Miami-Dade
Cop Arrested Over Road Rage Incident
Durham
police officer charged with assaulting wife
Dallas
officer charged with family violence assault a second time
Two
Florida police officers charged with battery
Suspension
cut in half for Georgetown officer who shoved students
Cop
Gets Drunk, Shoots a Motorist and Gets a $500 Fine
Syracuse
Police Officer Suspended with Pay After DWI Arrest
Ticket-Fixing
Ex-Cop Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Kill a Witness
Man
sues Denver cops for shooting him in back in excessive-force case
Miami-Dade
Cop Arrested Over Road Rage Incident
A Miami-Dade Police officer who
allegedly shot at a Miami-Dade Corrections officer over a road rage incident
turned himself in
Steve Litz reports.
A Miami-Dade Police officer who allegedly shot
at a Miami-Dade Corrections officer over a road rage incident turned himself in Tuesday and was booked on multiple
charges.
Jonathan Lang, 42, surrendered
to police and now faces charges of discharging a firearm from a vehicle,
aggravated assault with a firearm, and tampering with physical evidence.
Lang’s story started when
corrections officer Georgina Illa said a driver in a white car cut her off on
the Turnpike near Southwest 153rd Street. Illa said as she went to pass the
car, someone
threw out a cup of some liquid and then pulled out a gun and shot.
The bullet went through Illa’s
taillight, through her trunk, and then lodged in the rear seat of the car. Illa
said she flagged down an officer driving nearby, who then pulled the suspect’s
car over. Illa said she also stopped and that’s when one of the officers on the
scene told her a Miami-Dade Police Officer fired his gun.
Durham
police officer charged with assaulting wife
DURHAM, N.C. — A Durham police
officer has been placed on administrative leave after being charged with
assault, police said Wednesday.Cpl. James John Cartwright, 41, of Knightdale,
was charged with assault on a female and interfering with emergency
communications.Wake County deputies said Cartwright's wife alleged that he
assaulted her Tuesday night in their car on Interstate 440.Cartwright has been
employed by the Durham Police Department since 1998 and is assigned to the
Patrol Bureau.
Dallas
officer charged with family violence assault a second time
By NAHEED RAJWANI
A Dallas police sergeant was
arrested this week on a misdemeanor charge of family violence assault — his
second such arrest since 2012.
Sgt. Paul Figueroa, a 20-year
veteran at the Dallas Police Department, turned himself in Wednesday to the
Collin County sheriff’s office, police said. He was charged with a class A
misdemeanor in connection with an incident that occurred Nov. 1.
Details of the incident were
not immediately available, so it’s unclear whom he’s accused of assaulting.
Figueroa is assigned to the
north central patrol division and has been placed on administrative leave
pending an internal affairs investigation, police said.
This is the second allegation
of family violence for Figueroa in Collin County. In 2012, Murphy police
arrested him on a misdemeanor charge of family violence assault.
A police report states Figueroa
and his wife got into an argument after celebrating her birthday at a
restaurant.
Murphy officers saw her walking
home, barefoot, and asked her what had happened.
“He pushed me out, pulled my hair, slapped me on my face,” she told
officers, according to the police report. “This is not the first time he ever
got physical with me.”
Figueroa was arrested and
placed on administrative leave while the Dallas Police Department’s internal
affairs division investigated the claims.
DPD concluded Figueroa didn’t
violate any departmental policies after his wife signed an affidavit saying the
investigation process made her “uncomfortable” and she did not wish to pursue
charges against him.
Records show she changed her
story and said Figueroa had pulled her hair to keep her from trying to get out
of the car, the affidavit states.
“I never wanted any of this to
happen,” she wrote in the affidavit. “I did not initiate contacting police. I
am not in fear of my life, safety.”
Collin County court records
show Figueroa and his wife divorced last year.
Two
Florida police officers charged with battery
By Barbara Liston
ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) -
Florida prosecutors on Friday announced the filing of misdemeanor battery
charges against two Orlando police officers in unrelated 2014 incidents
involving the arrests of black men.
Officers Chase Fugate and
William Escobar were suspended with pay pending the outcome of separate
internal investigations to determine whether their actions violated department
policy, according to a police press release.
The investigations come as
scrutiny on police has been heightened in recent months by the killing of
unarmed blacks by white officers, raising questions about police treatment of
racial minorities.
