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Archive for the ‘GEORGIA’ Category
Veteran 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 MoreMonroe Georgia Police Officer Sam Harrison Suspended For Just 5 Days After Racial Slur Was Caught On Video
July 1st, 2008
MONROE, GEORGIA - The Monroe Police Department officer whose use of a racial slur was caught on a patrol car video camera was suspended five days without pay following the completion of an investigation.
First-year officer Sam Harrison’s suspension will begin today, punishment for the racially charged comment he made hours after the arrest of a black suspect May 18.
Harrison, who MPD officials said had no previous blemishes on his record, originally was placed on administrative leave with pay. However, MPD Chief Keith Glass told the city’s Public Safety Committee at a special meeting Monday he had conferred with his staff, other law enforcement officials and city attorneys and determined a five-day suspension was in order and he will not fire Harrison, who has been on administrative leave since June 11.
Read MoreNew Gun Law Takes Effect In Georgia, But City Officials And Nutcase Atlanta Airport General Manager Ben DeCosta Will Enforce Their Own Made-Up Laws - Will Arrest State Lawmaker
July 1st, 2008
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - You could call it the Atlanta version of “High Noon.”
Top city officials will announce Tuesday that despite a new state gun law that went into effect at midnight, they will have anyone carrying a weapon at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport arrested. The state lawmaker who sponsored the new gun law says if they do, the city will immediately be sued. And state Rep. Tim Bearden (R-Villa Rica) said the plaintiff in the lawsuit could be himself.
“I have a permit, and I have family I have to pick up at the airport tomorrow [Tuesday],” Bearden told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday. “I’ll have one [a concealed weapon] with me at all times.”
Airport General Manager Ben DeCosta said if Bearden shows up at the world’s busiest airport with a gun, he’ll be busted.
“I can identify him, and I’ll have him arrested,” DeCosta said Monday. “We’re not fooling around. This is a post-terrorism environment.”
Read MoreMonroe Georgia Police Officer Sam Harrison Suspended After Comment That He “Bagged Me A Smart Ass Nigger”
June 30th, 2008
MONROE, GEORGIA - A racial slur caught on tape has resulted in a Monroe Police Department officer being placed on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
“The City of Monroe and the Monroe Police Department in no way condones or accepts the derogatory comment made by the officer,” MPD Chief Keith Glass said. “The proper disciplinary actions will be taken in regard to this incident.”
No formal complaint has been filed by Christopher Wilburn, the subject of the racial slur. He was expected in court Friday on charges of disorderly conduct and driving on a learner’s permit without a licensed driver in the car.
The incident took place May 18 during a traffic stop. Officer Sam Harrison, who has been with the department for a year and has no blemishes on his record, according to Glass, did not directly use any derogatory comments toward Wilburn. Instead, officials said, the comment was made during a personal conversation that took place more than an hour after the arrest and was inadvertently recorded while the officer was looking through the tape for a car tag number.
Read MoreGeorgia Runs Out Of Money, Closes Diversion Centers - Low Cost Facilities Closed, Leaving Few Alternatives To High-Dollar Prison Incarceration
June 30th, 2008
ALBANY, GEORGIA - Georgia judges can no longer sentence defendants to diversion centers that aimed to rehabilitate criminals by keeping them out of prison.
Because of budget cuts, the Georgia Department of Corrections shut down six centers including this one in Albany. They served as middle-ground between prison and probation. Offenders held jobs during the day and had to report back to the facility each night.
The President of the Council of Superior Court judges told us that judges liked having the diversion center option, but he admits they were underused.
“Any time that the state cuts back on any sentencing option for judges, we typically are not in favor of it. Simply because it gives us another alternative,” said Judge Stephen Goss, Dougherty County Superior Court.
Judge Goss says one problem with Albany’s diversion center was that defendants were required to pay room and board, but often didn’t have the money to do so.
Read MoreClinch County And Homerville Georgia Judge Berrien Sutton Quits In Disgrace Amid Federal Criminal Investigation Into $500,000 Fraud Scheme
June 30th, 2008
HOMERVILLE, GEORGIA - Monday was the last day on the job for a Homerville Judge. Berrien Sutton served as the juvenile court and state court judge in Clinch County.
He resigned amid a federal criminal investigation and an ethics complaint by the Judicial Qualification Commission. The Commission charged him with seven misconduct violations but dropped them when Sutton agreed to resign.
Federal prosecutors say Sutton and his wife collected more than $500,000 in illegal fees for doing minimal or no work in positions created by former Judge Brooks Blitch.
