Durham, North Carolina: An internal investigation has found
that a former police cops accused of beating a woman during an arrest at a
party used excessive force. A news release said the department had “taken, and
continues to take, any allegations of misconduct seriously, and works
deliberately to ensure that all complaints are thoroughly investigated, and
appropriate action is taken when needed.” ow.ly/i7gTt
Irwindale, California: A former police sergeant and two
current officers are the subject of criminal investigation – two for alleged
sexual improprieties and one for the alleged theft of hundreds of thousands of
dollars, officials confirmed. The police chief, in reference to the sexual improprieties
allegations, said, “We took this matter very seriously. As soon as the
allegation was brought to our attention the employee of concern was placed on
administrative leave and we immediately launched an administrative
investigation.” ow.ly/i1HhN
Atlanta, Georgia: A former state trooper who was accused of
causing a crash that killed a woman and injured three others has been indicted
by a grand jury. He has been charged with vehicular homicide, reckless driving,
and violating his oath as a public officer. ow.ly/i98rf
Cop Arrested
For Meeting Up With Hookers In Wendy's Parking Lot
Last night, the NYPD
revealed that police officer Luis Gutierrez was "was arrested and
charged...within the confines of the 114th precinct" for official
misconduct, conspiracy, and patronizing a prostitute. It turns out Gutierrez
was nabbed on Thursday at the meeting place with the hookers—a parking lot of a
Wendy's on Northern Boulevard. According
to the Post, "Gutierrez, a married father, was off-duty when he
met up with his would-be paramours — but was in uniform and on duty when he
allegedly arranged the rendezvous the day before, sources said." A source
said, "He was on patrol with another cop and he was talking to the girls
in Spanish." It's also suspected that at least one of the hookers
"may have been police informants and ratted out the law-enforcement
lothario, prompting an Internal Affairs Bureau investigation." Guiterrez,
who joined the force in 2001, is
suspended without pay.
HAVERHILL — A Haverhill police officer who was demoted in
2004 and nearly lost his job is being held without bail on charges of stalking
his estranged wife and the man she is dating.
Patrolman Victor “Manny” Pellot was arrested by state
police Wednesday night after he allegedly chased the couple through the city in
his personal vehicle, confronting them at one point, and then continuing the
chasing on Interstate 495.
Pellot’s wife and the man she is dating told a state
police investigator that at one point during the chase, Pellot stopped his car
in front of their car on Main Street, blocking them in. They said Pellot then
walked to the side of their vehicle and punched the side view mirror, while
yelling at his wife.
The chase continued onto I-495 south, police said. After
the couple called 911 to report they were victims of “road rage,” a state
trooper told them to drive to the Methuen Police Department to report what had
happened, police said.
Pellot, 50, of Haverhill was arraigned on two counts of
stalking yesterday in Newburyport District Court, where he pleaded not guilty
to the charges.
Assistant District Attorney Nathaniel Sears asked Judge
Peter Doyle to hold Pellot until a hearing on Monday where a judge will decide
whether he should continue to be held as a danger to society or be released
pending a probable cause hearing.
Pellot’s lawyer, Douglas Louison of Boston, objected. He
said there were conditions of release that would ensure the safety of the
public.
Louison said Pellot surrendered his gun and his police
identification to Haverhill police Wednesday night, and that his father would
turn in his license to carry a firearm to Haverhill police following
yesterday’s hearing. Pellot’s parents and his brother were in the courtroom
yesterday.
“He is a Haverhill police officer with a 29-year
unblemished record,” Louison said, noting Pellot’s wife declined taking out a
restraining order against him.
In fact, Pellot was demoted to patrolman and suspended
for a year in 2004 by Mayor James Fiorentini after police Chief Alan DeNaro
sought to fire Pellot for being present in uniform in 2002 and 2003 during
illegal drug sales at his cousin’s house.
Pellot returned to work as a patrolman in September 2005.
