Fairfax County Supervisor John W. Foust: Reward moral cowardice...send John Foust to Congre...
Fairfax County Supervisor John W. Foust: Reward moral cowardice...send John Foust to Congre...: As a county supervisor John Foust could have spoken out against the murders of unarmed, innocent citizens by the Fairfax County Police....
FAIRFAX COUNTY POLICE TO DUPLICATE EFFORTS OF THE METRO TRANSIT POLICE
FAIRFAX COUNTY POLICE TO DUPLICATE EFFORTS OF THE METRO
TRANSIT POLICE
The Washington DC Metro system is among the safest in the
world but the Fairfax County Police have decided to police the metro lines in
Fairfax County despite the fact that Metro already employees 490 officers, 64
special police and 91 civilian personnel to do police the lines.
Fairfax County’s Police chief, another grossly overpaid nameless,
faceless guy in a silly suit said “It increases our chances of arresting black
people from DC and murdering more unarmed white men, we’re really looking
forward to this, mostly because we’ll get away with it”
The chief denied that this is a waste of tax dollars that
could be used to build a second beltway or hire more teachers. “We waste money
all the time, so there must be a lot of it to waste, right?”
He also denied that there are too many police on the force
and not enough for them to do “Firstly, if there are too many cops on the force
why are there so many cops on the force? Answer me that. Second firstly, we’re
trying to balance out our unarmed kill ratio and this will allow us to murder
more black men and maybe even some of those one who don’t talk in no good English,
especially the urine colored ones”
Supervisor Gerry “Opps Dearie! Hyland, a big supporter of the police who has stood against oversight said “I just love me a
man in a uniform, I’m Gay and there is certainly nothing wrong with that but all
I can say is; it let it rain men in uniform!”
Falsely accused ‘Gentleman Groper’ can sue for false arrest
By Kathianne Boniello
A jury will get to decide the
case of a clean-cut bible-thumper who sued the city after he was wrongly
arrested for manhandling women.
Eager to solve a spate of
gropings in tony neighborhoods, the NYPD zeroed in on Karl Vanderwoude, 28,
after receiving an anonymous tip.
When detectives knocked on the
door of his Brooklyn apartment in April 2012, Vanderwoude willingly went with
them.
Vanderwoude, who bears a
striking resemblance to actual “Gentleman Groper” Paul Kraft, was then arrested
after a victim picked him out of a lineup.
The Manhattan District
Attorney’s Office later dropped the charges when Vanderwoude was able to prove
he wasn’t anywhere near the crimes. Kraft was eventually nabbed and confessed.
Plant City police officer resigns in wake of arrest
Plant City police Officer
Matthew Combs resigned Tuesday. He was arrested Sunday on a domestic battery
charge. HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE
By Dave Nicholson
PLANT CITY A veteran police
officer has resigned following his Sunday arrest on a domestic violence charge.
Officer Matthew Combs submitted
his resignation Tuesday afternoon to acting Police Chief John Borders. Combs
had been on administrative leave without pay since his arrest, police Sgt. Tray
Towles said.
Combs, 39, was arrested early
Sunday by Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputies on a charge of domestic
violence battery, officials said. He was released from jail Monday without having
to post bail, records show.
Combs was originally hired as a
Plant City police officer in September 2002. He resigned in January 2004 and
was rehired June 2005.
Former THP officer charged with patronizing prostitution near a school zone
NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) -
Former Tennessee Highway Patrol
Sergeant Daniel Threet turned himself in to Nashville's Justice Center on
Saturday morning, after being indicted on charges of patronizing prostitution
near a school zone.
Threet, of Cookeville, had been
the subject of a Metro Police investigation since early February.
Threet, 45, is alleged to have
patronized a prostitute who advertised on the Internet on Stainback Avenue on
Jan. 31.
Police say Threet drove to
Nashville in a state vehicle and dressed in full uniform for the encounter.
Police learned of the incident
during the course of another investigation.
Threet resigned from the
Tennessee Highway Patrol shortly after being placed on leave as a result of the
investigation.
His bond is set at $1,000.
Fair Bluff officer charged with peeping arrested
Donald Brian Beauchaine
A Fair Bluff police officer who
was wanted on peeping charges was arrested Monday at the Fayetteville VA
Medical Center, according to warrants.
Donald Brian Beauchaine, 38, of
the 100 block of White Oak Street in Lake Waccamaw, was charged with 10 counts
of secret peeping between April 1 and June 4, arrest warrants said.
All the incidents happened in
Beauchaine's home, according to Fair Bluff Police Chief S.A. Hyatt.
Beauchaine is accused of using
a cell phone to take pictures of a child in the bathroom "for the purpose
of arousing and satisfying his sexual desire," arrest warrants said.
The age of the child was not
given.
The warrants were issued
earlier this month, but were served on Beauchaine as he was leaving the hospital,
according to reports .
