We called the Fairfax County police for help....the punks they sent threatened to arrest us. One cop tells my wife that if she keeps crying he'll arrest her and the other cop, La Forge or something, says to me "You call the police this what you get" I said that was wrong and he said "Go ahead, say more fuck'n thing prick" and I thought "Well if you insist".
New charges against South Bend officer to be suspended, demoted for lying
Kelli Stopczynski
SOUTH BEND -
An embattled South Bend Police
officer is once again under the microscope. This time, Officer Jack Stilp's
lawyer says it's for refusing to testify during a recent hearing in front of
the Board of Public Safety.
It all started earlier this
year when Police Chief Ron Teachman accused Stilp of lying on a police report
and claiming a woman Stilp and another officer were sent to arrest on a warrant
wasn't home, when she really was.
The board decided Wednesday
Stilp violated the duty manual on that call and because of it, decided he’ll
serve a 90 day, unpaid suspension and a 6 month demotion.
“These violations of the duty
manual are serious in nature and implicate the integrity of the officer,” said
Board of Public Safety President Laura Vasquez.
However, the board decided in a
3-2 vote the violations were not serious enough for Stilp to lose his job –
something Teachman asked the board to consider.
“We’re talking about due
process here,” Stilp’s lawyer, Douglas Grimes, told the board during the public
comment period.
According to Grimes, he and
Stilp were “prepared to accept” the suspension and temporary demotion, but they
also said there’s a clear conflict of interest in the case because the board
decided dates of the suspension and demotion would be determined by Teachman.
It’s unfair for Teachman to
make that decision, Grimes said, because while Stilp waits for a different
hearing, he’s allowed to be on administrative leave with pay.
The new allegation against
Stilp stems from his testimony during his initial disciplinary hearing in
October when Stilp refused to testify to the board under oath – citing his
Fifth Amendment rights, Grimes said.
“I think it’s ridiculous,” the
attorney continued. “They admit that he has a right to claim the Fifth
Amendment privilege under the Constitution in an administrative hearing and
that's what he did. Now they want to come back and charge him for having done
so, which they admit that he had a right to do.”
That issue’s been set for
hearing in front of the board in February.
WSBT 22 requested documentation
from the city Wednesday through the Access to Public Records Act to confirm the
new charges and see what discipline is recommended for Stilp this time. That
request had not been fulfilled as of 4:30 p.m.
Meantime, the board is considering
Stilp’s request to have the board make the suspension decision.
This is not the first time
Stilp’s been in trouble. Former Interim Police Chief Chuck Hurley asked the
board to fire Stilp in 2012 after Stilp talked to a local TV station and released
an internal police document without permission.
Stilp went through a hearing
for that and the board suspended him 5 days even though Hurley requested a 10
day suspension.
When asked by WSBT 22 if he
feels as though Stilp has a target on his back, Grimes said he cannot address
that.
Huntsville police officer charged with bribery, FBI keeping tight-lipped about arrest
BY MATT KROSCHEL
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — A
decorated Huntsville police officer was arrested and charged with bribery by
the FBI on Monday.
Officer Lewis Hall faces a
federal bribery charge. Details of the
case were limited late Monday, but
Federal Bureau of Investigations agents in Birmingham confirmed the
arrest to WHNT News 19.
Tuesday morning, an FBI
spokesperson said no further details would be released.
Huntsville Police Chief Lewis
Morris directed all questions to the FBI.
In 2011, Hall was named one of
the city’s top officers.
Hall has a preliminary hearing
scheduled in federal court on Dec. 22 at 10 a.m.
WHNT News 19 is aggressively
tracking down more on this arrest.
The epidemic of mentally unstable cops
NYPD
officer commits suicide at home in Queens
The officer, identified as
Sachin Parmar Singh, 33, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the Hillside
Ave. address near Braddock Ave. in Hollis Hills at about 9:55 a.m., the sources
said. ‘He was a real good guy ... a real sweetheart,’ a maintenance worker recalled.
BY CAITLIN NOLAN , THOMAS TRACY
NYPD officer commits suicide at
home in Queens
home Thursday, police sources
and witnesses said.
The officer, identified by
family members as Police Officer Sachin Parmar Singh, 33, died of a
self-inflicted gunshot wound at the Hillside Ave. address, part of the Bell
Park Manor Terrace near Braddock Ave. in Hollis Hills at about 9:55 a.m., the
sources said.
A man who identified himself as
Singh’s brother-in-law said the cop returned from his night shift in East New
York, Brooklyn, got into a fight with his wife, and then shot and killed
himself.
Singh joined the NYPD in 2004
and started his career in the 84th Precinct in Brooklyn Heights, police sources
said.
