State Police have concluded an investigation into the allegations surrounding the 2006 rape of a then 17-year-old Dagsboro resident by an Ocean View Police Department officer- Walter Johnson, 31, of Ocean View, DE.
On March 27, 2007 the Attorney Generals Office and the Ocean View Police Department administration notified the Delaware State Police that earlier in the week a third party reported Walter Johnson had sex with a minor in October of 2006. State Police launched an investigation immediately.
This investigation revealed that sex between the victim and Mr. Walter Johnson was consensual and took place one time in October of 2006 and one time in November of 2006. These incidents did not occur during Mr. Walter Johnson’s working hours.
Read MorePolice Death Squad in Delaware: U.S. Marine, In Wilmington Delaware For Toys For Tots Event, Killed By Police
March 29th, 2007
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE – Delaware was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. It may be the first state to be afflicted with a fully operational death squad – unless a civil lawsuit filed on Friday against the murders of Derek J. Hale results in criminal charges and a complete lustration (in the Eastern European sense of the term) of Delaware’s law enforcement establishment.
Hale, a retired Marine Sergeant who served two tours in Iraq and was decorated before his combat-related medical discharge in January 2006, was murdered by a heavily armed 8–12-member undercover police team in Wilmington, Delaware last November 6. He had come to Wilmington from his home in Manassas, Virginia to participate in a Toys for Tots event.
Read MoreLewes Delaware Must Be Hurting For Help… Veteran Police Officer Bruce Ritter Receives Nothing But A Tiny Slap On The Wrist After Illegally Breaking Into Home
March 28th, 2007
LEWES, DELAWARE – A 16-year veteran Lewes Police Department officer has retained his sergeant’s rank even though the city’s mayor and chief of police recommended he be busted as low as patrolman, placed on disciplinary probation and retrained after he illegally entered a city residence.
Sgt. Bruce Ritter, the department’s second highest-ranking officer, appeared Thursday, March 22, at a grievance hearing in City Hall before Lewes Deputy Mayor Stephanie Tsantes; council members Ted Becker, Phillip Norton and Barbara Vaughan; and city solicitor Tempe Steen.
Attorney James Liguori explained to the panel that Ritter “committed an academic mistake” when in July 2006 he jimmied-open the door of a Washington Avenue trailer home owned by Chris Paoli.
After a 40-minute closed-door executive session, the council voted to allow Ritter to keep his sergeant’s rank, penalized him 10 days without pay, placed him on disciplinary probation for 270 days and required that he take 25 hours of classroom instruction on search and seizure within the next six months.
Read MoreLawsuit Filed After Wilmington Delaware Police Officer Lt. William Browne Shoots Innocent Iraq War Veteran With Taser Weapon, Then Three Times In The Chest With Firearm Killing Him
March 24th, 2007
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE - The family of a former Marine who was given multiple electric shocks and then shot to death by police sued Friday, claiming the officers used excessive force and violated the man’s constitutional rights.
Police were investigating a motorcycle gang when they encountered Derek J. Hale, 25, housesitting for a fellow member who had been arrested there earlier, according to the lawsuit.
Hale’s widow and parents allege that although Hale posed no threat and police had no warrant for his arrest, they shocked him with a Taser gun three times Nov. 6.
The lawsuit alleges that when Hale, left incapacitated and vomiting, was unable to comply with police commands to raise his hands, a Wilmington police officer shot him three times in the chest.
Read MoreLewes Delaware Police Sergeant Bruce Ritter Receives A Tiny Slap On The Wrist FOr Illegal Search
March 24th, 2007
LEWES, DELAWARE – Lewes’ second-ranking police officer erred last July in entering a city home without a search warrant, but the mistake isn’t cause for demotion, officials decided Thursday night.
City Council voted 3-1 to suspend Sgt. Bruce Ritter and order him to undergo training on search and seizure, but it overturned a decision by Mayor Jim Ford to reduce Ritter’s rank to corporal. The council’s ruling occurred at a public appeal hearing requested by Ritter, who conceded he erred in prying open the door of a Washington Street home in a search for a man who had failed to register as a sex offender.
Testimony in a disciplinary hearing several months ago indicated that the home’s landlord reported such an offender was present and that she had just seen movement inside the dwelling. But after nobody answered the door and Ritter pried it open, only a dog was found inside.
Read MoreDover Delaware Police Sued For Wrongful Death After Officer Intervened In Man’s Medical Treatment And Kept Him From Emergency Room
March 22nd, 2007
DOVER, DELAWARE – A Dover family filed a lawsuit today against the city police department after their relative died in police custody.
In the federal lawsuit, the mother and son of 27-year-old Charles Banks allege the police violated his rights and used excessive force. They also claim it was a wrongful death and say officials involved didn’t have sufficient training.
Police said the Long Island, New York man was arrested in 2005 for attempted car robbery. The lawsuit says he was taken to Kent General Hospital in distress because he took both P-C-P and marijuana.
The lawsuit also says a Dover officer intervened in Banks’ medical treatment and kept him from being taken to the emergency room.
Court papers allege police took him back to the station where he went into respiratory distress. He was rushed to the hospital and the lawsuit says he died there.
Read MoreDelaware State Corrections Officer Derek J. Wilson Arrested, Suspended, Charged With Child Molestation - 15 Year Old Victim
March 2nd, 2007
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE -A state correctional officer has been suspended with pay following his arrest Wednesday for allegedly having sex with an underage girl he met in an online chat room.
Derek J. Wilson, 22, of Dover was released on $15,000 bail Wednesday after being charged with two counts of fourth-degree rape and solicitation of a child.
He faces a hearing on the charges March 9.
