State
police arrest SFPD cop
Officer Joseph Baca has been charged with negligent use of a
deadly weapon for shooting a gun while drunk.
According to a probable cause statement filed by New Mexico
State Police, last Saturday a little after 11 p.m. a patrol officer was called
out to State Road 512, in an area several miles south of Chama, to investigate
reports of shots being fired.
When he got there, the officer says he heard more shots and
went into the woods to investigate. About 20 to 30 minutes later the officer
spotted Baca and his wife, SFPD Sgt. Andrea Dobyns.
According to a probable cause statement, the two told the officer
the same story, claiming they had been drinking but hadn't heard any gunfire
recently and hadn't fired any weapons. The couple had magazines with ammunition
and three guns with them including a Glock .40 caliber handgun, the same type
SFPD issues to its officers.
Investigators say they found a number of shell casings with
ammunition that matched the caliber of the weapons Baca and Dobyns had with
them as well as a soda can with several bullet holes in it on the ground.
Stillwater officer waives drug-charge hearing
Miami-Dade
Officer Suspended For Alleged Drunk Driving Accident
A Miami-Dade Police officer has been suspended as being
investigated for allegedly driving drunk and fleeing the scene of an accident. Larry
Laverde was off-duty on August 11th driving northbound on Southwest 127 Avenue
in a marked police cruiser, when he ran a flashing red light. While crossing
the intersection, Laverde reportedly hit a Mazda driving eastbound on Miller
Drive. “This is something crazy, completely 100 percent irresponsible,” said
Fernando Monch, the driver of the Mazda. “Could have killed me, I’m supposed to
be protected by police not police do that to me then disappear.”According to
the arrest affidavit, Laverde fled the scene of the accident and drove home.
Ludlow
police officer charged with stealing cocaine from evidence locker
LUDLOW, Massachusetts — A high-ranking Ludlow police officer
has been charged with stealing drugs from the department's evidence locker. Lt.
Thomas Foye, according to court documents, was captured on video surveillance entering
the locked narcotics locker at the police station, where he appears to handle
and open evidence bags.
Off-duty
cop charged with DWI in wrong-way crashes
MALVERNE, N.Y. (AP) — An off-duty New York Police Department
officer is facing drunken driving charges after crashing into other cars while
going the wrong way on a Long Island roadway. Ronald Holmes, 48, of Elmont, was
driving eastbound in the westbound lanes of the Southern State Parkway around
1:45 a.m. Saturday.
Authorities say he hit several cars, sending one person to
the hospital. Along with being charged with driving while intoxicated, he also
faces reckless endangerment charges.
Cop
fired after showing up to work drunk appeals the firing, believe it or not,
loses appeal
LAKE CITY - The Utah Court of Appeals today upheld the
firing of Stewart Becker, a Sunset police officer who showed up to work drunk.
Becker's attorneys challenged the validity of the portable
blood test result that was used to justify the officer's dismissal. But the
court ruled that the state law citing a policy of testing urine to establish
blood alcohol content does not apply to government enties, so Sunset could use
the PBT results.
On April 1, 2007,
Becker finished a shift at 6 a.m. and was scheduled to report back for a second
shift at 2 p.m. that afternoon. When Becker arrived for work at 2, he discussed
the shift change with his supervisor, Sgt. Bruce Arbogast, who noticed a strong
odor of alcohol coming from Becker. Becker admitted he had consumed
approximately five shots of liquor before going to bed at 8 or 9 that morning.
Arbogast requested that Becker blow into a PBT. Becker blew
into the PBT, which registered a breath alcohol content of 0.045.
Officer
charged with off-duty DUI pleads guilty to lesser charge
A Seattle police officer originally charged with misdemeanor
driving under the influence was sentenced Friday to two days in jail, with 362
days suspended, after pleading guilty to a reduced charge of reckless driving,
according to the Seattle City Attorney’s Office.
The officer, Marie Gochnour, and a second officer, Sean
Moore, were off duty Dec. 17 when they were arrested after a 911 caller
reported a car had hit a pole near First Avenue South and South Lander Street
in Sodo.
According to a police statement, Gochnour allegedly stopped
the Nissan Altima in the middle of the street and switched places with Moore,
who was sitting in the passenger seat.
Both officers were found in Gochnour’s car.
Gochnour registered a breath-alcohol content (BAC) of 0.234
percent and 0.247 percent, according to the City Attorney’s Office. Moore’s
breath tests measured at 0.161 and 0.149 percent. The state’s legal limit is
0.08 percent.
During BAC testing, Gochnour cursed at the arresting
officer, acted in an aggressive manner and gave him the middle finger,
according to a police report.
Gochnour and Moore were charged in March with misdemeanor
driving under the influence, according to the City Attorney’s Office.
The city would not normally offer a reduced charge for this
type of case, according to Kimberly Mills, spokeswoman for the City Attorney’s
Office. However, the city had significant proof problems, including not being
able to locate the 911 caller for trial.
Moore is scheduled for trial on Sept. 3, Mills said.
A department internal investigation has been on hold while
the criminal case was progressing.
Paige Cornwell: 206-464-2517 or
pcornwell@seattletimes.comInformation from Seattle Times archives is included
in this report.