They want to seize a house they say the Suttons built with that money. No word yet on who will replace him. Appeared Here
Atlanta Georgia Police Stalk Critical Mass Bike Riders After Atlanta Journal-Constitution Article Appears- Our Tax Dollars At Work
June 30th, 2008
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - After many months of peaceful coexistence, Atlanta police decided to pursue and ticket the monthly Critical Mass bike ride.
While other cities have had much more confrontational episodes between police and Critical Mass, Atlanta has usually been a very hospitable town for this loosely organized pro-bicycle demonstration. After an article about Critical Mass appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution after last month’s ride, there was a sudden, visible shift in APD policy.
A phalanx of police was waiting for the riders at Centennial Olympic Park and dogged them all the way through Midtown, Virginia-Highlands, Little Five Points, and the Old Fourth Ward for an hour. While things didn’t get particularly ugly between police and the Mass this time, the sudden interest of the law may mark the beginning of the end of a long-standing friendly (and peaceful) coexistence.
Hall County Deputies Scott Sugarman And Chris Farmer Go Into A Home And Shoot Man’s Dogs For No Reason - Sheriff’s Department Doesn’t Have A Problem With This
June 27th, 2008
HALL COUNTY, GEORGIA - Hall County sheriff’s deputies were looking for Clyde Jess Reeves III when they walked into a Baker Road home Monday morning, but the beloved dogs of the suspect’s uncle greeted them at the front door.
Franklin Reeves, a 58-year-old Baker Road resident, says he does not know why deputies thought they needed to shoot at his three boxers — killing one and injuring another — but Maj. Terry Conner, commander of Administrative Services for the sheriff’s office, said the two deputies were protecting themselves.
Deputy Scott Sugarman and Cpl. Chris Farmer were looking for Franklin Reeves’ nephew when they walked in Reeves’ mobile home through an open front door at about 8 a.m. Monday morning, according to reports.
Clyde Jess Reeves III, wanted on an aggravated assault charge for stabbing his girlfriend in the leg, was not at the Baker Road residence. Reeves also was wanted on another state arrest order.
Read MoreBibb County Georgia Deputy Sheriff Robert Moran Fired For Stealing Money From High School Band Program
June 26th, 2008
MACON, GEORGIA - For the second time in two weeks, a Bibb County sheriff’s deputy has found himself on the other side of the law.
The sheriff’s office announced Wednesday that a deputy was terminated following an investigation of a possible theft totaling more than $2,000 from the Westside High School band program.
Robert Moran, 41, who volunteered as president of the school’s Band Boosters, was arrested Monday and charged with felony theft by taking in connection with the incident, sheriff’s office spokesman Lt. George Meadows said.
He was released on $3,400 bond from the Bibb County jail, where he worked as a corrections officer, and fired the same day.
A tentative trial date has been set for July.
Deputy Jiwana Daquare Green, 30, who is also assigned to the corrections division, was arrested June 12 on charges of misdemeanor marijuana possession following a traffic stop by Macon police for a burned out headlight and cracked taillight.
Read MoreMother Of Jailed Richmond County Deputy Sheriff Lindon Haworth’s Child Molestation Victim Speaks Out As State And County Drag Their Feet
June 25th, 2008
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - A Richmond County deputy is on the other side of the law. Lindon Haworth is in jail charged with child molestation. He’s accused of kissing a 14-year-old girl last June.
The victim’s family says the long wait for his arrest is an injustice and today the victim’s mother spoke exclusively to News 12.
The family says they are speaking out because they don’t want another victim to face such a long wait “Frustration, disappointment in the justice system because I do have a child who has been terrified for over a year.” says the girl’s mother who did not want to be identified in order to protect her daughter.
It’s been 54 full weeks or 381 long days since her daughter first came forward to say she was molested inside the Haworth’s home.
Read MoreCordele Georgia Chief Public Defender Timothy L. Eidson Indicted By Federal Grand Jury For False Statements And Obstruction
June 22nd, 2008
CORDELE, GEORGIA - A federal grand jury has indicted the chief public defender in Cordele on charges he made false statements and obstructed an investigation.
According to the indictment handed down Wednesday, Timothy L. Eidson asked a judge in April 2007 to delay a drug case involving his wife so that it wouldn’t interfere with him getting the chief public defender job. Eidson’s wife was facing a felony cocaine charge.
Eidson told federal investigators later that he made the request to the judge because he was concerned with his wife’s rehabilitation. Eidson said he plans to plead not guilty at a Monday hearing.