Beauchaine was suspended
without pay earlier this month.
Bail was set at $15,000.
- Nancy McCleary
The incidents allegedly
happened between April 1 and June 4, warrants said.
David Blackmer, cyberstalking cop, paid $83K after arrest
David Blackmer – the former
Seattle cop who cyberstalked his
mistress – collected more than $83,000 in a taxpayer-funded salary in the
months after his arrest, records obtained by KIRO 7 show.
That 10-month period includes the time when
Blackmer sat in jail, convicted of a gross misdemeanor. He was sentenced to 90
days.
It was late July 2013 when investigators
arrested Blackmer, saying he cyberstalked a woman by creating a Facebook
account.
Blackmer posted photos of himself having sex
with the woman – not his wife, but the one who came to came to his house to
confront him. The woman told police that she thought Blackmer was following
through with verbal threats that he would get back at her and “ruin her life.”
Blackmer pleaded guilty to felony
cyberstalking on Dec. 17 and the following month he was sentenced to 90 days in
jail. He did not lose his right to carry a gun.
In February – a month Blackmer spent in jail –
he was paid $7,817, records obtained by KIRO 7 show. Every month until May,
Blackmer was paid at least $8,000, according to those records, which were
obtained through a public document request.
In the 10 months from Blackmer’s arrest to
when he was fired from the Seattle Police Department, he collected $83,344.27,
records obtained by KIRO 7 show.
That’s at least $30,000 more than the median
Seattle household income, according to the most recent data available on the
city’s website.
And Blackmer wants his job back.
The Seattle Police Department put Blackmer on
paid administrative leave while the Office of Professional Accountability
investigated his case. By policy, the OPA investigation started after the criminal
investigation was completed.
Blackmer was fired May 5. But Blackmer has
said the firing violated his union contract that requires OPA to complete its
investigation within 180 days and he’s suing the department.
In other words, because the city didn’t fire
him soon enough Blackmer could get his job back.
Blackmer did not return multiple calls from
KIRO 7.
Police Officers Guild president Ron Smith said
Blackmer is right about the timeline and the guild will represent him in
arbitration.
Contacted Monday to ask about Blackmer’s
$83,000 salary and the potential for him to be re-hired as an officer,
spokesman Sgt. Sean Whitcomb said he had “no official response because this is
still an active personnel matter.”
Suspended officer faces new charge
GREENFIELD
– A central-Indiana police lieutenant suspended after being accused of trying
to get fellow officers to ticket his ex-wife now faces a felony charge of
promoting prostitution.
The
charge was filed Wednesday against Lt. Terry Austin of the Greenfield Police
Department after an internal investigation said it found text messages that he
offered two women $200 to have sex with him and a visiting policeman from
Florida, the Indianapolis Star reported.
The
internal investigation began after Austin, 42, of McCordsville was arrested in
April on bribery and misconduct charges for allegedly offering fellow officers
a $200 steak dinner to pull over and ticket his ex-wife.
Court
records indicate a friend who’s an officer with the Port St. Lucie Police
Department in Florida was in town visiting family when he sent Austin a text
message Jan. 13 asking whether Austin had found him a date, and Austin replied,
“I’m workn on it!!”
The
second woman told police the plan was never carried out. She said she had met
Austin through an online dating site.
Police
found no evidence the Florida officer knew Austin was offering money to the
women for sex.
Slapp'n the wife around
Former cop allegedly strangled
wife in Malta
A Saratoga County sheriff's
patrol car is parked near the property where a woman was strangled in Malta.
MALTA — A former Nassau County
police officer allegedly choked his wife of 46 years to death Friday night
during a domestic dispute at their home, law enforcement officials said Monday.
Charles L. Wilkinson, 68, of 9
Meadow Rue Place, was arrested Sunday evening for second-degree murder in the
death of Kathleen Wilkinson, 65, Saratoga County Sheriff Michael H. Zurlo said.
Zurlo said Wilkinson continued
to live in the home for more than a day following the alleged murder.
Wilkinson was arraigned Sunday
evening before Malta Town Justice James Fauci and sent to the Saratoga County
Jail in lieu of bail.
Zurlo and District Attorney
James A. Murphy III weren't commenting on the cause of death, but a felony
complaint filed with the town court indicated Wilkinson choked his wife to
death at about 10 p.m. Friday.
Wilkinson spoke at length with
investigators, though it isn't clear whether he confessed.
Murphy said police continue to
investigate to determine a motive.
Wilkinson retired from the
Nassau County Police Department in 1984, Murphy said, and then worked as a
painter. The couple moved to Malta about a decade ago. Wilkinson had worked
recently as a part-time security officer at the nearby GlobalFoundries computer
chip plant.