Texas Cop Shoots His Neighbor’s Dog, Gets Away With It Under Law Authorizing Vigilantism
by Ian Millhiser
Kenneth Wayne Flynn, a former
deputy chief in the Fort Worth, Texas police department will not be tried for
hunting down and fatally shooting a German shepherd dog that escaped from a
nearby home’s yard. Although the former officer was initially charged with
animal cruelty/torture, a grand jury decided not to indict him on Wednesday.
Flynn was a senior leader in the police department at the time of the shooting,
although he decided to retire after he was initially charged.
The shooting occurred after
Flynn received a tearful call from his wife informing him that their pet cat
was dead. A neighbor told Flynn’s wife that a German shepherd had been standing
over the deceased cat, though it is not clear that anyone witnessed the attack
itself. After a neighbor tipped him off on where he could find the dog, Flynn
spotted the German shepherd along with a pit bull. He shot at the dog, fatally
wounding it.
According to the Fort Worth
Star-Telegram, Flynn initially frustrated a police investigation into the
shooting, although he later admitted that he was the shooter. Though three
officers responded to the scene of the shooting and eventually found Flynn in
his front yard, Flynn reportedly identified himself to the officers as a deputy
chief and told them that he was “not involved” with the shooting. He also
reportedly told the three officers that they “don’t need to keep looking.”
So, on the surface, this looks
like an example of a case where a cop — in this case, a very high-ranking cop —
was able to escape criminal charges because of their position on the police
force. There is, however, another wrinkle to the case. A Texas law provides
that a “dog or coyote that is attacking, is about to attack, or has recently
attacked livestock, domestic animals, or fowls may be killed by . . . the
attacked animal’s owner or a person acting on behalf of the owner if the owner
or person has knowledge of the attack.” Thus Texas law explicitly authorizes
individuals to exact vigilante justice against dogs that injure their pets.
Admittedly, the facts of this
case are somewhat ambiguous. Though Flynn had reason to believe that the German
shepherd was responsible for his cat’s death, the evidence against this dog
appears less than airtight. In the absence of this Texas law, the German shepherd
might have been taken into custody, and an investigation could have determined
whether it, the pit bull, or perhaps some other animal was responsible for the
cat’s death. Even if Flynn could not be convicted of killing the dog, moreover,
it is possible that he could have faced charges for obstructing the three
officers’ investigation if further investigations show that he did, indeed,
engage in such obstruction.
Yet, despite whatever
ambiguities may exist in this case, Flynn’s own attorney credits the Texas law
with rescuing his client. He says that “[w]e’re glad the grand jury took a
careful look at the case and correctly applied Texas law that allows an
individual to kill a dangerous dog that’s just attacked one of their cats.”
If you were a woman, alone, driving your car at night and cop pulled you over...would you feel safe?
Cullman Co. court referral officer charged with sexual misconduct
No bond for St. Bernard deputy charged in Darren Sharper rape case
Salem police officer pleads guilty to bribery charge, admits trading fake legal favors for sex
Cullman
Co. court referral officer charged with sexual misconduct
CULLMAN COUNTY, AL (WBRC) - Cullman County
Sheriff Mike Rainey said deputies have arrested a court referral officer for alleged
sex crimes.
He said 61-year-old Winfred
Eugene "J.R." Vance has been charged with two counts of first degree
sexual misconduct and two counts of first degree sexual abuse.
According to Rainey, Vance has
worked as a court referral officer in the drug testing area for 10 years.
Rainey said about a month ago,
a female victim came forward and told them Vance had told her to take
photographs of herself and asked for sexual favors. In return, he would keep
her out of trouble.
Rainey said his office has
received complaints against Vance before but this is the first case where the
victim cooperated and there was evidence to support the allegations.
Rainey said anyone who may have
been a victim of Vance is urged to call deputies at 256-734-0342 or to visit in
person at 1910 Beech Ave. SE.
Vance is being held at the
Cullman County Detention Center on a $42,000 cash bond.
No
bond for St. Bernard deputy charged in Darren Sharper rape case
Andy Grimm,
A federal judge Thursday (Dec.
18) ordered former St. Bernard Sheriff's deputy Brandon Licciardi held without
bond on charges of distributing drugs to women who former Saints player Darren
Sharper is accused of raping.
During a hearing that ran
nearly three hours, federal prosecutors called Licciardi a "predator"
and heaped allegations of misconduct not included in the federal or state
charges he faces in connection with the rape cases. Licciardi has pleaded not
guilty to the federal charges.
Using information from text
messages, a St. Bernard Parish bookmaker and a drug informant, prosecutors
claimed Licciardi beat his live-in girlfriend, sold club drugs and was not just
involved in drugging and raping women with Sharper, but also did nothing when
he found out other NFL players were drugging women at a Las Vegas convention a
year ago.
"This man is in many ways,
a one-man RICO case," Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Miller said.
"There is nothing he will not do... he is a predator. He is a danger to
the community."
