City cop's gun mishap triggers protest

Daniel Tepfer

BRIDGEPORT -- Carrying signs that read, "Double standard breeds mistrust," and "The law perverted," self-proclaimed "gun lovers" braved the snowy weather Monday night to protest the lack of an immediate arrest of a city police officer who accidentally shot himself in a crowded bagel shop.

"If we had been involved in horseplay with a firearm in a bagel shop, we would have been taken out in handcuffs," James Keyser said as he stood in a puddle of slush outside the Bridgeport Police Department. "But here it is, 42 days later, and he hasn't been charged with anything."

This is the second time the half-dozen men have protested the lack of an arrest in the case of Officer Juan Santiago, a 28-year veteran of the department. Both times, the weather has been inclement.

The protestors said they were too upset about the issue to let bad weather thwart their message.

"The right thing to do here is just so clear," said Palin Smith, of Woodbury. "I love police, but it irritates me to see them treated differently."

On Dec. 17, Santiago was examining a friend's gun in Bagel King on Main Street when the gun went off. The bullet went through his leg and shattered a window in the crowded restaurant.

Santiago, who was not immediately charged, was treated and released from the hospital soon after the incident. The State Police were then summoned to investigate.

Bridgeport State's Attorney John Smriga said he expects the state investigation to be finished "shortly." In the meantime, Santiago is on desk duty with the department.

The protesters said this second demonstration was triggered by the Bridgeport police's recent arrest of a man who had accidentally fired his gun at home while cleaning it.

Officers responded to the home of 23-year-old Kenneth Sullivan, of Midland Street, on Jan. 28 after a report of a gunshot in the area. A bullet allegedly pierced a wall and struck the house next door. Sullivan reportedly told police his gun went off while he was cleaning it.

Sullivan was arrested that day and charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm, second-degree reckless endangerment and criminal mischief in the third degree. He was released after posting $1,500 bond.

In a statement, Police Chief Joseph Gaudett denied there was any impropriety in handling Santiago's incident.

"Some people are working on the false assumption that the incident is being swept under some rug because the person is a police officer," Gaudett said. "The reality is we requested the Connecticut State Police handle the investigation to ensure the public would have confidence that the process would be fair, objective and impartial."

On Monday, the protesters vowed to keep the pressure on city police until Santiago is arrested.

"We are not going away," Keyser said.

Youngsters Charged For Hitting Officer With Snowball Sue NYPD For False Arrest

By Will Hagle, 

A group of five young men who were arrested for possession of a weapon and attempted assault after accidentally hitting a transit cop with a snowball are now suing the New York Police Department for $10 million.

The young men were arrested in the Bronx by Sgt. Adonis Ramirez, who claimed he was attacked by a snowball. The incident occurred in February 2010.

According to Officer Paola Diaz, the officer charged with processing the paperwork that night, the word “snowball” did not appear on the report that charged the five individuals with criminal possession of a weapon. Diaz claimed responsibility for the mix-up.

“I made a mistake. It was a hectic night. It was me by myself doing everything. I made a mistake in my paperwork,” Diaz testified, according to the New York Daily News. 

Ramirez himself testified that he pulled his gun on the young men because he was being attacked with snowballs.

“I was outnumbered and I wasn’t taking any chances,” Ramirez said.

The young men that were arrested, of course, view the events differently.

“We went from playing in the snow to looking at the barrel of a gun. I saw the gun out and him screaming,” said Manuel Rondon.

Even Ramirez himself has changed his story since the initial incident occurred. Rather than being attacked with multiple snowballs, Ramirez has since admitted that he had just “one” snowball thrown at him, according to the New York Post. Ramirez was off duty at the time.

Because of Ramirez's changing story and Diaz's admission that she left the word "snowball" out of her report, the five gentlemen have a likely chance of winning the case.

City settles false arrest claim

GLENS FALLS -- The city of Glens Falls has settled for $45,000 a false arrest notice of claim filed last year by a Glens Falls man.

Leroy Magee had notified the city he intended to sue in connection with a 2011 misdemeanor arrest in which he accused of a police officer of making false accusations against him.

