Brutal And Violent Assaults By Los Angeles California Police Officers Under Investigation – One Dead Victim – All On Video And All But Ignored Until Now

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – Three violent altercations caught on tape involving Los Angeles Police Department officers have rekindled the long-running debate about LAPD use-of-force and are shaping up to be a significant test for Chief Charlie Beck.

All three incidents occurred during seemingly routine calls that inexplicably turned violent. Several weeks ago, a cellphone video showed four police officers tackling a 20-year-old Venice skateboarder whom they said was resisting arrest. One officer struck him in the face.

Then this week, videotape emerged in which two LAPD officers were shown slamming a handcuffed woman to the ground in the San Fernando Valley before appearing to give themselves fist bumps. The woman, a nurse who was pulled over for holding a cellphone while driving, suffered bruises to her face and body.

But the most serious incident came to light late Thursday, when LAPD officials revealed that a woman had died during a confrontation in July outside her South L.A. home. Police said the woman had come to a police station to drop off her children because she said she could not take care of them. Police returned to her house to arrest her on suspicion of child endangerment.

“Each incident is disturbing,” said Police Commission member Richard E. Drooyan on Friday. “In each of these cases, we are talking about different places in the department with different races and genders involved.”

Beck spent Thursday night going across the city and talking to officers about the incidents.

“I was in the field last night and visited half a dozen police stations,” he said. “I looked hundreds of police officers in the eye as I discussed their responsibilities. I have faith in them.”

Beck said all the cases were under investigation but stressed that he does not believe they point to a larger systemic problem within the department.

“I am very concerned about several of these incidents. I am not concerned about the overall quality or character of the Los Angeles Police Department,” he said. “There are 10,000 LAPD officers who do a phenomenal job in very difficult circumstances every day. We have literally over a million enforcement contacts a year. Some of them don’t go that well, and there’s a variety of reasons.”

Accusations of excessive force – particularly those caught on tape – have been a major issue at the LAPD dating back to the 1992 beating of Rodney King and including the 2007 May Day melee at MacArthur Park in which officers used force on protesters as well as some journalists.

Drooyan said he wanted the commission to look at the three new cases to determine whether there were any patterns or “cultural issues” within the department that needed to be addressed.

“We’ve had a relatively calm period since I came on the commission two and half years ago, and I have seen nothing to suggest a cultural issue,” he added.

Connie Rice, a longtime L.A. civil rights attorney and LAPD watchdog, said the key thing to watch now is how the department investigates the cases.

“For me, it’s never that the incidents happen, it’s the response to the incident,” Rice said. “It’s endemic to policing that there are violent confrontations. For the LAPD, the old default was excessive use of force. The question is how far they are in their transformation away from excessive force being the norm: Do I see movement away from that? Yes, at the top they’ve definitely changed. Do we still have a long way to go, oh yeah.”

Rice said she has faith that Beck will take the incidents seriously. “There’s a real investigation…. It would be the opposite 25 years ago. There would be no investigations, there would be exonerations.”

Appeared Here

US Justice Department Targets Sacramento California Public Library e-Book Program Because Blind People Can’t See – Already Broke Library System Now Faces Having To Spend Thousands To Make Lawyers Happy

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – The U.S. Justice Department says it has reached a settlement with the Sacramento (California) Public Library over a trial program the library was conducting that let patrons borrow Barnes and Noble NOOK e-book readers.

DOJ and the National Federation of the Blind objected to the program on grounds that blind people could not use the NOOK e-readers for technological reasons.

The Justice Department said the settlement is aimed at stopping discrimination: “Emerging technologies like e-readers are changing the way we interact with the world around us and we need to ensure that people with disabilities are not excluded from the programs where these devices are used,” said Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez in a news release.

A DOJ official told CNSNews.com it interviewed a woman who could not participate in the library’s e-reader program due to her disability and concluded that the program had violated the ADA.

Amy Calhoun, an Electronic Resources Librarian at the Sacramento Public Library who helped launch the ebook reader project, said she was unaware of any objections from a blind person regarding the program. “I have not heard of a specific complaint directly from a patron,” she told CNSNews.com. “But I do know that patrons who are part of the statewide Braille and talking-book program do get in touch with us for audio books.”

The Sacramento Public Library Authority, which operates 28 libraries, partnered with the book store chain to provide at least one NOOK e-book reader to each of its libraries, pre-loaded with roughly 20 books in all genres.

The library describes the program as a “pilot project,” and it requires patrons to fill out a feedback survey as the program works through its initial stages.

But the Justice Department says a state or local government program that excludes people with disabilities violates the ADA, regardless of whether it is a “pilot” program.
As part of the settlement agreement, the Justice Department directed the library system to purchase at least 18 e-readers that are accessible to the blind, something that comes in the midst of budget cuts that have forced Sacramento libraries to implement one employee furlough day each month for two years.

The library says it will add iPod touch and iPad devices, which read e-books aloud with a computerized voice.

Adding the Apple devices could cost the library anywhere from $3,582 with the purchase of 18 of the most inexpensive iPod Touch models, to $14,922 if they wish to provide the high-end version of the iPad, which cost $829 a piece.

According to an article posted on NFB’s website, while e-books “are an especially exciting development” for blind readers, Nook’s “bookstore, desktop software, mobile software, and dedicated hardware reading devices are all inaccessible to blind users.”

The settlement agreement also directs the library not to buy any additional e-readers that exclude blind or disabled people; and it requires the library system to train its staff on the requirements of the ADA, the DOJ said.

“We are pleased that the Sacramento Public Library Authority worked so cooperatively to adopt measures that will allow patrons with disabilities to avail themselves equally of the library’s programs and services,” said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California, Benjamin B. Wagner.

Appeared Here

US Secret Service Pisses Away Tax Dollars Investigating Victoria Texas “Pray For Obama” Sign

VICTORIA, TEXAS – The Secret Service is looking into a sign posted in Victoria, Texas.

The sign says “Pray for Obama”, but it’s the scripture quoted below those words that is raising eyebrows: Psalms 109:8.

Psalms 109:8 reads, “Let his days be few, and let another take his office.”

Milton Neitsch Jr., who has lived in Victoria since 1961, says he didn’t intend for people to pick up on the hateful wishes of death and pain surrounding the tiny verse.

But some people say it is hateful and inappropriate. They say it misuses the holy scripture and it must come down.

Neitsch recently received an email from a friend and decided to post it on his advertising billboard along North Navarro Street. He had no idea the firestorm of controversy it would create.

“Pray for the president. He needs it,” said Neitsch.

When asked what the sign means, Neitsch responded, “Exactly what it says. Hope he’s gone soon and somebody different takes his place.”

Reverend Amy Danchik started a petition demanding Neitsch take down the sign. They’ve since met and Neitsch and agreed to replace the billboard.

“He shared with me a little about some of the threats that have come at his family, which is incredibly inappropriate, and in no way helpful and in no way how we’re called to react when we disagree with somebody,” said Danchik. “So I hope that those stop. I hope that people will react with the graciousness that he has reacted with and leave his family alone.”

Neitsch says he is also getting plenty of support. He said he might replace the sign with something like, “Vote for the American”, a sign that would no doubt stir emotion, while leaving the word of God to the experts.

Code enforcement in the City of Victoria says they don’t review the content of signs. They said they would only get involved if the sign affected traffic.

Appeared Here

Savage Black Beasts Killed One Of Their Own In Robbery Attempt While He Was Waiting In Line To Buy Overpriced Sneakers In Gates New York

GATES, NEW YORK – A man was shot and killed while waiting in line at a Gates store early Friday morning.

Montre Bradley, 19, was in a crowd waiting for the retail release of a new sneaker when he was shot. He died later at the hospital.

A crowd of people were lined up at the Street Games store on Chili Avenue for the release.

Witnesses say two men robbed people in line waiting for the expensive shoes.

Gates Police Chief David DiCaro said, “Look this was a 19 year-old that was killed because they were trying to steal his money. All he wanted to do was buy a new pair of shoes. It is a tragedy, it really is a tragedy and we’re going to do everything we can to bring him to justice.”

His family told 13WHAM News, Bradley came to Rochester from California at the age of 14 after getting into some trouble while living with his mom.

But once here in Rochester, by every person’s account he turned his life over to God and became a role model to friends and family.

His aunt, Denise Seymour, a mother-figure in his life, remembers that moment five years ago.

Seymour says, “He wanted to change his life, he said I want people to believe in me because nobody believes in me that I could be a good boy and I said you can, right here on this step right here he had some little twisties in his hair, ha, he was growing dreads and I said I believe in you. I believe that you can get anybody to trust you again and all that negativity can become positive it starts today gave him a big hug.”

Montre Bradley graduated from Edison Tech this summer and was working at the University of Rochester. He was set to begin classes at MCC next week.

His cousin, Diontaye Thompson, says “You can see how the world is like changing, people killing over sneakers.”

13WHAM cameras were rolling when Friday afternoon’s police chase came to an end.

The Gates Police Chief tells us the search for the suspects led them to a home in Gates.

Two men fled from that home in a white Mercedes. A pursuit picked up in the city of Rochester.  It ended on North Clinton Avenue in Rochester, between Scrantom and Sullivan Streets.

Police took the driver into custody.

During the chase, police said one of the suspects bailed from the car.

He has not been found.

Appeared Here

US Taxpayers Money Spent On “Green Jobs” Advertising On MSNBC As Part Of Obama’s So-Called Stimulus” Program”

WASHINGTON, DC – A House panel is calling on the U.S. Department of Labor to turn over all records involving a half-million dollar contract funded through President Obama’s $831 billion stimulus program that paid for more than 100 commercials on MSNBC touting a “green jobs” initiative.

The contract with McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations LLC in 2009 resulted in more than 100 commercials on cable shows hosted by Rachel Maddow and Keith Olberman to raise awareness about the Job Corps program’s training in environmentally-friendly career areas.

But spending reports showed that no jobs were created through the contract. The Washington Times first reported on the contract earlier this month, quoting one taxpayer watchdog who questioned not only the lack of jobs but why the commercials aired only on MSNBC, considered the most liberal of the major cable news outlets.

Republican leaders on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, which oversees the Labor Department, are raising similar questions in a recent letter they sent to Labor Secretary Hilda Solis.

The letter, signed by Reps. John Kline of Minnesota, chairman of the committee, and Phil Roe of Tennessee, who chairs the panel’s subcommittee on health, employment, labor and pension issues, seeks all documents and communications concerning the public relations contract, as well as a list of dates, attendees and topics for any meetings between Labor officials and the public relations firm concerning the “public relations strategy.”

“We understand this contract used taxpayer dollars purchase advertisements on MSNBC during ‘Countdown with Keith Olbermann’ and ‘The Rachel Maddow Show,’” the lawmakers wrote.

“Despite the fact that these funds were made available as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — legislation President Obama said was critical for immediate job creation — an examination of public records show that the contract that resulted in the advertisements on MSNBC created no jobs.”

A spokesman for the Labor Department, Stephen Barr, said officials have received the committee’s letter and will be responding.

In an earlier statement to The Times, Labor Department officials said there was nothing political about the placement of the ads. They said research showed the advertisements would reach the target demographic of business owners and managers interested in hiring “green-trained” employees through a programming list that initially also included shows hosted by CNN’s Larry King and public television’s Jim Lehrer.

