Two Georgia teenagers were left in a county courthouse holding cell from Friday to Monday

Two Georgia teenagers were left in a county courthouse holding cell from Friday to Monday with no food, lights, or toilet paper, Dave Huddleston WSB Atlanta reports.
"I’m embarrassed today as I can possibly be,” Douglas County Sheriff Phil Miller told reporters.

The teenage boys, ages 16 and 17, had court appearances on Friday, and were locked in the holding cell after neither of their parents showed up.

“Nobody that works in security is supposed to leave that building at night without checking the cells, and it’s not a hard job to do,” Miller said, adding that eight to 10 officers were involved may lose their jobs once he completes the internal investigation.


Ex-cop arrested after bodies found in suitcases

WEST ALLIS, Wis. — A former police officer has been arrested and is a suspect in the death of at least one of two women whose bodies were stuffed into suitcases and discarded on a rural southeastern Wisconsin highway, police said Thursday.

The 52-year-old security officer was arrested Wednesday on tentative charges of hiding a corpse. The same day, detectives wearing hazmat suits removed large, brown bags of evidence and a refrigerator from the man's apartment in West Allis, a Milwaukee suburb.

Highway workers discovered the suitcases containing female remains June 5 in the Town of Geneva, some 50 miles southwest of Milwaukee. Police identified one woman as Laura Simonson, 37, of Farmington, Minnesota. Authorities have yet to release the identity of the second woman but describe her as a white female with long dark hair, a pronounced overbite and a small heart tattoo on her lower left abdomen.

Farmington police Detective Sgt. Lee Hollatz told The Associated Press that the arrested man is his "number one person, by far, of interest" in Simonson's death.

The man is scheduled to appear in court Friday afternoon in Wisconsin.

Police in Rochester, Minnesota, said during a news conference Thursday that they believe Simonson was killed in a Rochester hotel in early November. She checked into the Microtel Inn and Suites with the security officer on Nov. 2, and the man checked out alone the next day, Capt. John Sherwin said.

A woman who answered the phone at the hotel said employees had been told not to talk to the media. Rochester is more than 300 miles northwest of Milwaukee.

Police have not revealed information about where the second victim was killed.
Hollatz said Simonson's family reported her missing Nov. 22, and he learned soon after that she had been taken to the Rochester hotel by a man he identified early on as the former police officer. But Hollatz said all he had was a missing person's case until the bodies were discovered. He said Simonson was identified within a day by her tattoos.

"I saw Laura as a vulnerable adult because of things in her life that she was dealing with," Hollatz said.

Simonson's father, Richard Wierson, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that his daughter had placed escort ads on CraigsList. Wierson said she had struggled with mental illness since adolescence, and that her seven children were placed in foster care with him in 2010.

The suspect is a licensed private security officer who has worked for Securitas Security Services USA since 2007, according to the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services. Securitas spokeswoman Lynne Glovka said the company did a background check when he was hired and she was not aware of any problems while he worked there.

Officer suspended



Deputy awaits hearing on CSC charges

KALKASKA – The Kalkaska County Sheriff Department and Kalkaska Public Schools Board of Education will be a man short for at least a while, after the arrest of a sheriff’s deputy, who’s also a member of the local school board, on three felony charges of criminal sexual conduct.

Aaron J. Popa, 39, of Kalkaska was arrested at the KCSD office Wednesday, June 18, by the Michigan State Police on three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct.

According to a statement released by the MSP, the charges stem from an investigation that started in February regarding an alleged incident with a former female inmate at the Kalkaska County Jail while she was reportedly being transported by Popa in December 2006.

“The criminal charges were authorized by the Otsego County Prosecutor’s Office, as the incident reportedly occurred (there), while on a transport of this prisoner,” the MSP statement read. “The incident remains under investigation.”

Sheriff David Israel confirmed that Popa, a deputy with more than a dozen years of experience, was taken into custody at the KCSD office.

“He’s on unpaid suspension pending the outcome of the court proceedings,” Israel added. “I was disappointed that a warrant was issued. This case is too old and it’s a ‘he-said, she-said’ situation.”

Popa was released from custody on a personal recognizance bond after a hearing in the 87th-A District Court in Gaylord on June 18. Just a day later, he entered a plea of “not guilty” to all charges.

A pre-trial hearing has been scheduled for July 3, with a preliminary exam set for July 10.

While the KCSD will be short a deputy, the KPS Board of Education is also without its current vice president

John Rogers, president of the KPS board, said it’s unlikely any action would be taken to suspend or remove Popa as an elected official.

