Police, dog owner tell differing stories after officer shoots, kills pet
BY KENT ERDAHL
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Commerce
City Police are investigating yet another incident involving the use of deadly
force against a reportedly vicious dog.
Officers were investigating a
child abuse report at a home in the 7300 block of E 82nd Ave at about 1:15pm on
Wednesday afternoon. According to police, an aggressive, mixed breed dog that
weighed between 40-50 lbs. came out of the house, through the front gate and
then bit the officer. The officer then shot and killed the dog.
The dog owner, Nicole Hopkins,
has a different story. She says her dog slipped out the front door, but only
made it through the front gate because the officer opened it.
“The dog cannot open that
gate,” Hopkins said. “The cop had the gate open.”
On Wednesday night, Commerce
City Police Chief Troy Smith admitted the gate was one of many things that
remain under investigation.
“Whether that gate was secured
or not secured at this point in time, I don’t know,” Smith said.
What is not in doubt, Smith
said, is that the officer suffered a significant bite before opening fire.
“The bite was deep,” he said.
“In fact the doctor was very concerned that one of the teeth may have struck a
bone.”
Similar incidents have been an
issue in Commerce City. There have been three recent cases in which deadly
force has been used on vicious dogs. Chief Smith says there has also been a 28
percent increase in vicious animal calls so far this year and a 34 percent increase
in animal bite reports.
“I can’t tell you at this point
in time why those are up, but we can tell you that they are up,” Smith said.
“We believe that the strategic plan that we have developed to address this has
really changed our approach.”
Chief Smith says that strategic
plan covers several measures including increased animal response training for
officers. He went on to say that the training emphasizes non-lethal solutions.
“All ranges of force are
available to them, but we do encourage them and train them to use alternative
methods of force if they have the time to react,” Smith said.
The chief said the officer who
shot the dog on Wednesday night had limited time to react. Nicole Hopkins
disagrees.
“He could have ‘Tazed’ him or
something else,” Hopkins said. “The other cops told that cop, ‘Why didn’t you
Taze him? Why did you shoot him?”
Chief Smith says the officers
are trained to take note of fences and signs like “Beware of Dog” before
approaching homes. Hopkins’ had both a fence and a warning sign.
Both officers who responded are
now on paid administrative leave as police investigate the incident.
Chief Smith acknowledges that
the homeowners have cooperated with the investigation and that nobody is
currently charged. The person involved with the child abuse investigation was
not at the home when police arrived and Hopkins said he does not live there.
Off-duty LAPD cop in standoff kills self: police
A Domestic disturbance call led
to a five-hour standoff with Ventura County deputies and ended with LAPD
traffic cop dead of an apparent suicide, police say.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -
Authorities said an off-duty Los Angeles police officer was found dead in an
apparent suicide after a standoff with Ventura County deputies.
Sr. Deputy Tim Lohman said
deputies found the officer dead at a home in Thousand Oaks Tuesday about five hours
after the incident began.
Lohman said deputies responded
to a domestic disturbance call at about 1:30 p.m. to find a woman who had fled
from the house, and a man barricaded inside.
Lohman said after hours of
trying to contact the man deputies went inside and found him dead.
He said the death is an
apparent suicide but would give no further details.
LAPD spokesman Officer Drake
Madison said the officer was from the department's Valley Division and assigned
to traffic but had no further details on his identity.
NOPD officer suspended for 'unauthorized force'
By Jonathan Bullington,
NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
A veteran member of New Orleans
Police Department's Juvenile Bureau has been placed on an unpaid
"emergency suspension" after police said he used "unauthorized
force" on a 16-year-old girl.
Officer Terrance Saulney, a
24-year veteran of the department, is accused of using force on the girl as she
was being processed for intake on Tuesday (Sept. 23), according to an NOPD
release.
Police did not specify the
nature of that force, but said Saulney reported the incident to his supervisor,
who reviewed surveillance footage and contacted the Public Integrity Bureau
Force Investigation Team.
That unit conducted its own
investigation on Wednesday, and suspended Saulney without pay pending the
completion of its investigation, police said.
The U.S. Department of Justice,
federal consent decree monitor and Independent Police Monitor have all been
notified of the investigation, police said.