The press release from the
office of State Attorney Jeff Ashton offered no details of the specific actions
that led to the charges.
Fugate faces two misdemeanor
charges of battery for his June 14 arrest of a 22-year-old black man who fled
as Fugate attempted to stop him from driving a car reported as stolen,
according to the police report of the arrest.
Escobar faces two charges of
battery and two charges of perjury, all misdemeanors, stemming from a March 15
incident.
That night, Escobar and his
partner checked out a group of people arguing in the street amid the odor of
marijuana, and arrested two black men, ages 24 and 33, according to the police
reports of the arrests.
Both men were charged with
resisting arrest and one with battery on an officer.
Both officers will receive
summonses and court dates from the clerk of court, which is standard procedure
for misdemeanor charges.
Suspension
cut in half for Georgetown officer who shoved students
Claire Osborn
The Georgetown Police
Department has agreed to reduce the suspension of a police officer who tripped
and pushed students on a soccer field from 40 days to 20 days, according to the
settlement agreement released by the city of Georgetown on Friday.
The city has also agreed to pay
Officer George Bermudez $3,966.96 for 16 of the days he was suspended,
according to the agreement. Bermudez has already served the 40-day unpaid
suspension he originally received.
Bermudez filed a complaint with
the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in September alleging that
Georgetown Police Chief Wayne Nero had discriminated against him because two
other Georgetown police officers – who were white – received less or no
punishment for more severe violations of the department’s use of force policy,
said Robert McCabe, Bermudez’s attorney.
Nero has declined to comment
about the settlement or about Bermudez’s allegation of discrimination.
Bermudez’s case received
widespread attention after cellphone videos showed him tripping one student and
pushing others rushing onto a field April 19 after the Vandegrift High School
girls’ soccer team won a championship game.
Bermudez has been a Georgetown
police officer since 2005.
Police officer on paid leave
after tripping students
Claire Osborn
The Georgetown Police
Department has placed Officer George Bermudez on paid administrative leave
after video surfaced this weekend showing him tripping and pushing students who
were rushing onto a field after a soccer game.
Bermudez’s actions were not
appropriate measures for a crowd control situation, said agency spokesman
Roland Waits. He said the matter has been referred to the internal affairs unit
of the Georgetown Police Department.
Bermudez was chosen as an
outstanding police officer for the Georgetown Police Department last year,
Waits said. He said Bermudez has been with the department since 2005 as a
school resource officer at Georgetown High School, where the soccer game was
held Saturday.
Bermudez has no history of
reprimands or disciplinary action, Waits said.
Earlier: A Georgetown police
officer was filmed tripping and pushing students as they rushed onto a field
Saturday after a state championship soccer game at Georgetown school district
athletic complex, said Police Department spokesman Roland Waits.
The officer can be seen about
eight seconds in the YouTube video in the bottom middle of the screen tripping
a student and grabbing another student.
The officer’s name has not been
released. Officials are investigating the incident Monday morning to determine
whether the officer should be placed on administrative leave, Waits said. The
officer was on duty when the incident happened during the state finals of a
soccer tournament, Waits said.
After Vandegrift High School
won the final game, students rushed onto the field to celebrate, Waits said.
The girls soccer team at
Vandegrift High School in the Leander school district had just won the state
championship against Wylie East High School when the incident occurred, said
Pam Waggoner, the president of the Leander school board.
The players from Wylie East
High School had just left the field when students from Vandegrift High School
jumped a fence separating the bleachers from the field about 6 p.m. Saturday,
said Waggoner, who was at the game.
Students were excited because
it was the first time in the school’s five-year history that a sports team has
won a state championship, she said. The Vandegrift soccer team won in the last
two minutes of the game, she said. When the students fans ran onto the field,
“it wasn’t a chaotic situation,” she said. “It was over as fast as the kids got
on the field.”
Waggoner said she didn’t see
what happened with the Georgetown officer but she did talk to a male student
limping off the field who said the officer had tripped him. “He’s still a
little hurt,” she said.
She said when students rushed
on the field, some of them did pile on top of the soccer players and the
officer could have been concerned about that. “I’m sure he was just trying to
keep the players safe; it was just his method in which he chose to do it that’s
questionable,” Waggoner said.
Parents who were in the
bleachers filmed what happened with the officer, she said. “They were pretty
upset,” Waggoner said. “I wasn’t even out of the stadium before they were
putting it on YouTube,” she said.
