Former
cop enters special program following gun theft charge
FEBRUARY 7, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2015,
1:21 AM
BY JEFF GREEN
CLIFTON — A former special
police officer who was charged with stealing two handguns belonging to another
police officer has agreed to a lifetime ban from serving in law enforcement,
according to the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office.
Nayeska Bermudez, formerly a
part-time officer in Guttenberg in Hudson County, accepted the condition as
part of an agreement with prosecutors to enter a three-year rehabilitation
program for first-time offenders, said Andrew Palestini, a senior assistant
prosecutor. Bermudez also must complete 200 hours of community service, he
said.
Clifton police charged
Bermudez, a city resident, with theft of firearms in May, alleging she stole
two 9mm Glock handguns from the home of a Union City police officer who also
lives in Clifton. The charge would be dismissed at the end of her participation
in the Pretrial Intervention Program.
During the investigation,
police searched the Hudson River for the guns, but the firearms were never
recovered. While Bermudez did not admit to stealing the weapons, she signed a
court document indicating what happened to them, Palestini said. The judge
ordered that document sealed; its contents are not public, the assistant
prosecutor said.
If the weapons ever turn up in
a way that’s inconsistent with what she said in the document, Bermudez could be
prosecuted for providing a false statement, the prosecutor said.
Bermudez resigned from the
Guttenberg Police Department and agreed to the resolution of her case in
December. Her attorney, Brian Neary, did not a return a call seeking comment.
Clifton police issued Bermudez
a summons to appear in Municipal Court, and she was released without bail even
though the theft of firearms offense was a third-degree indictable crime.
However, even if a warrant had been issued for her arrest, Palestini said the
case would have landed on the prosecutor’s desk in the same amount of time.
"The most important thing
is that the charge gets here to the Prosecutor’s Office," he said.
"The matter was thoroughly reviewed and it was looked into and we decided
to resolve it."
Because Clifton police
initially withheld some information about Bermudez’s case, including the fact
she’d been arrested in May, the Prosecutor’s Office contemplated intervening to
ensure the investigation was being handled properly. Palestini would not
comment about the department’s release of information but said he had no
concerns about how the police handled the investigation.
Former
Miami police officer charged with extortion
Federal indictment alleges
Jerry Sutherland agreed to protect illegal gambling operation in exchange for
cash
MIAMI -
A former Miami police officer
has been charged with two counts of extortion.
Wilfredo Ferrer, U.S. attorney
for the Southern District of Florida, the FBI and Miami police Chief Rodolfo
Llanes made the announcement Monday.
A federal indictment alleges
that Jerry Sutherland, 28, agreed to protect and facilitate an illegal gambling
operation in exchange for receiving cash payments.
Sutherland is alleged to have
done so on two occasions last year -- once in January and once in July.
"I am disappointed and
disheartened that Officer Jerry Sutherland has been arrested today by the
FBI," Llanes said in a statement Monday.
Llanes went on to say he
"will not tolerate any conduct that discredits this organization. Any time
a law enforcement officer is accused of tarnishing the badge, it is an
embarrassment to all the honest, hard-working members of this profession who
work, day in and day out, to protect and serve with integrity. The allegations
surrounding Mr. Sutherland are in no way a reflection of the hard-working men
and women of the Miami Police Department."
Sutherland faces up to 20 years
in prison on each count if convicted.
Edwardsville
officer now charged with arson
Alexandra Martellaro, KSDK 8:35
p.m. CST February 2, 2015
Officer Brian Barker(Photo:
Illinois State Attorney's Office)
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- An
Edwardsville police officer already facing over a dozen charges in connection
with a string of burglaries is now facing even more charges.
Officer Brian Barker was
charged in December after being linked to several burglaries over the span of
more than two years.
Now, he's facing new charges of
arson, burglary and money laundering.
Police believe Barker started a
fire on November 18, 2013 on South Pointe Drive that damaged several businesses
including the office of Illinois State Representative Dwight Kay. Monday he was
charged with one count of arson and five counts of burglary in connection with
that incident.
Barker has also been connected
to two additional burglaries of businesses and faces a count of money
laundering after police say he tried to sell stolen car parts and electronics.
Barker is being held at the
Madison County Jail on a $300,000 bond