Saulney's suspension comes one
day after NOPD announced that 15-year veteran Officer Jayson Germann was fired
after police said he violated department rules for off-duty paid details.
Off-duty SPD officer charged with felony after bar fight, on paid leave
SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) -
A Shreveport police officer is
facing a felony charge and is on paid administrative leave after a fight at a
local bar Saturday night.
Officers were called to the
Brass Monkey Bar in the 3100 block of Youree Dr. around 10:12 p.m. Saturday,
where 26-year-old Harrison Daugherty told them he had confronted by two men in
a fight the resulted in him suffering injuries that required treatment on the
scene by the Shreveport Fire Department.
Investigators say Daugherty was
involved in a dispute with 41-year-old Eric Swartout and 39-year-old Brandon
Howard. During the fight, police say Swartout and Howard struck Daugherty
numerous times, causing him to lose consciousness.
Swartout, of the 1500 block of
River Parkway Boulevard in Shreveport, is charged with one count of simple
battery and one count of second degree battery. Howard, of the 4000 block of
Glyn Street in Bossier City, is facing a single count of second degree battery.
Both men were booked into the Shreveport City Jail.
Swartout, who joined the
department in May of 2003, has been placed on paid administrative leave by
Chief of Police Willie Shaw in accordance with the rules and regulations of the
Shreveport Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board which states: “When an
employee is charged with a felony he shall, and if a misdemeanor he may, be
immediately relieved of duty and placed on “departmental leave” for up to one
week at full pay and with continuing seniority.”
Second degree battery is a
felony offense, is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and fines reaching
$2,000.
Trial date set for police officer facing theft, misconduct charges
JJ Dickson
LOUISVILLE, Ky. —A judge set a
June trial date for a Louisville police officer facing theft and official
misconduct charges.
A Louisville police officer
charged with theft and official misconduct faced a judge Monday morning.
Christopher Thurman was in
court Monday.
He's accused of falsifying his
time sheet, claiming more than $10,000 in overtime he might not have worked.
Thurman has been on
administrative duties.
He will be back in court in
February.
Chicopee police officer Michael Gendron fired over alleged relationship with 17-year-old girl
By Jeanette DeForge
CHICOPEE – A 43-year-old police
officer will lose his job in connection with his alleged sexual relationship
with a 17-year-old girl.
Mayor Richard J. Kos announced
Monday he has decided to terminate Patrolman Michael Gendron following a discipline
hearing in connection to a restraining order taken out on him by the girl’s
parents.
“As a Civil Service position,
Officer Gendron will have the ability to appeal this decision to the Civil
Service Commission in Boston,” Assistant City Solicitor Thomas Rooke said in
writing.
The discipline hearing was held
behind closed doors Thursday, a week after a judge extended a restraining order
against Gendron that calls for him to stay away from the girl, prohibits him
from possessing a firearm and bans him from her school and workplace.
“The mayor believes and has
stated in the past that police officers are held to a higher standard and even
though the relationship is legal, it fell below the standards of what the mayor
believes a Chicopee Police officer should be doing off duty,” Rooke said.
He declined to comment further
on the decision.
Gendron was suspended without
pay this summer after the girl’s mother filed for a restraining order saying
she came home early one day in the summer to find Gendron and the girl naked
together.
"I'm sure my clients will
be pleased," said Daniel D. Kelly, the lawyer who represents the girl's
family. He said he had little to do with the disciplinary hearing.
During the hearing requesting
the restraining order, a lawyer for Gendron did not deny his client's
relationship with the girl, but argued it was not illegal and not grounds for a
restraining order. The age of consent in Massachusetts is 16.
Gendron's lawyer, John Jerzyk,
of Springfield, did not immediately return calls for comment.
Kos had the sole authority to
rescind or extend the suspension or fire Gendron.
A two-paragraph statement from
the mayor’s office did not specify under what grounds Kos chose to fire the
officer.
Md. Officer Suspended After Assault Charge
A Prince George's County police
officer has been suspended after he was charged with assault over the weekend.
Prince George's police say that
Baltimore police charged Officer Michael O'Connell with second-degree assault
on Saturday.