Public television was eliminated because advertising rates were too high, officials said, and Mr. King’s show was dropped because MSNBC, since renamed NBCNews.com, held the potential to reach more viewers.

The use of tax dollars on media and advertising services also came under scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers during the George W. Bush administration. In 2006, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study requested by Democrats found more than $1.6 billion in public relations and media spending by the Bush administration during a two-year span.

Appeared Here

ID Theft: Savage Black Beast Assumed Doctor Friend’s ID And Saw 500 Patients

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — A man stole a physician’s identity and pretended to be a doctor for a year in South Carolina, and now investigators are combing through medical records to see whether he harmed any of the hundreds of patients he treated, authorities said.

Ernest Addo of Austell, Ga., is charged with unlawful practice of medicine and obtaining goods under false pretense, authorities said.

Addo doesn’t have a medical license in the U.S. But he assumed a doctor friend’s identity, getting a driver’s license and presenting the massive amount of paperwork needed to prove he was a doctor. The documents were given to him by the friend in hopes they could open a medical clinic together when the real doctor returned from a yearlong trip to Ghana, Lexington County Sheriff James Metts said.

The real doctor, Arthur Kennedy, said he is embarrassed and devastated by what his friend did.

Addo did have some medical training, and acted enough like a doctor not to raise any serious suspicion beyond one nurse – interviewed after Addo’s Aug. 24, arrest – who wondered why he consulted ask.com when she questioned his treatment plan, Metts said.

The motive appears to be greed, the sheriff said. Court documents show Addo has a history of financial trouble.

Records obtained by The Associated Press show in the past 20 years, at least two dozen liens have been filed against Addo for around $200,000, including unpaid rent, credit card bills, student loans and taxes. Addo has declared bankruptcy twice.

After Addo’s arrest last week at his Georgia home, officers found fake IDs and other documents, and Metts said it appears Addo might have tried to fake his way through other lucrative careers, too. The sheriff wouldn’t specify which ones.

“He seems to be a professional con guy,” Metts said.

Authorities have said Addo received more than $10,000 for his services but declined to elaborate. One of the jobs also gave him the use of a Mercedes.

Addo, 48, has been jailed in Cobb County, Ga., since his arrest, and neither the sheriff nor jail officials knew if he had an attorney. Addo is refusing to talk to authorities, and both his home phone and cellphone have been disconnected.

Addo faces more than a decade in prison for his current charges, but he could end up in even more trouble. Metts said his investigators are reviewing the medical records of more than 500 patients Addo saw while at four Columbia-area senior centers and a rehabilitation center owned by Agape Senior Primary Care.

Metts said some of those patients died. He said more charges could follow if any of those deaths were linked to Addo’s actions.

Addo was hired as a general practitioner and provided the kind of exams patients would receive during a visit to the family doctor. Authorities said he also wrote prescriptions, including some for himself.

Officials at Agape are doing their own review of the care patients received from Addo. They said he never had sole clinical oversight of any patient.

“We have found no inappropriate diagnosis or plan of treatment. We are convinced that all of our patients are safe and receiving proper care,” Agape CEO Scott Middleton said in a statement.

Addo also worked as a contract doctor for the South Carolina Department of Mental Health, filling in for a doctor on medical leave. Officials there said they also are reviewing Addo’s care and have not found any serious issues.

Patients treated by Addo could not be located by The Associated Press for comment.

Authorities started investigating Addo after he made a small mistake on a death certificate. South Carolina health officials trying to fix the error contacted the doctor Addo was impersonating. He told them he hadn’t practiced medicine for a year in the state because he was teaching at a medical school in Ghana.

Officials have refused to release that doctor’s name, but Kennedy confirmed his identity was stolen.

Kennedy said he was betrayed by his friend. Addo also obtained credit cards in Kennedy’s name, creating an even bigger mess to clean up, the doctor said Wednesday outside his home in Orangeburg.

He said he didn’t want to answer detailed questions about what happened until he spoke to a lawyer.

Both Kennedy and Addo are from Ghana. Kennedy ran unsuccessfully for president of the west African nation in 2008. He had a family practice in Orangeburg and spent plenty of time in his homeland, pushing for public health improvements. The two men resemble each other, and Addo used Kennedy’s reputation to help get him the doctor jobs. Agape said in a statement it hired him in part because he came highly recommended.

Both Agape and Jackson & Coker, the Alpharetta, Ga., physician recruitment firm that placed Addo with the Department of Mental Health, have promised to help authorities. Metts said it could take months for investigators to go through all the medical records.

Jackson & Coker also is exploring any legal action it could take against Addo and is shocked he was able to obtain all the documents someone would need to prove he was a doctor in the United States, spokeswoman Susan Meyers said.

“He was hired the same way in several different places,” Meyers said. “There were no red flags.”

Appeared Here

War Zone: Second Shooting Within A Week Just A Couple Of Blocks Of Obama’s Heavily Guarded Street In Chicago Illinois

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – A teenage boy was shot about a block from President Obama’s home, in the second such incident in the past week.

The 17-year-old boy was shot in the leg and buttock in the 5000 block of South Woodlawn Avenue about 4:20 a.m., police said.

The shooting scene is about a block east of the heavily guarded street where the Obamas have a home in the Kenwood neighborhood.

He was taken in “stable” condition to an unidentified hospital, according to police.

Last weekend, another shooting a few blocks from President Barack Obama’s Chicago home turned out to be fatal.

“Three blocks over, that’s it. Three blocks. He’s right there,” said Freeman Richmond, who lives on the next block on Drexel Boulevard.

Stephin Williams and his girlfriend were in their car around 2:30 a.m. in the 4900 block of South Drexel Boulevard, in the Kenwood neighborhood about three blocks northwest of Obama’s Chicago home on Greenwood Avenue. Two men walked up with a handgun and announced a robbery, police said.

When Williams attempted to fight, one of the males shot him multiple times.

Williams, 23, of the 4000 block of South Lake Park Avenue, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 3:10 a.m., according to Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

Richmond was driving home when he saw police swarming to the scene.

“When I came around the block, the kid was laying face down right there. He wasn’t moving,” Richmond told CBS 2’s Mike Puccinelli. “I paused for a minute and looked at him, and they finally picked him up and put him in the ambulance, and I drove on away.”

Even with the proximity to the heavily-guarded presidential residence, violence is not new to the area, Richmond said.

Appeared Here

President Obama Ignored Storm Damaged Gulf Coast To Campaign In Ohio – Until Until Romney Showed Up In Louisiana

LOUISIANA – President Barack Obama was today forced to announce he will fly to storm-hit Louisiana on Monday – hours after Mitt Romney beat him to the punch by deciding to head there this afternoon.

After it emerged that Obama was still taking time to fit in a campaign stop in Cleveland, Ohio before checking out how clean-up operations are proceeding in the Bayou state, the Obama campaign abruptly cancelled that event.

‘In light of the President’s travel to Louisiana to meet with local officials and view ongoing response and recovery efforts to Hurricane Isaac, President Obama will no longer travel to Cleveland, Ohio on Monday, September 3,’ the campaign said in a terse statement.

Romney had changed his schedule to head to an affected town outside New Orleans while Obama, who has yet to visit the Tropical Storm Isaac zone, headed off to Texas to campaign.

Seven years ago, President George W. Bush was lambasted for inaction and incompetence in dealing with Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and much of the Mississippi and Louisiana gulf coast.

Romney’s last-minute trip to New Orleans came as his wife Ann told CNN that swing women voters in particular had told her that ‘it’s time for the grown-up to come, the man that’s going to take this very seriously and the future of our children very, very seriously’.

He opted out of a joint campaign appearance in Richmond, Virginia with Paul Ryan, his vice-presidential running mate, to head to Louisiana.

The first day of the Republican convention in Tampa was cancelled as Isaac bore down on Florida and the Gulf of Mexico area.

‘Obama’s not a bad guy – he’s a bad President!’ Marco Rubio wows GOP convention as he introduces Romney

Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, who was on Romney’s vice-presidential shortlist, abandoned his convention speech to oversee storm relief.

A Romney aide told ABC News that Romney would ‘join Governor Jindal and will meet with first responders, thank them for their work and see areas impacted by the storm’ in LaFitte, Louisiana, some 20 miles south of New Orleans.

The trip to Louisiana was sandwiched between previously announced campaign stops in Lakeland, Florida, where he will be joined by Paul Ryan, and Cincinnati.

On a visit to Indianapolis on Wednesday to speak at the American Legion convention, Romney joked about the storm before expressing his concern.

‘I appreciate this invitation to join you on dry land this afternoon,’ he said to laughter. ‘Our thoughts are, of course, with the people of the Gulf Coast states.

‘We’re grateful that it appears Isaac will spare them from the kind of damage we saw during Katrina, but for many in the Gulf Coast who just finished repairing their homes and are getting a life back to normal, this must be a heavy burden.

‘So today our thoughts are with them, our prayers go out to them, and our country must do all we can to help them recover.’

In Lafitte, emergency crews were assisting victims of Hurricane Isaac, which hit the coast with wind speeds of 80mph on Tuesday and brought flooding to the area before it was downgraded to a tropical storm.

The storm, which is lumbering north at a pace of just 5mph, has claimed four lives in Mississippi and Louisiana, ravaged homes with as many as 18 inches of flood water, and left more than 900,000 people without power.

Appeared Here

Arizona Federal Correctional Institution Kitchen Supervisor Carl David Evans Arrested After Three-Way Sex With Two Male Inmates – Paid His Victims With Cigarettes And Food For Oral And Anal Sex

ARIZONA – A kitchen supervisor at a federal prison in Arizona was arrested this week after an FBI surveillance camera recorded him engaging in a storage room ménage a trois with two male inmates who told investigators that they received cigarettes in return for participating in such sexual activity, according to court records.

Busted Tuesday, Carl David Evans was charged in a three-count felony complaint filed in U.S. District Court. He is scheduled for a detention hearing later this afternoon.

Evans’s alleged illegal conduct at the medium security Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Phoenix is detailed in a graphic FBI affidavit sworn by Agent Tyler Woods, who reported that prison staffers learned in June that Evans was “engaged in a sexual relationship” with an inmate.

The inmate, identified in the affidavit as “E.D.,” reportedly received tobacco from Evans in return for the sex acts, which occurred in a locked “food storage area of the kitchen.”

In an effort to monitor Evans’s activities, FBI investigators hid a video camera in the kitchen’s storage area and recorded “the entirety of Evans’s eight-hour work shifts” from August 19-23.

When Agent Woods subsequently reviewed the five days worth of video, he discovered footage showing Evans, “E.D.,” and a third inmate, “J.I.,” entering the storage area together last Wednesday afternoon. Both “E.D.” and “J.I.” worked in the kitchen and were supervised by Evans, Woods noted.

After “E.D.” asked the other two men if they were “ready to suck some dick,” Evans locked the door and the trio began engaging in mutual fellatio atop “food sacks.” During the encounter, “Evans can be seen wearing his FCI-Phoenix staff uniform.”

Curry County Texas Jail Deputy Arrested, Charged Larceny After With Stealing $500 From Inmate’s Wallet

CLOVIS, TEXAS – A former Curry County Jail Deputy is arrested for allegedly stealing cash from an inmate.