The indictment is part of a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe into allegations of illegal behavior by judges and attorneys in a south Georgia judicial district.
Former Fulton County Georgia Judge D. William Garrett And Forsyth County Deputy Sheriff Russell Garrett Indicted On Federal Human Trafficking Charges
June 18th, 2008
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - A former magistrate judge, his son — who is a sheriff’s deputy — and the deputy’s wife have been indicted on charges of human trafficking, United States Attorney David Nahmias’ office said Wednesday morning.
D. William Garrett, 72, a former Fulton County Magistrate Judge; his son, 43-year-old Russell Garrett who is a Forsyth County Sheriff’s Department Deputy; and the deputy’s wife, 42-year-old Malika Garrett, have all been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of human trafficking, alien harboring, witness tampering, and making false statements, Nahmias’ office said.
According to prosecutors, the Garretts convinced an Indian national to come to the United States in January of 2003 under the false impression that she would be Russell and Malika Garrett’s nanny. The Garretts allegedly stopped paying the victim for her work as a nanny and threatened her freedom if she refused to work for them.
“This case is an example of alleged domestic servitude of a nanny brought over from India,” Nahmias said. “This type of abuse is insidious, as it preys on those who are vulnerable due to their immigration status and unfamiliarity with the United States legal system.”
Read MoreHolly Springs Georgia Adds Fuel Surcharge To Speeding Tickets
June 18th, 2008
HOLLY SPRINGS, GEORGIA - The surging price of gasoline has come to this: a “fuel surcharge” on your next speeding ticket.
Drivers caught speeding in this north Atlanta suburb soon will have to pay an extra $12 — to cover $4-a-gallon gas costs for the police officers who stop them.
The City Council passed the fee hike, effective July 1, to offset fuel prices that have eaten up nearly 60% of the police department’s 2008 fuel budget, Police Chief Ken Ball says.
He expects the fee increase, which applies to all moving violations and can be rescinded if gas prices fall below $3 a gallon, to generate $19,500 to $26,000 a year for the town of 7,700.
Ball says he was seeking ways to maintain patrols despite record high gas prices. “I was hearing that Delta (Air Lines), pizza deliverers, florists were adding fuel charges to their services, and I thought, why not police departments?” he says.
Read MoreSuspended Atlanta Georgia Police Officer Wayne Longe Indicted On Sexual Assault Charges - Finally, After 4 Years
June 13th, 2008
ATLANTA, GEORGIA — Atlanta police officer Wayne Longe is accused of sexually assaulting a woman he’d arrested for public drunkenness. The Fulton County Grand Jury indicted him Friday afternoon.
The case has been going on for four years — ever since a woman claimed Longe arrested her for public drunkenness, drove her to a nearby park and raped her.
Longe’s attorney said that sex did happen but that it was consensual.
The grand jury did not indict Longe on rape charges but it did indict him on charges of sexual assault on a person in custody and violation of oath of office.
Longe’s attorney, Jackie Patterson, told WSB-TV Channel 2 his client would be found innocent. “We will certainly assert that sex did occur, there’s no dispute on that. But she was not in custody and obviously it was not rape because he was not indicted on that charge,” said Patterson.
The Atlanta Police Department released a statement that said, “The Atlanta Police Department is in full cooperation with the District Attorney’s Office. We do not condone any behavior associated with these allegations. These allegations are against everything our department stands for and will be dealt with swiftly and appropriately.”
Longe is currently on administrative leave. He was being held in the Fulton County Jail on $50,000 bond.
Read MoreAtlanta Georgia Police Officers To Be Punished, Possibly Fired, For Covering Up Officers Child Pornography Case
June 13th, 2008
ATLANTA, GEORGIA — Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington said he’ll discipline three employees, including an internal affairs commander, for their roles in covering up for an officer’s spouse who is accused of making child pornography.
Pennington said Wednesday that the employees could be fired and that the highest-ranking officer, Major Cerelyn Davis, has been demoted to lieutenant and removed as commander of the Office of Professional Standards.
The other employees are Sgt. Tonya Crane and senior crime analyst Randolph Ory.
Crane is married to Terrill Marion Crane, who was indicted last November on federal charges of producing child pornography involving him and young girls.
Tonya Crane has been on administrative leave since her husband’s arrest. Appeared Here
Bibb County Georgia Deputy Sheriff Jiwana Daquare Green Arrested, Charged With Drugs And Traffic Offenses
June 12th, 2008
MACON, GEORGIA - Macon police arrested a Bibb County sheriff’s deputy assigned to the Corrections Division just after 1 a.m. Wednesday following a traffic stop near the intersection of Eisenhower Parkway and Macon Tech Drive.