A notice of claim is the precursor to a lawsuit and is legally required when someone intends to sue a municipality.

Magee’s lawyer, William Montgomery, said the claim was settled without need for a lawsuit after the city’s insurance carrier reviewed the facts of the case.

“They looked at it and settled it pretty quickly,” he said.

Glens Falls Police Chief Will Valenza acknowledged the claim had been settled, but said there was no admission of guilt by police. He referred further comment to Glens Falls City Attorney Ronald Newell, who did not return a phone call for comment Wednesday.

The investigation and notice of claim stemmed from a Nov. 5, 2011 incident at Magee’s home on Union Street that began when a call was made seeking medical help because Magee’s wife, Kristina Magee, was unconscious.

Leroy Magee was charged because, according to police, he became combative, cursed at officers and struggled with them while intoxicated. Magee has a history of arrests.

A week after the medical call to his house, Magee filed a personnel complaint against the responding officers in which, according to police, he made a false statement. When police looked into his complaint, they filed a false instrument charge, accusing Magee of lying in his statement.

The false instrument charge arose from a comment Magee said arresting officer Andrew Mija made, which the 911 tape of the incident “disproved,” police wrote in court records.

Montgomery, though, wrote in the notice of claim that the 911 tape also disproved four allegations Mija made when he testified against Magee — that Magee got in the face of officers and yelled at them, got in officers’ way and would not step away from his wife, refused to provide information to police and struggled with officers.

Montgomery alleged that Mija filed a sworn deposition with the court the same day Magee filed a personnel complaint, which made him “question whether it was retaliatory and knowingly false.”

The case went to trial in October 2012 and a Glens Falls City Court jury acquitted Magee of resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration. The Warren County District Attorney’s Office then dropped a third misdemeanor that had been filed.

Montgomery asked that Mija be investigated for perjury. A special prosecutor was appointed, but no charges were filed.

Lawsuit: Man says former ESL officer beat him to get rape confession

By DANIEL KELLEY

A man exonerated of rape charges filed a federal lawsuit alleging a former East St. Louis detective beat him until he falsely confessed to the crime.

Marlon M. Miller, 21, of East St. Louis, was arrested Feb. 18 in connection with the robbery and rape of a 32-year-old East St. Louis woman as she left a MetroLink train at the Emerson Park station on Jan. 29, 2013.

The lawsuit alleges former East St. Louis Detective Orlando Ward coerced a confession from Miller by hitting him out of view of the police department's recording devices. Miller seeks more than $50,000 from Ward and $100,000 from the city of East St. Louis.

Neither Ward nor his attorney could be reached for comment Tuesday.

Miller was detained in jail from Feb. 20 until June 4 when the results of a DNA test cleared him of the charges. The lawsuit was filed in federal court Jan. 30.

The DNA results led to the arrest of Dominic R. Hood, 19, of East St. Louis. Hood faces six counts of criminal sexual assault, one count of aggravated sexual assault, and one count of armed robbery with a firearm in connection with the attack on the woman who left the MetroLink station.

East St. Louis Police Chief Michael Floore previously denied Miller's allegations saying inmates are continuously videotaped while in custody. Floore could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Miller's attorney, Jarrod Beasley with the Kuehn Law Firm in Belleville, said, "East St. Louis' response that coercion is impossible because the confession was videotaped is preposterous."

"The idea that the interrogating officer would coerce a confession out of Mr. Miller in an area he knows is wired for sound and video defies logic. We should remember, the officers know where and when they are being recorded ... and where they are not," Miller said.

In November, Ward pleaded guilty to two federal counts of cocaine-related drug charges and faces up to nine years in prison. Ward resigned from the East St. Louis Police Department in May.

During the drug case, the U.S. Attorney's Office described Ward as a corrupt cop who was paid $5,000 a month to provide information and police protection as part of a drug conspiracy.