Responding to a request to
check Kathleen Wilkinson's welfare, Zurlo said Deputy Sean Lyons went to the
home in the quiet Luther Forest housing development about 10:30 a.m. Sunday. He
said an adult son who lives in the Boston area asked for a check at the request
of a sister-in-law who lives in the Capital Region. Wilkinson "had not
been heard from in several days," the sheriff's department said.
"The responding deputy was
greeted at the door by Charles Wilkinson. After a period of discussion at the
door Charles Wilkinson allowed the deputy to enter the residence at which time
the deputy located the body of Kathleen Wilkinson deceased on the floor of a
first-floor bedroom," the sheriff's statement continued.
The cause of death wasn't
immediately obvious, Murphy said. More may be learned after an autopsy scheduled
for Monday afternoon was performed at Albany Medical Center.
A felony complaint filed by a
sheriff's investigator in Malta town court said: "Charles L. Wilkinson did
choke the victim," and gives the time as 10 p.m. Friday.
Murphy said investigators will
be especially careful in preparing the case, given that Wilkinson is a former
law enforcement officer.
"Any time we have a former
law enforcement official it's particularly difficult," Murphy said at a
press conference. "We are confident we will sustain our burden of
proof."
There was no history of prior
domestic violence calls to police from the home, Murphy and Zurlo said.
Second-degree murder carries a
potential penalty of 25 years to life in prison.
Murphy said the case will be
presented to a grand jury once all autopsy and toxicology test results are in.
Kathleen Wilkinson worked as a
teachers' aide on Long Island, but hadn't worked since the couple moved to
Malta.
As state police forensic
investigators continued to remove evidence from the home Monday morning, a Jeep
sitting in the driveway had four flat tires. Zurlo and Murphy said they didn't
know whether the flat tires had anything to do with the crime or actions
leading up to it. "I think investigators are curious about that as well,"
Murphy said.
About a month ago, the Jeep hit
the mailbox cluster on the opposite side of Meadow Rue Place, with state police
investigating.
This weekend's alleged killing
came just two weeks after Saratoga County's last murder case, which also
appeared to be related to domestic violence.
In that case, Schuylerville
High School student Matthew J. Brown, 18, was charged with second-degree murder
for allegedly stabbing Derick K. Clark, 32, in the neck during a violent
altercation between Clark and the teen's mother and fiance, 34-year-old Heather
Brown, at their home in Schuylerville. A self-defense claim is being made in
that case.
Two murder arrests so close
together is unusual in Saratoga County, which has a generally low crime rate
and can go a full year without a murder taking place.
Deputy
on leave after abuse arrest
TERRY L. JONES
NEW ROADS — A Pointe Coupee
Sheriff’s deputy was suspended Tuesday after he was arrested the night before
for allegedly choking his wife during an argument.
Stephen Louis, 32, 607 Railroad
Ave., was booked Monday night into the Pointe Coupee Parish Jail on a count of
second-degree battery by domestic violence after his wife filed a complaint
against him with the New Roads Police Department.
Chief Kevin McDonald said
Tuesday his officers were called to the couple’s house around 11:15 p.m.
Monday.
“The officers said she had some
red markings around her neck,” McDonald said.
The couple had been shouting at
one another when Louis started choking his wife. Louis, who had just gotten off
duty from work, was still in uniform, McDonald said.
The chief said it wasn’t the
first time officers had to respond to a domestic disturbance involving the
couple, but he declined to release more details.
Louis, a deputy with the Pointe
Coupee Sheriff’s Office for approximately a year, was placed on administrative
leave without pay pending a review of city police investigation, Sheriff Bud
Torres said Tuesday morning.
“As a police officer you are
supposed to be a peace officer and you should practice that at home, too,”
Torres said. “It’s an unfortunate issue. But it’s something we won’t tolerate.”
Judy Benitez, executive
director of the Iris Domestic Violence Center in Baton Rouge, which offers
shelter and services to abused women in nine parishes, including Pointe Coupee,
said domestic abuse is not more common among law enforcement officers.
“It does seem like this type of
incident is occurring more and more with cops but that’s because when it does,
it tends to make the news,” Benitez said. “I’m not aware of any statistics that
claim this happens any more frequently than it does with any other profession.
It’s just something we tend to hear about because its the opposite of what we
think would happen (with a law enforcement officer).”
Louis makes the fourth deputy
this year Torres has suspended.
The sheriff suspended three
deputies in April because they did not follow proper protocol when they
responded to a single-vehicle crash involving a New Roads police officer.
The Louisiana State Police had
launched a probe into the incident after witnesses complained the deputies
didn’t ticket or arrest the police officer who was suspected of driving under
the influence at the time of the crash.
Normal officer charged with domestic battery resigns
Edith Brady-Lunny
criminal charges alleging
domesti… Read more
NORMAL — A Normal police
lieutenant charged with domestic battery has resigned his post.
Daniel Kelley was put on
administrative leave following a Feb. 22 incident at his Lexington home.
Kelley's resignation ends the internal investigation by the department into his
off-duty conduct.