O'Connell was off-duty at the
time.
Prince George's police say
they've launched an internal investigation and that O'Connell is suspended with
pay pending an administrative hearing.
O'Connell has been with the
department for three years and is assigned to the patrol bureau.
It's unclear whether O'Connell
has an attorney.
Details about the assault
charge were not immediately released
PD: Veteran Butler County Sheriff's corporal drunkenly hit parked car
19-year-veteran Rob Reiff
suspended
HAMILTON, Ohio -- A veteran
Butler County Sheriff’s deputy corporal was given a six-week suspension after
he hit a parked car while driving drunk, authorities said.
Deputy Corporal Rob Reiff, a
19-year veteran of the sheriff's office, hit the car at North B Street while
driving his own vehicle at about 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Hamilton Police Department
officials said.
Officers said Reiff had visible
injuries to his face after the crash and refused to take a blood-alcohol test.
He was taken to West Chester Hospital for treatment.
Hamilton police charged Reiff
with misdemeanor failure to control and misdemeanor operating a vehicle while
intoxicated.
Butler County Sheriff Richard
Jones suspended Reiff after an internal investigation. In addition to the
suspension, Reiff must complete a drug and alcohol counseling program.
“This type of behavior simply
cannot and will not be tolerated under any circumstance,” Jones said.
Reiff was also placed on “final
warning status” by the department. If Reiff has any future disciplinary
infractions, he can be fired immediately, Jones said.
The sheriff’s office said Reiff
has accepted full responsibility for Sunday's crash.
Former Prichard police officer charged with domestic violence
By WALA Webstaff
PRICHARD, Ala. (WALA) –
Prichard police have confirmed to FOX10 News a former Prichard police officer
and former Department of Corrections employee has been arrested and charged
with domestic violence.
Officials said Dwight Lamark
King was arrested Tuesday, September 23 by Mobile County sheriff’s deputies. He
has since ben released on bond.
FOX10 News has calls into the
Mobile County Sheriff’s Office for more details. We will update this story as
soon as that information has been released.
Officer charged with stalking must wear GPS device
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) - A
Fort Collins police officer who was arrested after investigators say he used
agency resources to stalk a woman will be monitored by GPS.
appeared in court Tuesday, and
prosecutors argued that GPS monitoring would make it possible to put an
exclusion zone around the alleged victim's home and work.
Police say a woman reported
"inappropriate behavior" by Branson, telling investigators he
contacted her multiple times at work and home while he was on duty. Branson
allegedly used police resources to find out where the woman worked and lived in
an effort to start a relationship with her.
He was fired Sept. 16 after he
was charged with stalking, criminal trespass and official misconduct.
Branson worked as a police
officer in Butte, Montana, before being hired in Fort Collins in January.
Former city police officer charged with $30K in workers' comp fraud
Officer received payments while
working a second job, prosecutors allege
By Luke BroadwaterThe Baltimore
Sun
A former Baltimore police
officer who now works for the Montgomery County police department has been
charged with felony workers' compensation fraud, state prosecutors said
Tuesday.
State Prosecutor Emmet C.
Davitt said that Montgomery County Police Officer Gilbert L. Payne is accused
in Baltimore City Circuit Court with perjury and felony workers compensation
fraud.
Payne left the Baltimore Police
Department on a full disability pension in 2007, prosecutors said. The charges
allege that Payne falsely testified under oath at a September 2008 workers'
compensation hearing that he was not employed at the time, nor had he been
employed since retiring from the city police department. In fact, he was
working full time as a sworn Towson University Police Officer, prosecutors said.
The charging document alleges that, as a result of this fraudulent
misrepresentation, he received just more than $30,000 in payments to which he
was not entitled.
The matter was referred to the
state prosecutor's office by the Baltimore City Inspector General.
"Testifying falsely under
oath and making false statements in order to fraudulently obtain additional
workers' compensation funds is never acceptable," Davitt said in a
statement. "It is particularly egregious, however, when such acts are committed
by a police officer sworn to uphold the law."
If convicted, Payne faces up to
10 years' imprisonment on the perjury count and 15 years' imprisonment and a
$15,000 fine on the felony workers' compensation count.