"The investigating officer (Ward) has been convicted of a felony while entrusted by the community with upholding the law. He wasn't upholding the law, he was flaunting it, he was abusing it, and he was breaking it. Thankfully, because of his conviction, he can never carry a badge or a gun again," Beasley said. "But what of the victims of his corruption? What of the victims of his abuse of power? What of the injuries he inflicted during his reign? What of the innocent people he forced to confess to crimes they did not commit? In short, what of Marlon Miller."

"The police are trained to lie to the accused," Beasley added. "So, modern interrogation is more psychologically oriented. We should remember the blood of the accused is not the only hallmark of an unconstitutional inquisition. Put simply, innocent people do not confess to crimes without coercion. A fact we plan to demonstrate in this case."

Hood remains detained at the St. Clair County Jail. He was on probation for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, a felony, when he allegedly raped and robbed the East St. Louis woman.

Miller faces two felony charges stemming from an arrest on Aug. 29. Miller was charged with aggravated battery and aggravated unlawful use of a firearm, according to St. Clair County records

Officer fired following on-duty rape indictment

By Mark D. Wilson

SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio police officer who was accused in November of raping a teen while on duty was indicted — and subsequently fired — Tuesday.

Jackie Neal, 40, had been on paid administrative leave with the police department since allegations surfaced that he forced himself on a 19-year-old woman he had pulled over on the South Side. Neal was suspended indefinitely without pay after the indictment, according to SAPD, which referred to the suspension as “tantamount to a firing.”

The grand jury indictment includes charges of sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault and improper sexual activity with person in custody. If convicted, Neal could face up to life in prison, the district attorney's office noted.

Chief William McManus has previously called the allegation a “punch in the eye” to the police department.

At least one other similar allegation against Neal was made prior to the incident, according to a federal civil rights lawsuit filed last week. That alleged victim, however, refused to cooperate with an SAPD investigation.

Officer charged with voluntary manslaughter in death of mentally ill NC teen

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, N.C. —A North Carolina police detective has been charged with voluntary manslaughter in connection with the shooting death of a mentally ill teenager last month.

Bryon Vassey was indicted by a grand jury Monday in connection with the Jan. 5 death of Keith Vidal, 18. Vassey is a police detective in Southport.

A judge set Vassey's bond at $50,000 secured and ordered him to turn himself in by noon Wednesday.

Vidal, who had schizophrenia, was killed Jan. 5 in Boiling Spring Lakes about 20 miles south of Wilmington. Family members said they called police after Vidal picked up a screwdriver and threatened his mother.

Pittsburgh police officer charged with DUI, careless driving

By Lexi Belculfine

A Pittsburgh police officer was arrested around 3:20 a.m. Monday and charged with driving under the influence and careless driving, court records show.

Michael Lafferty, 29, was assigned today to support services, pending an investigation by the Office of Municipal Investigations, acting police Chief Regina McDonald said in a statement. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 7.

When 3-day-old Bryce Coleman disappeared in August 2012 from Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, Officer Lafferty, who has been a city officer since Sept. 2009, helped identify and locate suspect Breona Moore.

Whitmore has been on the force for five years and was assigned to the patrol division.

A 12-year veteran officer of the Troy Police Department has been charged in a drunken driving case following a nearly three-week investigation.

An internal investigation remains underway and the officer is on administrative leave.

Candace LaForest, 34, pleaded not guilty Tuesday morning in Troy District Court with operating with a high blood-alcohol content, a misdemeanor that carries up to a 180-day jail stay upon conviction, according to Michigan’s super drunk laws.

The 34-year-old, who has been a sworn officer since 2005, had personal bond set at $1,000.

Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper said Troy’s district judges had been considering whether to recuse themselves from the case, slowing the process. They did so after LaForest’s arraignment, and the case is now being reassigned to another court that hasn’t been named yet. A future court date will be scheduled.

The investigation stems from a traffic stop around midnight Jan. 18 when LaForest was in a pickup truck headed eastbound on Big Beaver, near Rochester Road. Patrol officers said they saw the driver hit a median curb twice.

Police approached the driver, identified her as LaForest — who was off duty — then detected a “very strong odor of alcohol coming from the driver and compartment area,” according to police reports.

