Cops and the women they abuse: May 2013

convicted of attempted murder

Leopold McLean a New York City cop once assigned to Mayor Bloomberg’s elite security detail was convicted of attempted murder yesterday for shooting his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend outside her Queens apartment.

Brian C. Smith, a Chattanooga cop faces a charge of domestic assault after he reportedly strangled his wife during an argument Sunday, according to a Chattanooga police incident report.

Worcester cop has been charged with domestic assault and threatening to kill his wife, according to the The paper reported that Kenneth Erickson, 48, was arraigned Friday in Central District Court after police said he assaulted his wife and threatened to burn down their Maravista Road house.

Cop Sentenced To Six Years In Prison

According to Highland County Prosecutor Anneka P. Collins, cop Timothy E. Carvera will serve six years in a state prison after pleading guilty to a second degree felony of burglary. He burglarized his former wife’s house, , used a sledge hammer to bust down the door and stole Victoria’s Secret Lingerie valued at over $300.

charged with soliciting sex

Lake County Ill. sheriff's deputy charged with soliciting sex Deputy Sheriff Eric Francke, has been arrested after an investigation into two men accused of forcing a woman into prostitution led to him. He is charged with soliciting sex and obstructing justice.

police chief charged with domestic violence,

Officer and son of coastal Ala. police chief charged with domestic violence, placed on leave
BAY MINETTE, Alabama —Clarence Crook IV was arrested Friday on charges of third-degree domestic violence. His father is Bay Minette Police Chief Clarence Crook III. The younger Crook is also a police officer and has been placed on administrative leave. He was jailed on $ 2,500 bond following his arrest.

Baltimore police officer charged with pimping wife

A31-year-old Baltimore Police officer was charged Friday with pimping out his wife after officers from a human trafficking task force found him outside a hotel room where the woman had agreed to have sex for cash with an undercover officer.

The child recovery task force was working a proactive investigation into human trafficking when they came across a "young-looking female" advertised as an escort on a website, police said. Officers arranged to meet the female at a hotel near BWI airport, court records show.

Inside the hotel room, a woman identified by police as Marissa Braun-Manneh told an undercover officer that she would have sex for $100, and she was placed under arrest, charging documents show.She said that her husband, Lamin Manneh, was waiting outside in a car, and that she gives him her money and he drives her from "date-to-date," according to court records. She also said that he posts the online ads using his credit card. Police said Manneh acknowledged his role in an interview with detectives, records show.

Elena Russo, a state police spokeswoman, said both husband and wife were charged because they appeared to be "working as a team."

Manneh, of the 2400 block of Marbourne Ave. in Baltimore, is an officer assigned to the Baltimore Police Department's Eastern District. State police said he was suspended without pay and that the city police internal affairs would investigate.

"This allegation is a disgrace and embarrassment to every member -- both current and retired -- who serve with the Baltimore Police Department," Baltimore's Deputy Police Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez said in a statement. "We expect every member of this department to hold themselves to the highest professional standards. Our colleagues and our community deserve nothing less."

Manneh was charged in Anne Arundel County District Court with one count each of human trafficking and prostitution, and was released on his own recognizance by a District Court commissioner, records show. Braun was charged with one count of prostitution and also released on her own recognizance.

worst of the month

The worst case is from Bolivia, North Carolina. According to the complaint filed by a minor’s guardian ad litem, a police officer, Jaymin Lenwood Murphy, came to a home to investigate allegations that an adult had sent inappropriate photos via cell phone to a minor child. The officer said he needed to question the minor in private. Once in private, the officer had the minor remove her clothing so he could take photos for his ‘investigative file.’ It gets worse. The officer later returned on minor’s fourteenth birthday and raped her.

The runner-up story comes from Bakersfield, California. A 21-year-old woman called the police to report a burglary. Two deputies arrived and one led her into a room where she was then sexually assaulted under the pretense of a ‘pat-down’ search by the deputy. The authorities did move promptly against this deputy–so good for them.

