Plainfield cop convicted of forcing woman to undress for him by threatening her with jail



PLAINFIELD — A former Plainfield police sergeant was convicted Wednesday of forcing a woman to undress for him while he masturbated by threatening to put her in jail.
A Union County jury found Samuel Woody, 43, a 12-year veteran of the Plainfield Police Division, guilty of second-degree official misconduct and fourth-degree criminal sexual contact.
He faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced Feb. 3. He will not be allowed to hold a public job in the state.
Woody was accused of arresting a 27-year-old city resident on bogus theft and burglary charges in July 2011. After she was released, Woody reportedly asked her to meet with him on a lot on Madison Avenue, where he coerced her into undressing while he masturbated in full uniform, Union County Assistant Prosecutor Jim Tansey said. Authorities said Woody had threatening to put her in prison for five years.
Woody was arrested in January 2012 and suspended without pay.
The theft and burglary charges against the victim were dismissed.
“The conduct of this officer was not only criminal but brazenly flagrant in the manner in which it violated the public’s trust,” Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park said Thursday in a news release.

Staff Writer Sergio Bichao: 908-243-6615; sbichao@njpressmedia.com


Puerto Rico Cop Sentenced to 25 Years for Kiddie Porn



SAN JUAN – A 33-year veteran of the Puerto Rico Police Department was sentenced to 25 years in prison for crimes related to child pornography, the San Juan office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported Wednesday.

William Berrios Cruz was a PRPD lieutenant up until his arrest after being found to have videos of a sexual nature of a 16-year-old girl on his cell phone.

The investigation was launched when several Homeland Security Investigations agents received information on Feb. 24 that Berrios Cruz had raped the girl after having slipped an illegal substance into her drink.

HSI agents mobilized the next day at Berrios Cruz’s residence in the central town of Barranquitas, where they found images on the cell phone of the cop engaging in sexual behavior with the minor.

Berrios Cruz had stood out for his work as an official with the PRPD’s Police Athletic League.

The investigation was undertaken by ICE agents, the HSI and a PRPD task force. 



Man released after spending 30 years in prison for rape


PONTIAC, Ill. (AP) — A man convicted of rape nearly 30 years ago -- who said Chicago police tortured him until he confessed to the crime -- was released from prison Wednesday after spending the better part of three decades behind bars.
Stanley Wrice walked out of the Pontiac Correctional Center in Illinois Wednesday morning, one day after a Cook County judge said he should be freed and his conviction should be overturned.
The judge's decision was reached partly because the police officers involved lied about how they treated Wrice during his interrogation. 
Wrice, 59, was sentenced to 100 years in prison for the 1982 rape, but he has always claimed the confession was made after officers repeatedly beat him. The accused officers did not testify at Tuesday's hearing, citing their constitutional right against self-incrimination.
Now that Wrice's conviction has been overturned, it is up to a special prosecutor to decide whether to retry him for the crime.
Wrice's is the latest case to cast a shadow over the Chicago Police Department and, more specifically, former Lt. Jon Burge -- who is accused of falsely obtaining confessions from multiple suspects during the 1970s and 1980s, several of whom have also been ordered released from prison in recent years.

Burge was convicted in 2010 of perjury and obstruction of justice and is currently serving a four year prison sentence. The city of Chicago has paid out millions of dollars in recent years to settle lawsuits in cases related to Burge's rule.