She refused to take a Breathalyzer test and was arrested for operating while intoxicated, but a blood sample was taken and submitted to Michigan State Police for analysis, police said.

The results, which returned from the lab about a week later, indicated that the driver had a 0.27 percent blood alcohol content — more than three times the legal limit of 0.08 to drive a car, prompting the charges.

The blood draw in lieu of the Breathalyzer test slowed the process, said Troy Sgt. Andy Breidenich.

“Most drunk driving cases where there is a blood draw take a month or more while we’re waiting for blood results … then you have to review, submit to prosecutors and await the signing of a warrant … then come charges,” he said.

Troy Capt. Robert Redmond added that officers personally handled the criminal investigation — and he is heading the internal investigation — in an “expeditious manner,” to avoid accusations of “stone-walling” the investigation.

“We drove (the case) there (to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office) in person, got blood-alcohol results from the Michigan State Police in five days,” he said. “Also, it takes time to set a date with an attorney, so we let it go through the proper course ... but she will be held accountable for her actions.”

LaForest has been with the Troy Police Department since 2001. She started her career as a civilian employee in various units, then was sworn in as a uniformed officer in 2005.

Frederick officer charged with assault

OAKLAND, Md. — The Garrett County Sheriff’s Office has charged a Frederick police officer with second-degree assault.

Frederick police say Officer Benjamin Whitmore’s police powers were suspended after his arrest on Sunday. Whitmore was released on bail, but police say he is on administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal investigation and an internal investigation by Frederick police. Police did not give details of either investigation. Whitmore has been on the force for five years and was assigned to the patrol division.

Rep. Thomas calls for suspension of cop in Manning case

 Larry Miller

Democratic State Rep. W. Curtis Thomas said he is calling for the immediate suspension of the Philadelphia police officer who allegedly injured local high school student Darrin Manning during a pedestrian stop in January.

On Jan. 7, Manning, 16, a student at the Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School, got into a confrontation with a Philadelphia police officer in the 1400 block of West Girard Avenue. Allegations were raised that Manning was injured when a still-unidentified female officer pulled his testicles while he was being searched. According to Officer Thomas Purcell who arrested him, Manning allegedly punched him three times and ripped the radio off of the officer’s uniform. He has been charged with simple assault, resisting arrest and recklessly endangering another person. He has a hearing in Family Court set for March 4.

“This officer should be suspended immediately,” said Thomas, who represents the 181st District, where the incident happened. “If the facts we hear are true, desk duty is a slap in the face of the family. She should not be working at all. There was no reason for her to put her hands on him when he was already under control. Further, a female officer is not supposed to pat down a male, especially when there were male officers present.”

Thomas said that Manning was racially profiled and arbitrarily stopped.

“This was an unprovoked assault and battery on that young man,” Thomas said. “The Philadelphia Police Department and the community need to be clear on what she did to cause the extent of his injury. It is my understanding that Darrin’s attorney has called for a federal investigation into the matter. Due to the extent of his injury I think that city, state and federal agencies need to investigate this incident. I don’t understand why the District Attorney has charged Darrin with assault when he’s the one who’s been brutalized.”

The investigation into allegations that Philadelphia Police officers roughed up Manning remains open.

There are many unanswered questions abound in the case. Manning was allegedly headed to a basketball game scheduled to be played at Berean Institute. Exactly what precipitated the confrontation between him and police remains unanswered. The police claim they had probable cause to stop him. Exactly which female police officer caused the injury that ruptured one of Manning’s testicles also remains open, although a female office was placed on desk-duty.

No complaints have been filed with either the Philadelphia Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau or the civilian oversight agency, the Police Advisory Commissions. As for official complaints with federal agencies, Carrie Adamowski, spokesperson for the Philadelphia office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said the agency is aware of the matter. She offered no further details regarding the filings of any official complaints.