Another cop involved in domestic abuse

Columbia, Missouri: A state highway patrol trooper is on administrative leave after being arrested last week on a domestic assault charge. He got into an altercation with his wife. ow.ly/kKRx8

Woman Shot by Fmr. Agawam Police Officer Shares Her Story

AGAWAM, Mass. (WGGB) – One year after being accidentally shot in the face Britteney Miles shares her story.
On May 5, 2012, the Agawam resident called 911 after she thought someone was breaking into her apartment. It turned out to be her boyfriend.
“If I had known it was my boyfriend I would have never called the cops. I would have went to the front door and opened it,” said Miles.
Miles was shot as she was at the door to meet the police.
“I walked over to open the door and before I could get my door open, she fired her gun and it went through the door and hit me in the face,” said Miles.
She was pregnant and holding her two-year-old daughter at the time. She didn’t know she was shot until an officer told her what happened.
“They had me laying on the ground and I was still bleeding,” said Miles.
The whole time she adds the focus was on her children.
“I was afraid they were gonna go to DSS or a foster home and I was gonna die and my kids aren’t gonna know what happened to me,” said Miles.
Britteney has scars on her chin and neck. She is still in pain and worries about going out in public.
“Anything could go wrong, any moment and it makes if difficult to be out doing things,” said Miles.
The officer who shot her was Danielle Petrangelo. She was cleared by the District Attorney of any criminal wrong doing, but is no longer with the department.
Miles may testify at a jobs status hearing for the former officer in October.
Meantime, her attorney Bruce Milikian is reviewing the police findings and medical reports to determine if civil action should be taken.
“In this particular case, while there was no criminal wrong doing, doesn’t mean there wasn’t wrongdoing,” said Milikian
For Miles, every day is astruggle as her anxiety continues to get worse and the pain is a constant reminder of that terrifying morning. “Anything could go wrong at any moment and it makes it difficult to be out doing things,” she says.
A hearing is set for October for Officer Petrngelo to determine her job status. Miles may be testifying about what happened during the shooting.
We reached out to the Agawam Police Department for comment, but have not heard back.

Franklin woman accused of attacking officers is victim of police brutality

FRANKLIN TWP. — A 50-year-old Franklin Township woman has been accused of attacking two police officers while she was being arrested last week for hindering the apprehension of her son, according to court papers.
But an activist group is claiming Deborah A. Thomas is the victim of police brutality and excessive force, alleging a police officer body-slammed her and repeatedly punched her in the face and body.
Authorities said they visited Thomas’ Park Street home at about 8:20 p.m. on April 23 after being told Thomas’ son had committed a sexual assault.
Thomas told authorities her teenage son wasn’t home and demanded they produce a search warrant before checking her residence, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release.
While a search warrant was being obtained, officers saw the son exit a second-floor window and climb onto a roof above the first floor, the prosecutor’s office said. Officers entered the home and brought the teen back inside through the window, according to the prosecutor’s office.
When officers were escorting the son down a staircase, Thomas removed a cell phone from her son’s pocket, according to an affidavit filed today in Superior Court. An officer grabbed her arm and told her to hand it over, according to the affidavit.
While authorities were later executing the search warrant, they told Thomas she was under arrest for hindering apprehension, the affidavit states. But, the prosecutor’s office said, she “refused to comply with officers’ orders.”
As they attempted to handcuff her, Thomas kicked Franklin Police Officer Brian Quigley and punched Jeffrey VanderGoot, a detective with the prosecutor’s office, the affidavit states. Thomas also tried to bite VanderGoot, the affidavit states. She was ultimately subdued and placed under arrest, authorities said.
Thomas was charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, resisting arrest and hindering apprehension. She was released after posting bail.
But a different version was presented in a statement released Monday by the “Creating Our Own Leaders” organization, or C.O.O.L. The statement identifies Thomas as a “cancer patient” and a member of the non-profit organization, which is based in the Franklin and New Brunswick areas.
The C.O.O.L. statement claims Thomas’ son asked a police officer if his mother could have the cell phone and the officer gestured for her to take it. But as Thomas attempted to do so, another officer tackled her, “dragging her across the floor onto the couch,” the statement reads.
Soon after, police officers rushed into her home and began searching, according to the group's statement. Thomas repeatedly asked to see a warrant, but no officer could produce one, the statement reads.
When Thomas questioned why an officer was going to her bedroom, “the officer then picked Mrs. Thomas up and body slammed her down, repeatedly punching her in the face and body as Mrs. Thomas screamed for him to stop and repeatedly telling the officer she was a cancer patient and he was hurting her,” according to the C.O.O.L. statement.
According to its website, C.O.O.L. was “created as a response to an outcry for help from local communities that has been devastated by violence and lack of leadership.”
Capt. Jack Bennett, spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, declined to comment on the C.O.O.L. statement.

City Police Officer arrested for harassment placed on leave

A member of the Watertown City Police Department has been placed on leave following an arrest by State Police. Thirty one year old Jonathan Pitts of LaFargeville is accused of a December incident involving his estranged girlfriend and a four year old child. He is charged with second degree harassment and endangering the welfare of a child. Pitts was arraigned and released. He has reportedly been placed on leave from the city police department as a result of the arrest.

