Sierra Vista PD officer involved in on-duty crash while drunk
Hillsborough Police Officer Charged With DWI, Found Drunk And Asleep At The Wheel
Officer caught stumbling on camera, charged with DUI
Richmond officer found with marijuana in home likely won't face charges, officials say
Alcohol, prior drug use gets Utah police officer suspended
Sierra Vista cop causes accident, fired for intoxication
David Branov sentenced: Drug-addicted cop jailed for at least two-and-a-half years
Former Bronx cop sentenced on drug, other charges
Sierra
Vista PD officer involved in on-duty crash while drunk
Scott Oathout
SIERRA VISTA- A Sierra Vista
Police officer was fired Friday morning, after he was involved in a three
vehicle crash while under the influence of alcohol.
According to City of Sierra
Vista spokeswoman Judy Hector, Officer Joseph Arnason was driving his patrol
vehicle while on-duty around 6:56 a.m., when he rear-ended a vehicle on State
Route 92 near Buffalo Soldier Trail.
Nobody was injured in the
crash, but all three vehicles were damaged.
Following the crash, Officer
Arnason was required to submit to a drug and alcohol testing and found to be
intoxicated.
"The City of Sierra Vista
has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to drug and alcohol use on the job,
regardless of the position," said Chuck Potucek, city manager. "As
soon as I had confirmation that the officer was under the influence, I did not
hesitate to do what is right and dismiss the officer."
Officer Arnason was a 2-year
veteran with SVPD.
"The public has a right to
expect that the police officers responsible for helping keep the community safe
are themselves upholding the highest professional and ethical standards,"
said Tom Alinen, Chief of Police. "I am shocked and deeply saddened that
we have an officer who failed to meet these standards. This is a first in my 37
years with the City of Sierra Vista. But our residents can be assured that we
will take whatever steps are necessary to maintain the confidence our community
has that the Police Department puts the public's safety first."
The Arizona Department of
Public Safety has taken over the investigation of the crash.
Hillsborough
Police Officer Charged With DWI, Found Drunk And Asleep At The Wheel
Somerville police arrested and
charged a Hillsborough police officer with driving while intoxicated last
month.
By Carly Kilroy (Patch
Staff)December 16, 2014 at 11:28am
Somerville police arrested and
charged a Hillsborough police officer with driving while intoxicated after they
found him asleep behind the wheel in the middle of a lane at the intersection
of East Main and North Bridge streets last month. Officer Richard J. Yock was
found asleep in his 2005 silver GMC Envoy around 1 a.m. on Nov. 20, according
to nj.com.
Officer
caught stumbling on camera, charged with DUI
SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla.
(WSVN) -- A South Florida police officer was arrested for DUI after being
caught on camera veering through traffic and hitting an 18-wheeler, and a
witness said he never should have been on the road in the first place.
On Monday around 4 p.m., a
concerned citizen noticed a dangerous driver and began following the vehicle,
only to find out the driver was a police officer in uniform with a gun on his
waist.
The witness, who chose to
remain anonymous, said it was obvious that the officer was under the influence.
"He was obviously intoxicated," he said.
The man said he spotted the
officer in a silver Nissan driving erratically. "He was veering in and off
lanes; he was obviously driving under the influence," he said.
The witness then dialed 911,
followed the officer until he crashed his vehicle on Southwest 137th Avenue
after, the man said, the officer side-swiped an 18-wheeler.
As the driver and officer
pulled over, the witness pulled out his cell phone and began recording the
encounter. "Then we he got out of the car. I saw the gun on the right
side, the Taser gun on the left side," he said.
Hialeah Gardens Police
confirmed that 51-year-old Angel Gonzalez was the officer behind the wheel.
"He's under the influence, he's carrying a gun, he has the badge, I
wouldn't want to be the truck driver in that spot," the witness said.
Miami-Dade Police worked the
crash and stated in their report, "It was noted that the defendant had an
odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath, his eyes were glassy, his gait was
unsteady, and his speech was thick-tongued."
When asked if he had been
drinking, the report stated, "the defendant denied drinking but stated
that he took Xanax."
According to the report,
Gonzalez failed a field sobriety test and refused a breathalyzer. He was
subsequently charged with DUI. "If this incident helps the police officer
realize that he has a problem, then I think that I did well for him," said
the witness.