Yonkers cop charged in Florida betting ring


Court papers say officer had minor role

A veteran Yonkers cop is facing racketeering charges in Florida after undercover investigators said they busted an illegal betting and money laundering ring.
Christopher Dellacamera, 45, was arraigned on a Florida arrest warrant late Tuesday in Westchester County Court. He was released without bail on the condition that he surrender to Florida authorities within 10 days.
The yearlong investigation, spearheaded by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, was dubbed “Operation Gotham City” and targeted a ring that investigators said took sports bets and laundered money through various banks in Florida, New York, three other states and Central America. The alleged ringleader, Adam Green of Boca Raton, was arrested Thursday along with six other Florida men. Four other arrests are expected.
A spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Office declined to discuss the specific allegations against Dellacamera, who joined the Yonkers Police Department in 1997. He was charged with racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering.
According to an affidavit for one of the arrest warrants in the case, Dellacamera seemed to have a relatively minor role in the ring. The hierarchy of the “Bookmaking Enterprise Organization” showed Green as the bookmaker with five “Super Agents” and 10 “Agents,” including Dellacamera. Four of the Super Agents had more than a dozen “clients” from whom they regularly took bets. The Agents each had up to 10 clients. Dellacamera had just one, the affidavit said.
Dellacamera was caught on wiretaps discussing with the others how much had been won or lost and how and when accounts would be settled, according to the affidavit.
Dellacamera’s lawyer, Andrew Quinn, could not be reached for comment.
Lt. Patrick McCormack, a Yonkers police spokesman, said Dellacamera turned himself in to Yonkers Internal Affairs detectives on Tuesday after the department was notified by Florida authorities and New York state police about the warrant.
Dellacamera, who had been assigned to patrol, was placed on modified duty pending an investigation by Internal Affairs. He will continue to be paid his salary, which this past year was $85,976.
His older brother, Frank, is a former Mamaroneck town police officer who was sentenced to a year in jail after pleading guilty in 2006 to drug and stolen property charges. Frank Dellacamera had been arrested the previous year in a sting operation in which he was caught on tape offering to sell cocaine to an undercover officer posing as a drug addict. He also paid $2,000 to an undercover officer for what he thought was stolen electronic equipment.
In Christopher Dellacamera’s case, the affidavit says Green’s crew was infiltrated by an undercover agent who got access to the online betting site GAMETIME88.com and placed about $160,000 worth of bets with them. The investigation was carried out by the sheriff’s organized crime unit, with assistance from Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale police.
In addition to Green and Dellacamera, those already arrested are Jordan Brown, 24, of Coral Springs; Emilio Colon, 32, of Margate; Mark Ruggiero, 42, of Pompano Beach; Sean Barnes, 34, of Delray Beach; Rehan Kazi, 45, of Pembroke Pines; and Eric Spinosa, 36, of Boca Raton.


Florida Police Officer Arrested For Slamming Suspect's Head Into A Wall



By Will Hagle, Wed, December 11, 2013

Video has surfaced in the case of a law enforcement officer charged with assault for his mistreatment of a suspect in Marion County, Fla.

Officer Charles Broaderick was working at the county jail when he apprehended James Duckworth, a man who had been accused of driving under the influence. The video shows Duckworth arguing with the officers before making a noise with his throat. Broaderick believed this to be a threat to spit on the officers, so he slammed Duckworth against the wall and yelled at him.


“Hey!” Broaderick says before forcibly pushing Duckworth into the wall. “You don’t spit at officers.”
Afterward, Duckworth’s blood can be seen strewn across the white wall as the officers discuss whether or not he had spit at them. Broaderick appears to immediately realize his mistake, lifting Duckworth and attempting to give him medical attention.
According to the Daily Mail, Broaderick was arrested for assault regarding the incident but spent just 13 minutes in a cell at the prison, after which he posted his $2,000 bail. He has been placed on unpaid leave as the investigation unfolds and the lawsuit against him continues.


Due to the increased use of security monitors as well as individual smartphones, prevalence of police brutality being caught on camera has been widespread throughout the past few years. Stories such as that of Oscar Grant (the BART rider shot by an Oakland officer and documented in the recent film “Fruitvale Station”) demonstrate that while this ability to self-monitor our officers allows justice against innocent victims to be served, even overwhelming evidence of police brutality cannot change the actions of the officers nor the victims that suffer injuries due to their actions.

China Grove Police Department is Suspended


Posted by Bill Oliver News Wednesday, December 11th, 2013 

CHINA GROVE, Texas (AP) _ Leaders of a South Texas city have disbanded the three-person police department amid complaints of officers not doing their jobs. 
The China Grove City Council on Monday indefinitely suspended Chief Larry Davis and the other two officers in the San Antonio-area community of nearly 1,200. Law enforcement was turned over to the Bexar (bayr) County Sheriff’s Office.
Council members in October voted to add a third officer amid hundreds of unserved warrants. 
Mayor Eugene Ripps says China Grove received complaints of lack of patrols and performance reviews were done. He says new officers will be hired but gave no timetable.
Davis says he wasn’t aware of Monday’s special council meeting. Officer Damian Balderas says police are either in the city or out serving warrants and can’t do both.