According to court documents, Stuart Dietz took the cash from an inmate’s wallet while the man was being booked into the curry county detention center earlier this month.

Jail officials say the suspect came into the jail with $1,500 and at some point $500 of that money disappeared.

Several other guards listed in the court documents say Dietz was the only person with sole access to the money.

He’s charged with larceny.

Appeared Here

Hungry Homeless Man Jailed For 180 Days In Ocala Florida For Stealing $2 In Candy – Fined $500, Which Will Probably Send Him Back To Jail When He Can’t Pay It

OCALA, FLORIDA – A Central Florida judge has sentenced a 21-year-old homeless man to 180 days in jail for stealing $2 worth of candy.

Delvis Rodriguez-Ramos, already on probation for theft, pleaded guilty Wednesday to taking Twix and Snickers bars from an Ocala store.

An employee noticed the candy missing Saturday. Rodriguez-Ramos denied taking the candy, but returned to the store Monday and confessed.

The employee asked him to come back Tuesday to talk about it. When Rodriguez-Ramos showed up, the employee called police.

Rodriguez-Ramos said he had not eaten in a few days and was hungry.

But Futch asked why Rodriguez-Ramos didn’t try to find a job or seek help from a homeless shelter. Futch also fined him $500.

Appeared Here

Pedophile McHenry County Deputy Sheriff Gregory M. Pyle Arrested And Charged With Child Molestation And Producing Child Pornography

MCHENRY COUNTY, ILLINOIS – A McHenry County Sheriff’s Deputy was arrested on August 14, and charged with aggravated sexual abuse of a child and producing child pornography by the sexual exploitation of a child. The defendant, Gregory M. Pyle, age 36, of Crest Hills, IL formerly of Crystal Lake, IL, was charged in a criminal complaint.

According to court documents, an individual under investigation for child pornography identified the usernames of other individuals with whom he had traded child pornography over the internet. Pyle was allegedly identified as the person using two of those usernames. The complaint alleges that Pyle transmitted sexually explicit images via the internet under those usernames including depictions of a minor child. During a later interview, the minor stated that Pyle had sexually abused him on multiple occasions, including on a trip to Wisconsin. The complaint alleges that in December 2008 Pyle traveled to Wisconsin with the child, then 10 years of age, with the intent to engage in a sexual act with the child, and to produce child pornography that was then transmitted via the internet.

Pyle appeared before U.S. Magistrate P. Michael Mahoney in U.S. District court and was ordered to remain in federal custody without bond pending a detention hearing at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 17, 2012.

The charges were announced by the acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Gary Shapiro, and Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Robert Grant. The Illinois State Police and the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce assisted in the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Love. Crossing a state line to engage in a sexual act with a minor under 12 carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years and a maximum of life in prison. Sexual exploitation of a child under 12 years of age for the purpose of producing child pornography carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison and both counts carry a $250,000 maximum fine. If convicted, the actual sentence will be determined by a United States District Court Judge, guided by the United States Sentencing Guidelines.

Appeared Here

Washington County Ohio Deputy Sheriff Dustin Maze, Currently Dunham Fire Chief, Fired For Breaking And Entering Into Home With Brother And Another Man To Steal Motorcycle Gear, Wheels, And Possibly Guns – Also Admits Buying Gas With Fire Department Credit Card

WASHINGTON COUNTY, OHIO – Following the arrest and firing of a Washington County Deputy, candidate for Sheriff Chris Forshey says the hiring process should be much more strict, using every tool and resource possible. He says ignoring these tools and their results, which he believes has happened, is simply unacceptable.

“And in this case there has been a tremendous failure in that arena that were established under this Sheriff,” explains Forshey. “When I was with the department before we had a very extensive background investigation, psychological, polygraph. Even doing that sometimes you might miss something but if you go through all those steps, you’re relatively sure you’re going to get the best applicant that you can.”

Sheriff Larry Mincks describes the investigation and firing as isolated and unfortunate but says he is proud of the office handling it quickly and efficiently. He says they have a very sound, extensive background check each deputy must goes through.

“I am extremely proud of the men and women of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office who work on a day to day basis and are doing work and their work is reflected in the cases that they are bringing to trial and the convictions that they are getting and the protection that they are providing to the public.,” says Sheriff Mincks.

Law enforcement officers are typically held to a higher standard by the public but that’s something Forshey believes the department overlooked.

“I believe this Sheriff has a history of ignoring standards of hiring that are used throughout law enforcement in the State of Ohio and across the United States that help eliminate the possibility of this type of person being hired,” says Forshey. “The department currently has a number of deputies on it’s roster that by normal standards probably would not get hired by any other department in the state of Ohio.”

Sheriff Mincks disagreed and shot back criticizing Forshey’s controversial past as police chief in Pataskala Ohio saying it’s Forshey who wouldn’t qualify with the department.

“Mr. Forshey has applied to me for employment on three different occasions and I have turned him down basically because of his background and the information we have obtained in it,” explains Sheriff Mincks.

———————————————————————-
Investigators say now, former Deputy Sheriff Dustin Maze, and two others have admitted to a breaking and entering four to five years ago.

Dustin maze started at the Washington County Sheriff’s office in March 2012 as Corrections Officer before recently being promoted to Deputy Sheriff. Before the arrest Maze was in field training.

Maze is also the currently Dunham Fire Chief.

He also formerly served as a part time officer for Beverly, Coolville and Pomeroy.

Investigators are still trying to figure out the time frame but say it happened sometime between January 2007 and December 2008. They say Maze, his brother, Brent Maze, and also Anthony Cronin broke into a Fleming home taking motorcycle gear, wheels, and possibly even guns. The breaking and entering was never reported to authorities. The owner of the home did not regularly live there and that’s the reason the exact date is still under investigation. During questioning the owner says stuff did come up missing during that time frame.

Sheriff Larry Mincks says it all started when Maze’s ex-wife threatened to tell the Sheriff’s Office about the breaking and entering and embezzlement. Maze then told his training officer about the threat denying the allegations.

“They were in the process of a divorce, they were discussing child support and he was wanting shared parenting and I think she was wanting just her to have custody which would’ve caused a difference in the amount of money she was receiving,” explains Sheriff Mincks. “So she indicated to him that if he did not agree to the custody she was going to come in and tell the Sheriff’s Office that she was aware that he had been involved in an B and E and an embezzlement that was going on.”

The sheriff’s office turned the investigation over to Marietta Police detective Troy Hawkins.

Through further investigation, investigators say all three admitted to the crime of breaking and entering.

Sheriff Mincks says Maze did admit to using a Dunham Fire Department credit card to purchase gas on multiple occasions but the embezzlement is still under investigation

Sheriff Mincks does say an extensive background check was done on maze and the ex-wife highly recommended him for the job during an interview.

“She was interviewed during the background investigation, she did not indicate anything like this at all, in fact she recommended him, I’ll say highly for his professional ability,” says Sheriff Mincks. “We follow a pretty strict hiring process that we go through as far as interviewing people and there is no indication out there that anything like this had ever happened.”

Maze has been fired and all three men have now posted bond at this time.

Sheriff Mincks’ opponent in the November election, Chris Forshey, says this one of the many reasons he’s running for Sheriff.

He says as sheriff he would use every resource available to make sure to catch these potential problems and have the best person is serving the county.

“Extensive background, psychological, polygraph, it’s a long process and that’s why if you’re going to hire a law enforcement officer, you know in most departments that’s a sixth month process or better to make that happen because you have to be very thorough or very detailed when you do this,” explains Forshey.

Appeared Here

Richmond City Virginia Deputy Sheriff Al-Tamar D. Glover Arrested, Suspended, And Charged With Drunk And Reckless Driving

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA —A Richmond City Deputy Sheriff was arrested early Wednesday morning by Colonial Heights Police for driving under the influence of alcohol.

28-year-old Al-Tamar D. Glover is a one-year deputy with the Richmond City Sheriff’s Office. Officers arrested him around 2:00 AM in Colonial Heights, and charged him with one count each of reckless driving and driving under the influence.

Glover has been placed on administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of the criminal charge in Colonial Heights.

Sheriff C.T. Woody made the following statement regarding the incident: “Deputy Glover is, of course, presumed innocent until proven guilty. Although he was off-duty when the alleged incident occurred, he is still required to uphold the law and is responsible for his own conduct.”

Deputy Glover is being held at the Riverside Regional Jail, awaiting an appearance before the magistrate.

Appeared Here

San Diego California Deputy Sheriff Diedre Quenell Arrested For Drunk Driving And Resisting Arrest

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – A San Diego County sheriff’s deputy has been arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and resisting arrest.

City News Service says police in San Diego arrested 42-year-old Diedre Quenell on Tuesday in the Carmel Valley neighborhood.

Police say officers responded to a report of a woman driving erratically in a McDonald’s parking lot and Quenell was combative when they detained her.

She was released on bail Wednesday morning.

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Jan Caldwell tells the North County Times (bit.ly/Ri5moO) that she can’t release details of the case because of personnel rules.

Appeared Here

Veteran Orange County Florida Deputy Sheriff Sgt. Donald Woods Arrested, Suspended, And Charged After Attack On His Wife

ORLANDO, FLORIDA – A veteran Orange County Sheriff’s deputy accused of hitting his wife during an argument was jailed early Friday.

Sgt. Donald Woods, 35, is assigned to the patrol division, but has since been relieved of law enforcement duties. He will be reassigned to administrative duties until the investigation is complete, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Woods’ wife told investigators Woods slapped her during an argument Thursday morning in their bedroom. She screamed, prompting their children to run to the room. Woods grabbed his wife in a bear hug and pushed her to the bed, pretending to tickle her, a report shows.

The woman continued to scream until he released her.

Woods’ wife, whose name was not made public, contacted a lawyer after the incident to seek advice on how to get an injunction against Woods. She told deputies the violence has escalated and Woods has accused her of having an affair.

The woman claims Woods threw a laptop at her back and tried to take her wedding rings off and bruised her fingers, reports show. Woods’ wife told investigators she was hesitant to report his actions because she didn’t want him to get in trouble at work.

Woods was arrested around midnight Friday and was being held at the Orange County Jail Friday afternoon.

The Sheriff’s Office professional standards office is conducting an internal investigation.

Appeared Here

Shelby County Tennessee Deputy Sheriff Jail Officer Carlos Atkins Arrested After Pulling Gun And Choking His Wife, Who Found Him In His Daughter’s Bed With Another Woman

CORDOVA, TENNESSEE – An argument turned physical inside a Cordova home on Swansea Cove Tuesday.

According to a police affidavit, it all started when Carlos Atkins’ wife found him and another woman in their daughter’s bed.

The affidavit says husband and wife fighting and Atkins pulled a gun on her.

It also says she tried, and failed, to take it away.

Testimony in the document says Atkins then put his hands around her neck and began to choke her until she passed out.

When she woke, the deputy jailer was gone.

The wife called the police and filed a report.

Investigators say the bruises on her neck lead them to believe she was strangled.

A warrant was issued for Atkins arrest.

However, conveniently enough, Atkins was already at the jail working as a Shelby County Sheriff Deputy Jailer.

He was arrested there and charged with Aggravated Assault.

The sheriff’s office says Atkins is currently relieved of duty while they investigate the allegations.