Criminal charges filed March 6
accuse Kelley of allegedly pushing a woman to the ground and causing bruises by
hitting her.
In a statement Monday, Normal
police administration said "the investigation has concluded and Lt. Kelley
has resigned." NPD refused to
release the date or any other detail of the resignation.
Kelley did not attend a hearing
in McLean County Circuit Court on Monday on the domestic battery charge. His
lawyer, Stephanie Wong, told Associate Judge Michael Stroh that "there's
continuing discussion" between the defense and special prosecutor Lorinda
Lamken.
Wong did not disclose the
specific of the talks. She asked for one more pre-trial hearing, set for July
2.
Kelley remains free on $325
bond. As part of his release, he was ordered to have no contact with the
alleged victim.
The criminal investigation was
handled by the McLean County Sheriff's Department that has jurisdiction over
the area where the incident took place.
The 41-year-old officer turned himself in to authorities after charges
were filed.
BPD Officer Suspended For Stalking
A Boston Police Officer has
been suspended without pay for four months after following a woman in his
cruiser out of his jurisdiction and for no legal reason. Sgt. Joel McCarthy received the four month
suspension, after which he will remain on probation.
The Blackstonian would like to
draw a parallel between this case and the many cases of officer misconduct,
police brutality and the killing of civilians. In these cases officers are
rarely if ever suspended. In this case
which has been labeled “Stalking” the female victim was never touched or
physically harmed. In the cases of police brutality and death of civilians,
injuries range from bruises and black eyes, to internal organ damage and the
most severe result, death. Both
instances are abuses of power but how do we define the terms to effect a fair
scale for punishment?
There have been quick and swift
results, including suspension and termination for what I would consider
“lesser” offenses. A racially offensive email calling Black people “banana
eating jungle monkeys” is certainly less harmful than being shot in the back of
the head at point blank range. Being followed by an officer to your home is
“creepy” to say the least, but somehow it seems that an officer rupturing your
orbital socket with a flashlight or damaging your kidney with repeated blows is
far more severe.
As the City of Boston goes
through this stage of growing pains, for both the COB Administration and BPD
new brass, the most important work will be dealing with the past injustices and
breaking through the disparities in order to balance the scales and reset to
zero.
Details of an internal
investigation by the department were released on Wednesday. They found Sgt.
Joel McCarthy left his patrol district back in February to follow the victim
for miles after pulling her over. Investigators also found McCarthy looked up
her address and went to her home.
McCarthy was found to be in
violation for conduct unbecoming, traffic enforcement, and neglect of duty.
Cleveland police officer to be suspended for inappropriate behavior
CLEVELAND–He was sworn to
uphold the law, but instead, a Cleveland police officer is punished for
uploading vulgar pictures of himself to women. Investigators said he even
tracked down a woman he had given a ticket to last year.
“We look to officers to serve
and protect us, not put us in uncomfortable situations and abusing their power
to make us do things that we really don’t want to do.”
A 24-year-old woman told FOX 8
that last November she was involved in an accident on I-71 near Fulton Road.
Cleveland police officer Thomas Tewell was one of the officers who arrived at
the scene.
“At first, he was making sure
that I was ok, and then it kind of turned into flirting,” she said.
The woman said Tewell and
another officer gave her a ride back to the second district to wait for someone
to pick her up.
“I was sitting in the waiting
area and he came inside and gave me a citation, and I was like ‘why are you
giving this to me now?’ and I didn’t realize until after the fact that it was
probably just so he could get my personal information,” she explained.
In April of this year, Tewell
was charged with breaking several administrative rules.
The document says for this
incident, he “engaged in inappropriate behavior to a citizen to whom you were
issuing a traffic citation.”
It claims for two consecutive
days after the accident, he “contacted the citizen through social media, for
example Facebook, unsolicited, inviting her out to have drinks.”
“Literally the next day is when
he added me as a friend and started sending me inappropriate messages, like we
should go out sometime. I felt like he was just abusing his powers as a police
officer by making me feel like I had to go out with him if I didn’t want this
on my record,” the woman said.
The woman’s case was dismissed
when Tewell did not show up for court in November.
The charging documents also
reveal that June 30 of last year, Tewell “posted or transmitted a sexually
explicit photograph to a female.”
It says he was “advised by a
female to leave her alone after she received an unsolicited sexually explicit
photograph from you.”
Investigators said he contacted
that woman again twice in September.
“We don’t condone his behavior.
We don’t want this kind of behavior from our police officers and we’re hoping
that he learned his lesson,” said Jeff Follmer, president of the Cleveland
Police Patrolmen’s Association.
Earlier this month, Tewell was
given a 25-day suspension, without pay. We were unable to reach the officer.
City officials told FOX 8 Tewell is currently on military deployment and will
serve his punishment when he returns.