He could not immediately be
reached for comment.
Fairfax County Sheriff's Employee Pleads Guilty to Shoplifting at Target
By Ariana Mushnick
A Fairfax County Sheriff's
employee pleaded guilty to one count of petit larceny, according to Loudoun
County officials.
Robert H. Palmer Jr., 50, of
Leesburg, turned himself in on two counts of petit larceny after the
shoplifting incident at a Target store in Leesburg, Virginia.
Leesburg police positively
identified Palmer as a sheriff's employee.
The second count of petit
larceny was nolle prossed, meaning it was not purused any further. His 30-day
jail sentence and $1,000 fine was suspended for one year on the condition that
he pay court costs, be of good behavior, and break no further laws, according
to officials.
Additionally, he is required to
stay off Target property in Loudoun County and pay restitution of $100.40.
The
Target security guard who reported the shoplifting incident was fired days
after submitting the report.
The
guard, Dallas Northington, told the Washington Post that he responded to the
incident by calling the police, filing a report, and providing a surveillance
video, as he always did.
Target
officials told him he was fired for violating procedure by not filling out the
paperwork before contacting police.
Police said the firing
"was strictly a corporate decision made by Target with no discussion or
knowledge by our agency."
Another violent arrest by Baltimore police caught on video
By Justin George, The Baltimore
Sun
City police and union officials
moved quickly on Tuesday to address a video of Baltimore police officers
involved in violent arrest outside an East Baltimore nightclub.
Authorities said they believed
the officers' use of force — which included batons and Tasers — was justified.
But the incident early Tuesday was the second time in nearly a week that police
officials had to respond to video footage of an arrest.
"I want officers never to
use force that's not necessary," Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts
said. "But I also don't condone [residents] punching officers."
Last week, Baltimore police
officials suspended an officer shown on camera repeatedly punching a man at a
North Avenue bus stop in an incident that has prompted a $5 million lawsuit
against the department.
In the case of Tuesday's arrest
of 29-year-old Jamar Kennedy, a bystander captured the arrest in the 3100 block
of Greenmount Avenue on video using a cellphone. Kennedy was being held without
bail on charges of second-degree assault and resisting arrest, court records
show.
Police are still investigating
and asked people to come forward if additional videos exist. All five officers
are on paid administrative leave during the inquiry.
Batts showed the video to
reporters after a television station obtained a copy and questioned police
about the incident. Police said they would release the video on Wednesday — a
delay attributed to technical difficulties.
A call to a relative of Kennedy
was not returned Tuesday.
Deputy Commissioner Dean
Palmere said police were on foot outside Melba's Place, a nightclub, before 2
a.m. when they saw Kennedy fighting with a bouncer. Col. Garnell Green said an
officer tried to use a Taser on Kennedy but it had no effect. The video shows
the Taser was knocked to the ground. Soon the video shows a female police
officer on the ground in a struggle.
Other officers then move in
swinging batons at Kennedy, who police say continued to resist arrest. At one
point Kennedy raises his clenched fist above his head to try to shield himself
from the blows while he walks toward officers. Police try and take him to the
ground, and Kennedy ends up on top of one officer. Police stun Kennedy with a
Taser once more, and officers are finally able to detain him, the video shows.
As police arrested Kennedy,
officials say a female officer pulled out Kennedy's inhaler and gave it to him.
They say that shows that not only did police stop the blows once the situation
was under control but also that they "rendered aid."
Kennedy suffered minor injuries
and was treated at a hospital, police said. Three officers also suffered minor
injuries.
Batts said the incident
"further adds to my resolve to bring body cameras to Baltimore."
Fraternal Order of Police
President Robert F. Cherry said the officers followed all protocols and did
nothing wrong.
When using their batons, the
officers swung only at Kennedy's midsection and hamstrings and not his head or
knees, Cherry said.
Last week, a video showing
Baltimore police officer Vincent E. Cosom repeatedly punching a man became
public after the man, Kollin Truss, filed a lawsuit. The incident happened in
June, and Cosom remained on the job until the video was circulated in the news
media. Cosom has since been suspended.