No one answered the door at Atkins listed address. He is currently out jail on a $5,000 bond.

He is due in court again on September 19th.

Appeared Here

Veteran Saluda County South Carolina Deputy Sheriff Robert Lee Shorter Arrested, Suspended, And Charged With Drunk Driving While Driving Golf Cart On Roadway At 12:30 In The Morning

SALUDA COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA – The South Carolina Highway Patrol arrested a Saluda County deputy early Saturday morning after investigators say he was driving a golf cart while intoxicated.

A spokesperson with the Highway Patrol says Robert Lee Shorter, a deputy with the Saluda County Sheriff’s Department, was pulled over while driving the golf cart on Chappells Ferry Road in Edgefield County. The arrest happened around 12:30 Saturday morning.

A spokesperson with the Highway Patrol says Shorter has been charged with DUI and operating an uninsured vehicle.

Shorter has been with the Saluda County Sheriff’s Department for 11 years, according to a representative of the department.

He has been suspended without pay pending an investigation.

Appeared Here

Veteran Sacramento County California Deputy Sheriff Chuck Lawrence Pfau Arrested, Suspended, And Charged After Drunken Wreck

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – The veteran Sacramento County sheriff’s deputy arrested Sunday on suspicion of driving under the influence is a 17-year veteran of the department, authorities said.

Sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos said that 41-year-old Chuck Lawrence Pfau will be put on paid administrative leave as a result of the arrest.

A California Highway Patrol officer arrested Pfau, of Folsom, on Sunday afternoon after he was involved in a collision with another vehicle, said Officer Jasper Begay, a CHP spokesman.

Pfau, driving a Dodge Ram pickup while off duty, and a 63-year-old woman driving a Honda CRV were headed southbound on Fair Oaks Boulevard south of Sunset Boulevard when the woman stopped in the lane to make a left turn onto Plumeria Avenue, Begay said.

Pfau, who was traveling behind the woman, crossed the double lines to pass the CRV on the left when the woman made the left turn, Begay said. The right front side of Pfau’s pickup struck the CRV’s driver-side door, Begay said.

They pulled over to the shoulder, and a CHP officer arrived to investigate. The officer thought Pfau was under the influence of alcohol, conducted several field sobriety tests and then arrested him on suspicion of driving under the influence, Begay said.

Pfau, the CRV’s driver and her two passengers were not injured. The CRV received moderate damage and had to be towed, Begay said.

Pfau was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail and released later that day.

Appeared Here

Murray County Georgia Deputy Sheriff Josh Greeson Fired After Planting Drugs And Arresting Woman Who Accused County Chief Magistrate Judge Bryant Cochran Of Soliciting Sex – Judge Quit Amid State Investigation Into It And Presigned Warrants Provided To Law Enforcement

MURRAY COUNTY, GEORGIA – The Georgia watchdog agency for judges is re-examining how it investigates wayward judges and how it protects witnesses in light of allegations coming out of Murray County.

One Murray County sheriff’s deputy has been fired and his supervisor is on paid leave after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation examined whether the officers planted drugs on the car of a woman who accused a county judge of soliciting her for sex.

Angie Garmley’s complaint against Chief Magistrate Bryant Cochran sparked a state Judicial Qualification Commission investigation and led to Cochran’s resignation. Her complaint also revealed that Cochran was illegally presigning warrants for officers to use.

Cochran has denied that he solicited Garmley but admitted to presigning warrants.

Prosecutors dropped the drug charges against Garmley last week.

On Wednesday, Deputy Josh Greeson, the arresting officer, was fired based on evidence that he lied to the GBI when agents were investigating Garmley’s arrest, said Murray County Sheriff Howard Ensley.

Sheriff’s Capt. Michael Henderson is on paid leave, and Ensley said he won’t decide whether Henderson will be fired until Friday.

The sheriff said he hasn’t been told that anyone else at the sheriff’s office was involved, and he wouldn’t say what Greeson lied about to the GBI.

“We’re concerned greatly and it’s a saddening situation that this has come about,” he said.

Judicial Qualification Commission officials said the allegations and the entire investigation are alarming.

The GBI investigation showed Garmley was targeted because she was cooperating with the Judicial Qualification Commission, said commission Director Jeff Davis. Such an act is unheard of at this level, he said.

“It sends a chilling message to the public,” he said. “It could discourage legitimate complaints from being filed from fear of retribution.”

Commission Chairman John Allen said state authorities are also going to re-examine the resignation agreements they work out with judges. During an investigation, the commission often tries to get a wayward judge to resign by agreeing not to disclose the information gathered against him or her to law enforcement, Allen said. However, the commission will turn the information over to the GBI or FBI if there is an ongoing criminal investigation, he said.

“This will give us pause for working out agreements with judges in the future,” he said.

On Aug. 15, Cochran was allowed to resign from his position after he agreed with the commission that he would never seek a judicial office again.

The day before his resignation, Garmley was arrested after Greeson said he found meth inside a magnetic box underneath her car.

Henderson was also on the scene after Greeson requested backup, said Henderson’s attorney Larry Stagg. He was on the scene because Garmley’s husband, who wasn’t in the car, was violent, Stagg said.

GBI Agent in Charge Jerry Scott said he couldn’t discuss the case in detail but said authorities felt the evidence needed to be given to the sheriff to take quick action against the officers.

The sheriff’s office has been helpful with the investigation and authorities believe Greeson and Henderson were the only two involved from the office, he said.

“We have no information that there is widespread corruption within the Murray County Sheriff’s Office,” Scott said.

Appeared Here

Death Of Mother Beaten By Los Angeles California Police Officers Under Investigation – One Officer Stomped On Her “Genital Area” – Died In Back Of Patrol Car Handcuffed And Shackled

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck vowed to throughly investigate the death of a mother during a confrontation with LAPD officers.

“I take all in-custody death investigations very seriously,” Beck said in a statement late Thursday. “I am confident we will get to the truth no matter where that leads us.”

At least five Los Angeles police officers are under investigation in the death of a woman who stopped breathing during a struggle that included an officer stomping on her genital area and the use of additional force by others to take her into custody, police officials confirmed Thursday.

The altercation in front of her South Los Angeles apartment was captured by a patrol car’s video camera.

When asked by The Times about the incident, LAPD Cmdr. Bob Green confirmed that one officer, while trying to get Alesia Thomas into the back of a patrol car, threatened to kick Thomas in the genitals if she did not comply, and then followed through on her threat.

After officers forced Thomas into the back seat of the police car, she is seen on the video breathing shallowly; she eventually stopped breathing.

In his statement, Beck said that before he passed judgment on the officers, he wanted to find out whether Thomas had been under the influence of any drugs or suffered from a medical condition that could have caused her death.

The Thomas case occurred in the early-morning hours of July 22 after she left her 3-year-old and 12-year-old children at the LAPD’s Southeast station, according to a department account released the following day. Green, who oversees the Southeast station, confirmed that Thomas tried to surrender custody of the children to police because she was a drug addict and felt she could not care for them.

Officers went in search of Thomas, finding her at her home in the 9000 block of South Broadway. After questioning her briefly, the officers attempted to arrest her on suspicion of child endangerment, the department’s account said.

Thomas “began actively resisting arrest” and one of the officers took her to the ground by sweeping her legs from beneath her, the LAPD’s official account said. Two others handcuffed Thomas’ hands behind her back and attempted to lead her to a patrol car while a supervising sergeant observed, according to the department’s version.

Two more officers were summoned as Thomas continued to struggle. Green confirmed that Thomas was a large woman. A “hobble restraint device” — an adjustable strap — was tightened around Thomas’ ankles to give the officers more control and she was eventually placed in the back of the patrol car, the LAPD account said.

The official account, however, made no mention of what Green confirmed was a female officer’s questionable treatment of Thomas.

The department’s account said officers immediately notified paramedics. It is unclear whether the officers attempted to resuscitate her and how much time passed before paramedics arrived. Thomas died shortly after being transported to a hospital.

A neighbor who witnessed part of the incident told The Times he did not see officers do anything wrong and described Thomas as the aggressor.

Gerald McCrary Sr., 55, said he was awakened by the commotion and saw police wrestling with Thomas, who managed to break free from plastic handcuffs. The officers secured her with metal handcuffs and tried to calm her as she sat against a wall, McCrary said.

“They were talking to her, asking her to calm down, that everything will be all right,” he recalled. They brought Thomas some water to drink.

“My heart hurts. I can’t walk anymore,” he recalled Thomas telling police.

Two officers escorted her down the stairs in her apartment complex, one on each arm. McCrary eventually followed and said he saw Thomas in a patrol car “shaking her head against the back seat.” Sometime later, he saw her sprawled out on the sidewalk without a blouse. Paramedics had just arrived.

McCrary said police interviewed him on two separate occasions about the incident but never mentioned that Thomas was dead.

Charmaine Hood, McCrary’s live-in caregiver, also witnessed Thomas’ encounter with police. She said officers were trying to help Thomas.

“I didn’t see them try to harm her in any shape or fashion,” Hood said. “I seen them protect her from hurting herself.”

Appeared Here

2 To 3 Billion Dollars Spent Yearly In US Lighting Building Exit Signs

WASHINGTON, DC – Exit signs are so ubiquitous that they’re almost invisible. Every public building has them. In fact, they are so common that, taken together, these little signs consume a surprisingly large amount of energy.

Each one uses relatively little electricity, but they are on all the time. And we have a lot of them in our schools, factories, and office buildings. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that there are more than 100 million exit signs in use today in the U.S., consuming 30–35 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity annually.

That’s the output of five or six 1,000 MW power plants, and it costs us $2-3 billion per year. Individual buildings may have thousands of exit signs in operation.

To put this into a bigger context: This is just one small part of what makes buildings, in general, incredibly energy intense. In the United States, we use more energy powering our buildings—from the lights, to the heating, to the stuff we plug into the walls—than we use to do anything else. Because of that (and because of the fact that electricity is mostly made by burning coal or natural gas) buildings produce more greenhouse gas emissions than cars.

Appeared Here

Pentagon Considers Legal Action Against Former Navy SEAL – Book Catches Obama Lying About Osama Bin Laden Raid

WASHINGTON, DC – The Pentagon warned on Thursday that it was considering legal action against a former U.S. Navy SEAL for material breach of non-disclosure agreements with his first-hand account of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

In a letter obtained by Reuters, and subsequently released by the Pentagon, the Pentagon’s top attorney said the Department of Defense was also considering legal action against anyone “acting in concert” with the author. It hinted that the book’s royalties might be subject to government claims.

The letter, addressed to “Mark Owen,” the pseudonym under which the book was written, identified two separate non-disclosure agreements he signed with the Navy that legally committed him to never divulge classified information, which is a crime.

“You are in material breach and violation of the non-disclosure agreements you signed,” said the letter by Jeh Johnson, the Pentagon’s General Counsel.

“The Department of Defense is considering pursuing against you, and all those acting in concert with you, all remedies legally available to us in light of this situation.”

The author may have hoped to publish the book anonymously but his identity as Matt Bissonnette was quickly revealed and confirmed independently by Reuters. It was unclear how many others the Pentagon may consider legally culpable, given the broad language in Johnson’s letter.

A spokeswoman at publisher Dutton, which is an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

NOT VETTED

U.S. officials have said they were surprised by his book, “No Easy Day,” which was not vetted by government agencies before its publication to ensure that no secrets were revealed.