“Honestly, I don’t think that
that’s enough. I don’t think that he should be a police officer anymore,” the
woman said.
Tewell was a probationary
officer at the time of the offenses. Follmer said Tewell has been on the force
for about two or three years.
LAPD Officer Charged With Attempted Murder
INGLEWOOD — Police officers in
the United States are expected to be the first step in due process of law, but
sometimes they elect to be judge, jury, and executioner.
Officer Jose Robert Figueroa,
29, was charged on May 22 with multiple counts regarding an alleged series of
incidents with his estranged wife on May 18 at her Inglewood apartment.
According to a statement from Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie
Lacey’s office, Deputy D.A. Sam Ahmadpour said, “Figueroa was charged yesterday
in case YA090345 with attempted murder, injuring a spouse with the added
allegation that he inflicted great bodily injury, and making criminal threats.”
The arrest report charges were
listed as “inflict corporal injury,” “threatened crime with intent to injure,”
“burglary,” “false imprisonment,” “attempted murder: second degree,” and
“kidnapping.” The total bail was set at $2.5 million.
Ahmadpour reiterated the
incident in less legal-esque terms: “Figueroa went to his estranged wife’s
Inglewood apartment where he threatened to kill her and choked her until she
passed out. When she awoke, she was tied up.”
According to the D.A.’s office,
he faces life in prison if convicted of all charges.
The bail review hearing was
held on May 23 and the arraignment will be continued until June 4 at Department
5 of the Inglewood branch of L.A. Superior Court.
Buffalo police officer suspended following domestic incident in Hamburg
A Buffalo police officer was
suspended without pay pending a departmental investigation after Hamburg police
arrested him on a minor charge after a domestic argument with his wife in their
Hamburg home.
Buffalo police confirmed the
suspension but neither Buffalo nor Hamburg police would release the officer’s
name.
Queens cop charged with assaulting girlfriend: Police By Alex Robinson
An off duty NYPD officer was
arrested after he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend in his northeast Queens
home Saturday morning, police said.
Lawrence Williams, who lives
within the area covered by the 109th Precinct and works in northern Manhattan,
allegedly left scratches and bruises on his girlfriend after an altercation,
according to cops.
He was arrested at 6:35 a.m.
and charged with assault and harassment, police said.
LAPD officer charged with attempted murder allegedly choked, tied up wife
RICHARD WINTON, KATE MATHER,
JOSEPH SERNA
An LAPD officer charged with
attempted murder this week threatened to kill and then choked his estranged
wife until she passed out, prosecutors said.
Jose Robert Figueroa, 29, was
charged Wednesday with three felony counts: attempted murder, injury to a
spouse and making criminal threats, according to the Los Angeles County
district attorney's office.
If convicted of all the
charges, prosecutors said, he faces a life sentence.
Figueroa, who is being held in
lieu of $2.5-million bail, is scheduled to be arraigned June 4. A bail hearing
is set for Friday.
In a criminal complaint filed
this week, prosecutors allege Figueroa committed crimes Sunday "under
circumstances involving domestic violence."
Figueroa went to his wife's
Inglewood apartment that day and threatened to kill her, the district
attorney's office said in a statement. He then allegedly choked her until she
passed out.
"When she awoke, she was
tied up," the statement said.
The woman called authorities,
district attorney's spokesman Ricardo Santiago said, and the officer turned
himself in at LAPD's Newton station, where he was assigned.
Online jail records show he was
arrested by Inglewood police at 1:45 a.m. Monday and booked about a half-hour
later. Inglewood police did not immediately return calls or emails from The
Times.
LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith said an
internal investigation into Figueroa began immediately after he was arrested.
The officer has been removed from the field and assigned to home, Smith said.
Department records showed he
had been with the LAPD since June 2007.
Court records show the couple
married in 2006 and have a child. Figueroa filed for divorce in April, citing
irreconcilable differences.
Figueroa's wife spoke to
KTLA-TV about the allegations, saying her husband tried to strangle her. She
told the television station that she reported the alleged attack to set a
strong example for her son, who is 6.
Boston Police Officer Suspended for Allegedly Stalking Woman
By Zeninjor Enwemeka
A Boston Police officer has
been suspended for allegedly stalking a woman while on duty, WBZ reports.
Details of an internal
investigation by the department were released on Wednesday. They found Sgt.
Joel McCarthy left his patrol district back in February to follow the victim
for miles after pulling her over. Investigators also found McCarthy looked up
her address and went to her home.
McCarthy was found to be in
violation for conduct unbecoming, traffic enforcement, and neglect of duty. He
has been placed on an unpaid suspension for four months and will then be on
probation.
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The victim told WBZ that she’s
“happy he’s going to be off the streets,” but questioned whether the four-month
suspension was an adequate punishment.