NYPD Probes Treatment of Pregnant Woman
By DEEPTI HAJELA Associated
Press
New York City police are
investigating an altercation between officers and a pregnant woman that was
captured on amateur video, officials said Wednesday.
The video shows an officer
struggling with a woman who police say tried to intervene in the arrest of her
17-year-old son early Saturday morning in Brooklyn. The woman is taken to the
ground on her stomach by an officer.
Sandra Amezquita was asking
police to "stop using excessive force" on her teenage son when the
altercation happened around 2:15 a.m., said her attorney, Sanford Rubenstein.
A man can be heard on the video
yelling, "Oh my God, she's pregnant."
"I'm afraid of what is
going to happen to my baby. I pray to God nothing happens to him,"
Amezquita, who is about 5 months pregnant, said through an interpreter at a
press conference.
Rubenstein said the family
plans to meet Monday with prosecutors. The Brooklyn district attorney's office
said it could not immediately confirm that, but spokeswoman Helen Peterson did
say "all aspects" of the case were being reviewed.
Rubenstein said Amezquita had a
mark on her stomach and he wants the DA to look into whether she was hit with
an object.
"It's clear to me when an
incident like this occurs you understand why police community relations are at
an all-time low," the attorney said earlier Wednesday.
Internal affairs investigators
are looking into the matter, said chief police spokesman Steve Davis.
Rubenstein said another woman
who walked over to see what was happening also was thrown to the ground by
police; Amezquita's husband was also hurt.
The lawyer said doctors told
Amezquita "there's no way to tell" if the fetus was harmed.
Police identified the teen as
Jhohan Lemos. He was charged with weapon possession, resisting arrest and
harassment. Police said he was carrying an illegal knife and has been arrested
five times, including for gang assault and robbery.
Amezquita received a summons
for disorderly conduct. Two other men were charged with assault, resisting
arrest and other charges.
A neighbor, Mercedes Hidalgo,
said at the press conference that she was pushed when she tried to tell
officers that Amezquita was pregnant.
Last week, another officer from
the same precinct was suspended after a video appeared to show him kicking a
street fair vendor and walking away.
Conviction overturned for officer in 2010 UMd. beating
Judge gives James Harrison
probation before judgment Tuesday
COLLEGE PARK, Md. —A Prince
George's County Police officer who was convicted of assaulting a University of
Maryland student in 2010 during a riot after a basketball game could get a
clean slate.
Officers James Harrison and
Reginald Barker were accused of assaulting University of Maryland student John
McKenna during a celebration after Maryland beat Duke in March 2010. Video
captured Harrison hitting McKenna with a baton after he was already on the
ground.
Barker was acquitted and has
since returned to the force, while Harrison was found guilty.
"He got 30 days of home
detention, and that's all he got," said Terrell Roberts, McKenna's
attorney.
But earlier this week, Judge
Beverly Woodard, the same judge who heard the initial case, threw out
Harrison's sentence and instead gave him probation before judgment, meaning the
conviction could disappear from his record if he doesn't break the law during a
one-year probation period. He could even be a police officer again.
Officials with the Prince
George's County State's Attorney's Office said they weren't thrilled with the
change.
"We just felt that it was
not appropriate to take the jury's voice away and to basically overturn the
conviction," said John Erzen, with the Prince George's County State's
Attorney's Office.
There was concern during the
first trial after it was revealed Woodard's ex-husband was the first Prince
George's County officer to be convicted of use of force in 1988. There was no
mistrial because she promised to be fair.
Calls to Harrison's attorney
were not returned Tuesday, but McKenna's attorney said the decision is a
mockery of justice.
"In a case like this that
received all this attention because of the gravity of the case, the importance
of the case, it merited some reasons for doing what the judge ended up doing,
and there was no reason given for this kind of action," Roberts said.
Monaca police officer suspended
Monaca's mayor and council have
suspended a police officer without pay for about a month for conduct unbecoming
a police officer, the mayor said.
Mayor John P. Antoline said he
made the initial decision to suspend Officer Mark Young last Thursday, then
council voted Monday to uphold the suspension until at least Oct. 28, pending a
deeper review by council. Antoline declined to give details of Young's conduct.
Young couldn't be reached for comment.