The letter noted that, under the terms of the non-disclosure agreements, the author had agreed to submit any manuscript for pre-publication security review and to obtain permission before publishing it.

The Pentagon pointed out that the disclosure of classified information was a crime and suggested that, under the terms of the non-disclosure agreement he signed, the U.S. government could be entitled to all “royalties, remunerations, and emoluments” from such a disclosure.

The letter did not say what classified information the book revealed but the book says an unarmed bin Laden was looking out from his bedroom door when he was shot in the head during the May 2011 raid on his hide-out in Pakistan.

The book has received widespread media coverage and the Pentagon letter noted that some copies have already been released, ahead of the book’s formal release next week.

“Further public dissemination of your book will aggravate your breach and violation of your agreements,” the letter warned.

Earlier this week, the author said in a statement from his publisher that the book was written “with respect for my fellow service members while adhering to my strict desire not to disclose confidential or sensitive information that would compromise national security in any way.”

But many in the special operations community have privately expressed disappointment in recent days over the book and the publicity it has received.

The author now faces threats against his life. An official al Qaeda website last week posted a photograph and the real name of the former Navy commando, calling him “the dog who murdered the martyr Sheikh Osama bin Laden.

Appeared Here

Man Faces Second Bogus Charge After Again Filming Austin Texas Police In Public

AUSTIN, TEXAS – A man arrested New Year’s Day after filming a traffic stop was taken into custody a second time early Sunday while he was videotaping officers detaining an intoxicated man downtown, his attorney told reporters outside the Travis County Jail.

Antonio Buehler, 35, organizer of the Peaceful Streets Project, is facing a charge of interference with public duty, his attorney Joe James Sawyer said Sunday afternoon. The lawyer said his client was detained at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday on Sixth Street.

Austin police officials confirmed that officers had arrested Buehler but did not release further information, saying they were reviewing the facts of the case. An arrest warrant affidavit had not been released as of late Sunday.

Sawyer called Buehler’s arrest a “deliberate action and part of a calculated effort to protect the officer who arrested him New Year’s Day.”

Buehler, an Army veteran, was arrested at about 1:15 a.m. Jan. 1 and charged with harassment of a public servant after he stopped to take photographs of a drunken driving arrest at a Central Austin gas station, according to court records. Austin police said Buehler interfered with the arrest of a woman involved in a traffic stop. The arrest affidavit said Buehler became aggressive and spat in the face of one officer, which Buehler denies.

He filed a complaint against the arresting officers, who were cleared by an internal affairs investigation in July. Buehler said that charges filed against him in that incident are still pending and accused police of stretching out the case.

After that arrest, he founded the Peaceful Streets Project, which focuses on police accountability, including filming police encounters and posting them online. He was awarded the Activist of the Year award Saturday night by Texans for Accountable Government.

About a dozen activists, including some with Buehler’s organization, waited for him Sunday outside of the Travis County Jail. They cheered and clapped when he walked out of the complex Sunday afternoon.

Buehler told the crowd he was arrested on “fabricated facts” while out filming arrests on Sixth Street and that his video camera was confiscated. A video of Buehler’s arrest posted Sunday by a fellow activist shows a police officer asking Buehler to step back several times. Buehler refused to do so, and he calmly allowed himself to be arrested.

Wayne Vincent, president of the Austin Police Association, said the watchdog group “has created a very dangerous situation.”

“In our opinion, it was just inevitable that he was going to be arrested,” Vincent said of Buehler. “This group is not about filming police officers. It is a group that has shown that it actually wants to provoke officers and interject themselves into the scene where officers are working.”

Appeared Here

Nutcase Prichard Alabama Police Officer Ivan Lopez Arrested After Road Rage Incident

PRICHARD, ALABAMA – A Prichard Police Officer was booked into metro jail on reckless endangerment charges.

Ivan Lopez turned himself into Mobile Police Tuesday.

He’s accused of road rage during an alleged incident on the Cochran-Africatown Bridge back in July.

A woman, who we won’t identify, told police she was driving behind Lopez in his white Mercedes that night.

She says she passed him because he was driving too slowly.

As the woman approached the top of the bridge, she says she noticed Lopez in her rear view mirror, speeding towards her.

The woman claims the officer zoomed by her, cut her off, then completely stopped his car in front of her. She says she was forced to swerve to avoid hitting the car.

“After I did that he came beside me and tried to hit me with his car. He kept swinging his car towards mine and I kept moving out of his way,” the woman said. “At one point, when he came up and started the same thing again, I held up my cell phone and I said, ‘please leave me alone, if you don’t, I’m calling the police. ‘ “

The woman says Lopez then informed her he “was” the police.

The woman frantically dialed 911. She says Daphne Police advised her to exit the interstate and wait for police.

According to the woman, Daphne Police questioned Lopez at the scene.

She filed a complaint with Mobile Police, and after its investigation, Lopez turned himself into authorities.

Prichard Police Chief Jimmie Gardner responded to the incident.

“It’s the responsibility and duty of our officers to serve and protect the citizens. A citizen has alleged that an officer engaged in reckless endangerment while traveling down the road in a private vehicle.

This allegation is under investigation and if found to be true, we will take all appropriate actions,” says Gardner.

Lopez was released from jail on his own recognizance.

Appeared Here

Fresno California Police Officer William Wyatt Arrested For Raping A Reedly Police Officer

FRESNO, CALIFORNIA – A Fresno police officer was arrested on rape charges Tuesday afternoon.

Officer William Wyatt was booked into jail and charged with raping a woman — a Reedley police officer — on a date.

The woman claims it happened two years ago, and says she became aware of the alleged rape last January when Wyatt’s girlfriend told her about revealing pictures she found on Wyatt’s computer.

Wyatt was a Reedley police officer before joining the Fresno Police Department in 2003.

He has bailed out of jail and remains on paid leave.

Appeared Here

Mercer County West Virginia Home Confinement Officer Blaine Franklin Charged After Sex With An Inmate

PRINCETON, WEST VIRGINIA — A former Mercer County home confinement officer is facing a charge of sexual intruson of an inmate after allegedly having sexual relations with a woman in the home confinement program.

Mercer County Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ash said Tuesday that home confinement officer Blaine Franklin, 25, of the Bluefield area was arrested for having sexual relations with someone he was supervising.

“Once we got word of it, he was fired from the day report center almost immediately,” Ash said. A referral was made to the West Virginia State Police at that time, Ash said, and “within a week the investigation started.”

The investigating officer, Cpl. A.P. Christian, said Franklin was arrested Aug. 16.

“We received an anonymous tip that came through the home confinement office itself,” Christian said.

“The home confinement director contacted us and asked us to do an investigation into it,” he said.

Franklin was charged with sexual intrusion of an inmate, Christian said. He was released on a personal recognizance bond and is now awaiting trial.

The inmate was an adult female who was under Franklin’s care and control as a home confinement officer, Christian said. Christian declined to release her name

Appeared Here

Pedophile Coeburn Virginia Police Officer Edward Shane Kiser Arrested After Seeking Sex With A Child On Facebook

GATE CITY, VIRGINIA — A former Coeburn police officer is facing felony charges for allegedly sending sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old girl over Facebook.

Edward Shane Kiser, 27, of Coeburn, was arrested and charged Friday by the Virginia State Police with using a computer in an attempt to gain sex from a minor.

The charge is considered a Class 5 felony and carries a possible sentence of one to 10 years in prison.

Although Kiser lives in Coeburn, the Scott County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case since the alleged victim is a resident of Scott County.

“The VSP received contact (from the girl’s parents) that there was, at that time, an officer from the town of Coeburn who had been Facebooking their daughter,” Scott County Commonwealth’s Attorney Marcus McClung said. “He had made contact with the girl through his occupation, and he then began what we believe was an inappropriate relationship through Facebook.”

Kiser was employed as a patrol officer with the Coeburn Police Department when he allegedly began sending the messages.

Coeburn Town Manager Loretta Mays confirmed that Kiser submitted his resignation from the force without reason prior to being charged and arrested Friday.

The VSP began investigating Kiser on Aug. 16 after the teenage girl’s parents reported his alleged actions to the Scott County Sheriff’s Office.

According to McClung and VSP Special Agent Jason Jenkins, Kiser first met the girl — and subsequently learned her identity and age — following a noise complaint involving juveniles at a gas station in Coeburn.

As a result of that incident, authorities said Kiser was able to find the girl’s Facebook profile and began sending her private messages on the social networking site propositioning her for sex.

“We allege that he knew how old she was,” McClung said. “When he stopped her, he had an opportunity to locate her age, and despite that he decided to carry on the inappropriate communication.”

After the girl’s parents discovered the messages and went to authorities, Jenkins was given permission to assume her identity on Facebook and begin carrying on conversations with Kiser.

That portion of the investigation lasted nearly a week before authorities decided to formally charge Kiser.

Jenkins said the cooperation of the girl’s parents was key to the investigation getting under way.

“It’s very important to have the parents involved,” Jenkins said. “Without the parents, a lot of times we wouldn’t know the extent of how bad these situations can be, because without parent involvement we might not find out.”

Following his arrest, state law enforcement executed a search warrant on Kiser’s residence and seized a computer and cell phones.

Kiser was taken before a Scott County magistrate after being taken into custody Friday and was released on his own recognizance.

Appeared Here

Muscogee Oklahoma Police Officer Douglas Ragsdale Arrested And Charged With Eluding Police And Possession Of A Firearm During A Felony

MUSCOGEE, OKLAHOMA – A Muskogee High School campus police officer was arrested after leading Muskogee police on a brief chase.

Douglas Ragsdale, 44, was arrested on complaints of eluding police and possession of a firearm during commission of a felony.

Muskogee police Lt. Bobby Lee said officers responded to a disturbance call at the Kum & Go at North Country Club Road and Shawnee Bypass just after 9 p.m. Tuesday.

Police were notified the drivers of a red pickup and silver pickup had been in an argument, Lee said. When officers arrived at the gas station, the silver pickup was gone, and Ragsdale was entering the red pickup.

Lee said Ragsdale then drove west on Shawnee Bypass, and did not stop when officers turned on their emergency lights. Ragsdale ran through a red light before pulling over into the Bacone Inn parking lot, where the silver pickup was stopped.

Lee said Ragsdale exited the vehicle and officers noticed he was holding a handgun. Ragsdale then entered his pickup and holstered the handgun.

Lee said Ragsdale told police he was campus security, and officers believed Ragsdale meant he was Bacone campus security.

“They later learned he was not Bacone campus security,” Lee said. “But that he was Muskogee High School campus security.”

Lee said the patrol officer’s report stated the driver of the silver pickup had not been arrested. The report did not indicate what the alleged disturbance had been about, Lee said.

A Muskogee County/City Detention Facility employee said Ragsdale was in the facility, but no bond had been set on Ragsdale as of Wednesday afternoon.

Muskogee school district police chief Dan Hall confirmed Ragsdale is a campus officer. Hall said the matter is a personnel issue.

Appeared Here

Gary Indiana Police Officer David B. Finley Arrested On Federal Drug And Weapon Charges

GARY, INDIANA – A Gary, Ind., police officer was arrested Tuesday morning and is facing prison time on federal drug and weapons charges.