Hialeah Gardens Police had no
comment on the matter but did say that Gonzalez has since been suspended from
the force.
Richmond
officer found with marijuana in home likely won't face charges, officials say
By Rick Hurd rhurd
RICHMOND -- A Richmond police
officer found with marijuana in his home earlier this year likely won't be
charged with a crime, authorities said, but his future on the police force is
undetermined. Veteran K-9 officer Joe Avila has been on paid administrative
leave since September, pending an internal investigation, officials in the
Richmond Police Department said. The
Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office has been investigating since the
case came to its attention earlier this year but is not inclined to file
charges, said Robin Lipetzky, the county's chief public defender. According to
Lipetzky, the decision likely stems from evidence not strong enough to produce
a conviction ALTHOUGH THE DOPE WAS FOUND IN HIS HOUSE.
Alcohol,
prior drug use gets Utah police officer suspended
By NATE CARLISLE
Before he was a police cadet, Brandon Done
suffered a back injury and took a co-worker’s medication to help him cope with
the pain.
Done should have reported the
illegal prescription use on his application to Weber State University’s police
academy, but he didn’t. Done later admitted the prescription use in an
employment application. The previous omission was reported to the Utah Peace
Officer Standards and Training Council, which regulates police.
Done went before the council
earlier this month and asked for a more lenient penalty than the two-year
suspension proposed.
"I want to get a job in
law enforcement," Done told the council, according to an audio recording
of its Dec. 8 meeting. "It is a career path I have always wanted to
do."
But the council suspended Done’s police
certification for two years. The council also suspended eight other current and
former peace officers.
The council gave a two-year
suspension to another peace officer, Shawnn Hartley, who failed to disclose
marijuana use. Hartley admitted after graduating from the academy that he had
used marijuana, according to information presented to the council. Hartley was
unemployed when he made the admission.
The council also suspended two
Cedar City police officers. Charles Crosby admitted to having sex with a woman
while he was on duty and in uniform, according to information provided to the
council. He was suspended for three years.
The other Cedar City officer,
Jed P. Imlay, was suspended for four years. According to information provided
to the council earlier this year Imlay drove his patrol car to a baseball park
with his son in the car and hit a retaining wall. Imlay then left the ballpark.
The police department investigated, determined Imlay was drunk and he pleaded
guilty to a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence. He was sentenced
to probation and two days in jail.
Another former police officer,
Troy Anderson, was suspended for 2 1/2 years for driving under the influence.
It was Anderson’s second offense. A judge in Box Elder County Justice Court
sentenced Anderson to two days in jail.
Other officers suspended at the
Dec. 8 meeting:
• Logan: Jacob Boehme,
six-month suspension for disorderly conduct and misuse of a police database.
• Tooele: Talisa Black,
two-year suspension for assault and domestic violence in the presence of a
child.
• Sandy: Jared Hughes, 18-month
suspension for driving under the influence.
• Utah Department of
Corrections: Mark D. Puett, six-month suspension for criminal mischief.
Sierra
Vista cop causes accident, fired for intoxication
SIERRA VISTA— A Sierra Vista
police officer has been fired after causing a traffic accident this morning
while operating his patrol vehicle under the influence of alcohol.
Officer Joseph Arnason had
checked on duty and was on his way to the shift briefing at 6:56 a.m. when he
rear-ended a vehicle on Highway 92, near Buffalo Soldier Trail, totaling the
patrol vehicle and causing a chain reaction that damaged two other vehicles,
according to a press release from the city. There were no injuries reported on
scene. In accordance with city policy, the officer was required to submit for
drug and alcohol testing and was found to be intoxicated. “The city of Sierra Vista has a zero
tolerance policy when it comes to drug and alcohol use on the job, regardless
of the position,” Sierra Vista City Manager Chuck Potucek said. “As soon as I
had confirmation that the officer was under the influence, I did not hesitate
to do what is right and dismiss the officer.”
The Arizona Department of
Public Safety was immediately called in to conduct an independent criminal
investigation, which is currently ongoing, the release states.
“The public has a right to
expect that the police officers responsible for helping keep the community safe
are themselves upholding the highest professional and ethical standards,”
Police Chief Tom Alinen said. “I am shocked and deeply saddened that we have an
officer who failed to meet these standards. This is a first in my 37 years with
the city of Sierra Vista. But our residents can be assured that we will take
whatever steps are necessary to maintain the confidence our community has that
the police department puts the public’s safety first.”