Dover police Capt. Lester Boney said an investigation revealed that Wilson set up two meetings with the 15-year-old in January and February 2006 at Schutte Park on Electric Avenue where the pair allegedly engaged in sex acts in his car.
Court records showed the girl confirmed with police she had sexual relations with Wilson on the two occasions.
The alleged incidents occurred before Wilson’s employment at the state Department of Correction, spokeswoman Gail Stallings Minor said.
Read MoreFormer Washington Capital Police Officer David N. Robb Jr. Convicted Of Benefits Fraud, Gets Probation
February 17th, 2007
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE — A former Washington Capitol Police officer was sentenced to probation and ordered to pay restitution this week for theft of government benefits.
David N. Robb Jr., 42, admitted in October he had lied on government forms in order to get pension benefits he was not entitled to.
District Judge Gregory M. Sleet this week ordered Robb to repay the Department of Labor $52,000, the amount of benefits he improperly received, and serve two years probation.
According to court papers, Robb, who had been injured when he was a motorcycle police officer, had been receiving disability benefits since 1997.
In the 15 months before Aug. 2004, he claimed to have earned no income when he had been working as a tire salesman and a cement-mixer driver.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Edmond Falgowski, who prosecuted the case, said Robb apologized for his actions at sentencing.
Read MoreCamden New Jersey Police Chase Kills Woman With Stolen License Plate, Injures Others After Collision With Bus
February 13th, 2007
CAMDEN, DELAWARE – State Police say a Frederica woman who fled from Camden Police yesterday morning and crashed into a Dart bus has died from her injuries at Christiana Hospital. Police say a Camden officer conducted a traffic stop yesterday morning and found the vehicle had a fictitious registration and the tags were stolen. The female operator, 49 year old Betty Tirabassi, then drove off – striking the officer in the hip. The officer gave chase and as the woman neared a 4-way stop she ignored the stop sign and collided with a Dart bus. The officer, Dart bus driver and a passenger were treated for minor injuries at Kent General Hospital. Police say Tirabassi was not wearing a seatbelt.
Ocean City Maryland Police Officers Douglas Smith And Natalie Smolko Allow Delaware State Rep. John Atkins To Avoid Drunk Driving Charge
January 1st, 2007
OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND ? Two Ocean City, Md., police officers allowed Delaware state Rep. John Atkins to leave an Oct. 29 traffic stop without arrest or citation despite a preliminary breath test indicating he was driving with a blood-alcohol content of 0.14, nearly twice the legal limit in Maryland.
During the traffic stop, Atkins flashed a “laminated card” indicating he is a “Delaware State Representative,” according to a police incident report. He later told Officer Natalie Smolko that he could arrange for a Delaware state trooper to pick him up and take him to his Millsboro home. Atkins’ wife, Heather, a passenger in the couple’s Chevrolet pickup truck, was not allowed to drive Atkins home because she recorded a 0.16 on a preliminary breath test.
Hours later, Atkins was arrested at his home by Millsboro police and charged with offensive touching for “grabbing” his wife’s arm during an argument that ended with a 911 call alerting police.
Read MoreLawsuit Seeks Damages From Delaware State Police Trooper Cpl. Steven Robertson Who Shot St, Broke Nose Of Millsboro Man
December 22nd, 2006
WILMINGTON, DELEWARE – A man who was shot at and had his nose broken by a Delaware State Police trooper last year has filed a federal lawsuit seeking damages.
Jason R. Bender of Millsboro is claiming Delaware State Police Cpl. Steven Robertson violated his civil rights when he shot at his car and then assaulted him following a Jan. 16, 2005 traffic stop.
Delaware State Police officials did not have any immediate comment on the suit that was filed Wednesday.
According to the 2005 police account of the incident, troopers had been alerted to a white Cadillac involved in a domestic dispute and spotted what they believed to be that car speeding west along Del. 24, near Lewes, with a second car around 11:30 p.m.
Police reported the two were going 93 mph.
Read MoreFormer Capital Police Officer David N. Robb Jr., On Disability, Pleads Guilty To Theft In Wilmington Delaware Federal Court After Claiming No Income From Two Jobs Which Paid $90,000
October 20th, 2006
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE ? A former Washington, D.C., Capitol Police officer pleaded guilty to theft today day in federal court.
David N. Robb Jr., 42, admitted to District Judge Gregory M. Sleet he lied on government paperwork to get pension benefits.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Edmond Falgowski, Robb claimed to the government that he had no income in the 15 months before August 2004, when he in fact had earned $90,000 from at least two different jobs.
He worked as a tire salesman and a cement mixer driver.
Robb filled out the form upon moving to Delaware from Maryland, according to Falgowski.
Robb, who had been a motorcycle patrol officer, had been receiving disability benefits since 1997 for a leg injury, according to prosecutors.
If he had properly noted his income, he would have received about $90,000 less in benefits, according to the government.
Read MoreSmyrna Delaware Police Officer, Sgt. Brian S. Moore, Charged With Misconduct After Getting Drunk Driving Charge Against Friend Dropped
September 22nd, 2006
SMYRMA, DELAWARE – A Smyrna police officer has been arrested following an investigation into claims that he requested a personal friend of his be released from the custody of the Clayton police.
Sgt. Brian S. Moore, 38, of Clayton, contacted the Clayton police officer to release his friend to him on Sept. 3, and the officer complied, Janice Fitzsimons, spokeswoman for the state Attorney General’s Office, said today.
Moore also asked the arresting officer not to charge his friend with driving under the influence, according to court records.
When Moore arrived at the police station, his friend was being released to his father, according to court records.
Moore was charged Wednesday with official misconduct and released on his own recognizance, Smyrna police said.
Third Marydel Delaware Volunteer Firefighter Charged With Arson
September 7th, 2006