David B. Finley, 31, was arrested in Hammond following a weeks-long investigation by the FBI and the Gary Police Department.

Finley has been involved in drug sales and even used his position as an officer to get a discount on a gun purchase for someone who didn’t qualify, the Post-Tribune reported, citing officials and sources.

“The vast majority of the men and women of the Gary Police Department are honest and hardworking people. This arrest should be a reminder to any officer who decides to cross the line and break the law that they will be arrested and prosecuted,” said Gary Chief Wade Ingram.

Finley is set to appear in court on Friday.

Appeared Here

Top 2 Henderson Louisiana Police Officers Arrested After Investigation Into Illegal Traffic Ticket Quota Scheme Paid For With State Grant Money

HENDERSON, LOUISIANA — The Louisiana Inspector General’s Office has arrested the top two officers of the Henderson Police Department following a yearlong investigation into an illegal traffic citation quota system paid for through state grant dollars.

The Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/NTDVjO ) Henderson Police Chief Leroy Guidry and Deputy Chief Oliver Mack Lloyd were arrested Friday on nine counts of filing or maintaining false public records, nine counts of public payroll fraud, and one count each of malfeasance and criminal conspiracy.

According to the arrest affidavits, the investigation began in August 2011 after the Office of Inspector General received a complaint alleging officers were receiving illegal payments from the city for traffic citations issued on Interstate 10.

The complainant stated that officers who participated in the traffic enforcement program were being paid $15 for each citation written, and were expected to write two tickets per hour, amounting to a quota system. The payments were made through a state grant from the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission between the years of 2009 and 2011.

The affidavit says more than $16,000 in fraudulent payments went to officers involved in the program from the $189,000 state grant received by the city.

The town of Henderson received about $2.4 million dollars in fines and forfeitures, primarily from citations issued by officers, which accounts for more than 80 percent of the town’s overall revenue, the affidavit says.

State law prohibits a state agency, political subdivision or law enforcement agency to offer a financial reward or other benefit to a law enforcement officer based on the number of citations the officer issues.

The increased revenue from the citations also allowed town officials to authorize 100 percent payment of health insurance coverage for the police chief, the mayor and their spouses, the affidavit says.

Records indicate the town paid more than $15,000 in health insurance coverage for Guidry and his spouse from August 2010 and February 2012, the affidavit says, adding that this benefit is not offered to other town employees’ spouses.

In a February interview with Guidry, investigators asked him if the officers’ time sheets reflected hours they worked on the program.

Inspector General Stephen Street Street declined to say whether additional charges could be filed against other people as a result of the ongoing investigation.

Appeared Here

Nashville Tennessee Police Officer Albert Ridgeway Arrested, Decommissioned, Charged With Domestic Assault – Second Officer Arrested And Decommissioned Over Weekend

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – A second Metro Police officer was decommissioned after being arrested on domestic assault charges over the weekend.

Officials said Patrol Officer Albert Ridgeway was decommissioned following an investigation into a domestic assault that took place on Sunday. According to documents, Ridgeway pushed his girlfriend down several times during an argument at their home in Mt. Juliet. She called police and filed charges against Ridgeway.

Ridgeway was a six-year veteran officer. He had been assigned to the Central Precinct.

Police said that Ridgeway was actually the second Metro Officer to be arrested on Sunday. An off-duty probationary officer, Robert Shouse, was charged with aggravated criminal trespassing and public intoxication.

“The alleged actions and continued employment of these two individuals are being closely reviewed by this police department,” Chief Steve Anderson said. “The reported actions giving rise to their arrests are not at all representative of our more than 1,800 very dedicated and committed employees.”

Appeared Here

Fired Lafayette Louisiana Police Officer Kencil Joseph Arrested And Charged With Bogus Crash Report – Left Out Facts Pertaining To Unlicensed Driver

LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA — A former Lafayette police officer was booked this week on criminal charges for allegedly falsifying a crash report so there was no mention of the unlicensed driver, allowing the man to avoid possible arrest.

Kencil Joseph, 28, of Opelousas, was booked Tuesday on charges of malfeasance in office and injuring public records and released after posting $1,000 bond.

Joseph was fired from the Police Department in May, Lafayette City-Parish Chief Administrative Officer Dee Stanley said.

The former officer has denied wrongdoing and has appealed to the Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board for reinstatement.

The investigation focused on a crash report from a February traffic accident in Lafayette, according to an outline of the internal affairs investigation in the civil service appeal file.

The driver of one the vehicles complained to police that the crash report listed the female passenger of the other vehicle as the driver and made no mention of the man who was actually behind the wheel, even though Joseph had allegedly been told the two had switched seats before he arrived, according to the civil service records.

The man and woman later acknowledged to police that Joseph was allegedly aware of the switch and had allowed the female to be listed as the driver because the male had no driver’s license and would have been subject to arrest, according to the civil service records.

Joseph denied knowing about the switch or even speaking to any male at the scene of the accident, according to the civil service appeal records.

Joseph’s defense attorney, William Goode, maintained his client’s innocence but declined to discuss the details of the case.

“Kencil (Joseph) was a wonderful police officer and did not commit this crime,” Goode said.

Stanley declined comment on the internal investigation of Joseph but said that he had worked at the department from April 2008 and was terminated on May 18.

If convicted, Joseph faces up to five years in prison on the malfeasance charge and up to one year on the charge of injuring public records.

Appeared Here

San Juan Texas Police Officer Ignacio Pinales Arrested, Suspended, And Charged With Drunk Driving

McALLEN, TEXAS  — A San Juan police officer is on unpaid suspension following an arrest early Saturday morn-ing in McAllen on suspicion of drunken driving.

McAllen police arrested patrol Officer Ignacio Pinales and held him at the city jail until his arraignment hearing Saturday afternoon, where a judge formally charged him with driving while intoxicated.

Pinales was transferred to the Hidalgo County Jail and was later released after posting a $1,000 bond.

Details of his arrest were not readily available.

Pinales has served as a patrol officer with the San Juan Police Department for 2½ years, said Chief Juan Gonzalez.

“I take this matter very seriously, and if he is found guilty he will be terminated as a San Juan Police Department officer,” Gonzalez said.

Preliminary court information indicates this is Pinales’ first DWI arrest in the state. In Texas, an initial DWI offense is designated a Class B misdemeanor and is punishable upon conviction with a jail term of up to 180 days and a fine of up to $2,000.

Police officers in Texas must be certified by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Stan-dards and Education. A licensed officer convicted of a crime more serious than a Class B misdemeanor is no longer eligible to serve as a peace officer in the state.

Appeared Here

Pedophile Portales New Mexico Police Officer Victo Castillo Arrested And Charged With Sexual Misconduct With Underage Girls – Fired

PORTALES, NEW MEXICO — A former Portales police officer has been arrested for alleged sexual misconduct with underage girls.

New Mexico State Police say 45-year-old Victor Castillo was taken into custody Friday. He’s being held on a $100,000 cash or surety bond on suspicion of 31 felony charges.

Authorities say Castillo was assigned as the Portales Public School Resource Officer from Jan. 8 to May 25.

During that span, Castillo allegedly manufactured, possessed and/or distributed sexually explicit photos and videos of at least two female Portales High School students who are under 18.

Authorities say Castillo allegedly provided alcohol to female students and engaged in sexual misconduct with a 16-year-old student he met while working at Portales High.

Portales police say Castillo was fired on July 13. It’s unclear if Castillo has a lawyer.

Appeared Here

Pedophile Phoenix Arizona Veteran Police Officer Christopher J. Wilson Arrested And Charged With Sexual Misconduct With Minors – Quit After Arrest For Sex With Young Boys

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – Phoenix police say one of their officers was arrested Tuesday night for sexual misconduct with minors.

Chief Daniel Garcia of Phoenix police identified the officer at a news conference Wednesday morning as 43-year-old Christopher J. Wilson.

A 14-year-old boy told his parents about the allegations of sexual misconduct, Garcia said.

The investigation began when another victim, a 17-year-old boy, contacted police, he said.

The relationship with the 17-year-old lasted three to four months, and the relationship with the 14-year-old was about three weeks long, Garcia said.

Wilson was a community relations officer that worked as a liaison to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.

He was arrested just after 8 p.m. Tuesday at his home without incident.

Wilson admitted to the relationships and resigned, police said.

He was a 13-year veteran.

Chief Garcia said he is “very disturbed” about this incident.

As a liaison for the LGBT community, Wilson worked with several groups in the Valley.

He would be a point of contact for those organizations to share their concerns with.

Brad Wishon, Chair of the the One Voice LGBT Community Center, now worries Wilson’s arrest could cause a backlash against the gay community.

“I think that people find a reason to justify what they’re already feeling and use that to justify acting inappropriately or to attack a community for what one individual does,” Wishon said.

Wishon added he hopes the arrest is not a reflection on the gay community.

“Even though Chris is a gay man that is not what is at issue here. What is at issue is an adult who should have known better, did not do better, and as a result two young people are harmed and that’s the real tragedy here,” Wishon said.

Appeared Here

Delray Beach Florida Police Officer Dave Melville Chin Arrested, Charged With Perjury And Offical Misconduct After Lies About His Relationship With Confidential Informant

DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA  — A Delray Beach police officer has been arrested on perjury and official misconduct, the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office said today.

Officer Dave Melville Chin, 35, is facing one count of perjury and three counts of official misconduct after he allegedly lied about his relationship with a woman who acted as a confidential informant.

It is the second time this month that prosecutors have investigated charges involving a Delray Beach police officer.

On Aug. 2, the state attorney’s office declined to prosecute Officer Frank Umbriac on charges that he had sex with a woman while on duty. Umbriac is still the subject of the internal department investigation.

According to the state attorney’s office, Chin, a member of the department’s Street Narcotics Enforcement Unit, made false statements during the arrest and prosecution of 26-year-old Hobe Sound woman.

Delray officers arrested Natalie Jerue last September on charges of trafficking in oxycodone. According to a report related to Chin’s arrest, he made false statements about asking Jerue to go out on dates, made false statements that caused another officer to falsify a probable-cause affidavit related to her arrest, and lied about Jerue having provided information that led to a drug-related arrest.

He did so in order to prevent the exposure of his personal cell phone records that revealed a relationship between Chin and Jerue, the report said.

According to the report, Chin detained Jerue during a traffic stop in June of 2011, but did not arrest her at the time. Jerue was ultimately arrested on the oxycodone charge. Chin initially met her months earlier while she was having lunch with a person whom Chin recognized as a department informant, the report said. He expressed an interest in dating Jerue and and sent her several text messages asking her to go out on a date, the report said. Chin initially denied to investigators that he asked Jerue out, but later admitted to doing so. They never actually went out on a date, he said.

Chin told investigators that the confidential informant was with Jerue during the traffic stop, and that he retrieved a bottle of illegal pills from the car. He later provided contradicting statements for the probable-cause affidavit, omitting the fact the informant was present, the arrest report said.

In an effort to persuade prosecutors to dismiss Jerue’s case, he presented a memo stating that she provided information that led to several drug-related arrests within the city. Jerue’s roommate was arrested the day following the traffic stop and Chin credited her with providing information that led to the arrest, according to the report.

However, Jerue later denied that she provided the information. She told investigators that Chin contacted her days after the traffic stop and discussed her becoming a cooperating source. He told her that because of the discovery of pills in her car, she would be arrested if she refused to cooperate, the report said.

