[NY] Fired, reinstated, then twice arrested Officer Lews CLEARED of dv charges

A city police officer was acquitted Monday on a charge involving a physical altercation with his wife over custody of their young son... The order of protection was lifted. The internal investigation continues and Lewis remains on unpaid suspension, Kilcullen said. He will be reinstated with pay if the internal investigation is not completed within 30 days...

Previous entries:

• [NY] Fired, reinstated Officer Lewis arrested for assault on his wife - ...Lewis is accused of grabbing and pushing his wife after she apparently tried to prevent him from leaving the home with their 1-year-old son... He allegedly grabbed her around the neck during a later encounter in his vehicle... In 1998, Lewis was fired by then-Mayor Albert Jurczynski on the recommendation of a hearing officer who said Lewis had a history of disciplinary problems... A state arbitrator reversed the hearing officer's decision...
• [NY] Fired, reinstated, arrested Officer Lewis arrested a 2nd time in 2 months - A city police officer has been arrested for the second time in two months in connection with a domestic incident...

Cop cleared in domestic case
John Lewis was accused by his estranged wife of grabbing, pushing her
Albany Times Union, NY
By CATHY WOODRUFF, Staff writer
June 24, 2008
A city police officer was acquitted Monday on a charge involving a physical altercation with his wife over custody of their young son. John Lewis, a 14-year veteran, was tried in front of City Court Judge Guido Loyola on a single count of harassment, a violation. Police said Lewis grabbed and pushed his wife, Alison Lewis, on April 29 after she apparently tried to prevent him from leaving their Plymouth Avenue home with their 3-year-old son. His wife testified under subpoena that she was concerned when Lewis took their son without shoes or a coat on a cold day. The couple are going through a divorce, and she said Lewis, who was not living at the home, was angry that she had changed the locks. Alison Lewis said her husband demanded to come in to retrieve personal items. Once inside, she said, he picked up the boy and took him away. No visitation agreement was in place, and the couple were not legally separated at the time. She said he held their son as he pushed her, then ran outside and put the boy in his car seat. Lewis allegedly scratched his wife after she got in the car and he tried to pull her out. Unsuccessful in removing her, he then drove to his mother's house on Oregon Avenue with his wife and son in the back seat. Police arrived at that address shortly after the Lewises. John Lewis did not testify Monday. His attorney Michael Horan argued there was no intent to harass Alison Lewis. Schenectady County Assistant District Attorney Michele Schettino prosecuted the case. Lewis was suspended without pay for 30 days at the time of the altercation. Earlier this month, Lewis was arrested on a misdemeanor charge that he had a phone conversation with his wife that violated the order of protection. He again was suspended without pay for 30 days, Lt. Brian Kilcullen, a city police spokesman, said. The order of protection was lifted. The internal investigation continues and Lewis remains on unpaid suspension, Kilcullen said. He will be reinstated with pay if the internal investigation is not completed within 30 days. In 1998, Lewis was fired by then-Mayor Albert P. Jurczynski for using a racial slur in the presence of three people, including a black YWCA counselor working at the Police Department. Lewis was later reinstated after an arbitrator ruled he was fired without sufficient cause. Cathy Woodruff can be reached at 454-5093 or by e-mail at cwoodruff@timesunion.com.