“I’ll have to be advised by our attorney on that,” Rogers said. “Certainly, it’s not good for the district. But, it’s also not good for him and his family.

“I hope for the best for him and his family,” Rogers added. “He’s a good person. He’s been good for the community.”

Besides serving as a deputy and his election to the KPS board, Popa also has been an active member of service organizations and youth sports clubs in Kalkaska. And, Rogers said that made the news of Popa’s arrest even more of a surprise to him and others.

“I’m utterly floored. With the quality person he is, it’s completely unexpected,” Rogers stated. “Of course, he’s only been accused.

“It’s innocent till proven guilty,” he added. “But, just the accusation can be so detrimental to a person.”

Deputy awaits hearing on CSC charges

KALKASKA – The Kalkaska County Sheriff Department and Kalkaska Public Schools Board of Education will be a man short for at least a while, after the arrest of a sheriff’s deputy, who’s also a member of the local school board, on three felony charges of criminal sexual conduct.

Aaron J. Popa, 39, of Kalkaska was arrested at the KCSD office Wednesday, June 18, by the Michigan State Police on three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct.

According to a statement released by the MSP, the charges stem from an investigation that started in February regarding an alleged incident with a former female inmate at the Kalkaska County Jail while she was reportedly being transported by Popa in December 2006.

“The criminal charges were authorized by the Otsego County Prosecutor’s Office, as the incident reportedly occurred (there), while on a transport of this prisoner,” the MSP statement read. “The incident remains under investigation.”

Sheriff David Israel confirmed that Popa, a deputy with more than a dozen years of experience, was taken into custody at the KCSD office.

“He’s on unpaid suspension pending the outcome of the court proceedings,” Israel added. “I was disappointed that a warrant was issued. This case is too old and it’s a ‘he-said, she-said’ situation.”

Popa was released from custody on a personal recognizance bond after a hearing in the 87th-A District Court in Gaylord on June 18. Just a day later, he entered a plea of “not guilty” to all charges.

A pre-trial hearing has been scheduled for July 3, with a preliminary exam set for July 10.

While the KCSD will be short a deputy, the KPS Board of Education is also without its current vice president.

John Rogers, president of the KPS board, said it’s unlikely any action would be taken to suspend or remove Popa as an elected official.

“I’ll have to be advised by our attorney on that,” Rogers said. “Certainly, it’s not good for the district. But, it’s also not good for him and his family.

“I hope for the best for him and his family,” Rogers added. “He’s a good person. He’s been good for the community.”

Besides serving as a deputy and his election to the KPS board, Popa also has been an active member of service organizations and youth sports clubs in Kalkaska. And, Rogers said that made the news of Popa’s arrest even more of a surprise to him and others.

“I’m utterly floored. With the quality person he is, it’s completely unexpected,” Rogers stated. “Of course, he’s only been accused.

“It’s innocent till proven guilty,” he added. “But, just the accusation can be so detrimental to a person.”

Chicago Cop Sentenced To Prison For Insurance Fraud Following CBS 2 Investigation Send Your Tips To Pam Zekman



CHICAGO (CBS) — A Chicago Police officer was sentenced to two years in prison Wednesday for insurance fraud by staging an accident and soliciting payoffs from a towing company in exchange for steering it accident business.
He’s one of nearly a dozen officers charged or already convicted in the towing scandal first exposed by CBS 2’s Pam Zekman.
Altogether, Gregory Garibay pleaded guilty to making more than $3,000 from the schemes a federal prosecutor described as “portraying deep seated corruption.”
“He used his power in the street to line his own pickets,” the prosecutor said.
After leaving court Zekman tried to ask Garibay why he demanded the money, but he did not answer. In court Garibay explained to Judge John Grady that he was “going through a difficult time” in his life when all this happened and “I got lost.” He said he made a mistake he now regrets.
Before sentencing Judge John Grady noted that Garibay had received many commendations during his 19 years as a police officer. But he also said that because “police have unlimited opportunities to shake people down,” prison time is needed in cases like this as a deterrent for other police officers.