Jerue ultimate agreed to cooperate, but none of the information she provided led an arrest or the recovery of contraband as indicated in the memo that Chin provided to the state attorney’s Office, the report said.

Appeared Here

Tulsa Oklahoma Police Officer Cpl. Gene Watkins Arrested, Charged With Domestic Assault And Battery And Threatening A Violent Act

TULSA, OKLAHOMA – A Tulsa police officer was arrested Friday for charges of domestic assault and battery and threatening a violent act.

TPD Cpl. Gene Watkins was arrested around 4:30 p.m. and was released on a $1,500 bond within 30 minutes.

Court documents show the offense happened Aug. 21.

A not guilty plea was entered on behalf of Watkins and he has been ordered to have no contact with the victim.

Watkins is scheduled back in court Sept. 11.

Appeared Here

No Real Crimes To Solve In Oklahoma City, So Police Target Two Men Who Were Doing Flips With Panhandling

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – Two men caught flipping for money have to cough up cash for not having a city-issued permit. Oklahoma City police arrested the men for panhandling at N.W. 122nd Street and Penn.

But they weren’t just begging. They were doing tricks.

“It is kind of like an exchange. It may be something we do people like it and they help us out,” said Cody Lamb, who was arrested.

The two men performed several flips until a police officer stopped the show, handcuffed them and put the men in the back of the squad car. Lamb said he was confused.

“I just asked what was going on? Please let me know what was going on. I have a wife and a baby that I am trying to take care of. I have a baby on the way it’s hard to get by in this world with just one job,” Lamb said.

His brother-in-law agrees.

“It does seem completely ridiculous to me to be arrested for doing backflips,” said Jesse Hertz. “I wasn’t getting in anyone’s way. I was staying on the median perfectly. I wasn’t demanding money. I was just walking around with a sign and people can roll own their windows and hand me money if they want.”

The two said they were earning money like kids washing for cars for cash, but the arresting officer said it wasn’t the same. Oklahoma law says they need a permit.

They were arrested and ticketed for aggressively panhandling.

Appeared Here

SECRET: Former Powell Wyoming Police Officer Kirk Chapman Arrested – Public Information Withheld From Media And Public And Arrest Information Disappears From Park County Sheriff’s Department Website

POWELL, WYOMING – A former Powell police officer has been arrested on a warrant, and law enforcement and court officials will not say why.

Information posted to the Park County Sheriff’s Office website over the weekend listed 39-year-old Kirk Chapman as having been arrested Friday at the Park County Courthouse and included a booking photo.

Chapman served as a Powell police officer from January 2007 until November 2011, when he resigned and moved to Wisconsin to rejoin his family.

When asked Monday what the warrant was for, Park County Sheriff Scott Steward said the information about Chapman’s arrest had been inadvertently posted online.

“It’s not supposed to be there,” Steward said Monday morning. The arrest information remained online Monday evening.

An employee at Park County Circuit Court in Cody said a matter related to Chapman was under seal and she would not say whether he’d recently made a court appearance.

Park County Attorney Bryan Skoric, whose office handles the prosecution of all criminal allegations in Park County, would not comment on Chapman’s arrest and would not say if any charges were pending.

Criminal cases can be sealed when the court wants to protect the identity of the person who is alleged to have been wronged, but only in certain types of cases are a defendant’s arrest and information about any court appearances also confidential.

Asked if he knew of the circumstances that led to Chapman’s arrest, Powell Police Chief Roy Eckerdt said he did, “but I’m not at liberty to discuss it.”

Eckerdt would not comment on whether the arrest had anything to do with Chapman’s time at the department or comment on the circumstances of the officer’s November resignation. Chapman had been planning to leave Powell for some time.

“The arrest obviously is due to a warrant, and it’s a warrant that was generated by another law enforcement agency, and therefore I can’t really discuss their case,” said Eckerdt. He also noted that anything related to Chapman’s employment at the city would be confidential personnel information.

The Tribune requested a copy of Chapman’s letter of resignation several months ago, but that request was denied by City Administrator Zane Logan on the grounds that it was confidential personnel information.

As a general statement, Eckerdt said he expects Powell police to operate with integrity, courage and compassion.

“No one is above the law, and no one is below the law,” the chief said.

Eckerdt noted that Chapman, like any member of the public, has a Constitutional right to due process.

It was not clear who, if anyone, is representing Chapman.

A Facebook message seeking to get in touch with Chapman wasn’t immediately returned Monday afternoon.

Appeared Here

Pensacola Florida Police Officer Christopher Geraci Fired And Arrested After In-Car Video Camera Catches His Brutal Attack On Woman Who Wouldn’t Hang Up Cellphone

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – A Florida police officer was fired and arrested after a camera mounted in his car showed him slamming a hit-and-run suspect against her car multiple times.

The video appears to show officer Christopher Geraci grab suspect Abbi Bonds’ arm and shove her after she refused to obey his command that she hang up her cellphone and reenter her car, WEAR-TV reported.

Geraci then appears to grab Bonds by the hair and force her against the side of the car as he attempts to handcuff her.

“I’m not fighting you,” she is heard saying. “Why are you hitting me?”

Bonds, 29, is suspected of being the driver in a hit-and-run accident.

Based on the video, it seems Bonds did not resist Geraci as she stood outside her damaged vehicle around 2 a.m. on Aug. 2. However, she allegedly failed several sobriety tests, leading to charges of driving under the influence, in addition to leaving the scene of an accident.

Pensacola Police Chief Chip Simmons quickly distanced the department from Geraci, who was charged with misdemeanor battery.

“You should only use the level of force that is necessary,” Simmons told HuffPost. “What we saw on that video is in excess of that … It fell short of our expectations.”

On Friday, Simmons said in a statement that Geraci used “unreasonable force.”

Bonds hasn’t filed a complaint against the department. The video surfaced because Geraci’s paperwork about the arrest included a “use of force” report, triggering his supervisors to examine the dashboard camera footage.

“When I saw the video, I was shocked and disappointed,” Simmons said, according to the Pensacola Business Journal. It was unreasonable force, and it was inconsistent with the level of resistance.”

Although she wouldn’t specify her injuries, Bonds told WEAR-TV that she still feels pain from the rough treatment.

Geraci, 33, had been with the department since 2004 and Simmons told HuffPost that there was at least one complaint against Geraci for being “discourteous” to the public while on duty.

If convicted, he could be sentenced to one year in jail. Prosecutors also said Geraci’s treatment of Bonds will affect how they handle the charges against her.

Unlike most inmates in Florida, a mug shot of Geraci was not made available.

Appeared Here

Foxborough Massachusetts Tried To Arrest Everyone At Country Music Festival – 567 Arrested And/Or Otherwise Detained

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – Foxborough police arrested 101 people and took another 466 into custody at the New England Country Music Festival in Gillette Stadium Friday and Saturday evenings, police said today.

The charges included being a minor in possession of alcohol, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, trespassing, assault and battery, and assault and battery on a police officer, Foxborough Police Sergeant Richard Noonan said. One person was arrested for operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, and another was arrested for drug possession.

Those arrested ranged in age from teenagers to people in their 50s, Noonan said. The two-day event was headlined by country singers Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw.

At the 2009 New England Country Music Festival, where also Chesney performed, police arrested 114 and placed placed at least 228 people in protective custody. Six people were charged with assault and battery in 2011 after a melee at a McGraw concert in Attleboro.

Noonan declined to say whether police provided extra security for this year’s event in Foxborough.

Appeared Here

Veteran Sweet Home Oregon Police Officer Randy Gill Arrested And Charged With Stealing Money From Police Union – Quit After Arrest

SWEET HOME, OREGON — A former Sweet Home policeman has been arrested for allegedly misappropriating funds from the union that represents local dispatchers and officers.

Randy Gill, 32, was contacted by Klamath County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 17, and taken into custody based on a warrant, said Sgt. Steve Dorn, of Albany Police Department.

He was arrested on charges of three counts of second-degree theft, official misconduct and third-degree theft, Dorn added.

The warrant had been issued July 27. Klamath County Sheriff’s Office wasn’t immediately available to comment on the arrest Wednesday.

In October, Sweet Home Police Department officers came to the Chief Bob Burford with concerns there may have been a misappropriation of local union funds.

“Something looked wrong,” Burford said. “I immediately asked Albany Police Department if they would conduct the investigation into that.”

That same day, Gill resigned from the police department, Burford said. Gill had been a Sweet Home officer for about seven years.

Paige Clarkson, Marion County deputy district attorney, will prosecute the case so the Linn County District Attorney’s Office can avoid any potential conflict of interest.

“It will be handled in Linn County. There’s no change of venue,” Clarkson said.

Second-degree theft, a Class A misdemeanor, applies to thefts of greater than $100 and less than $1,000. Official misconduct also is a Class A misdemeanor, Clarkson said.

Burford said it is always a disappointment when a police officer fails to live up to their oath of office.

“This is a first for Sweet Home to my knowledge,” Burford said. “And hopefully the last.”

Appeared Here

Clinton Maine Police Officer Derek Levasseur Arrested And Charged With Simple Assault And Domestic Violence Assault

CLINTON, MAINE — A reserve officer for the town police department was arrested recently on six charges, but few details are available.

Derek Levasseur was charged earlier this month with five counts of simple assault and one count of domestic violence assault, according to Town Manager Aaron Chrostowsky. He is now on unpaid administrative leave pending an investigation.

Maine State Police is handling the case, but Lt. Donald Pomelow said a report of the incident hasn’t been completed by Trooper Joe Chretien. Pomelow said he won’t be able to provide a time, date or place of the incident or arrest until Thursday morning.

“The report doesn’t give me enough information at this point,” he said.

Pomelow said he believes the incident occurred more than a week ago, and it wasn’t reported to police until the next day. Originally, Levasseur was going to be summoned for simple assault, but additional information led to his arrest on a charge of domestic violence assault.

Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland is on vacation this week and could not be reached. McCausland’s assistant Donna Hall referred all questions to Pomelow.

District Attorney Alan Kelley did not respond to messages left with his secretary.

An intake worker at Kennebec County jail, who wouldn’t disclose her name, said jail workers were notified of Levasseur’s arrest and expected to receive him shortly afterward, but later discovered Levasseur had posted bail at the police station where he was arrested and was released. The intake worker did not recall the date of arrest, where it occurred or where he posted bail. She said jail policy prevents her from releasing her name to the media.

Clinton Police Chief Craig Johnson said he couldn’t comment on the case because it’s being handled by state police. Levasseur, as a reserve officer, worked on a per diem basis. He was hired by the town in February and worked fewer than 20 days since then, Johnson estimated.

Chrostowsky also couldn’t comment on the case, but said the town would hold an internal investigation.

“We’re taking the matter seriously,” he said.

Levasseur could not be reached by phone Wednesday.

Levasseur also served for less than a year as a deputy for Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office, according Capt. Dan Davies. The sheriff’s office hired Levasseur in March 2010.

In August 2010, Levasseur attended a basic law enforcement training program at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy and graduated four months later in December.

Levasseur resigned before completing his first year of employment. Davies said he couldn’t discuss anything else about Levasseur’s tenure because personnel matters are confidential.

