National Police Misconduct NewsFeed Daily Recap 09-22-12 to 09-24-12

Here are the 13 reports of police misconduct tracked for Saturday, September 22 to Monday, September 24, 2012:

• Cleveland, Ohio: A police officer [Sgt. Belinda Kyle] was arrested for domestic violence charges. She was assigned to restricted duty pending the outcome of the criminal case against her. http://bit.ly/Ss6yW4
• Reading, Pennsylvania: An officer [Ronald Miko] was sentenced to 38 months in prison for attempting to prevent the communication of information to investigators of his involvement in a prostitution business. bit.ly/UM7K69
• New Britain, Connecticut: After an investigation into allegations that he punched his wife, a police officer [Matthew Butkiewicz, 27] was arrested and charged with third-degree assault. “He was placed on administrative duty immediately after I was notified by police that he was the subject of a criminal investigation involving domestic violence,” said the interim police chief. bit.ly/OmrYU8
• Update: Worcester, Massachusetts: An officer [Thirty-eight-year-old Jason Willard] pleaded not guilty to sexual assault charges on an 18-year-old girl. His attorney blames the accusation on a contentious divorce. He has been suspended indefinitely without pay while his case is resolved. bit.ly/Q2JfwU
• East Haven, Connecticut: An officer [Sgt. John Miller] was charged with violating the civil right of Latinos; he pleaded guilty in federal court. “This is an issue of a few officers behaving badly,” said one of them men whose civil rights were violated. “We’re looking forward to the case continuing to move on and hopefully one day we’ll have a police department in East Haven that everybody can feel safe with.” bit.ly/UnyZ3V
• Shreveport, Louisiana: A mother [Jeronica Dewitt] is speaking out against the police department. She says her son [Gregory Ford] was tased excessively during an arrest and he ended up in the hospital. http://bit.ly/OYtiai
• Smyrna, Georgia: A man [Robby King] will file a complaint against officers [J.P. Gibson and G. M. Roach] who shot and killed his dog. The officer admitted the dog didn’t try to bite them. Cobb police say the officers did what they are trained to do and the case is closed. “I had to watch him bleed to death and gasp for air, and they just stood there looking at me like I was stupid,” said the owner. bit.ly/RueG8V
• Houston, Texas: An officer [Matthew Marin] fatally shot a mentally ill double-amputee [Brian Claunch] in a wheelchair. This is the third unarmed person police have shot in less than 3 months. The officers say they felt threatened by the man, who was waving a silver pen. “How difficult is it, if nothing else, to get away from someone in a wheelchair who has no weapon, has only one arm and one good leg?” asked Arlene Kelly, co-founder of a support group for victims of police violence that tracks misconduct. “It’s totally and completely needless. Those officers should have had that matter well in hand. The gun should have never been out of the holster.” bit.ly/SfqcyT
• Buncombe County, South Carolina: A detective [Mitch McAbee] resigned from his job after deputies say he pushed a man at a volleyball game. bit.ly/QtXvSQ
• Stoughton, Massachusetts: A state trooper [Brian Simpkins] was charged with his second OUI offense. He was found asleep behind the wheel of his car with an open container. bit.ly/Sq8leu
• Pickens, South Carolina: After he wrote Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney a ticket, an officer [Cpl. Michael Jordan McClatchy] blogged about it. He was subsequently fired. “I regret having to let him go, but the confidentiality of this department and the citizens cannot and will not be violated,” said the police chief. bit.ly/Uy3o44
• Seattle, Washington: The city has agreed to pay $42,000 to a man [D'Vontaveous Hoston] who was kicked by an officer [James J. Lee] during an incident. The settlement stemmed from a lawsuit, in which a 19-year-old alleged that an officer violated his civil rights. bit.ly/Uyn71L
• Lawrence, Massachusetts: An officer [Pedro P.J. Lopez] was relieved of his duties indefinitely following an FBI raid on his home. “He’s the subject of an investigation, which resulted in his being placed on paid administrative leave. We can’t comment on it beyond that because it’s an ongoing investigation,” the chief said. The officer has been a supporter of Mayor William Lantigua, whose administration has been the focus of a multi-jurisdictional investigation involving allegations of bid-rigging, narcotics and weapons trafficking at local clubs, suspicious out-of-country travel and more, according to law enforcement sources. bit.ly/QmtJiI

National Police Misconduct NewsFeed Daily Recap 09-21-12 to 09-23-12 is a post from PoliceMisconduct.net



Continue reading...