Jiwana Daquare Green, 30, was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana and several traffic charges, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
Green has been employed with the sheriff’s office for three years.
Green was pulled over by Macon police officers for traffic violations in his personal vehicle, according to the release. Green’s traffic violations included driving with a suspended registration, no front headlights, no tag light and no proof of insurance.
Chief Deputy David Davis said Green has been suspended with pay pending the results of an internal investigation.
Macon police spokeswoman Sgt. Melanie Hofmann said a woman, Janna Keion Green, 29, also was in the car and was arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession.
Read MoreDeKalb County Georgia Deputy Sheriff Derrick Yancey Kills Mystery Man He Claims Killed His Deputy Wife - Of Course, There Were Not Witnesses
June 11th, 2008
DEKALB COUNTY, GEORGIA - The DeKalb County sheriff’s deputy who told police he was forced to shoot and kill a man inside his home Monday afternoon, after the man killed his wife, had known his wife since they were high school sweethearts.
Derrick Yancey, 46. told police he was inside his Stone Mountain home with his wife of 17 years, Linda Yancey, 44, when a man he didn’t know shot and killed the woman he met in 11th grade.
“She was in 9th grade and he was in 11th grade when they met,” DeKalb Sheriff Thomas Brown said at a press conference Tuesday.
Brown said the incident shook the sheriff’s department, where both Yanceys worked. Derrick Yancey is a 17-year-veteran deputy whose job was to transport inmates around the state. Linda Yancey had worked for the department for 13 years, first in the county court and most recently as intake officer in the juvenile court.
Read MoreFormer Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell Mislead Federal Officials To Enter Drug Rehab That Would Have Cut His Prison Sentence By 4 Months
June 11th, 2008
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - Former Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell misrepresented testimony and persuaded the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to stretch its policy to mind-boggling extremes to get into a substance-abuse program that would have shaved four months off his sentence, according to recently unsealed court documents.
Campbell, serving a 30-month sentence for tax evasion, graduated from the 500-hour residential rehab program. His “certificate of completion,” awarded Dec. 7, 2007, acknowledges Campbell’s “effort toward his personal growth.”
The former mayor was moved into a halfway house earlier this year and, as credit for taking the program, was going to get an early release.
But when federal prosecutors in Atlanta caught wind of it, they protested vigorously and asked that Campbell be re-evaluated. After a combative interview with Campbell on Feb. 28, a prison administrator revoked Campbell’s substance-abuse designation allowing his early release.
Read MoreAtlanta Georgia Police Covered Up Police Officer Terrill Marion “T.C.” Crane’s Child Sex Crimes
June 11th, 2008
Former Major Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington announced Wednesday that he is disciplining three employees, including the internal affairs commander, for their roles in covering up a sex crimes investigation involving one of their spouses.
Pennington said the employees could be fired, and that the highest-ranking officer, Maj. Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis, has already been demoted to lieutenant and removed from her post as commander of the Office of Professional Standards.
The other employees are Sgt. Tonya Crane and senior crime analyst Randolph Ory. Crane is married to Terrill Marion “T.C.” Crane, who was indicted in November 2007 on federal charges of producing child pornography involving him and young girls. Ory is a close friend and former roommate of T.C. Crane.
Read MoreAtlanta Georgia Police Pursuit Results In Teen’s Death, Another’s Injury, And Property Damage As Car Crashes Into Home
June 2nd, 2008
ATLANTA, GEORGIA — An 18-year-old man was killed and one other injured when a stolen car being chased by police plowed through a home in northwest Atlanta early Monday morning.
The car caused heavy damage to the home at 1515 Bolton Rd. Firefighters used support jacks to shore up the house before the car was pulled out. The crash knocked out several major support beams and the house was in danger of collapsing.
Police said Bryant Frazier, 18, was inside the car was killed. A second was injured and was taken to a hospital. Neighbors said they saw a third person climb from the car and run from the scene.
The incident began when the car was stolen in southwest Atlanta. Police near Bolton Rd. spotted the car and tried to pull it over, but the driver sped off.
Read MoreFired Bryan County Georgia Detention Officer Joshua Nelson Arrested, Showed Up With Condoms And Roses For Sex With 14 Year Old Girl
June 2nd, 2008
WALTON COUNTY, GEORGIA - A southeast Georgia man has been arrested and charged after police said he drove to Walton County to have sex with a 14-year-old girl.