U.S. Magistrate Judge Sally
Shushan ordered Licciardi held in federal custody with no bond, noting that
prosecutors had alleged that Licciardi, a third-generation police officer,
appeared to have a history of violent behavior toward women and already faced
federal charges for attempting to tamper with the investigation.
Shushan seemed especially
disturbed by the fact Licciardi had in text messages admitted to beating his
longtime girlfriend, and that he had never reported to police that he was
present when women were being drugged at the Las Vegas convention, though he
did later tell investigators who were probing Sharper's activities.
"He admitted to that. I
can't excuse that," Shushan said. "He went to Vegas and was told
women were being given those drugs, he is a law enforcement officer ... He
probably had an obligation to report those activities.
"That leads me to believe
the he is all right with those activities. That's not OK."
Federal prosecutors last week
charged Licciardi with distributing the drugs Alprazolam, Diazapam and Zolpidem
-- powerful prescription sedatives better known by their respective brand names
as Xanax, Valium and Ambien -- to commit rape.
He also is charged with lying
to Orleans Parish investigators and trying to convince a witness not to testify
before a grand jury.
Licciardi last week was ordered
held on $2.9 million bond on charges of aggravated rape and eight other counts
in Orleans Parish in connection with a series of rapes he is accused of
committing with Sharper and associate Erik Nunez in 2012 and 2013.
In Orleans Parish, Licciardi
faces counts of aggravated rape in connection with the assault of a woman in
February 2012 in New Orleans and battery with a dangerous weapon in of another
victim that November.
Details from the November
battery charge emerged in testimony by U.S. Pre-Trial Services officer James
Laney. Discussing records he reviewed from Orleans Parish prosecutors, the
battery count stemmed from a Nov. 12 incident at a New Orleans bar where
Licciardi spiked the drink of a woman. The drugs made the victim violently ill,
and she staggered to a bathroom and vomited until she fell unconscious.
When she awoke, Laney said, she
was alone and locked inside the bar, which had closed. The state charge of
battery with a dangerous weapon was unusual, Laney said.
"I've never seen it
charged that way," Laney said. "I guess the battery was the drugs
used against the woman, that made her violently ill."
In other text messages,
Licciardi expressed concern investigators would find a message in which Sharper
talked about one of his victims, FBI Special Agent Robert Blythe said,
recalling a report from Orleans Parish investigators.
"She's on the
potion," Sharper wrote. "She's ready."
He also faces three counts of
human trafficking for sexual purposes, offenses the indictments states took
place between July 1 and Aug. 31, 2012, and Aug. 31 and September 23, 2013. The
last two dates are the same as rapes Sharper is accused of committing in 2013.
Nunez, who faces no federal
charges, was ordered held on $2.5 million bond. Sharper has been jailed in
California on rape charges since February, and also faces charges for alleged
rapes committed in Arizona.
Licciardi's attorneys, Ralph
and Brian Capitelli, protested that prosecutors did not include evidence that
showed Licciardi had tried to convince Sharper not to rape one of his victims,
and went with his girlfriend to Sharper's apartment to try to stop Sharper from
assaulting a woman.
Licciardi's stepmother, Paula
Licciardi, who had raised him, was the sole witness for the defense. She said
she and her husband would post $500,000 cash and "everything they
own" to secure her stepson's bond.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark
Miller pointed out that Paula Licciardi had not known her stepson was involved
in any of the activity that he had admitted to Orleans Parish investigators or
other criminal activity.
"You don't know anything
about the beating. You don't know anything about the gambling. You don't know
anything about the club drugs," Miller said. "Do you really know
whose bond you're posting?"
Fighting back tears, Paula
Licciardi replied: "Yes, I do. My son Brandon who is not a drug addict,
who does not distribute drugs. Who does not sedate women to rape them."
Salem
police officer pleads guilty to bribery charge, admits trading fake legal
favors for sex
Kevin Moore faces more than two
years in prison
ROANOKE, Va. -
A Salem police officer pleaded
guilty to a federal bribery count Tuesday and could spend more than two years
in prison.
Kevin Moore admitted he traded sexual favors
for fake legal deals or reduced criminal charges. In court Tuesday, prosecutors
said Moore took advantage of three cooperating female witnesses. The women were
involved in cases Moore was investigating as a member of the Drug Enforcement
Administration regional task force. The incidents began in 2009 and continued
until September of this year.
As part of Moore's plea
agreement, sentencing guidelines recommend a prison term of 24 to 30 months. A
sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 2. In the meantime, Moore is free
on bond.
“Kevin Moore took a solemn oath
to protect and serve the public, but then abused the authority of his badge by
sexually exploiting a federal witness,” Assistant Attorney General Leslie R.
Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in a statement.
“When Moore crossed the line from enforcing the law to breaking it, his actions
cast an unfortunate shadow over the selfless and courageous work of his fellow
officers. Working with our law enforcement partners, the Department of Justice
will expose and prosecute all such abuses of authority, in order to restore and
maintain the public’s trust.”