Trooper charged with bribery, misconduct
DANVILLE — An Illinois state
trooper has been charged with bribery and official misconduct for allegedly offering to buy another police
officer dinner in exchange for giving his ex-girlfriend a ticket, according
to a complaint filed Friday in Vermilion County Circuit Court.
Keith Lumsargis, a 13-year
veteran of the state police, was charged with two counts of bribery, a Class 2
felony, and two counts of official misconduct, a Class 3 felony, according to
Vermilion County State's Attorney Randy Brinegar.
His bond was set at $100,000,
and his preliminary hearing is set for June 5 at 2:30 p.m. Lumsargis posted
bond and was released from the Vermilion County jail on Friday.
Brinegar said Lumsargis was
arrested Thursday night in Vermilion County by state police but would not
disclose exactly where or under what circumstances and would not provide any
other details about the case against Lumsargis, 44, who lives in Westville.
According to court documents
filed by Brinegar's office, Lumsargis allegedly promised on May 16 to buy
Tilton Police Officer Ryan Schull a steak dinner in exchange for issuing
Lumsargis' ex-girlfriend, Mary Bailey, a traffic citation, and on May 22,
Lumsargis again offered to buy Schull a dinner when Schull had previously
indicated he had issued the ex-girlfriend a ticket.
A call to state police seeking
comment on the charges was not returned, but the state agency issued a news
release Friday stating that Lumsargis was taken into custody without incident
after an investigation by the Illinois State Police Division of Internal
Investigation. The division received a complaint and acted immediately by
launching an internal investigation into the matter, the news release stated.
Lumsargis was relieved of duty,
pending the outcome of the investigation and court proceedings, according to
state police.
ISP Director Hiram Grau said
through a statement in the news release that abuse of law enforcement authority
will not be tolerated, and no police officer is above the law.
"This officer abused his
authority but is not a reflection of the hard working men and women of this
agency who risk their lives on a daily basis to serve the public and Illinois
communities." Grau said.
Suspended officer’s trial continued
Alex Green
Suspended Carroll Township
police Officer William Windnagel’s trial was continued for a second time this
week.
He was granted more time
because he recently switched attorneys, according to his new attorney, Tom
DeBacco.
Windnagel is set to stand trial
in July on a domestic violence charge.
Last November, Ottawa County
deputies were called to Windnagel’s Oak Harbor home, where they found his
then-girlfriend partially clothed and hysterically crying, according to a
deputy’s report.
She told deputies Windnagel
forcefully held her against a couch, demanding to know who she had told about
his extensivepornography collection. A USB drive containing Windnagel’s
pornography was sent to a Toledo crime lab for analysis, the deputy’s report
said.
Investigators
determined the pornography was legal because it did not contain content of minors,
only adults pretending to be children.
Ottawa County Detective Amanda
Cross said the subjects of the pornography acted childish by holding teddy
bears or wearingschoolgirl outfits. Technology at the crime lab was able to
determine the subjects were not children, Cross said.
Windnagel’s original attorney
recently came under fire for allegations of harassment. The victim said the
attorney repeatedly showed up to her workplace, asking her to drop the charges,
according to a Port Clinton police report.
DeBacco said he’s unsure if
this is why Windnagel changed attorneys.
“They were lifelong friends,”
DeBacco said. “They couldn’t work the case out, and (Windnagel) wants to fight
(the case)”
Windnagel is on unpaid leave
with the Carroll Township police department.
Police Chief Jody Hatfield said
he will let the trial play out before any decision is made regarding
Windnagel’s employment. His trial is slated for July 10.
Cop arrested for assaulting wife, stepson
Submitted by MPD
Maricopa Police officers
responded to the 40000 block of West Hall Court for a domestic dispute at 4:02
a.m. Sunday. Once officers arrived on scene, they spoke to the victim, a
43-year-old, white female. The victim, wife of a Maricopa Police officer,
explained she was pushed by her husband, Officer Joshua Boyd, causing her to
fall to the floor and injure her right wrist.
It was also learned her
14-year-old son was assaulted by Boyd while trying to protect his mother. Both
sustained minor injuries and were treated and released on scene.
The 41-year-old Boyd also took
a broom and began striking a separation gate until it was bent and
non-functional. Once the gate was damaged, Boyd took the broom and bent it over
his knee, breaking it.
Boyd was arrested and booked in
the Pinal County jail on charges of Aggravated Assault, Assault, Disorderly
Conduct and Criminal Damage.
Alcohol is considered a factor
in this case. Boyd will be placed on paid administrated leave pending an
internal investigation. Boyd has been with the Maricopa Police Department since
2007 and is currently assigned to state’s stolen vehicle task force.
Fall River cop on sick leave arrested on assault charges in Swansea
On brink of termination
hearing, Eduardo Raposo quits the police force. Fall River police lieutenant
has retired in the wake of his recent arrest in Swansea, where he is accused of
assaulting his wife and waving a handgun in the air during a domestic dispute
last week.