Young has been with the Monaca
police, which has nine full-time and 12 part-time officers, full-time since
2002, and previously was a part-time officer. After reviewing his case and
interviewing him, council will decide whether to fire Young, Antoline said.
Collingdale family sues borough, cops over arrests
By Alex Rose, Delaware County
Daily Times
A Collingdale couple and their
adult daughter are suing the borough and several of its police officers in
federal court for alleged civil rights violations stemming from a Feb. 22
confrontation at their home that ended in arrests for disorderly conduct.
The suit claims Officer Carl
White aggressively confronted plaintiff Michael Gaymon, 35, then entered the
couple’s home without a warrant or permission and arrested 38-year-old Kia
Gaymon for videotaping him with her cellphone.
Police Chief Robert W. Adams
referred comments to borough Solicitor Sam Auslander, who said he was aware of
the filing but had not reviewed it or spoken with any defendants, so he could
not comment.
Michael and Kia Gaymon filed
suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Tuesday along with their 21-year-old daughter, Sanshuray Purnell, who was also
arrested.
The suit claims Michael
Gaymon’s mother, a guest at their home, had parked her car on the curb of a
neighbor’s property. White and fellow Officer William Eckert, apparently
responding to a call from the neighbor, arrived at the couple’s home as Purnell
and her parents were leaving for a family outing.
White allegedly began yelling
in an accusatory manner, asking which of them had spit at the neighbor. After
denying any wrongdoing, White approached Michael Gaymon aggressively and yelled
at him just inches from his face, according to the complaint.
Kia Gaymon began to tape the
confrontation with her cellphone, according to the suit. When White noticed her
recording the incident from the top outside step of her home, he allegedly
approached her and she went inside, but continued to video from within a storm
door. White informed her that she was violating Pennsylvania’s wiretap statute
and ordered her to stop recording, according to the suit.
Purnell and Michael Gaymon
allegedly told White that Kia Gaymon was within her rights to videotape the
interaction, but the complaint claims the officer warned the woman that he
would enter her home, confiscate her phone and place her under arrest if she
did not stop.
When Kia Gaymon told the
officer he did not have permission to enter her home, White allegedly walked up
the steps to the front door and placed Purnell in handcuffs, threatening her
with a Taser.
The complaint claims Eckert
escorted Purnell from the steps as White entered the home and pushed Kia Gaymon
against a wall while holding a Taser against her chest, over protests from the
plaintiffs that he did not have permission to be in their home.
Eckert and other unidentified
Collingdale officers then allegedly handcuffed Kia Gaymon and placed her under
arrest. Both women were transported to the Collingdale police station and were
later released after being cited for disorderly conduct, according to the
complaint.
The suit and court records
indicate those charges were dismissed at the district court level in May.
The Gaymons and Purnell now
claim that the arrests and prosecution of the disorderly conduct charges were
unwarranted and came in retaliation for Kia Gaymon exercising her
constitutionally protected right to videotape law enforcement in the course of
their duties. The suit additionally alleges Collingdale Borough failed to
properly train officers on various aspects of the law.
The complaint alleges claims
for unlawful arrest, malicious prosecution, retaliatory arrest, unlawful
search, municipal liability and state law claims, and demands a jury trial.
The plaintiffs claim to have
suffered physical and psychological harm, pain and suffering, and financial
losses, for which they are seeking actual and punitive damages, along with
legal fees.
Former cop sentenced to 20 years in child porn case
Kaitlin Durbin,
CLEVELAND – A former Mansfield
police officer found guilty of producing and distributing child pornography
will spend 20 years in prison, a federal judge decided Monday.
In a plea deal, Robert
Anderson, 69, previously pleaded guilty to two counts of producing child
pornography, one count of receiving visual depictions of minors engaged in
sexually explicit conduct and one count of removal of property to prevent
seizure, according to the Northern District court docket.
A fifth count of possession of
child pornography was dismissed as a part of the plea agreement.
Anderson’s original plea
agreement was for a sentencing of 180 months, or 15 years, in prison, but Judge
James S. Gwin set the term at 20 years Monday, Mike Tobin with the U.S.
District Attorney’s Office said.
Anderson also was required to
pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $400, $100 for each of the conviction
counts, according to the plea agreement.