Between June and September of
2014, Moore told a female defendant that he was in a position to help with her
federal methamphetamine trafficking case. In text messages between Moore and
the defendant sent in August 2014, Moore told her that he could recommend a
favorable sentence in exchange for sexual favors.
The Department of Justice's
Public Integrity Section in Washington DC investigated Moore after the told
authorities what happened to her.
It started over text messages
in April, when she texted Moore saying, "40 years and two 1 million dollar
fines over my head."
Moore responded: "Well
don't worry about that I will do all I can to help you out with that."
A few months later, Moore got
bolder, texting: "I'm going to take care of you as long as you take care
of me."
The woman replied: "I
appreciate it and I will do whatever you need me to do so don't worry bout
that."
Moore then said: "That's
what I'm talking about girl. Lol."
Back and forth the texts went
until August, when they discussed a location and Moore texted "I'm licking
my chops now lol."
The next day, Aug. 21, 2014,
she gave him oral sex in a gas station parking lot.
Moore also admitted to similar
conduct with two other female witnesses in federal drug cases dating back to
2009. In both cases, he told witnesses that he convinced federal prosecutors
not to charge them with federal offenses. He then solicited sexual favors in
exchange for his help. (Click here to read the statement of facts.)
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is
evaluating Moore’s cases that he worked on as a task force officer for the DEA.
Timothy Heaphy, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, says his
office is considering whether or not Moore’s guilty plea requires disclosure to
defendants and counsel in cases that Moore was involved in as an investigator.
Heaphy was recused from the Moore case.
“This United States Attorney’s
Office will make those disclosures and ensure that we fulfill our important
obligation to provide potentially exculpatory information to all criminal
defendants,” Heaphy said in a statement. “We will handle this matter in accord
with the high professional and ethical standards expected of federal
prosecutors.”
Moore was suspended without pay
by the Salem Police Department after being arrested October 10th. The
department says Moore’s employment status will be handled expeditiously “and in
a manner that will show that such behavior will not be tolerated,” Salem Police
Chief Tim Guthrie said.
“We appreciate the work of the
U.S. Justice Department and the F.B.I. in bringing this matter to light. The
men and women of our department are a dedicated group of individuals and should
not be judged by the actions of one person,” Guthrie said.
Here is the news release from
the Department of Justice:
A police officer employed by
the City of Salem, Virginia, and assigned to a U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) task force pleaded guilty today for soliciting and
receiving sexual favors from a cooperating defendant in exchange for agreeing
to recommend a favorable sentence to a federal prosecutor on the defendant’s
behalf.
Assistant Attorney General
Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent
in Charge Adam S. Lee of the FBI’s Richmond Division and Special Agent in
Charge Michael Tompkins of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector
General’s Washington Field Office made the announcement.
“Kevin Moore took a solemn oath
to protect and serve the public, but then abused the authority of his badge by
sexually exploiting a federal witness,” said Assistant Attorney General
Caldwell. “When Moore crossed the line from enforcing the law to breaking it,
his actions cast an unfortunate shadow over the selfless and courageous work of
his fellow officers. Working with our law enforcement partners, the Department
of Justice will expose and prosecute all such abuses of authority, in order to
restore and maintain the public’s trust.”
“Cases involving corruption of
law enforcement officials are among the FBI’s highest priority criminal
investigations. The public should expect integrity from those sworn to uphold
the law. Mr. Moore’s breach of his sworn duty in this case is particularly
pernicious as he exploited his victims in the most personal way. The Richmond
Division of the FBI continues to have confidence in the City of Salem Police
Department. We value our partnership with the Department and the proud men and
women who serve their community with distinction everyday,” said Special Agent
in Charge Lee.
“The OIG will aggressively
investigate with its law enforcement partners allegations of misconduct among
Department employees, contractors, and deputized task force officers to help
ensure the Department of Justice performs its critical work with integrity,”
said Special Agent in Charge Tompkins.
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We REALLY need to raise IQ standards on police forces that take federal funds
Patrolman Patrick Cahill to six months in prison for abusing his then 9-year-old sister in 2012.
10-year-old handcuffed during police stop in Middletown
Cop
gets prison sentence
By Russ Olivo
WOONSOCKET – A Superior Court
judge on Monday sentenced suspended city Patrolman Patrick Cahill to six months
in prison for abusing his then 9-year-old sister in 2012.
Superior Court Judge Daniel
Procaccini sentenced Cahill to 10 years in all, with six months to serve and
the balance suspended, with probation, for choking the girl and dragging her by
the hair.
The 25-year-old policeman must
surrender all his firearms, undergo mental health counseling and refrain from
contacting his sister as part of the judge’s sentence.