Short URL: http://wtaw.com/?p=73780

Wrongfully Arrested Colorado Man Gets $23,500 Payout Because Cops Didn’t Know Gun Laws



By Allison Geller, Thu, December 12, 2013
James Sorensen of Colorado Springs received $23,500 in damages from the city after police wrongfully arrested him for carrying a gun in a city park, an incident that was caught on video.
Sorensen, who is an Iraq and Afghanistan Army veteran, was attending a gay pride festival in July of 2012 with a 40-caliber pistol openly displayed on his hip, KUSA reported. That was the day after the Aurora theater shooting that left 12 people dead and 70 injured.
Seven Colorado Springs police officers detained and then arrested Sorensen because they thought that open carrying was still illegal in Colorado.
Open carrying in city parks has been legal since 2003, when new legislation made wide changes to statewide gun laws.
Officers blamed the outdated “cheat sheet” they carry with them, which still listed the old law.
“I knew the law,” Sorensen said last year. “I knew that it was legal for me to carry. My rights were trampled on.”
In the video, taken by Sorensen’s partner, Sorensen refuses an officer’s order to put his hands up, replying “Negative, sergeant.”
“You’re about to get the sh** kicked out of you,” the officer tells him.
Sorensen actually calls the police at one point, hoping to find an officer who knows the law.
“I need a real officer,” he says, later adding, “This is bogus. I can’t wait to get this into court. This is bullsh**.”
He also attributes his treatment to his sexuality.
“This is because I’m gay,” he tells police. “I’m gay and carrying a weapon and I threaten you, don’t I?”
Sorensen was spent an hour in custody before he was ticketed. He claims that he was not read his Miranda rights.
The Colorado Springs Gazette reported that the cash settlement releases the city from Sorensen’s claims of unlawful arrest, unreasonable search and seizure, unreasonable violation of speech rights, unreasonable violation of the right to bear arms, failure to train and failure to supervise. The settlement makes it clear that though the police admit that the ticket and arrest were mistakes, the agreement “does not constitute an admission by city defendants of any liability, wrongdoing, or violation of any law.”
Since the incident, the Colorado Springs Police Department has completed a line-by-line review of the cheat sheet, “made updates to reference guides used and instituted more periodic reviews of these documents,” according to CSPD Police Chief Pete Carey.
Sources: KUSA, WND, Colorado Springs Gazette

BOSTON COP ARRESTED FOR POINTING GUN AT 2 PEOPLE


A decorated Boston police officer was arraigned this morning for pointing a gun at a woman and her disabled husband last night in an alleged robbery attempt.

Fonseca pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon this morning in Roxbury District Court, where he hid behind a door that led to a glass partition. He was held on $5,000 bail set by Judge Pamela Dashiell.

Authorities said patrolman Sandro Fonseca, 30, was off-duty last night when the 9:51 p.m. incident occurred on Forest Street, and that the gun allegedly involved — a blue steel .380 Smith & Wesson “Bodyguard” with a sight laser — was not his service weapon.

Police said a woman told them three Hispanic males tried to rob her and her disabled husband, and that one of the men pointed a gun in her husband’s face before fleeing.
His lawyer, Kenneth Anderson, said in court that his client was heavily intoxicated last night, and when he met with him 12 hours after the incident, Fonseca still reeked of alcohol, Anderson said.

“He doesn’t really know these people,” Anderson said. “Alcohol was a factor in whatever precipitated this incident.”

Anderson said Fonseca is a “decorated officer” who served six years with the Marines and a tour of duty in Fallujah.

Fonseca received a commendation for saving his partner’s life in a shootout with a drug suspect in South Boston five months ago, according to Boston police spokeswoman Cheryl Fiandaca.
Fonseca, a five-year veteran of the force assigned to District C6 in Southie, was one of three officers taking part in a narcotics investigation at the Mary Ellen McCormack housing project on Old Colony Avenue July 16, who authorities said were fired upon by Paul Eric Louis-Jeune, 22, of Braintree, with a loaded .38-caliber revolver, according to court records.