Loganville police arrested Joshua Nelson, 23, after an online undercover investigation.
Police said Nelson had several sexual online chats with a detective he thought was a 14-year-old girl. Investigators waited for Nelson in Loganville after he drove from Midway, Ga., according to authorities. Police said Nelson brought a dozen roses and a box of condoms with him and they believe he intended to have sex with the girl.
Authorities said Nelson was terminated as a detention officer in Bryan County six months ago.
Chief Michael McHugh told Channel 2 his department is seeing more and more cases like this one.
“It’s completely beyond me why they continue to do this knowing we are, and not only us, but other agencies are actively investigating these types of crimes. And we intend to continue,” said McHugh.
Read MoreFormer Atlanta Georgia Police Officer Daniel Betts Pleads Guilty To Extortion - Exposed Amid Investigation Into Botched Shooting Which Left Innocent 92 Year Old Woman Dead
June 2nd, 2008
ATLANTA, GEORGIA — A former police officer pleaded guilty Thursday to taking cash payoffs from the owner of an apartment complex in exchange for special protection.
The extortion was revealed during the investigation into another embarrassing incident for Atlanta police: the fatal 2006 police shooting of an elderly woman in a botched drug raid.
Daniel Betts, who resigned from the police force Wednesday, pleaded guilty to one federal count of interfering with interstate commerce by means of extortion under color of official right.
Betts admitted taking payoffs from the owner of the complex, which functions as a rehabilitation facility for recovering drug addicts. Prosecutors said he took $120 a week from the apartment owner over at least a four-month period last year.
Betts, 26, told U.S. District Judge Julie Carnes he didn’t know his conduct was illegal at the time, but he does now.
Read MoreFormer Senoia Georgia Police Officer Charles Patrick Morgan, Charged With Robbing Motorists, Does The Right Thing And Kills Himself
May 30th, 2008
CARROLL COUNTY, GEORGIA - An ex-police officer who had been arraigned in March on charges that he’d been taking money from Hispanic males during traffic stops was found dead at his home in Carroll County Thursday.
Charles Patrick Morgan, 40, had been charged with robbery, three counts theft by taking, and violation of oath by a public officer.
A spokesperson for the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office said the office is assisting the coroner’s office in a death investigation. No foul play is suspected. The cause of death appears to be a possible overdose, though police aren’t willing to speculate whether it was accidental or intentional.
The Carroll County spokesperson said Morgan’s body has been sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s crime lab for an autopsy.
Morgan, who was an officer with the Senoia Police Department and formerly a Newnan officer, was arrested Oct. 10 after Coweta law enforcement conducted a sting operation and discovered he was taking money during traffic stops.
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 MoreAtlanta Georgia Police Officer Arthur Tesler Sentenced To Just 4 1/2 Years In Prison After Lying About Botched Police Raid That Killed Innocent 92 Year Old Woman
May 23rd, 2008
ATLANTA, GEORGIA — An Atlanta police officer has been sentenced to 4 years and six months in prison for lying to investigators after a drug raid ended in the death of a 92-year-old woman.
Superior Court Judge Michael Johnson also sentenced Arthur Tesler on Thursday to six months of probation.
The officer must serve 450 hours of community service.
Kathryn Johnston died in a hail of bullets after narcotics officers burst into her northwest Atlanta home on Nov. 21, 2006, using a special no-knock warrant to search for drugs.
The 42-year-old Tesler was convicted Tuesday of making false statements. Two other officers have already pleaded guilty and Tesler was the only officer to go to trial. Appeared Here
Disgraced Former Atlanta Georgia Police Officer Arthur Tesler Testifies About Lies In Police Cover-Up After Botched Drug Raid And Innocent 92 Year Old Woman Killed With 39 Shots By Officers
May 14th, 2008
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - A former Atlanta police officer on trial for a botched drug raid that led to the death of a 92-year-old woman said Wednesday he went along with a cover-up because he felt threatened by his fellow officers.
Former Atlanta police officer Arthur Tesler’s trial began Monday. Other officers cut deals.
Arthur Tesler testified in Fulton County Superior Court that he was instructed by two other officers after the shooting to memorize a cover-up story that they had witnessed an informant buying drugs at the home of Kathryn Johnston.
But during often tearful testimony, Tesler said he eventually decided to cooperate with federal investigators because he “couldn’t take it anymore.”
The Rev. Al Sharpton, who was sitting in the courtroom, called the testimony “chilling.”