The judge allowed Cahill to
remain free on bail at least until Jan. 14. At that time Procaccini will decide
whether Cahill must report to the Adult Correctional Institutions or be allowed
to remain free on bail pending an appeal, according to Amy Kempe, spokeswoman
for Attorney General Peter Kilmartin.
Cahill was convicted of
second-degree child abuse after a seven-day trial on Oct. 9.
Testimony showed that on Aug.
20, 2012, Cahill threw his sister on a sofa after pulling her indoors – by the
hair – from the front drive of his house on Newport Avenue. Then he pressed his
knee on her chest and squeezed her throat with his hands until her face turned
red and she started coughing.
She complained of difficulty
breathing after Cahill let go. The episode happened while two of Cahill’s
sisters, including an 11-year-old, were visiting him at the home Cahill shared
with his father, Michael Cahill, a retired Woonsocket police captain.
After the girls had been
watching TV for some time, Cahill became angry after the younger girl asked him
if she could go outside to play. Cahill had instructed the girl to stay in the
house, but she went outside anyway, at which point Cahill went after her and
grabbed her by her ponytail.
After the trial, it was
Procaccini alone who found Cahill guilty because he waived his right to a trial
by jury. At the time, Kilmartin called Cahill’s actions “reprehensible and
disturbing.”
Cahill has been on unpaid
administrative leave from the Woonsocket Police Department since the time of
his arrest. His status is not expected to change immediately.
After the conviction, Police
Chief Thomas Carey said the department would not revisit the issue of Cahill’s
employment status until he had exhausted all of his appellate rights in the
judicial system.
10-year-old
handcuffed during police stop in Middletown
By Kaitlyn Naples
MIDDLETOWN, CT (WFSB) -
Working undercover, Middletown
detectives executed an arrest warrant last Wednesday night outside of a South
Main Street liquor store.
Police arrested 27-year-old
Kenneth Ford on drug charges and reckless driving and evading responsibility.
Police said they watched and
followed Ford first, from the Woodrow Wilson Middle School.
Ford reportedly left the school
twice for two different drug deals before returning to pick up a female and
head to the liquor store.
Police confronted Ford outside
of the store and heard screaming from inside of his car.
The female in the back seat was
a fifth grade student that he picked up from basketball.
Attorney Corey Brinson said,
“They (police) grabbed my 10-year-old client, a fifth grader, threw her up
against car, and handcuffed her. Patted her on the side of the car, while guns
were drawn and she screamed in terror, frightened.”
Ford asked police to call the
girl's mother, who told officers her age which is when police then removed the
handcuffs immediately.
The child was placed in another
unmarked car before returning to the police station to be picked up by her mom.
"I can understand concerns
mom would have when daughter handcuffed, but have to do everything in safest
possible manner,” said Middletown Police Lt. Heather Desmond.
Police said Ford is a convicted
felon known to carry guns. They found four cell phones, seven bags of crack
cocaine and almost $3,000 in cash in his possession.
They also said some of the
drugs were in plain view and within immediate reach of the girl.
The child's mother said she
wants a resolution and some sympathy.
“She's a very sensitive kid.
She's been crying for days, missed school, went back today, still upset, and is
going to seek therapy,” said her mother Canaa Chaney.
“Many of us have children of
our own, never want to see a child in this situation and not be with someone
selling drugs and unfortunately daughter in place and police acted
appropriately,” Desmond said.
Brinson said he and his clients
are likely going to file a federal lawsuit for wrongful false arrest and
unlawful imprisonment “because enough is enough, handcuff her and throw her
against the car.”
On Friday, Ford was still
behind bars and he and the girl's mother have a child together.
She said she has never known
him to carry a gun or be in a situation with crack in clear view.
Pacific Grove cop pleads guilty in new federal case
Allison Gatlin
A former Pacific Grove police
commander pleaded guilty Tuesday to possessing firearms stolen from Monterey
Peninsula College, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Since his arrest in March, John
Nyunt has faced a number of state and federal charges. The most recent of those
were filed last Thursday in the U.S. District Court, the Northern District of
California.
According to the complaint,
Nyunt knowingly possessed stolen assault rifles, shotguns and semi-automatic
pistols between August 2009 and November 2012. The firearms previously belonged
to MPC, which had planned to divest them at the closure of the police academy.
On Tuesday, Nyunt pleaded
guilty to possessing stolen guns, said Philip Guentert, assistant U.S.
attorney. Per the plea agreement, he will be sentenced to 30 months in prison
to run concurrent to his previous prison commitment.
In 2009, Nyunt was an
instructor at the MPC police academy, according to a release. MPC asked Nyunt
if the Pacific Grove Police Department would accept the firearms as a donation.
“Knowing that the PGPD did not
want the firearms, Nyunt signed a memorandum of understanding with the MPC that
falsely stated he was accepting the firearms on PGPD’s behalf,” according to
the release.