Police reported Louis-Jeune got off at least one shot at Fonseca and officers Brendan Kelly and Steven Horne while attempting to outrun them on a steamy afternoon. When the six-shot handgun was recovered, police said there were still five live rounds in the chamber.
“The officers returned fire and were able to subdue the subject,” court records state. Louis-Jeune suffered life-threatening injuries.

Under conditions set today be the judge, Fonseca had to turn in his passport, cannot leave the state, cannot have contact with the alleged victims, is prohibited from weapons, is required to be evaluated for substance abuse and must heed any recommendations from the program, is required to take random urine tests and is required to be evaluated for stress by Boston police under conditions set by the judge.

Anderson told the judge he preferred his client immediately enter an alcohol-treatment program. He said after court that Fonseca would post bail.

Fonseca’s family members and his partner from this summer’s shooting were at court, Anderson said. They declined comment after the arraignment.

Fonseca will be placed on administrative leave, according to the Boston Police Department. His pretrial hearing is scheduled for Feb. 3.

Fonseca earned $103,000 in 2012, according to department records.

Joe Dwinell contributed to this report.

Woman dies from accidental shooting by officer during drug raid


A woman has died after being accidentally shot by a law-enforcement officer during a Ross County drug raid on Wednesday night.
Krystal Barrows, 35, had been flown to a Columbus-area hospital in critical condition after she was shot, the Ross County sheriff said.
The Chillicothe Gazette reported this morning that Barrows has died from a gunshot to the head. The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to requests for information this morning.
Barrows was one of 11 people crowded into a modular home off Rt. 23 in southern Ross County when the sheriff’s office Emergency Response Team went in about 10:30 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.
The office wouldn’t give details yesterday about what happened, other than to acknowledge that a woman had been shot during the operation. Sheriff George W. Lavender Jr. did not return numerous calls to discuss the situation.
Prosecutor Matt Schmidt told local media that the woman was unintentionally shot by a law-enforcement officer during the raid. Schmidt said it was unclear whether the gunfire resulted from a weapon malfunction or the officer’s error.
Authorities also wouldn’t say whether the officer who shot the woman was a Ross County deputy or with another agency. The sheriff’s office and the U.S. 23 Task Force, which includes other law-enforcement agencies, had been watching the home for some time.
Large amounts of heroin, drug instruments, cash and guns were recovered from the scene.
Six people were arrested during the raid, mostly on outstanding warrants.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has been called in to review how the search warrant was executed.

Arizona cops sent to prison



PHOENIX (AP) — A former Phoenix police officer on Wednesday pleaded guilty to manslaughter, in a deal that spares him a separate trial on charges of second-degree murder and animal cruelty.

Richard Chrisman was convicted of assault in September, but the jury failed to reach verdicts on the other counts. Under the deal with prosecutors, Chrisman pleaded guilty Wednesday to the lesser offense of manslaughter.

Chrisman faces seven to 14 years in prison for the manslaughter conviction, and will be sentenced on Dec. 20. He faces five to 15 years in prison for the assault conviction, but both sentences will run concurrently.

Chrisman shot and killed an unarmed man and his dog during a 2010 domestic violence call. He claimed the shooting was self-defense, but his partner testified that Chrisman was unprovoked.

Couple wants cops trained


ATLANTA -- An Atlanta couple believes too many of them are too quick to shoot family pets.

"We raised an incredibly obedient and well-mannered dog that didn't deserve to be shot," Matthew Rodriguez told 11 Alive News on Tuesday.

He and his wife, Kelley, claim their 2-year-old dog, Jane, was killed by an Atlanta Police officer for no good reason.

It happened November 10th after an accidental automated 911 call from their Southeast Atlanta home.

Kelley said she talked to a 911 dispatcher to say everything was okay, but then two APD officers showed up at the front door.

"I opened the door and my dogs ran out like they always do and within two seconds a police officer turned and shot her," she told 11 Alive.

She said the 2-year-old lab-pitbull mix, Jane, died before they could get her help.

A second dog, just a puppy, was unhurt.

In his police report, the officer who shot Jane claimed he only fired after the dogs came at him, he injured his knee falling to avoid them, and Kelley refused his repeated calls for her to call off the animals.