Tesler is charged with lying in an official investigation, violating his oath as an officer and false imprisonment.
Read MoreAtlanta Georgia Police Officers Lying To Obtain Search Warrants Lead To Botched SWAT Raid On Innocent 92 Year Old Woman’s Home, Her Death, And Immediate Cover-Up By Atlanta Police
May 10th, 2008
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - A former Atlanta police officer testified Thursday that narcotics officers routinely lied under oath when seeking search warrants - a practice that led to police killing a 92-year-old woman.
Former Detective Gregg Junnier told a Fulton County jury that detectives would tell judges that they had verified their informants had bought cocaine from dealers by searching them for drugs before the buy took place.
“I have never seen anyone searched before they go into the house “I’ve never seen that done” even though officers always swear to it,” Junnier said. “It’s done that way in 90 percent of the warrants that are written.”
But it wasn’t just lies to get the warrant to search Kathryn Johnston’s home that made Junnier uneasy, he said. He had an inkling something was wrong when he and Officer Jason R. Smith were leading the narcotics team to the front door. He said the northwest Atlanta house differed from the informant’s description.
Read MoreAtlanta Georgia Municipal Court Judge Andrew Mickle Arrested, Charged With Drunk Driving After Wreck
May 10th, 2008
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - An Atlanta Municipal Court judge was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence last month after getting into an accident with another motorist on his way home from a restaurant, according to police and his attorney.
Judge Andrew Mickle, 58, did not cause the March 24 accident near Oakland Cemetery in southeast Atlanta, but admitted to a police sergeant that he had “one too many drinks” after police and others smelled alcohol on his breath, according to an Atlanta police report.
Mickle did not return a phone call seeking comment, but had his defense attorney, Steve Weiner, respond to questions.
“He’s very upset,” Weiner said of the arrest. “He’s taking it very seriously. He clearly understands the seriousness of the charge. Being a judge, it clearly troubles him that he’s in this situation.”
Read MoreClayton County Georgia Police Chief Jeff Turner’s Son Arrested, Charged With Burglary In Henry County - Stopped After Home Invasion, Loot From Earlier Burglary Found In His Car
May 6th, 2008
HENRY COUNTY, GEROGIA - The 17-year-old son of Clayton County’s police chief was arrested Wednesday and charged with felony burglary, Henry County police said.
Brandon Turner, son of Clayton Chief Jeff Turner, was arrested after Henry County police were called to a report of a McDonough home invasion. Looking for suspects, officers stopped Brandon Turner, who was driving a car with four passengers, police spokesman Jason Bolton said
Brandon Turner was found not to be involved in the robbery but had items in his car from a burglary the previous week, police said. Bolton said officers found DVDs labeled with the name of the victim of the April 24 break-in.
More than 100 DVDs, jewelry, a camera and other items were stolen from a home at 157 Crown Walk in McDonough, Bolton said.
Brandon Turner lives near the residence, officials said. Witnesses said three males were seen near the home between 7 and 8 p.m. April 24.
Read MoreFormer Pirchard Alabama Police Officer Jason Hardy Hunt Loses Appeal, To Serve Prison Sentence After Lying About Attack On Man
May 5th, 2008
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - A federal appeals court has upheld the conviction and 10-month sentence of an Alabama police officer for lying about a prisoner injured during arrest.
A federal judge sentenced Jason Hardy Hunt, who was a narcotics detective in Prichard, Ala., to five months in prison and five months home detention.
James Woodard became agitated and argued with officers March 22, 2005 when he was detained, searched and then released. Officers tried to arrest him after he cursed and threatened them, and Hunt threw Woodard to the pavement, injuring his head.
Hunt reported that Woodard grabbed him first, and repeated the falsehood to an FBI agent almost a year later.
On appeal, Hunt said the evidence was insufficient to convict him of deliberate falsehood and that the 10-month sentence was excessive. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed in an opinion filed Monday.
Veteran Atlanta Georgia Police Officer Edward L. Rabb Charged With Rape And Sodomy Of His Neighbor
May 2nd, 2008
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - An Atlanta police officer has been arrested in Clayton County and charged with raping a neighbor who went to his home to use his shower, police said.
Officer Edward L. Rabb, 27, turned himself in at Clayton police headquarters Wednesday to face charges of rape and sodomy, Clayton police spokesman Tim Owens said.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges during a court appearance Thursday, Owens said.
Rabb, a 5-year police veteran, acknowledged to police that he and the woman had sex but said it was consensual, Owens said.