Officer Arnason was a two-year
veteran with the department.
David
Branov sentenced: Drug-addicted cop jailed for at least two-and-a-half years
Wayne Flower
A DIRTY cop who protected
criminals and sold them confidential information to feed a raging drug habit
will spend at least 2½ years behind bars.
David Branov, 42, said trauma
he experienced on the job led him to turn to ice, and when it became a daily
habit he turned to crime to pay for it.
But a County Court judge said
Branov’s problems offered no excuse for his crimes and did little to reduce his
moral culpability.
Branov pleaded guilty to 15
charges, including two counts of misconduct in public office, three counts of
theft, including of thousands of dollars of worth of methylamphetamine from
Fitzroy police station, attempting to pervert justice, and weapons and drugs
charges.
In sentencing Branov to four
years, three months and 28 days in jail, Judge Gavan Meredith condemned the
former senior constable for his gross breach of trust.
“Your role was to enforce the
law, not exploit it,” he said.
Judge Meredith said Branov must
be punished for undermining confidence in police.
The court heard Branov was
among at least three officers accused of taking bribes to turn a blind eye to
drug crimes.
The court heard that an
associate paid the trio $3000, which they split, to let him go after they
arrested him on drug charges.
Branov, an officer of seven
years’ standing, sold personal details, including driver’s licence details and
criminal records intelligence, and teamed up with a drug dealer mate to help
run a large-scale drug operation in 2009.
He was paid to tip off people
under surveillance and throw investigations off course.
Branov also hacked high-level
police databases to provide associates with details about his drug associates
and drug clients.
During his plea hearing, his
lawyer, Stewart Bayles, told the court Branov started using ice to help him get
through tough days on the beat.
He said that as a police
officer Branov suffered because of exposure to a number of events and
experiences that had had a traumatic effect on him.
But Judge Meredith said his
issues offer no excuse.
“Your motive does little to
reduce your moral culpability,” he said.
Former
Bronx cop sentenced on drug, other charges
NEW YORK. (WABC) --
A former police officer in the
Bronx was sentenced Wednesday on drug related and other charges.
Jose Ramos was sentenced to a
minimum 12 and a half years and a maximum of 14 and a half years in prison.
He was convicted on grand
larceny, robbery and drug possession charges.
The New York City Police
Department former officer was the original target of an undercover probe that
began in 2008, stemming from a tip about drug dealing and other illegal
activities at Ramos' family-owned barbershop in the Bronx.
The probe started when Ramos
was allegedly caught on a wiretap talking about fixing tickets.
Undercover video captured Ramos
using a police car to drive a shipment of supposed drugs from the Bronx to
Brooklyn.
"I don't deny I've done
wrong," said a contrite and tearful Jose Ramos, who begged a Bronx
criminal court judge for leniency Wednesday afternoon saying: "I take full
responsibility for my actions."
That's a far cry from a defiant
veteran cop who spoke with me exclusively in a jailhouse interview from Rikers
in February of 2012.
("You're accused of
dealing drugs, robbing people, shaking them down," we said.)
"Never," he said. ("None of that.") "None of
that," said Ramos.
Ramos was arrested in October
of 2011 with more than a dozen other cops accused in a ticket fixing scandal.
But the 40th precinct officer
was slapped with additional, far more serious charges including conspiring with
drug dealers.
He was convicted in October of
attempted robbery and drug possession, prosecutors saying Ramos agreed to take
$10,000 to transport what he thought was heroin.
In a damning video, part of an
undercover sting, Ramos, in full uniform, reassures an informant not to worry
about police checkpoints.
"To be honest with you, my
heart didn't skip a beat," he says. "Are you out of your mind?,"
said the informant. "You don't know the power of the blue," said
Ramos.
The judge gave the former cop a
minimum of 12 and a half years in prison saying: "You have utterly
disgraced your badge, your uniform, and your oath to uphold the law."
Several of Ramos' family
members, including his daughter, left in tears, as his attorney maintained the
officer never denied wrongdoing..
"How can you say he didn't
deny it. He told me he didn't do anything," we asked.
"He did things that were
offensive that he shouldn't have as a police officer, but he didn't do the
things from the very beginning the DA said he did," said attorney Matt
Kruger.
The DA says Ramos did even
more. He's also accused of conspiring to murder a witness.