Eduardo Raposo, 56, of 5
Kensington Court in Swansea, is currently being held without bail. He appeared
Monday for a dangerousness hearing in Fall River District Court, but Judge
Gilbert Nadeau said he would delay until Wednesday a ruling on whether to hold
Raposo without bail for 90 days.
Raposo, a 26-year member of the
Fall River Police Department who was most recently assigned to the department’s
records division, is charged with carrying a firearm while intoxicated, and
assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
After learning of Raposo’s
recent arrest — which is at least the third occasion in which Raposo was
criminally charged during his law enforcement career — Fall River Police Chief
Daniel Racine said he immediately suspended Raposo’s license to carry a firearm
and began the process for a termination hearing.
“To say I am disturbed about
this latest incident would be a gross understatement,” Racine said. “The
conduct detailed by the Swansea Police Department is disturbing and will not be
tolerated by the Fall River Police Department.”
Racine added that the Fall
River Retirement Board notified him on May 15 that Raposo had retired effective
immediately, removing Raposo from the Fall River Police Department’s purview of
rules, regulations and disciplinary procedures.
“However, his criminal charges remain
in full force and effect, and we will monitor the case and assist Swansea
police and prosecutors if requested,” Racine said.
On May 14, around 9:30 p.m.,
Swansea police officers responded to a report of domestic violence at Raposo’s
home. There, the officers said they saw Raposo’s wife crying hysterically and
running down the house’s driveway. She was accompanied by her son, who was
armed with a pipe he said he grabbed for self-defense, according to court
documents.
Raposo’s wife and her son told
police that Raposo, who had been recently out of work on sick leave, was
drinking heavily that day. They said Raposo kicked a bathroom door into his
wife, causing her to fall to the floor, and then began waving his gun in the
air, according to court documents.
While being interviewed,
Raposo’s wife begged the police officers not to arrest Raposo, and said several
times that she was scared he would lose his pension and shoot himself,
according to court documents.
“He kicked me but he didn’t
mean it. ... Please, we will just leave,” Raposo’s wife said, according to
court documents.
Des Moines officer accused of assaulting former girlfriend pleads guilty after making deal
DES MOINES, Iowa — A
33-year-old Des Moines police officer accused of assaulting his former
girlfriend has made a plea deal.
Cody
Grimes pleaded guilty to fourth-degree criminal mischief. Prosecutors dismissed
a charge of domestic assault in return for Grimes' plea. Online court records
say Grimes was fined $1,000 on Wednesday.
Grimes was charged with
assaulting his former girlfriend on Dec. 27. The woman told officers that
Grimes grabbed her by her jacket and
threw her down some stairs at his home. She also says he grabbed her and threw
her against a door.
He's been on paid leave since
the allegation was made. A police spokesman, Sgt. Jason Halifax, says Police
Chief Judy Bradshaw hasn't made a decision on Grimes' punishment within the
department.
S.F. officer avoids probation in restraining order case
Vivian
Ho
A
San Francisco police officer was sentenced Friday to 27 days in a work program
for repeatedly violating a domestic violence restraining order filed on behalf
of his ex-girlfriend.
Richard Soares, 31, avoided being put on
probation or placed under a new protective order, which could have impacted his
ability to carry a gun, but Police Chief Greg Suhr said he would seek the
officer's termination.
Soares
was convicted May 7 of nine counts of violating a protective order. He was
acquitted of more serious charges of assault and dissuading a witness.
The
case stemmed from an incident with his then-girlfriend near a Union Square
nightclub on Jan. 7, 2012. Prosecutors said the couple had been attending a
birthday party but stepped out to argue.
On
Geary Street, prosecutors said, the girlfriend hit Soares with her handbag
several times, and in response, he shoved her to the ground, causing her to
suffer a 1-inch cut on the back of her head.
According
to court documents, Soares told a responding officer that his girlfriend was
drunk and fell.
He
was charged the next month, and a protective order was issued ordering him to
have no contact with the woman. However, he continued to live with the
girlfriend and initiated chats with her on a computer game, "Words With
Friends," for the next nine months.
Prosecutors
filed nine counts of violating a protective order against Soares, one for each
month. Testifying at trial, he said there were "gray areas" when it
came to policing, especially regarding restraining orders.
"You
are also taught that there's letter of the law and spirit of the law," he
said, in response to a question about whether he knew that protective orders
remained valid, no matter the actions of the protected party.
"So
if we were to enforce every law that was ever on the books, we wouldn't be able
to cross the street," Soares testified. "Basically what I'm saying is
we are trained that there are certain things that you do enforce and there are
certain things you don't enforce."
Work
program
Superior
Court Judge Richard Ulmer sentenced Soares to three days in the sheriff's work
program for each of the nine counts. He was not sentenced to probation, nor was
a protective order issued for the victim.
"This
sentence was over our objection," said Alex Bastian, a spokesman for the
district attorney's office.
