Fairfax County Police Watch: Retired officer 'vehemently denies' assault charge

By Elizabeth Dinan

PORTSMOUTH — Charged with a domestic violence-related count of simple assault, retired police detective Stephen Arnold petitioned the local court to lift bail conditions barring him from going to his home.

In a court motion, Arnold cites economic hardships brought on by the bail conditions, as well as a career of "loyally serving the citizens of Portsmouth."

Arnold, 49, a resident of 114 Colonial Drive, was arrested Dec. 22 on a misdemeanor charge that alleges he knowingly caused unprivileged contact to a woman who is known to him by slapping her "in the face."

A retired Portsmouth police detective, now working as legislative director for the N.H. Police Benevolent Association, Arnold's bail conditions bar him from having contact with the alleged victim and from going home. Through Portsmouth attorney Justin Nadeau, Arnold wrote to the court, in a sworn motion, that he "vehemently denies and intends to vigorously defend" the assault allegation.

In his court motion, Arnold describes himself as "the primary financial supporter of his family" who needs access to his home office to run his snow plowing and private investigation businesses, as well as to work for the statewide police association. Arnold also reported in his motion that he's "only had access to the clothes that he was wearing on the evening of the alleged incident, as well as a few of his personal belongings."

While seeking modifications to his bail conditions, Arnold also tells the court he was a Portsmouth police officer for almost 23 years, during which he was awarded two congressional medals of honor and raised "hundreds of thousands of dollars" for a program that provides financial assistance to law enforcement families facing economic hardship due to cancer.

"For the foregoing reasons, the least of which are the countless years of loyal and dedicated service he has selflessly given to his local community and the state of New Hampshire in fighting crime and keeping our neighborhoods safe," Arnold's motion states, he should be granted a hearing to contest bail conditions so he can return home.

Portsmouth police have transferred the case to the Rockingham County Attorney's office, citing a need to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest.

Arnold previously told the Portsmouth Herald his arrest was based on a "total misunderstanding" and "never should've happened." On Tuesday he said he's been advised not to comment.

Following his arrest, Arnold was released on $750 personal recognizance bail; he is scheduled to be arraigned Jan. 27 in Portsmouth Circuit Court. Arnold's motion to review bail conditions is also expected to be heard at that same time.

Morrogh finds cop he doesn’t love. In other news, hell freezes.

Probe of fatal police shooting goes to federal authorities

By Justin Jouvenal/Post

The Fairfax County prosecutor has turned over the investigation of a fatal police shooting of an unarmed Springfield man to federal authorities, citing complications with the five-month-old case.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Ray Morrogh said the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia has agreed to continue the probe into the death of 46-year-old John Geer, who was shot during a standoff with Fairfax County police in August. No one has been charged in the incident.

“There is a conflict of interest that has arisen in the case,” Morrogh said Thursday. “And there is a second potential conflict of interest that has arisen out of my office. . . . This is the prudent thing to do.”

Morrogh declined to describe the nature of the conflicts because the investigation is ongoing. The U.S. attorney’s office said Thursday that it could not confirm or deny any investigation or comment on pending investigations.

Police went to Geer’s Pebble Brook Court home on Aug. 29 because of a report of a domestic disturbance. Geer’s father, Don Geer, said his son was upset because his girlfriend, the mother of his two children, had decided to leave him.

John Geer had thrown his girlfriend’s belongings in the front yard. She called police and told them that Geer had a firearm. Police said they tried for about 50 minutes to persuade Geer to leave the home, but he refused.

Don Geer said he watched the climax of the encounter. He said that he could not hear what officers were saying to his son but that he saw him standing with empty hands resting on top of a screen door at the home’s entrance.

At some point, John Geer began to slowly lower his hands and an officer opened fire, hitting Geer in the chest, his father said. Geer retreated inside and closed the door. A SWAT team eventually entered the home and found Geer dead.

Don Geer said detectives later told him that his son did not have a gun on him at the time of the shooting but that there was a holstered handgun a couple of steps from the front door.

Don Geer said it appeared to him that the shooting was unjustified, but he was unsure what to make of the probe being turned over to federal authorities.

“I don’t know whether that’s good or bad — if I had a better idea of why they are doing it, I could form an opinion,” he said.

Geer and friends of his son have been critical of how long the investigation has taken, but Morrogh said police and prosecutors were working to explore all the evidence. He did not think federal prosecutors would have to start from scratch.

“No one wants these things to linger on,” Morrogh said.

Our ink will outlast his career

Under the reign of former Chief of Police Rhorer the Fairfax County Police arrested a man for not wearing clothes in his house while he made coffee, set up an eye doctor on a gambling charge and then used the SWAT team to kill him. An investigation into the charge that the Doctor’s primary clients were cops has never been investigated. The police gunned down an emotionally unstable man because cop who shot him wrongly assumed the man was trying to escape. He wasn’t. The cops also shot dead four other citizens under highly questionable circumstances. The department under Rhorer was sued multiple times by citizens. So did they fire Rhorer? Naw they promoted him. According to news reports Rhorer draws a salary of $191,168 per year as Deputy Fairfax County Executive as well as a concurrent pension from the Fairfax County police of $173000 per year.

Occupation by force

According to the most recent U.S. Census figures, nearly one in five Fairfax residents (17.5 percent) is of Asian descent while Hispanics make up nearly 16 percent of Fairfax’s overall population. Those numbers drop considerably when applied to the Fairfax County Police Department, where only 4.3 percent of officers are Asian and 4.1 percent Hispanic. White officers make up 84 percent of Fairfax County’s 1,360-member police department, significantly higher than the county’s general population (54 percent white). Almost 90% of the force lives outside the county.