In June 2007 the Civil Service Commission began hearings on appeal of his
suspension. Pellot asked the commission to reinstate his sergeant’s rank and
return back pay lost because of the mayor’s 2004 decision to suspend him for a
year and demote him. Pellot said previously he knew nothing of the drug deals
at his cousin’s home and was there only to keep an eye on a troubled family
member. In May 2008 the commission upheld Pellot’s suspension and demotion.
Yesterday, the judge ordered Pellot held without bail
pending a dangerousness hearing Monday. The judge also issued Pellot a 60-day
warning, meaning if he gets in trouble with the law while his case is pending,
he can be held up to 60 days without bail. Doyle also ordered Pellot to stay
away from his wife and the man she is dating.
“Holding him for three days seems extraordinary,” Louison
said.
Following the hearing, Louison told The Eagle-Tribune
that charges against a police officer are routinely heard before a judge in a
court other than the one officers usually appear in as part of their job. He
was referring to the case being heard in Newburyport court. Louison said Pellot
was placed on administrative leave by the Haverhill Police Department as of
Wednesday night.
David Van Dam, Mayor James Fiorentini’s chief of staff,
said Pellot has been suspended without pay pending the disposition of his court
case.
According to a police report, Pellot and his wife of 24
years have been separated since September 2011 and are in the process of
divorcing.
During an interview conducted at the Methuen Police
Station, Pellot’s wife told State Police Lt. Paul Zipper that she began dating
a Merrimack, N.H., man in July of last year and that since then Pellot
confronted them four times.
She said that in once instance, the man dropped her off
at her job in North Andover and Pellot suddenly appeared and began yelling at
her. In another instance, she said she was being dropped off at her home in
Haverhill after a date when Pellot pulled up behind their car. She said they
drove to the Haverhill Police Station and Pellot followed them. She said that
when they got to the station, Pellot approached their car and yelled at them.
“At this time, an unidentified Haverhill police officer
intervened and pulled Manny away from the vehicle as he was attempting to get
at (the boyfriend) who had locked his vehicle,” Zipper wrote in his report.
The latest incident occurred Wednesday about 6 p.m., when
Pellot allegedly chased the couple through Haverhill and onto the highway,
ending when the couple drove to the Methuen Police Station to report what
happened.
Zipper wrote in his report that Pellot also sent
harassing text messages, made phone calls to both individuals and left several
threatening voice mails, including one to his wife in December in which he
said, “I am going to kill you.”
Victor Pellot was questioned at the Haverhill Police
Station Wednesday night and then arrested on the stalking charge. He was taken
to the Newbury State Police Barracks, where he was fingerprinted, photographed
and processed without incident, according to Zipper’s report. Pellot was held
on $10,000 cash bail pending his arraignment yesterday in Newburyport District
Court.
Pellot has been commended several times during a career
that began in 1985. He is credited with running into a burning building on
Winona Avenue in January 2000 and saving the life of an 83-year-old woman. He
also was part of a team of officers that ended two armed standoffs without
firing their guns. He was promoted to sergeant in 1999, becoming the city’s
first Hispanic superior officer.
Del. police officer charged with bigamy
The Wilmington Police Department has arrested one of its
own officers, Wilbur Justice, 45, and charged him with bigamy and forgery.
Justice, of Wilmington, Del., was arrested as the result
of an internal investigation that began Feb. 6, according to a press release by
the department.
At the time, the Delaware Alcohol Tobacco Enforcement
agency notified police that a background investigation revealed Justice was
married to two women at the same time.
The investigation showed that Justice was first married
in August 2008.
However, authorities say he submitted a marriage
application in 2012 stating he was not married. The marriage to his second wife
took place on September 1, 2012.
Justice had been a Wilmington Police Officer for three
years and is in the Uniformed Services Division.
Justice was taken into custody without incident at home
on Wednesday. He is suspended without pay pending the result of the
investigation.