Teresa
Caffese, Soares' attorney, said the sentence was fair in a case in which jurors
found no domestic violence occurred.
"Unfortunately,
because of the district attorney's complete abuse of power and overreaching,
they charged Officer Soares with several counts of violating this restraining
order," she said. "The jurors had to vote the way they did, even
though they said they found the order unlawful.
"This
man was innocent," Caffese said. "The real tragedy is that you can't
correct the 2 1/2 years of resources that have been used to pursue a case with
absolutely no merit."
Beverly
Upton, the executive director of the city's Domestic Violence Consortium, said
she was disappointed in the leniency of the sentencing.
"Clearly
the jury recognized the crimes committed and their impact on public safety and
the public trust," she said.
In
an unusual move for a case involving alleged crimes outside work, the San
Francisco police officers' union sent an e-mail to the private addresses of its
members, encouraging them to attend Soares' sentencing hearing - while off duty
and out of uniform.
"We
want a quick probation so we can assist him with reinstatement," said the
e-mail, a copy of which was provided to The Chronicle.
Union
officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Seeking
termination
Soares
was suspended without pay for the duration of his trial. Chief Suhr noted that
his employment will be determined by the city's Police Commission, but said,
"I will be asking for termination."
Suhr
said, "I'm very clear on this. If my officers get convicted on something
like this, that's that."
He
called Soares' testimony about enforcement of restraining orders
"ridiculous," but added, "Out of an abundance of caution, we
will make sure in our roll call training that it's perfectly clear that
everyone understands what a restraining order is."
Richard
Soares, 31, avoided being put on probation or placed under a new protective
order, which could have impacted his ability to carry a gun, but Police Chief
Greg Suhr said he would seek the officer's termination.
Soares
was convicted May 7 of nine counts of violating a protective order. He was
acquitted of more serious charges of assault and dissuading a witness.
The
case stemmed from an incident with his then-girlfriend near a Union Square
nightclub on Jan. 7, 2012. Prosecutors said the couple had been attending a
birthday party but stepped out to argue.
On
Geary Street, prosecutors said, the girlfriend hit Soares with her handbag
several times, and in response, he shoved her to the ground, causing her to
suffer a 1-inch cut on the back of her head.
According
to court documents, Soares told a responding officer that his girlfriend was
drunk and fell.
He
was charged the next month, and a protective order was issued ordering him to
have no contact with the woman. However, he continued to live with the
girlfriend and initiated chats with her on a computer game, "Words With
Friends," for the next nine months.
Prosecutors
filed nine counts of violating a protective order against Soares, one for each
month. Testifying at trial, he said there were "gray areas" when it
came to policing, especially regarding restraining orders.
"You
are also taught that there's letter of the law and spirit of the law," he
said, in response to a question about whether he knew that protective orders
remained valid, no matter the actions of the protected party.
"So
if we were to enforce every law that was ever on the books, we wouldn't be able
to cross the street," Soares testified. "Basically what I'm saying is
we are trained that there are certain things that you do enforce and there are
certain things you don't enforce."
Work
program
Superior
Court Judge Richard Ulmer sentenced Soares to three days in the sheriff's work
program for each of the nine counts. He was not sentenced to probation, nor was
a protective order issued for the victim.
"This
sentence was over our objection," said Alex Bastian, a spokesman for the
district attorney's office.
Teresa
Caffese, Soares' attorney, said the sentence was fair in a case in which jurors
found no domestic violence occurred.
"Unfortunately,
because of the district attorney's complete abuse of power and overreaching,
they charged Officer Soares with several counts of violating this restraining
order," she said. "The jurors had to vote the way they did, even though
they said they found the order unlawful.
"This
man was innocent," Caffese said. "The real tragedy is that you can't
correct the 2 1/2 years of resources that have been used to pursue a case with
absolutely no merit."
Beverly
Upton, the executive director of the city's Domestic Violence Consortium, said
she was disappointed in the leniency of the sentencing.
"Clearly
the jury recognized the crimes committed and their impact on public safety and
the public trust," she said.
In
an unusual move for a case involving alleged crimes outside work, the San
Francisco police officers' union sent an e-mail to the private addresses of its
members, encouraging them to attend Soares' sentencing hearing - while off duty
and out of uniform.
"We
want a quick probation so we can assist him with reinstatement," said the
e-mail, a copy of which was provided to The Chronicle.
Union
officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Seeking
termination
Soares
was suspended without pay for the duration of his trial. Chief Suhr noted that
his employment will be determined by the city's Police Commission, but said,
"I will be asking for termination."
Suhr
said, "I'm very clear on this. If my officers get convicted on something
like this, that's that."
He
called Soares' testimony about enforcement of restraining orders
"ridiculous," but added, "Out of an abundance of caution, we
will make sure in our roll call training that it's perfectly clear that
everyone understands what a restraining order is."
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