Anderson’s public defender
Charles Fleming did not return calls Monday.
Two of Anderson’s sentences
carried a minimum of 15 years alone, the agreement said. Count three carried a
minimum of 5 years, and count four suggested a maximum of 5 years.
Anderson was arrested in February
as a part of a larger pornography sting headed by Homeland Security
Investigations. His charges related to activity on a website, identified in the
original complaint only as “Website A,” that allows people to post, distribute
and trade sexually explicit images of children.
He allegedly used the website
to share pictures and videos — “some homemade and hidden cam” — of young girls’
underwear and juveniles engaged in sexually explicit conduct between Jan. 1,
2007, and April 26, 2011.
During a search of Anderson’s
home in Lucas on Feb. 6, authorities found a 64 GB thumb drive containing
numerous hidden camera videos taken by Anderson in his bathroom. The camera was
positioned so it would capture close-up video of individuals changing into
swimsuits or preparing to use the restroom, the agreement said.
One of the juveniles involved
is from north central Ohio, the complaint said.
The search also revealed
Anderson did knowingly receive and distribute the explicit conduct
internationally, between Oct. 9, 2012, and Nov. 18, 2013.
Specifically, Anderson’s Google
email account showed he traded images of child pornography with two other
Internet users between Sept. 18, 2013, and Nov. 18, 2013. Images included
depictions of prepubescent minors engaged in intercourse.
Additionally, 2,699 images and
502 videos were found on three thumb drives he tried to hide during the search.
Those images included depictions of bondage and intercourse with children as
young as toddlers. Images were downloaded as far back as Oct. 9, 2012, the
agreement said.
Tobin could not comment on
where Anderson would serve his term.
Ex-Detroit cop sentenced for drug trafficking in Athens County
By Mary Beth Lane
A former Detroit police officer
has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for supplying a criminal ring that ran
illegal drugs into Athens County.
County Common Pleas Judge
George McCarthy sentenced Brandon J. Allen on Friday after Allen pleaded guilty
to 12 crimes, including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, or
racketeering.
Allen, 29, also pleaded guilty
to 10 counts of aggravated drug trafficking and one count of aggravated drug
possession, county Prosecutor Keller Blackburn said in a news release.
Allen also was ordered to pay
$100,000 to the prosecutor’s Law Enforcement Trust Fund to reimburse the county
for the cost of investigating the case.
Allen admitted supplying and
helping to run from Detroit a drug pipeline into Glouster, the center of a
criminal ring that primarily sold the powerfully addictive painkiller oxycodone
throughout Athens County.
Five local participants in the
ring have been sentenced to prison so far. Another alleged ring participant,
former Chauncey police chief Charles A. Wachenschwanz, 46, has pleaded not
guilty to racketeering and drug and weapons offenses.
Six Current and Former Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputies Sentenced to Federal Prison
Valencia man among those sentenced
for Obstructing Federal Civil Rights Investigation
LOS ANGELES – Six sworn
deputies who were working in the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department each were
sentenced today to federal prison terms for interfering with a federal civil
rights investigation into misconduct at the Men’s Central Jail.
The six defendants, including a
former lieutenant who lives in Valencia, received prison terms of up to 41
months from a federal judge who said they all lacked “courage to do what is
right” and then failed to show “even the slightest remorse.”
United States District Judge
Percy Anderson issued the sentences after a federal jury determined that the
defendants, including two lieutenants, attempted to influence witnesses,
threatened an FBI agent with arrest and concealed an FBI informant who should
have been turned over to federal authorities.
All six of the defendants were
convicted of participating in a broad conspiracy to obstruct justice, a plot
that began in the summer of 2011 after they learned that a jail inmate was an
FBI informant and was acting as a cooperator in a federal investigation into
corruption and civil rights violations at the jail.
“Blind obedience to a corrupt
culture has serious consequences,” Judge Anderson told the defendants before
ordering each of them to begin prison sentences in the coming months.
Acting United States Attorney
Stephanie Yonekura stated: “In their corrupt attempt to shield the Sheriff’s
Department from scrutiny, these deputies brought scandal and shame to
themselves and their department. These deputies decided to impede a federal
investigation, and in doing so they threw away their careers and their freedom.