In actuality, Nyunt wasn’t
authorized to forge such an agreement, nor accept firearms for the Police
Department.
After MPC released the firearms
to him, Nyunt consigned most of them, including 27 Glocks and five Smith &
Wesson semi-automatic pistols, according to the release. The firearms dealer
then sold them over time, turning the profit — minus commission — over to
Nyunt.
Nyunt later took back five
Glocks and personally sold or gave them to other people, according to the
release.
Thursday’s charges are long
from the first for Nyunt.
The retired Pacific Grove
police commander was first arrested in March for threatening to kill his
ex-wife, Kristin Newell Nyunt. From there, the charges began to pile on.
In April, the Monterey County
District Attorney’s Office announced additional charges against Nyunt and
Kristin Newell Nyunt, stemming from their business, Nyunt Consulting
Investigations Services. The couple opened NCIS in 2010.
Through NCIS, the Nyunts defrauded
their victims of thousands of dollars by diverting criminal complaints from the
Police Department to the business, said prosecutor Steve Somers. Further, Nyunt
would close investigations that implicated his ex-wife as a suspect, Somers
said.
He also allowed his ex-wife
access to the confidential Police Department system she used to steal numerous
individuals’ identities, Somers said.
In April, Nyunt pleaded guilty
to second-degree commercial burglary, threatening a witness and being an
accessory after the fact in the state case. He was immediately sentenced to
three years in prison.
The following month, Nyunt was
charged with and pleaded guilty to wire fraud and extortion in U.S. District
Court. He was scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 2, but the hearing was postponed
until December.
Last week, when the charges
were filed he waived his right to an indictment. He offered his plea only four
days later.
Now, Nyunt is scheduled to be
sentenced in both federal cases in April 2015. If the plea agreement is accepted,
he’ll serve 30 months in prison instead of the maximum 10 years in prison and
$250,000 in fines.
Baker threatened to “disappear” Leon Infante, a resident who admitted to obtaining property stolen from the cop’s personal vehicle.
King
City cop pleads no contest to false imprisonment
Allison Gatlin,
A King City police sergeant
pleaded no contest to false imprisonment Wednesday, a week before he was
scheduled to go to trial.
Sgt. Mark Baker offered his
plea in Monterey County Superior Court. The plea effectively ended the policing
career of the 17-year law enforcement veteran.
On Aug. 23, 2013, Baker
threatened to “disappear” Leon Infante, a resident who admitted to obtaining
property stolen from the cop’s personal vehicle.
The threat was entirely
uncharacteristic of Baker, said Thomas Worthington, his attorney.
“He has a lifetime of being an
even-tempered person,” Worthington told The Californian.
Being a gang officer, Baker
experienced numerous threats and near constant concern for his family. Those
worries were especially acute on Aug. 23, 2013, after his vehicle — which
contained a gate key to his house — was stolen.
“Otherwise he wouldn’t have
acted like that,” Worthington said.
Baker was initially scheduled
for a plea change Nov. 26, but didn’t follow through.
Over the week, Worthington said
he reviewed the case and interviewed witnesses, one of whom credits Baker for
his life. Baker was scheduled for trial on Monday.
“Mark and we felt like it was a
good time to put an end on this,” Worthington said. He called the misdemeanor
plea agreement “reasonable.” Initially, Baker faced felony criminal theft
charges and a much heftier sentence.
He is scheduled to be sentenced
March 18 to five years’ probation. Per probation requirements, he won’t be
allowed to own any firearms. He’ll have to turn over any he has to an
authorized gun dealer by next Wednesday.
Doing so effectively ends
Baker’s policing career. Baker has been on leave from the King City Police
Department since shortly following the incident last year.
Worthington said his client is
now trying to deal with the “burnout” following the high stress of police work,
especially in the gang realm.
Baker has had no citizen
complaints for force sustained against him, Worthington said. His discipline
record is minimal and only includes a letter of record for backing over a rock
at night, damaging a patrol car.
Until his sentencing, Baker
remains out of custody on his own recognizance.
In other news, the trial date
for King City Police Sgt. Bobby Carrillo, Interim Chief Bruce Miller and Brian
Miller, Bruce Miller’s brother and owner of Miller’s Towing, was vacated.
The trio were scheduled for
trial Jan. 26. However, Judge Russell Scott — who had been overseeing their
case — is retiring effective the end of this year. Their case was transferred
instead of Judge Julie Culver. Culver, however, said Wednesday she expects to
be fairly busy in late January.
Instead, Carrillo, Bruce Miller
and Brian Miller will return to court Jan. 27 to have a new date set for trial.
Carrillo and Brian Miller are
accused of orchestrating a for-profit car-towing scheme to defraud low-income
Latinos. Bruce Miller is accused of accepting a vehicle as a bribe.