Cop
Gets Drunk, Shoots a Motorist and Gets a $500 Fine
By Tom Boggioni / Raw Story
An off-duty Louisville police
officer was acquitted by jury of one charge and fined $500 on another after
shooting a motorist while off-duty and after a night of drinking at a friend’s
house, reports WDRB.
Officer Chauncey Carthan had
been charged with wanton endangerment and driving under the influence for the
2012 incident when
the he pulled over a motorist, initiating a confrontation that ended up with
the officer shooting the suspect, Ishmael Gough, in the leg.
After deliberating three hours,
the jury acquitted Carthan on the endangerment charge, but found him guilty on
the lesser charge, with the officer paying a fine and not serving time in jail.
According to court records,
Carthan left his friend’s home on the evening of Sept. 4, after an evening of drinking. While on his
way home, he pulled Gough over for speeding and identified himself as a police
officer, although Gough disputed that. Gouch stated the out of uniform cop was aggressive, while
pointing a gun at him and demanding he get on the ground without ever saying
what he had done wrong.
A witness who called 911
described the incident to the dispatcher saying, “He’s got his gun, he’s saying
he’s police though, but dude’s begging for his life down here on the ground.”
After being asked by the
dispatcher if the man with the gun was a police officer the woman said, “Yeah,
he said he’s the police, but I don’t know. He ain’t got no uniform, no badge,
no nothing- but he’s got this pistol pointing at the dude.”
Prosecutor Nick Mudd argued
that Carthan should serve time jail, saying, “He was a drunk off-duty cop,
driving a taxpayer car, with his taxpayer gun, going home.”
Following the indictment,
Carthan resigned from the police department and he still faces a civil suit
from Gough.
Syracuse
Police Officer Suspended with Pay After DWI Arrest
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The Syracuse
Police officer arrested for driving drunk and resisting arrest has been
suspended with pay. The Onondaga County Sheriff's Department confirms that
officer Ty Cogan has been suspended since his arrest in December Investigators
say Cogan's blood alcohol level was twice the legal driving limit when he was
pulled over along Route 370 in the village of Liverpool.
Officials say Cogan struggled
with a Liverpool Police officer and a deputy, which resulted in minor injuries
for all three involved. He was charged with aggravated DWI and resisting arrest
among other charges.
HPD
officer will spend almost 3 years in federal prison for extortion
By Lynn Kawano
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Even
before the sentencing hearing started Wednesday morning, former Honolulu Police
Officer Roddy Tsunezumi was emotional.
He wiped tears from his eyes
numerous times and repeatedly turned to look at his family and girlfriend
sitting in the gallery.
The former HPD Traffic officer
pleaded guilty to extortion. Tsunezumi, and an accomplice Jeremy Javillo,
convinced the owners of a Honolulu bar that they were the target of a robbery
plot. Tsunezumi suggested they pay $15,000 for protection and said if he
didn't, they could be in danger.
One of the owners testified at
the hearing that he and his wife suffered from psychological and emotional
distress as a result. He said they would barricade themselves in their home out
of fear and got a gun permit.
Tsunezumi also admitted to
taking part in an elaborate scheme to sell stolen cars. It was his accomplice, Jeremy Javillo, who ended
up working with the FBI to set up Tsunezumi. Court documents detail the scheme
saying Officer Tsunezumi would buy junked cars at auction and would send
Javillo to steal a similar car.
Tsunezumi would then switch the Vehicle Identification Number or VIN and
sell the stolen car. One of the vehicles used to set up Tsunezumi, was the
white pickup truck shown here.
Police sources say at least one
other HPD officer purchased one of the stolen cars. That officer, a motorcycle
cop, is on administrative leave as the investigation into his role continues.
Tsunezumi's attorney pointed
out during the hearing, that numerous letters were written on the officer's
behalf to tell the court that the 9-year veteran of the force was a good man
who did a lot of work for the community.
Tsunezumi also read from a
statement saying he started going to church and volunteering after resigning
from HPD and from the Air National Guard.
Even the Assistant U.S.
Attorney, Kenneth Sorenson told the judge that Tsunezumi was cooperative after
his arrest and helped them with other criminal cases.