Taunton cop arrested in Middleboro prostitution case

Taunton Police Officer Joshua D. Acerra was recently arrested in a Middleboro prostitution investigation.

MIDDLEBORO —

A rookie cop who in 2009 created a firestorm of controversy — resulting in the early retirement of then Taunton Police Chief Raymond Oberg — has been implicated in a Middleboro case involving a heroin-overdose death and allegations of pimping out his girlfriend.
Joshua D. Acerra, 30, whose last known address is 40R Shores St., was arrested last Friday night by Middleboro police inside the Days Inn hotel, 30 East Clark St.
He was charged with deriving support from prostitution, conspiracy to commit a crime and possession of Class A controlled substance. Cops said they confiscated three baggies of heroin with a street value of less than $200.
Acerra was unable to post $1,040 bail that night, despite making several phone calls, cops said. He was arraigned Monday in Wareham District Court and held in lieu of $1,000 bail.
Court records also indicate Acerra was held without bail for up to 60 days, after previous bail was revoked in connection to three open cases out of Taunton District Court. Charges there include felony breaking and entering, assault and battery, malicious destruction of property over $250 and larceny.
Police said they also arrested Acerra’s 24-year-old Taunton girlfriend, Tarah Ellis, of 74 Blueberry Lane, for prostitution and conspiracy. She was released Monday on $250 bail and will be arraigned in Wareham on May 15, the same day Acerra is scheduled for a pretrial hearing.
Both Acerra and Ellis allegedly told cops they were addicted to heroin.
Police said they suspect Acerra was pimping out his girlfriend, who they say was turning trick, or soliciting sex for a fee, in the Middleboro area via ads on a website called Backpage.com.
Ellis, according to police, indicated that she resorted to prostitution “around six months ago” due to her drug addiction.
Middleboro Detective Sgt. Joe Perkins said the arrests stemmed from a four-day investigation that started on April 22, after police received a 3:15 a.m. 911 call of a medical emergency in a room at the Holiday Inn Express at 43 Harding St.
When they arrived, police said they found a man who appeared to have died of a heroin overdose. They also found Acerra and Ellis, who allegedly indicated that they had called 911 after sharing heroin with the deceased.
Neither were arrested at the time, Perkins said, because of the state’s so-called Good Samaritan Law — a statute that precludes cops from arresting anyone, notwithstanding the presence of narcotics, who calls 911 to report a possible drug overdose.

Police subsequently determined that a meeting had been arranged between Ellis and the overdose victim, who Perkins described as an Idaho man temporarily living at the hotel while doing contract work for a phone company.
Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Russell Eonas said there is no criminal investigation into the death of the unidentified man.
Perkins said an investigation by Detective Kristopher Dees into escort services listed on Backpage.com turned up a woman calling herself Jenna, whose appearance in her ad matched that of Ellis.
Police said they suspected Ellis and Acerra were operating their own prostitution ring under the guise of an otherwise legitimate escort service. A Lakeville detective, who collaborated with Middleboro and state police, called Jenna on Friday and arranged a meeting at the Days Inn.
The detective wore an audio transmitter. Despite the transmitter not working to full capacity, the officer managed to arrest Ellis without incident.
As officers stood in the hotel room, they noticed a woman with a man they identified as Acerra walking in the hallway. The police report notes that they made sure to pat down Acerra, with the foreknowledge that he had once been a Taunton cop.
Acerra allegedly had an Apple iPhone4 that rang when police dialed the number for “Jenna.” Police said he initially said it was his phone, then said it belonged to his wife.
In March 2009, the Taunton City Council fired Acerra after five weeks of testimony as part of a disciplinary hearing, after police determined he provided false information on employment and firearms applications. At the time he was fired, Acerra had been a cop for less than a year and was on paid administrative leave.
Instead of quietly resigning, Acerra provided blockbuster testimony implicating his former boss. He claimed Oberg tried to force him to resign as retribution for his having told two “professional standards” officers that Oberg had divulged sensitive information to City Clerk Rose Marie Blackwell.
That information allegedly involved a warning to Acerra to steer clear of a supposed marijuana drug house in East Taunton. As a result, Oberg was placed on paid leave and eventually took early retirement, while Blackwell was suspended with pay for a short time.
Since then, Acerra has been arrested a number of times for various misdemeanors and felonies but has yet to serve any jail time.
Email Charles Winokoor at cwinokoor@tauntongazette.com.

A city police officer faces charges following a domestic dispute

Watertown, New York: A city police officer faces charges following a domestic dispute involving his ex-girlfriend that allegedly happened. “Obviously, we take these things seriously, but there is a presumption of innocence,” the mayor said. The officer has been put on administrative leave. ow.ly/kE6lg