The neighbor, a 30-year-old woman, told police Rabb called her shortly after midnight on April 23 and asked her to come over and watch a movie, according to the police report.She countered by asking him if she could use his shower because she had no hot water, the report said.
Read MoreMan’s Conviction Reversed After Georgia Bureau Of Investigation Agent Testifies About Events He Didn’t Witness
April 21st, 2008
PUTNAM COUNTY, GEORGIA - The Georgia Supreme Court of Georgia unanimously reversed a lower court ruling Monday morning and ordered a new trial for a Putnam County man.
The state’s highest court found that the Court of Appeals erred by upholding the admission of opinion testimony by a GBI agent who did not witness events that led to the man’s arrest.
According to a case file summary, here’s what happened:
In 2003, Eatonton police officer Noel Hawk stopped Nathaniel Bly after witnessing Bly’s truck weaving across the center line. Evidence at trial showed that Bly cursed the officer when asked for his license and insurance card.
Read MoreTrial To Begin For Atlanta Police Officer Arthur Tesler For Cover Up In Shooting And Killing Of 92 Year Old Woman In Botched Police Raid - Cops Planted Drugs In Woman’s Basement After Killing Her
April 21st, 2008
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - Jury selection is scheduled to start in the case of an Atlanta police officer who is charged in the cover-up of the police killing of a 92-year-old woman.
Arthur Tesler was one of the officers on the scene as Kathryn Johnston was shot during a surprise raid on her house based on wrong information that cocaine was stored there. Some officers tried to cover up the crime by planting drugs in Johnston’s basement.
Tesler is charged with making a false statement to an investigator, violating his oath of office and unlawful imprisonment. He is the only officer involved with the raid who opted for a trial and faces a possible 15-year sentence.
Tesler’s lawyer William McKenney says his client was in the backyard when the shooting took place and was not involved in the cover-up.
Read MoreSecond Cochran Georgia Police Officer Morris Ross Arrested, Quits, Charged In Child Molestation Case - Officer Brent Powell Arrested Last Week
April 18th, 2008
COCHRAN, GEORGIA - A second Cochran police officer now faces charges in connection with a child-molestation case.
According to Gary Rothwell, Agent in Charge of the GBI’s Perry office, Morris Ross, turned himself in to the Wilcox County Sheriff’s Office this morning. He is charged with enticing a child and interference with custody.
He said these charges are related to the same case in which former Pineview Police Chief and Cochran Police Officer Brent Powell was arrested last week.
Ross, age 29, is not charged with molestation in the case.
According to Cochran Police Chief Jon Thrower, Ross has resigned from the Cochran Police Department. He had previously worked as a part-time officer in Pineview in Wilcox County. Ross was processed at the jail and released on $6,000 bond.
Thrower said Brent Powell was released from the Dooly County jail on $51,000 bond on April 11.
Read MoreFormer Barrow County Alabama Deputy Sheriff David Jason Gaub Indicted On Child Pornography Charges
April 16th, 2008
BARROW COUNTY, ALABAMA - Former Barrow County sheriff’s Deputy David Jason Gaub was indicted on 20 counts of sexual exploitation of children Friday by a called Barrow County grand jury.
Gaub, who worked as a road patrol deputy, was arrested in October after a three-month probe by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office found he had multiple pornographic images of children on computers at his home southwest of Winder. He was released on $50,000 bond on the condition that he not possess any computers or firearms and stay 300 feet away from any child.
No court date has been set, said Piedmont Judicial Circuit District Attorney Richard Bridgeman, but he wouldn’t comment further.
Gaub’s case is one of more than 100 that the specially called grand jury considered over two days last week to try to catch up on a backlog of cases left over from former District Attorney Tim Madison’s administration, said Bridgeman, who was appointed to Madison’s post after the longtime prosecutor resigned last spring.
Read MoreUpdate: Former Pineview Georgia Police Chief, Former Cochran Police Officer Brent Powell Charged With Child Molestation
April 12th, 2008
WILCOX COUNTY, GA - The former Pineview police chief in Wilcox County, who also has served as a police officer in Cochran, has been charged with child molestation and other crimes, authorities said.
Brent Powell, 25, was arrested Thursday during a traffic stop in Cochran, said Gary Rothwell, special agent in charge of the GBI office in Perry. Powell was released on a $51,000 bail bond Friday.
Powell also is charged with enticing a child and interfering with custody, Rothwell said.
Rothwell said GBI investigators were contacted by the Wilcox County Sheriff’s Office earlier this year to investigate an episode involving Powell and the use of force.