“Obviously this is a serious issue and we are watching how this unfolds, but they have not filed a complaint with the Commission and I’ve not heard from the parents or the boy’s attorney asking for our involvement,” said Kelvyn Anderson, Executive Director of the Police Advisory Commission. The Commission is the official civilian oversight agency of the Philadelphia Police Department. It conducts investigations of complaints of police misconduct.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey also reiterated that no complaints against any of the officers involved in the reported incident have been filed.

“No, no complaints have been filed,” Ramsey said. “We’ve reached out to them but they refuse to allow us to speak with the young man.”

Pr. George’s officer taped beating U-Md. student in 2010 to return to duty

By Lynh Bui, E-mail the writer

A Prince George’s County police officer who was suspended after video emerged showing him beating a University of Maryland student with another officer in 2010 will return to full duty, police said.

Earlier this week, Cpl. Reginald Baker was found not guilty of two charges related to the incident by the Prince George’s police department’s internal administrative trial board, police spokeswoman Julie Parker said. Baker had faced one charge of not reporting force and one charge of using excessive force.

They found Officer Reginald Baker not guilty of both charges.

Neither Harrison nor Baker reacted audibly as the verdict was read, and dozens of police officers and others in the courtroom sat in almost complete silence. As Baker stepped back from the defense table, he frowned slightly and glanced toward his convicted colleague, who stared straight ahead.

Harrison and his attorneys declined to comment after the hearing. Baker referred comment to defense attorney William Brennan, who said he was “very gratified” with the verdict that Baker was not guilty.

“We believed all along that he had not committed any crime and that he had served Prince George’s County to the best of his ability as a police officer,” Brennan said.

Baker and Harrison had been charged with second-degree assault and misconduct in office in the beating of McKenna, after the student’s attorneys released a video of the incident to local news outlets. At the officers’ trial this week, prosecutors and defense attorneys haggled over why that video did or did not show a police abuse of power.

After the trial, McKenna said he was “definitely glad that some justice has been done” but he hoped the Department of Justice would continue probing the case.

“There was a broader crime committed here, and it spans way further than two cops charged in this,” McKenna said. He declined to take questions.

Sources familiar with the case said the county had already agreed to pay McKenna a $2 million settlement and $1.6 million in settlements to nine others involved in incidents that night.

Though the jury delivered different verdicts for each man, Harrison and Baker were tried together on essentially the same case. Assistant State’s Attorney Joseph Ruddy argued in court that both initially tried to hide their misdeeds in different ways, then tried to rationalize them once they learned they had been caught on tape. The video, Ruddy told jurors, was “the most important evidence in this case because it’s the independent witness.” And what it showed, Ruddy said, contradicted nearly everything Baker and Harrison said on the witness stand.

“They came up with justifications and reasons, most of which made no sense, most of which defy what you see,” Ruddy said.

The video shows Baker was the first officer to make contact with McKenna, driving him to the ground before he and Harrison began hitting him with their batons. After the verdict, Prince George’s State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks said jurors might have drawn a distinction because a prosecution expert had said taking McKenna to the ground was reasonable, but clubbing him while he was prone was not.

David Simpson, an attorney for Harrison, had argued his client should not be held criminally responsible for four seconds of force and placed blame for the incident on McKenna, whom he termed a “criminal” because he unlawfully approached a police line.

“We’re not here because of the police officers,” Simpson said. “We’re here because of McKenna.”

In court, Ruddy said that both officers failed to fill out a use-of-force report, and that Harrison initially lied to an investigator about his role in the incident. He said that had video not captured the beating, the officers likely would have evaded detection.

“That’s why they did not report it, because that’s not justified,” Ruddy said. “Without that video, we would not have known how John McKenna was beaten.”

Brennan and Simpson said in court that the officers did not fill out a use-of-force report because a sergeant was on the scene of the incident and already knew about the use of the baton. Simpson acknowledged that Harrison initially lied to an investigator but said he came forward the next day and turned himself in. He said Harrison had been worried because he saw the police chief on TV, threatening to fire those involved.

Alsobrooks said the split verdict was a “victory” for prosecutors, as it showed they will not “stand by and watch” police officers use excessive force. She said she respected jurors’ decision on Baker, though she felt the charges were reasonable.