These law enforcement officers have now been held accountable for their
unlawful actions.”
The defendants who were sentenced
today are:
• Gregory Thompson, 54, a
now-retired lieutenant who oversaw LASD’s Operation Safe Jails Program, who was
ordered to serve 37 months in prison and to pay a $7,500 fine;
• Lieutenant Stephen Leavins,
52, of Valencia, who was assigned to the LASD’s Internal Criminal
Investigations Bureau, who received a 41-month prison sentence;
• Gerard Smith, 42, a deputy
who was assigned to the Operation Safe Jails Program, who was ordered to serve
21 months in prison;
• Mickey Manzo, 34, a deputy
who was assigned to the Operation Safe Jails Program, who received a 24-month
sentence;
• Scott Craig, 50, a sergeant
who was assigned to the Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau, who was
sentenced to 33 months; and
• Maricela Long, 46, a sergeant
who assigned to the Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau, who received a
sentence of two years in federal prison.
Following the completion of
their prison sentences, each defendant will serve one year on supervised
release.
“Interference with a federal
investigation cannot be tolerated,” said Bill Lewis, the Assistant Director in
Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The sentences imposed today
allow us to move forward toward an environment of mutual trust and the common
goal of delivering justice to victims of crime. I look forward to continued
collaboration with our trusted partners at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department.”
All six were found guilty on
July 1 after a jury heard evidence about how the defendants learned that an
inmate received a cellular phone from a deputy sheriff who took a bribe and
that the inmate was part of a federal civil rights and corruption
investigation. The deputies took affirmative steps to hide the cooperator from
the FBI and the United States Marshals Service, which were attempting to bring
the inmate into federal custody pursuant to an order issued by a federal judge.
As part of the conspiracy, records were altered to make it appear as if the
cooperator had been released, but he was re-booked under different names.
The deputies also engaged in
witness tampering by attempting to influence witnesses to not cooperate with
the federal grand jury investigation, including the informant and the sheriff’s
deputy who had taken a bribe to smuggle the cell phone into the jail.
Over the course of several
weeks, the defendants sought an order from a Los Angeles Superior Court judge
that would have compelled the FBI to turn over information about its
investigation to LASD. After the judge refused to issue such an order, based on
a lack of jurisdiction, Craig and Long confronted an FBI special agent at her
residence in an attempt to intimidate her into providing details about the
investigation and to try to deter the FBI from conducting the federal
investigation. The sergeants falsely told the special agent, and later her
supervisor, that they were obtaining a warrant for her arrest.
Speaking of the confrontation
at the special agent’s home, Judge Anderson said it was one of the most
striking incidents related to the obstruction conspiracy, particularly because
it was videotaped. “They did this to scare and intimidate the FBI…and they
intended to obstruct justice,” the judge said.
In addition to the conspiracy
count, all six deputies were convicted of obstruction of justice offenses.
Craig and Long were also found guilty of making false statements to the FBI
agent and to her supervisor about seeking a warrant for her arrest.
Thompson, Craig and Leavins are
no longer with the Sheriff’s Department. Smith is on approved leave. Manzo and
Long, according to the Sheriff’s Department, were relieved of duty without pay
in December 2013.
Ex-Port Authority Cop Sentenced To Probation after Touring With Metal Band While Collecting Disability
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A
former Port Authority cop who was busted touring with his heavy metal band
while collecting disability checks was sentenced to three years’ probation
Wednesday.
Christopher Inserra pleaded
guilty in a Brooklyn court in April to one count of fraud.Inserra was
collecting his full $90,000-a-year salary for 20 months while touring with the
band Cousin Sleaze, WCBS 880’s Irene Cornell reported. The singer was caught
touring and thrashing around onstage despite that he reported injuring his
right arm in 2010 while on duty at the World Trade Center.
Federal Judge Leo Glasser said
it was a case of pure greed and that he lost sleep while coming up with an
appropriate sentence. Glasser said he walked into the courtroom intending to
send Inserra to prison, but after hearing the rocker’s lawyer attribute the
crime to an oxycodone addiction, the judge had second thoughts and sentenced
him to probation instead.