Culver will take up a motion to
dismiss one of the charges against Bruce Miller on Jan. 22. He’s charged
specifically with bribery and perjury.
19th century policing in the 21st century
NY police officer suspended after new video shows brutality
Dozens Arrested at Milwaukee Protest Over Death of Dontre Hamilton
Thousands march against police brutality, many more with signatures
Police Chief Explains Disciplinary Action Against Officers for Excessive Force
Former Buffalo cop caught on video faces sentencing today
NY
police officer suspended after new video shows brutality
(Reuters) - A New York City police officer who
appears to punch a black youth during an arrest that was captured on video and
widely circulated on the Internet has been suspended from duty, the department
said on Friday.
The posting of the footage
follows weeks of protests across the country over recent cases of police
violence toward unarmed black men, including one in which a New York City man
died after an officer placed him in a banned chokehold.
In the eight-minute video
posted on YouTube on Wednesday, a plainclothes white officer can be seen
rushing up to several uniformed officers struggling to handcuff a black youth
and apparently striking him at least twice. Police said the suspect is 16 years
old.
Several bystanders, including
the person filming the altercation, yell at the officer to stop. The footage
then shows a second person, who onlookers tell police is a 12-year-old boy,
being handcuffed.
As the boys are led away to
patrol vehicles, one can be heard asking the officers: "What did we do?
Can I hear what we did?"
The boys were being arrested on
suspicion of assaulting someone and using a cane in the attack, police said.
Police did not say when the
arrests occurred but the person who posted the video footage said they happened
on Wednesday.
Police said that a review by
the Internal Affairs Bureau into the allegations was ongoing.
(Reporting by Laila Kearney;
Additional reporting by Curtis Skinner; Editing by Richard Chang)
Dozens
Arrested at Milwaukee Protest Over Death of Dontre Hamilton
Dozens of protesters were
arrested Friday after causing a three-mile traffic jam by blocking a Wisconsin
freeway over the fatal shooting of a black man by a white police officer
earlier this year, police said. Officials said 74 people were arrested after protesters
stopped traffic on the I-43 in downtown Milwaukee at about 5:15 p.m.
The demonstration follows the
death of Dontre Hamilton, 31, who was shot 14 times by a police officer during
a confrontation at Red Arrow Park in Milwaukee on April 30, according to NBC
station WTMJ. District Attorney John Chisholm this week said the decision on
whether to charge Officer Christopher Manney, who was fired from the Milwaukee
Police Department, would come by the end of the year. Manney fatally shot
Hamilton after responding to a call by workers at a nearby Starbucks
complaining of Hamilton sleeping in the park, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
reported. Hamilton's family said he had a history of mental illness, according
to WTMJ.
Thousands
march against police brutality, many more with signatures
By Brad Knickerbocker, Staff
writer December 13, 2014
Thousands of Americans marched
and rallied in New York, Washington, Boston, San Francisco and other cities
around the country Saturday, voting with their feet against police brutality –
specifically in response to recent police killings in Cleveland, New York, and
Ferguson, Missouri, that have wracked a nation still dealing with issues
involving racial mistrust and mistreatment of black people at the hands of
white police officers.
Family members of those killed
recently – Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Akai Gurley, and John
Crawford – spoke at the “Justice for All” rally in Washington.
"What a sea of
people," said Lesley McSpadden, the mother of Michael Brown, an
18-year-old killed in Ferguson in August. "If they don't see this and make
a change, then I don't know what we got to do."
Eric Garner's mother, Gwen
Carr, called it a "history-making moment."
"It's just so overwhelming
to see all who have come to stand with us today," she said. "I mean,
look at the masses. Black, white, all races, all religions…. We need to stand
like this at all times."
The march in Washington, which
proceeded down Pennsylvania Ave. to the Capitol, was sponsored in part by The
Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network, the Urban League, and the NAACP.
While protesters rallied in
Washington, other groups including Ferguson Action conducted similar "Day
of Resistance" movements around the country.
In some locations, protesters
blocked traffic with “die-ins,” and a few arrests were reported. But by the end
of the afternoon there had not been the kind of violence and destruction of
property seen earlier in some cities.
Meanwhile, the activist
organization Change.org reports that so far this year, 622 online petitions
have been started about police violence, which have attracted a total of 1.1
million signatures – considerably more than the 217 petitions in 2013.
Among them: Support for
President Obama’s plan to provide $263 million in federal funding for body
cameras and training for local police departments (192,613 signatures); a call
to fire New York Police Department Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who applied an
apparent chokehold to Eric Garner (95,856 signatures); and a petition to stop
the transfer of military equipment to local police departments (117,003
signatures).
There was a historic sense to
the events Saturday.
"I stand here as a black
man who is afraid of the police, who is afraid of never knowing when my life
might end, never knowing when I might be … gunned down by a vigilante or a
security guard or a police officer,” marcher Ahmad Greene-Hayes in New York
told CNN. “That fear, that trepidation is rooted more so in my connection to my
ancestors … who were enslaved, those who were beaten during the civil rights
movement…. So there's a longstanding history that I'm connected to."