She disputes that account, saying the dogs were friendly and the officer fired almost immediately.

She has launched a Facebook page called "Justice for Jane Our Family Dog", that already has more than 1,000 likes.

Kelley said she's linked up with other families who've had similar tragedies, which they claim are all too common.

She wants police officers to receive special training in how to deal with such situations, like Colorado requires.

"We want law enforcement to get training on how to deal with family dogs in non-lethal and non-excessively violent ways," she added.

Atlanta Police sent 11 Alive a written statement that said, in part, "Police officers face difficult circumstances on a daily basis while carrying out their duties, including occasional attacks from dogs that are unleashed or unrestrained by their owners."

It also said the shooting of the Rodriguez family dog, "is currently under investigation by OPS (Office of Professional Standards); if the investigation determines that this was not a justified use of force, the officer will be disciplined in accordance with our policies."

The APD statement added, "The loss of any life, human or animal, is something the Department does not take lightly."

Meanwhile, Kelley and Matthew Rodriguez said they are considering hiring a lawyer for a possible civil suit.

Police in Lake County and throughout Illinois must learn nonlethal

By Judy Masterson



NORTH CHICAGO — Police in Lake County and throughout Illinois must learn nonlethal ways to respond to dogs in the line of duty under a change to the Illinois Police Training Act that goes into effect Jan. 1.

The amended law orders the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board to conduct or approve training in humane response as well as how to respond to dog fights and animal abuse and neglect.

“Police officers have to keep everybody safe − themselves, their partners, the public and animals,” said Cynthia Bathurst, executive director, Safe Humane Chicago. “But they can’t do that if they don’t have the strategies and tools they need.”

The updated law reflects both a growing attachment to pets − 40 percent of U.S. households include at least one dog − and outrage among animal lovers when four-legged friends are dispatched by police in incidents that can also provoke expensive lawsuits.

“Pet’s have gone from the barnyard to the backyard to the bedroom and they’re part of our families now,” Bathurst said. “A large percentage of Americans own dogs and that’s the way we see it.”

Shamarra Evans of Grayslake accused North Chicago Police Officer Ramtin Sabet of “malice, willfullness and reckless indifference” in a federal lawsuit seeking damages after the shooting of her dog on July 8, 2011.

The city on Dec. 2 agreed to a $5,000 settlement of that claim. According to court documents, Evans, who brought her dog, “Mama,” a 4-year-old American pit bull terrier, along on a visit to a friend’s home in the 1300 block of Lincoln Street, claims Sabet shot the dog without provocation.

Evans, who works at a nail salon in Gurnee, declined to comment except to say that she accepted the settlement because defense attorneys threatened to use a past arrest against her.

North Chicago city Attorney Chuck Smith said the city agreed to settle the claim for “less than what it would have cost to defend it to jury verdict.”

“The officer was executing a search warrant for drugs,” Smith said. “Officers are trained to be protective. Many drug dealers have a pit bull and this was a pit bull. The officer said the dog was coming at him and that’s why he did what he did.”

But Evans claims Sabet killed her dog while it was playing with her friend’s dogs.

Smith said he often hears the argument that dogs have no civil rights. But courts have ruled that the “unreasonable” killing of a pet poses an unconstitutional seizure of personal property under the Fourth Amendment.

In another police-dog encounter this year, the subject of a federal lawsuit against an officer with the Metropolitan Enforcement Group (MEG), Stephanie Smith of North Chicago claims that State Trooper Adam Hendrick shot her dog Lokey “multiple times in the head and body” despite the fact that the dog was standing by her side, wagging its tail.

That shooting occurred inside Smith’s apartment at 1500 Elizabeth Ave. on March 20 during a drug raid in which her brother, who had spent the night, was taken into custody.

Assistant Attorney General Sunil Bhave, who is representing Hendrick, could not be reached for comment. Efforts to contact Smith, who still lives in the apartment where her dog died, were also unsuccessful.

Smith is seeking unspecified damages for emotional distress, loss of companionship and illegal seizure of property.

Illinois is the second state, after Colorado, to adopt police training guidelines that train officers in non-lethal methods of controlling dogs.