But in the end, Federal Judge
Derrick Watson called Tsunezumi's behavior 'reprehensible' and a 'violation of
the public's trust' in law enforcement. He sentenced him to the maximum in the
range, 33 months in federal prison.
Tsunezumi was allowed two weeks
at the request of the U.S. Prosecuting Attorney who said he needed the former
officer's help with an ongoing case. He will surrender to authorities on
January 28.
Ticket-Fixing
Ex-Cop Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Kill a Witness
A former police officer
convicted in a case that led to the NYPD's ticket-fixing probe has pleaded
guilty to conspiring to kill a witness, selling counterfeit DVDs, ticket fixing
and other charges.
Jose Ramos, 45, was sentenced
to up to 23 years in prison following Tuesday's plea. The sentence will run
concurrently with the 12 to 14 years he's already serving for attempted robbery
and drug charges after being convicted in October.
Prosecutors say Ramos turned
his two Bronx barbershops into a front for drug dealing and stolen goods.
The ticket-fixing investigation
against more than a dozen officers sparked a debate over the informal practice
of police squashing tickets or minor summonses as favors for friends and
relatives.
Man
sues Denver cops for shooting him in back in excessive-force case
By Kirk Mitchell
A man has sued the city of
Denver and five police officers claiming that he was shot in the back and in
the finger while lying on the ground with his hands above his head in surrender
even though he was an innocent bystander during the arrest of a friend.
Michael Valdez filed the
lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Denver against the city of Denver and
officers Peter Derrick III, John McDonald, Robert Motyka Jr., Jeff Motz and
Karl Roller, after he had to be resuscitated in a hospital emergency room.
A finger in Valdez's left hand
was partially amputated, he underwent a small bowel resection and suffered
multiple fractures in his back, which left bone fragments in his spinal canal.
Valdez was in a wheelchair for a year, suffers constant pain and has regained
only partial use of his legs and feet, the lawsuit says.
"Tragically, as if his
physical injuries were not enough, the Denver Police Department and the
defendant officers fabricated criminal charges against Mr. Valdez," the
lawsuit filed Thursday says.
He was charged with five counts
of attempted first-degree murder and five counts of first-degree assault in one
case and two counts of first-degree murder in a second case even though
officers knew he wasn't involved, the lawsuit says. Denver prosecutors held him
in jail long after learning that Valdez was innocent, the lawsuit says.
"Defendants recklessly,
knowingly, intentionally, willfully and wantonly arrested and imprisoned Mr.
Valdez with no probable cause or reasonable grounds for believing that Mr.
Valdez attempted to kill, injure or menace any police officer," the
lawsuit says.
Ron Hackett, Denver police
spokesman, said Friday he could not comment about the case because it is in
litigation.
The Denver District Attorney's
Office dismissed 19 felony counts against Valdez on March 19, 2013. He was then
released after he spent two months in the jail "in agonizing pain and
without the use of his lower limbs," the lawsuit said.
Valdez is seeking unspecified
compensatory and punitive damages as well as attorneys' fees, according to the
lawsuit filed by Laura Menninger of the Denver law firm Haddon, Morgan and
Foreman.
The lawsuit is the latest in a
string of complaints in which Denver law enforcement officers have been accused
of excessive force, including a case in which Denver paid $6 million to the
family of homeless street preacher Marvin Booker.
"Defendant Denver exhibits
deliberate indifference to or tacit approval of its police officers'
misconduct, which is Denver's official custom, policy and practice," the
suit says.
Motyka, a sergeant, and three
other Denver police officers were sued in 2011 after they entered a home and
arrested the wrong people, members of a family Mariachi band and not
drug-dealing brothers who had previously moved from the rental home. A jury
awarded the family $1.8 millionfollowing a September trial.
On the afternoon of Jan. 16,
2013, Valdez accepted a ride in a red Dodge pickup truck driven by his friend
John Montoya. Valdez didn't know that his friend had been involved in an
incident in which the same pickup was used in a crime, also that morning, the
suit says.
Police tried to pull the truck
over, but Montoya sped away and led police on a chase until he crashed into a
tree at West 39th Avenue and Osage streets.
Valdez and another woman exited
the truck several minutes later with their hands in the air and lay down on the
ground several feet from the truck.
"While prone on the ground
with his face in the grass and his hands extended overhead, Valdez was shot by
the defendant officers, once in his back and once to his fourth finger as he
tried to shield his head from gunshots," the lawsuit says.