Harrison faces a maximum of 10 years in prison at his Dec. 14 sentencing. Brennan said Baker was hoping to return to work as a police officer.

Prince George’s Police Chief Mark Magaw said he respected the jury’s verdict. He said Harrison and Baker remain suspended with pay and would undergo administrative procedures to determine their future employment status.

Drug enforcement cop suspended for illegal steroids

Dimitrios Kalantzis

A veteran Kankakee city police officer assigned to the area's drug task force has been suspended for abusing steroids, The Daily Journal has learned.

Paul Berge, who is currently assigned to the Kankakee Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group, is being accused of taking illegal performance-enhancement drugs.

Police Chief Larry Regnier said he would not comment on personnel issues. Don Harsy, director of KAMEG, has not returned a call for comment.

Police sources say Berge was suspended after his girlfriend blew the whistle on his drug use.

Most departments by now have random drug testing but details of Berge's case is unknown because police officials will not comment on it.

Risks of steroid use among cops include many of the variables that impact civilian lives, including aggression, mood swings and unreasonable emotional responses to situations.

According to a January 2014 article in Police Chief magazine, the FBI began warning of steroid use among cops more than 20 years ago.

"Anabolic steroid abuse by police officers is a serious problem that merits greater awareness by departments across the country," the FBI said at the time.

"Although the traditional reason for the use of [steroids] is to improve athletic performance, [steroids] also appeal to officers wanting a tactical edge or an intimidating appearance," the article noted.

Sanford officer suspended for not reporting off-duty crash

SANFORD --

A Sanford police officer is suspended without pay right now because he reportedly failed to call 911 after an off-duty crash in Seminole County.

The Internal Affairs report said Officer Keaton Allbritton ran over a stop sign in his Ford F-150 on International Parkway in Lake Mary and later drove his damaged truck away.

Allbritton said he and a woman, who was with him, got into an argument and he lost control of the vehicle.

Someone nearby heard the crash and called 911.

Allbritton admitted to having three beers. However, the responding officer said he did not think he was impaired to the point of an arrest.

Allbritton said he did not report the crash right away because his cell phone was dead.

Cop Threatens Journalist For Using a Camera, Gets Fired

Tim Barribeau

Last July, Seattle journalist Dominic Holden took photographs of a group of police officers around a man. For his trouble, King County Sheriff's Office sergeant Patrick "K.C." Saulet demanded him to leave, and threatened to arrest him, even though Holden was fully within his right to be there, and recording. Now, some six months later, deputy Saulet has been fired for his actions, which appear to be the latest in a long line of confrontations with the public.

According to Holden's version of events, Saulet told Holden that it was illegal to take photographs where he was, and threatened to arrest him if he didn't leave the block. Saulet, on the other hand, argued that he had a " civil, professional" interaction with Holden, informing him that he couldn't ride his bike on Metro property.

Now, after an extensive investigation, the Sherrif has dismissed Saulet, and issued a damning letter. Saulet is cited to have abused his authority, "expressly and/or implicitly threatened to arrest him", and saying "Your ill-advised actions also play to some of the most basic fears among some citizens, which is that a police officer may indiscriminately exercise his or her power in violation of their rights."

Saulet allegedly has a long history of negative interactions with the public, with 120 allegations of misconduct, 21 of which were upheld. He had previously been demoted from sergeant to deputy over his actions, and had undergone extensive training to improve his conduct.

You can see more of Holden's interactions with the police in the video the Stranger released below.

Former Littleton cop sentenced to four years in prison in Ecstasy case

By Carlos Illescas

Littleton police officer accused of buying $1,300 worth of Ecstasy from a confidential informant was sentenced on Tuesday to 48 months in federal prison.
Jeffery Allan Johnston, 46, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release for firearm and drug trafficking crimes, the U.S. Attorney General's Office said in a news release.
"As a police officer who violated the public's trust, a four-year federal prison sentence is just and appropriate given the circumstances," U.S. Attorney John Walsh said.
Johnston was initially charged with multiple crimes including drug possession with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
But he accepted a plea deal for prohibited person in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute. He faced up to 20 years in prison and up to a $1 million fine on the possession count alone.
Johnston was arrested in July following an undercover operation by federal authorities. They said Johnston held house parties at his home in Parker. Investigators found cocaine, steroids, hundreds of prescription pills, guns and cash.
Among the items seized were an AR-15 rifle and two 12-gauge shotguns.