Former Phila. officer gets 15 years in drug case




A former Philadelphia police officer received a 15-year sentence Wednesday for tipping off his drug-dealing half-brother about law enforcement efforts to bring him down, and later lying to FBI agents about it.
The punishment, imposed by U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond, exceeded federal sentencing guideline by more than two years and surpassed even the sentence sought by federal prosecutors.
It came after a hearing that lasted nearly three hours and was high on emotion, one that left 53-year-old Rafael Cordero weeping and one of the city's most outspoken defense lawyers shocked into stunned silence.
"Your client," Diamond said, addressing Cordero's lawyer, Jack McMahon Jr., during one tense exchange, "stands convicted not of protecting his brother, but helping a rather large-scale drug trafficker who was killing the very city he was sworn to protect."
Afterward, McMahon paced the hallways of the Philadelphia federal courthouse, saying, "This is unspeakably cruel."
Diamond left the bench twice during the hearing and ordered the lawyer to calm down.
"This is like Iraq or something," McMahon snapped after the judge had left the room.
Later, the lawyer, who has known Cordero for years from interactions at trials where they served on opposite sides, said, "What Mr. Cordero did for the prosecution and locking up of criminals in this city - he was probably one of the best."
At issue were two very different depictions at the man at the center of the case.
In December, a federal jury convicted Cordero, a 23-year veteran of the department and a married father of two young adults, on four counts of lying to FBI agents and obstructing justice.
FBI agents arrested him in August 2012, more than a year after authorities discovered his family bond with David Garcia, a top operator in one of Kensington's largest heroin distribution rings.
Cordero tipped off his brother when agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration installed a camera to monitor activity outside the group's primary hub, a warehouse off Kensington Avenue. Later, when agents raided the building, Cordero showed up within minutes to peek through windows and report back to Garcia.
At his trial, Cordero accused the agents testifying against him of lying.
On Wednesday, Diamond likened prosecutors' attempts to wring truth out of Cordero during that stint on the stand to watching someone try to "nail butter to a tree."
"This is a man who at every stage of this case has been deceptive, has been defiant, has been duplicitous," prosecutor Kevin R. Brenner said.
McMahon described that portrayal of his client as "disingenuous."
For years, Garcia worked as an FBI informant and often talked with Cordero about his work. Both brothers were unaware that by 2011, agents had dropped Garcia from their roster of trusted moles upon learning he was still working a drug corner at Swanson and Somerset Streets, McMahon said.
And as a decorated officer, with a long record of community and charitable work, and a strong family bond, Cordero should be given the benefit of the doubt, the lawyer said.
Cordero barely held his emotions in check through much of Wednesday's hearing. As neighbors, family members, and even a fellow officer rose to vouch for his character, he rocked back and forth in his chair, alternating between sobs and choked expressions of love.
When it was his turn to address the judge, Cordero described his crimes as a mistake stemming from seeing Garcia "as my brother and not seeing him as a drug dealer."
Turning to Cordero's family, Diamond responded: "This didn't happen because your father made a mistake. This happened because your father committed crimes and helped a drug dealer. This happened because your father let you down."



More odd ball cop behavior....we need to start checking mental health records on these people

Attorney Michael DeRiso successfully argued in criminal court that his client, fired Plum police officer Jeremy Cumberledge, did nothing wrong because the borough did not produce documentation that the officer violated policy when he accessed fellow officers' and other employees' computer files.
An employment lawyer said the same argument could haunt the borough if Cumberledge, 31, who had been a Plum officer for seven years, tries to get his job back.
“That is their (borough officials') problem,” attorney Sam Cordes said.
“They are going to have to show a policy was violated.”
Plum District Judge Linda Zucco on June 11 dismissed a charge of unlawful use of a computer filed by the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office against Cumberledge of Plum.
Mike Manko, a spokesman for the district attorney, said Monday that no decision has been made on whether to refile the charge.
“There was no policy, and no one said he couldn't do it,” DeRiso said in his closing argument.
Assistant District Attorney Jon Pittman argued that Cumberledge committed a crime — something more than a policy violation.
Pittman said Cumberledge was authorized to use the computers in the police department “for law enforcement only, official police business only. It would have been clear to the defendant that the information he had (accessed), looking at the chief's salary, other people's medical histories and (bank) routing information had nothing to do with law enforcement.”
Cumberledge did not return phone calls.
Plum police Chief Jeffrey Armstrong, who was promoted to the job in January, said the department has a computer-usage policy that was written by former Chief Robert Payne and issued to officers in 2004.
The policy includes a signature line that officers were to sign and date to reflect they understood and agreed to abide by the policy.
Armstrong said there are no signed computer-use policies in the police department's paper files.
“I can't prove everyone has this computer policy,” Armstrong said.
Payne left the department in 2006.
Cumberledge was hired in 2007.
Armstrong testified during the officer's preliminary hearing that it was “common sense” that Cumberledge should not have accessed the files.
“When you look at someone else's personal documents, one would know it is not appropriate,” Armstrong said.
He said the lack of documentation regarding the computer policy was a “shortcoming.”
Cumberledge has filed for arbitration over his firing that occurred by a council vote March 11. Cumberledge had been suspended with pay Jan. 11.
Cumberledge has filed for a hearing in an attempt to get his job back.
Fraternal Order of Police attorney Ron Koerner said a date for the arbitration has not been set.
“It is too early to tell what we are going to do,” Koerner said.
“We have to wait to see what happens (with the district attorney's office decision).”
Cordes said borough officials could have a difficult time winning in arbitration.
“If I were an arbitrator, I would have to find for them (Cumberledge) if there is not a procedure or policy,” Cordes said.