Appeared Here

Former Springfield Michigan Police Officer Trevor Endsley Pleads Guilty To Drunk Driving For A Tiny Slap On The Wrist – Quit After His Arrest

SPRINGFIELD, MICHIGAN – A former officer from the Springfield Department of Public Safety has entered a plea in a drunken driving case.

Trevor Endsley, 28, of Marshall, pleaded no contest today before Calhoun County District Judge Frank Line to driving under the influence of liquor and possession of a firearm while intoxicated.

He entered the pleas as part of an agreement with Calhoun County prosecutors who will dismiss charges of driving with a high blood alcohol content and leaving the scene of a property damage accident.

Also as part of the agreement Endsley will be sentenced to probation and no jail time. And the gun charge will be dismissed if he has no other violations for a year.

Endsley was arrested Jan. 8 by Emmett Township police after witnesses said he collided with another vehicle while leaving the parking lot of a strip club, Hots, at 948 N. Raymond Road. He later hit a power pole and was found a short distance away.

Police said his blood alcohol content was 0.21 percent.

He later resigned from the Springfield department.

A sentencing date was not immediately set.

Appeared Here

Delaware Correctional Officer Larry R. Clinkscale Arrested, Suspended, And Charged After 7 Minute Quickie With A Female Inmate

DELAWARE – A state correctional officer was arrested Monday for allegedly having sex with a female inmate in the staff bathroom of the prison facility, police said.

Larry R. Clinkscale, 40, of Bear, was a sergeant who has been a correctional officer for nearly 12 years, said Julie Petroff, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Correction.

The incident is alleged to have occurred between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Monday in a supply closet within Delores Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution in New Castle, said state police spokesman Sgt. Paul Shavack.

The 23-year-old victim contacted a staff member sometime after the alleged incident occurred and the staff member reported the allegation to the department’s internal affairs investigators.

The victim was taken to Christiana Hospital, where a sexual assault examination was conducted, police said in court records.

An investigation revealed that the victim was propositioned by the officer, who was working an overtime assignment, and told to go into a staff restroom.

According to court records, Clinkscale pulled the woman into a nearby closet where they engaged in oral and vaginal sex.

A surveillance camera captured the officer and victim disappear off camera and reappear seven minutes later, police said.

State police then obtained a warrant for Clinkscale.

He surrendered to detectives Tuesday and was charged with sexual relations in a detention facility, which prohibits any “employee, visitor, contractor and their employees, or a volunteer at a detention facility in the state from engaging in sexual intercourse or sexual penetration on the premises of a detention facility.”

He was released on $10,000 unsecured bail.

Clinkscale was suspended with pay pending a status review today, at which point his status likely will be changed to suspended without pay, Petroff said.

Appeared Here

Memphis Tennessee Police Officer Lakendus Cole Arrested, Jailed, Suspended, And Charged With Disorderly Conduct, Resisting Arrest, And Vandalism

MEMPHIS, TENNESSSEE – A Memphis police officer has been charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and vandalism after being arrested during a scuffle on Beale Street.

Memphis police said in a statement that 30-year-old Lakendus Cole, a seven-year veteran officer currently assigned to the Organized Crime Unit, has been relieved of duty with pay pending the outcome of an investigation. Also charged with disorderly conduct was 25-year-old Darnell Tennial.

Officers said the incident arose when Cole and Tennial became uncooperative as officers attempted to clear the street at 4 a.m. CDT Sunday.

Police said the two men became combative and resisted, causing a brief struggle during which a squad car was damaged.

Both men remained in the Shelby County Jail on Sunday. Jail records did not list an attorney for either.

Appeared Here

Tulsa Oklahoma Police Officer Marvin Blades Jr. Arrested In Sting Operation – Targeted Hispanic Drivers And Robbed Them

TULSA, OKLAHOMA – Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan addressed media Saturday afternoon and reminded about a promise he made 18 months ago to clean up the force and bring down offenders on the inside.

“There is no thin, blue line in this department that protects its own,” Jordan said.

As earlier reported by News On 6, a joint investigation by TPD and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics ended in the arrest of a TPD officer.

According to a police report, an undercover sting was staged Friday evening by the two agencies, and TPD officer Marvin Blades Jr., 37, was arrested on a second-degree robbery complaint. Police said the investigation was “ongoing for several months,” and Blades is suspected of targeting many Hispanics for traffic stops and stealing their money.

Jordan said peer-reporting was a huge factor in netting Blades’ arrest. Fellow officers on the street witnessed what they deemed suspicious behavior by Blades, and an investigation began, he said.

The arrest report says Blades pulled over an OBN agent in an undercover vehicle about 10 p.m. on Friday in the 2800 block of North Lewis Avenue. Blades used his assigned TPD patrol car and pulled over the undercover agent and “was armed with a Glock .40-caliber pistol and was in the Tulsa Police uniform with badge,” the report says.

When Blades approached the agent, he instructed the agent to leave his wallet in the seat and go to the back of the vehicle. Blades then went to the front of the vehicle, near the wallet, before allowing the agent to leave the traffic stop, investigators said.

When the undercover agent returned to the cab of his vehicle, he found six documented $100 bills missing from the wallet, according to the report.

Officers involved in the operation continued surveillance on Blades until just after 2 a.m. on Saturday, when they felt he could be arrested in a safe manner, the report says.

An arresting officer found cash in Blades’ right pants pocket, police said. Blades reportedly told police the money belonged to his wife, but detectives matched the serial numbers to the bills used in the sting.

Friday night’s events matched details of multiple reported robberies alleged to have been carried out by Blades, the report says.

Blades was assigned to TPD’s Gilcrease Division at the time of the robbery, police said. He was released on $25,000 bond, but remains on suspension with pay. Blades has been employed by TPD off and on since 1997.

TPD believes there are more victims who haven’t come forward because of fear. Those who believe they are victims in Blades’ alleged scheme are asked to call TPD at 918-596-9137.

Blades Jr. is son of former cop who reportedly lied about traffic stop

Blades is the son of Marvin Blades Sr., a former longtime TPD officer who once served on the force’s gang unit and also had a high-profile controversy within the department.

A search of News On 6 archives shows that north Tulsa citizens were upset and the NAACP called for the then-police chief’s resignation over a 12-day suspension of Blades Sr. in 1995. They claimed it, and his subsequent reassignment to another division, amounted to racial discrimination because Blades Sr. “stood up for black officers’ rights,” archives show.

However, an investigation by TPD Internal Affairs showed Blades Sr. was suspended for lying about a traffic stop and identifying someone as a gang member in public.

“Christopher Cox was shot and killed by a gang member on May 11, 1994,” News On 6 reported in 1995. “Tulsa gang officer Marvin Blades [Sr.] later showed a videotape of Cox’s funeral at a seminar and said Cox was a gang member. Cox’s family said that’s a lie. Internal Affairs officers asked Blades about it and found he couldn’t prove Cox was a gang member.”

Documents showed there were two reasons Blades Sr. believed Cox was a gang member — because he saw a tattoo on Cox’s arm and because he and fellow officer Bill Purifoy pulled over Cox in a traffic stop a few years before.

However, the medical examiner’s report said there was no tattoo on Cox, and a sworn affidavit from Purifoy said he never participated in a traffic stop.

Then-TPD Chief Ron Palmer told News On 6 that Blades Sr. got into trouble when he started making up things to cover his story about Cox, archives show.

“There’s an expectation, especially when we go to go court, that we tell the truth and anything we talk to the public, about whatever, that we’re telling the truth,” Palmer said in 1995. “We seek out people who tell the truth to be police officers.”

Court records show Blades Sr. filed suit against the City of Tulsa in 1995 in an appeal of the suspension, but it was later dismissed. He was eventually given back his job on the gang unit, according to News On 6 archives.

Blades Sr. served for nearly 30 years at TPD and is currently employed as an officer with Tulsa Public Schools.

Appeared Here

Nutcase Former Chalfont Pennsylvania Police Officer Jon Cousin Released From Prison And Headed To An Inpatient Mental Health Treatment Facility – Falsely Claimed People In A Suspicious Vehicle Did It

PENNSYLVANIA – Jon Cousin, the Chalfont police officer arrested late Tuesday and charged with lying about being shot on duty, is out of prison and headed to a mental health treatment facility.

Cousin, 30, posted 10 percent of his $150,000 bail Thursday afternoon after agreeing to several bail modifications requested by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.

Cousin must check into an inpatient program at a mental health clinic of his choosing within 12 hours, and notify prosecutors of his progress. He has already cleared an initial mental health evaluation done by prison doctors, and has turned over all his weapons to county detectives.

Deputy District Attorney Robert James said the modifications were necessary to protect the public.

“The nature of the offense indicates that he’s a danger to himself and others,” James said.

Cousin’s attorney, Michael Applebaum, declined to discuss specifics of his client’s alleged crimes.

“At this point we are concerned about his mental health,” Applebaum said. “If things occurred the way the police say they occurred, we will want to find out why. At this point, we just don’t know.”

Police say Cousin, a three-year veteran of the force, called dispatchers about 3:16 a.m. Monday morning and said he was checking on a suspicious vehicle parked at the Lenape Valley Swim Club on Westview Avenue.

Moments later, Cousin got back on the radio, shouting that he’d been shot. He described the fleeing gunman and two other people in the car, sending law enforcement on a frantic search throughout the area for the brazen cop-shooters.

Detectives investigating the shooting soon became suspicious. Cousin stated that his bulletproof vest saved his life, but he didn’t have severe chest bruising consistent with similar shootings.

By late Tuesday, detectives said they determined that Cousin was lying. He was arrested and charged with making false alarms to agencies of public safety, making false reports to law enforcement, disorderly conduct, official oppression, possession of an instrument of crime and recklessly endangering another person.

Cousin spent nearly two days in the county jail before being bailed out Thursday. Applebaum said Cousin’s wife and extended family are being very supportive.

“They are extremely concerned about him and are doing everything in their power to help him,” he said.

Cousin and his wife have four children, including newborn triplets. Applebaum said the family has been “traumatized” by reader comments on online news stories.

“The ugly comments from the public are not helpful,” he said.

Applebaum said he would leave it up to experts to determine whether Cousin was in the throes of some sort of mental breakdown when the alleged hoax occurred.

“I think there’s a logical explanation for what happened. At some point, everyone will get the answers they want and this case will be resolved,” he said.

Cousin’s next court date, a preliminary hearing, is tentatively scheduled for Thursday.

Appeared Here

Montgomery Alabama Police Officer Milton Strother Arrested And Quits – Charged With Theft Of Funds In Narcotics Arrest

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA – The Montgomery Police Department confirms that it has arrested one of its own officers in connection with the theft of funds confiscated in a narcotics arrest.

Police Chief Kevin J. Murphy immediately initiated termination proceedings against the officer, who has resigned.

MPD charged Milton Strother, 25, with one count of second-degree theft, a Class C felony.

Following his arrest late Tuesday, Strother was transported to the Montgomery County Detention Facility, where he was being held under a $2,500 bond.

Montgomery Police initiated the investigation after determining that cash seized in a narcotics case last year had not been returned as ordered by a judge hearing the case.

In the course of the investigation, MPD says it developed information that led to Strother’s arrest. Strother was hired in 2007.

Because the investigation is continuing, no additional information is available for public release.

Appeared Here