Predator cop to ask for conviction to be overturned

Misha DiBono

SAN DIEGO – The San Diego police officer who sexually assaulted women he pulled over for allegedly driving while drunk may get out of prison on technicality, an attorney said.

Ex-SDPD officer Anthony Arevalos was sentenced for bribing and sexually assaulting women he stopped in the Gaslamp District for drunken driving and other offenses. (2-10-2012)

Newly released video of police evidence presented during the criminal sexual assault trial against 18-year police veteran Anthony Arevalos shows once of his victims talking with him on the phone while being recorded by police investigators. In the conversation, he admits that he groped and fondled her in exchange for not arresting her on a charge of driving under the influence.

The video shows Officer Laurie Adams asking the victim to write down everything she remembered about an alleged assault from inside a 7-Eleven bathroom in 2011. The victim’s notes were never brought up in the trial that convicted Arevalos of several sexual assaults.

“The defense — paid for by the police department for Officer Arevelos — is going to use [the notes] as a pretext excuse for Arevelos to be turned out of prison and go back out on the streets,” said the woman’s attorney Browne Greene.

During a hearing scheduled for Friday, Arevalos is expected to ask for his criminal conviction to be overturned based on the “notes” technicality, Greene said.

On Tuesday, Greene released surveillance video of a private investigator hired by the city following the victim in a store.  Greene said the city is re-victimizing the victim.

“[The City of San Diego is] trying to make her the issue, when it should be about (Avelalos),” Greene said.

City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said the surveillance is standard pre-trial procedure and it is inappropriate for Greene to have released the video to the public.

“It’s supposed to be confidential,” said Goldsmith. “I am not going to talk about the report or the video.”

Greene said the victim, known only as “Jane Doe,” will not settle unless the city agrees to implement a monitoring or oversight system of its police department – which may never happen.

Goldsmith said no such proposal was ever put forth.

The civil case will go to trial in May.

Del City Officer Convicted Of Manslaughter Sentenced To 4 Years

By Lisa Monahan, News 9 - b

OKLAHOMA CITY -

A convicted police captain will spend the next four years behind bars.

Oklahoma County Judge Donald Deason upheld the jury's recommendation and sentenced former Del City Police Captain Randy Harrison to prison for manslaughter in the killing of Dane Scott Jr., in March 2012.

"He did what he was trained to do. Dane Scott was a violent felon and endangered numerous lives," said Kenny Harrison after watching his brother hauled off to jail.

He also believes his brother's punishment is too harsh.

"He could have got probation. He's not a danger to the public."

Harrison's defense attorney asked Judge Deason to consider a suspended sentence because he spent his life serving the public as a veteran officer.

Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater argued it was a disservice and was pleased with the outcome of the hearing.

"When people say ‘Hey you convicted a cop. How do you feel?' Well, he's not a cop to me. That guy is not a cop. He is so different from the rest of them out there," Prater said.

Prater said Harrison crossed the line and killed Scott because he had a personal vendetta.

"The DA got up there and depicted him as just as cold blooded as ever," Kenny Harrison said.

Kenny says his brother is actually a Christian man, with two sons who will miss him while he is away.

In the victim's impact statements made to the court, Scott's family said they are missing someone too. The parents explained to the judge that their son's absence will be forever and asked the judge to lock up his killer

"Both parents said that two families lost that day. Two families lost during this trial. They acknowledge Harrison's family lost as well and I think that's very telling of what Dane's mother and father are all about," Prater said

The parents said they hope Harrison's sentence will serve as a deterrent for law enforcement officers to take a life again.

Harrison's brother believes more officers will end up just like Randy.

"Just have to live with it and deal with it."