More drunk cops, I'd say we have a national problem here

By Joe Marusak
jmarusak@charlotteobserver.com



Posted: Wednesday, Jun. 25, 2014
 


 


Aubrey Joy Guldager


 
 


A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer was arrested and charged with driving while impaired early Wednesday.

Officer Aubrey Guldager has been placed on “paid administrative assignment” pending the outcome of criminal and internal investigations, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department spokesman Officer Rob Tufano said.

CMPD’s DWI Task Force arrested Guldager about 2 a.m. on Woodlawn Road at General Pershing Drive, Tufano said.

Guldager was hired by the department on Jan. 25, 2010, and was assigned to the North Tryon Division.

“DWI is an extremely dangerous offense and something we as an organization will not tolerate,” police Chief Rodney Monroe said in a statement. “The CMPD will continue to hold our officers to the highest standards and accountable for their actions.”

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Pickens officer suspended, SLED investigates allegation of misconduct

The City of Pickens suspended a police officer without pay after an allegation of misconduct in office involving a woman.
The victim, who we're not identifying, told FOX Carolina's Cody Alcorn the officer sexually assaulted her outside the Coin Laundry on Hampton Avenue in Pickens last week.
The victim said she was outside in her car waiting on her laundry just before 1:30 a.m. on June 19.
"He pulled up doing like a little run around with his camera thing, his little light just kind of patrolling the area and he stopped behind me and asked for my license and registration," explained the accuser.
The victim said the officer talked to her for quite a while even about an incident she had witnessed earlier in the night but never reported to the police.
The woman didn't go into detail about the incident to FOX Carolina, but said the officer made calls pertaining to the information she provided him.  The woman said nothing came of it, the officer left and returned a short time later.
"When he left I was like (explicative) so I went and got all my clothes out of the dryer and by the time I put them in my laundry basket and put the basket in my car, he pulled right back up and started the conversation again," the accuser said.
"He actually used what I had told him against me. He told me to walk with him or I'd go to jail for being accessory to the fact. I walked with him beside the building and he sexually assaulted me," the accuser explained.
"He forced me to kiss him and he pulled my hair and he made me touch him and he rubbed all over my body," the accuser continued."
The woman said the officer eventually quit. She rushed home, woke up her husband and later called police.
The woman said before she could call the police the officer called her and said, "Did you like what I did last night baby?"

More doped up cops: Colorado Springs cop arrested in drug case


A 51-year-old police officer was arrested in a drug case around 6 p.m. Tuesday evening, according to Colorado Springs police.

Officer Jeffrey Warkocz was arrested on suspicion of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud or deceit, a class four felony drug charge, the department said in news release.
Photo - Officer Jeffrey Warkocz was arrested on suspicion of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud or deceit, a class four felony drug charge, the department said in news release. (Courtesy Colorado Springs Police Department) + caption

Warkocz was placed on administrative leave with pay, the statement read.

"The arrest of an officer not only impacts the department but also the community we serve. Please be reassured that the investigation is conducted with the same integrity and the arrest is carried out in the same manner as all of our investigations," Chief Pete Carey said in a statement.

Department spokeswoman Lt. Catherine Buckley would not provide additional details, including how long Warkocz has served with the department.

According to the news release, the case will be presented to the Fourth Judicial District Attorney's Office for formal charges.


Outrage after cop shoots man's pet dog

A community in Salt Lake City, Utah, is in an uproar after a police officer shot a family pet earlier this week.


CNN affiliate KSL reports that an officer was searching for a missing 3-year-old boy in the area when he walked into Sean Kendall's fenced yard and saw the 110-pound Weimaraner named Geist. Salt Lake Police Sgt. Robin Heiden tells KSL that the officer felt threatened when he saw Geist and shot him. But Kendall claims his dog is always friendly and he finds the officer's story hard to believe. Internal affairs detectives are investigating the shooting.

"The department regrets the unfortunate outcome in this incident," the Salt Lake Police Department said in a prepared statement Thursday.

Since the story was broadcast on local news, a Facebook page called Justice for Geist was created. A local Salt Lake City Weimaraner breeder has also offered a free puppy to Kendall.