The US Justice Department is
investigating the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.
"It's important to
recognize as painful as these incidents are, we can't equate what is happening
now to what happened fifty years ago," President Obama said in a televised
interview this week with BET, a network that reaches predominately young
African-Americans. "If you talk to your parents, grandparents, uncles,
they'll tell you that things are better – not good, in some cases, but better….
The reason it's important for us to understand that progress has been made is
that then gives us hope that we can make even more progress.”
Still, Obama said, “This isn't
something that is going to be solved overnight…. This is something that is
deeply rooted in our society. It's deeply rooted in our history.”
Police
Chief Explains Disciplinary Action Against Officers for Excessive Force
CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) -
Two Corpus Christi police officers used excessive force while arresting a
self-confessed killer, according to the findings of an investigation following
the arrest of Sammuel Toomey in September.
Toomey admitted to shooting and
killing three of his neighbors at a Flour Bluff trailer park and severely
injuring a child. Dashcam video released by the Corpus Christi Police
Department shows the two officers as they make the arrest. Toomey was already
in handcuffs when the officers were found to have used excessive force.
Now, Officer Daniel Jimenez, a four-year
veteran, has handed in his resignation in lieu of being fired. Jimenez worked
in the uniform patrol division. Senior Officer Michael Smotherman has been
suspended without pay for his actions. He will have been with the CCPD for
seven years in January.
In a statement released
Wednesday, Police Chief Floyd Simpson said "this was one of the toughest
decisions that I have had to make during my nearly 30 years as a police
officer," and adds that he finds himself "having to defend the civil
rights of a man who, through self admission, killed three defenseless members
of the community. This was a difficult decision. It's one that I had to make.
As a department, we must be accountable to those whom we serve, each and every
day."
Toomey was found dead in his
cell at the Nueces County Jail while awaiting trial. The Nueces County
Sheriff's Department said the 64-year old man strangled himself with his
uniform pants.
LITTLE
SILVER COP CHARGED WITH ASSAULT
A Little Silver police officer
was charged with simple assault Friday following an alleged domestic violence
incident in Sea Bright a day earlier, authorities tell redbankgreen.
Joseph Glynn, Jr., 26, was
issued a summons in his hometown of Middletown for a disorderly persons
violation after the purported victim reported the matter to police there,
according to Charlie Webster, spokesman for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s
office.
According to the complaint
filed by the victim, whose identity authorities withheld, the incident occurred
as the two were in a vehicle in Sea Bright Thursday evening, Webster said.
It was not immediately clear
how Glynn was notified of the charge, but he reported to the Middletown police
station Friday and was served with the summons, Webster said.
Glynn was not arrested, and the
charge is one that presumes no bail is required, Webster said. No court date
was immediately available.
Wesbter said that in compliance
with state Attorney General rules, Glynn has surrendered his weapon and is on
desk duty in Little Silver pending resolution of the matter.
Last March, former Little
Silver cop Steven Solari, 41, was sentenced to a five-year term in state prison
for assaulting an arrest subject in the borough stationhouse in December, 2009.
The state Department of Corrections website indicates he’s being held at the
Central Reception and Assignment Facility in Trenton.
Former
Buffalo cop caught on video faces sentencing today
A former Buffalo police officer
who pleaded guilty to civil rights violations will be sentenced this morning in
U.S. District Court.
John A. Cirulli, who had been
working in the Northwest District, resigned in May and pleaded guilty in
federal court to two misdemeanor counts of deprivation of rights under color of
law, stemming from the arrest of John T. Willet in April.
A video of that arrest,
recorded on a phone by a bystander, shows Cirulli kicking and slapping the
handcuffed Willet while he was facedown on the sidewalk and yelling for Cirulli
to stop hitting him. Cirulli also hit Willet in the face as Willet sat in a
police car.
Cirulli could face up to two
years in prison.
Meanwhile, Willet pleaded
guilty in May to charges of misdemeanor drug possession and A former Buffalo
police officer who pleaded guilty to civil rights violations will be sentenced
this morning in U.S. District Court.
John A. Cirulli, who had been
working in the Northwest District, resigned in May and pleaded guilty in
federal court to two misdemeanor counts of deprivation of rights under color of
law, stemming from the arrest of John T. Willet in April.
A video of that arrest,
recorded on a phone by a bystander, shows Cirulli kicking and slapping the
handcuffed Willet while he was facedown on the sidewalk and yelling for Cirulli
to stop hitting him. Cirulli also hit Willet in the face as Willet sat in a
police car.
Cirulli could face up to two
years in prison.
Meanwhile, Willet pleaded
guilty in May to charges of misdemeanor drug possession and