“This developed as a result of that,” he said.
Rothwell said the alleged molestation from this past fall involves a girl under the age of 16 years.
Powell resigned from the Pineview Police Department during the course of the GBI investigation, which is continuing.
Read MoreFormer Pineville Georgia Police Chief, Cochran Police Officer Brent Powell Arrested, Charged With Child Molestation
April 12th, 2008
WILCOX COUNTY, GA - The former Pineview police chief in Wilcox County, who also serves as a police officer in Cochran, is charged with child molestation and other crimes following an incident in 2007, according to the GBI in Perry.
Brent Powell is in court this afternoon in Wilcox County at a bond hearing. He was arrested Thursday during a traffic stop in Cochran and transported to the Dooly County jail.
Powell also is charged with enticing a child and interfering with custody, GBI special agent Gary Rothwell said.
Rothwell said GBI investigators were contacted by the Wilcox County Sheriff’s Office earlier this year to investigate an incident involving Powell and use of force.
“This developed as a result of that,” he said.
Rothwell said the alleged molestation involves a girl under the age of 16 years and happened last fall.
Read MoreLakeland Georgia Police Officer Brian King Arrested, Charged With Cocaine, Crack, And Other Drugs
April 12th, 2008
LAKELAND, GA - Police say 25 year old Brian King was arrested for possession of powder cocaine, crack cocaine and other drugs just outside Homerville last night.
King lives in Homerville and is a police officer in nearby Lakeland. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says King will be charged with four counts of possession of drugs with the intent to distribute them.
“Well, I was a little bit mad about it because when you’re trying to be a law officer you’re supposed to be drug free and everything,” says Lakeland resident James Lamardent.
Lakeland police chief Robbie Grantham tells us King has been let go from the department. The chief says this kind of behavior will not be tolerated.
Appeared Here
Forest Park Georgia Police Officer Kenneth Schmidt Fired After Being Charged With Patrol Car Rape Of Female Motorist
April 11th, 2008
FOREST PARK, GA — Forest Park’s police chief explained Tuesday morning why he fired a police officer accused of rape before the case ever came to trial.
The Forest Park police received a phone call from Atlanta Medical Center Sunday morning. A woman there was reporting she had been raped by a Forest Park police officer. Ten hours later, Officer Kenneth Schmidt was in jail, charged with sexual assault, sodomy, and rape.
Forest Park Police Chief Dwayne Hobbs immediately called the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The GBI’s preliminary investigation laid out a timeline: in the early morning hours Officer Schmidt pulled over the woman, issued several citations and had her car towed. At that time, he maintained radio traffic and kept the dashboard camera in his cruiser rolling.
GBI investigators said the alleged rape occurred later in the back of his patrol car when he was driving her home.
Read MoreFulton County Georgia Police Officer Gregory Graham Arrested, Suspended, Charged With Child Molestation, Incest, And Drugs
April 11th, 2008
ATLANTA, GA - A Fulton County police officer is on unpaid administrative leave after he was arrested at his home in Sharpsburg.
Lt. John Lewis with the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office tells WSB’s Jennifer Griffies they began an investigation of 34-year-old Gregory Graham after getting a call about possible sexual abuse involving a 15-year-old girl.
“In any case like this, it’s terrible. It’s disappointing that it’s a law enforcement officer. He’s not going to be treated any differently; actually, he should be held to a higher standard,” said Lewis.
Graham, who is in jail without bond, has been charged with three counts of child molestation, two counts of incest, one count of statutory rape, and possession of anabolic steroids.
Gwinnett County Georgia Police Officer Kevin Brandle Beats Drunk Driving Charge After Refusing Breath Test, And Is Suspended And Removed From Undercover Drug Task Force
April 11th, 2008
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA - A Gwinnett County police officer may have beaten a drunken driving charge, but his supervisors didn’t let him off the hook.
Cpl. Kevin Brandle, 31, has been suspended without pay for three days, according to an internal investigation file obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution through an open records request.
“In my opinion your behavior and actions reflect poorly both on you and the department, show a lack of good judgment and have caused other police officers and members of the public to question the moral and ethical values of this department,” Maj. Dan Bruno said in a Feb. 27 note indicating his intention to suspend Brandle.
Brandle is scheduled return to work Wednesday. Prior to his arrest, Brandle was an undercover drug investigator in the Special Investigation Section. He will not return to that assignment following the suspension, according to Cpl. Valerie Southard, spokeswoman for the Gwinnett County Police Department.