Excerpt from previous entry:[PA] Officer Turkos' wife has a broken arm. Her son's bruised, & in pain
A Dupont police officer faces charges for assaulting and threatening to kill his wife and stepson... She suffered a broken right arm and bruises on her legs. The 11-year-old complained of pain in his abdomen and neck... "I am the boss." He allegedly told his wife "I will cut you off at the knees" and "I'll kill him (stepson) and I'll kill you"... Turkos is expected to surrender on the charges in the next few days. "We know where he is; it's not like he's on the run"...
Felony charge against officer dropped
Scranton Times-Tribune
By Bob Kalinowski
06/04/2008
After Dupont police officer David Turkos’ wife spent about 15 minutes testifying he assaulted her and his 11-year-old stepson in March, the officer’s preliminary hearing in Central Court was halted. Just before the stepson was to testify Tuesday afternoon, prosecutors and Mr. Turkos’ defense attorney Mark Mack struck a deal. Prosecutors agreed to drop an aggravated assault charge in exchange for Mr. Turkos waiving the remaining charges to Luzerne County Court. With the dismissal of the felony charge, the 35-year-old now faces misdemeanor charges of simple assault, terroristic threats and harassment. The aggravated assault charge was dropped because Mr. Turkos’ wife was not as badly injured as originally believed when charges were filed, said Assistant District Attorney Tim Doherty. Police arrested Mr. Turkos after being called to his Elm Street home in Dupont on March 2 for a domestic dispute. On Tuesday, his wife, Donna Turkos, testified the incident unfolded after Mr. Turkos accused his stepson of teasing their 3-year-old son. “David just hauled off and kicked (him) straight in the stomach,” Mrs. Turkos said. She said Mr. Turkos pushed her into a wall, threatened to kill her and later “contorted” her right arm, causing extreme pain. When arrest papers were filed, it was believed her arm was broken, but it wasn’t [???], prosecutors said. When she went to call police, she claimed he said, “I am the law. I’m above the law. Go ahead and report me.” Mr. Turkos is still on the Dupont Police Department’s roster, but the part-timer has not been scheduled to work since the incident, said police Chief Anthony DeMark. Officials are awaiting the disposition of the case before making a final decision on his status, Chief DeMark said. Mr. Turkos will next be in court on Aug. 8 at 9:30 a.m. Contact the writer: bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com
update:Officer Turkos' hearing June 10th yeilded our family a victory as the judge ordered a THREE YEAR PFA for the 2 children now 4 and nearly 12 & for me, Mrs. Turkos ! As for the dropped felony charge,apparently you need to be "on the brink of death" in Pennsylvania for the charge to stick;my soon to be ex is a very mentally unbalanced man who needs a thorough psych evaluation and subsequent treatment .Which raises the question;why is the screening process for the smaller communities not effective in finding officers who are not just simply qualified with necessary credentials but also mentally qualified with no underlying mental illness/personality disorders /anything that would deem an individual unfit for duty?Shouldn't the screening process for smaller departments be mandated by the state to meet a more stringent criteria to "weed out " all the undesirables who would ultimately be a threat to the community at large ? Is there anyone else out there that agrees this needs to be changed?please respond and let me know. sincerely,Mrs.Turkos
ReplyDeleteUNBELIEVABLE. This man NEEDS to suffer. I am sickened...sickened. I just wonder why Police Officers have this need to beat EVERYBODY down? They ARE NOT above the law.
ReplyDeleteSome. Not all.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Turkos, do you have people who are supporting you and understand what you're up against? I sure hope so. If not though - please let me know.
ReplyDeletecloud_writer
at
yahoo.com
Just to let you know I can relate to Mrs. Turkos 100% I was involved with this man years go and broke it off due to his anger...I wish she seen what I did before she had to go through this. Mrs. Turkos, I wish you the best and hope you and your children stay safe from this man
ReplyDeleteI went to school with David Turkos. He was always an idiot and a bully and tough guy in school and it does not surprise me one bit what he did to his wife and children. I am disgusted over what he did to his children, especially the autistic child! There should be better screening for these police officers! There has been a rash of recent corruption in local police departments and even Chief Demark has covered up things in his department like the hit and run incident at Bobby O's in which an officer hit a car and took off and then they reported that a red truck cut him off and caused the accident and took off. Of course, the people at Booby O's all went along like sheep thinking they will get some big favor down the road, but I know the truth and so does eye witnesses who were in the parking lot!
ReplyDeleteTurkos should never have been a cop in the first place and his poor wife now has to deal with this and explain to his children. He deserved a much harsher sentence! 6 months probabtion and $100 fine is a joke!
I hope Mrs' Turkos is ok after all of this and I wish the best for her and her family over the upcoming holidays. I feel so sorry for her boys who had to go through such abuse and witness such cruelty! Especially the autistic boy who deserved a father who would understand and love and cherish him. I have 4 children of my own and how anyone could treat the mother of their children in such a manor is beyond me! This man gave what amounted to no apology and has no remorse for the damage he caused in thier lives and the hearache. He is arrogant and smug and feels like he is the victim and that is sad! He doesn;t deserve the gift of children and a wife who loves him. He deserved much more than a slap on the wrist and $100 fine. He deserved much more than just to lose his job! What ambitions did he have? He was a local police officer with a history of violence, as well as inappropriate contact with victims covered up by the chief! There is so much corruption in this area in local law enforcement it's a shame!
ReplyDeleteMrs. Turkos,
ReplyDeleteI own a business in town. I have had my share of problems with the police dept. Please contact me at my email address listed as my ID name TCPLpa@aol.com I feel for you and your children and I am so sorry that he basically got away with what he did to you. It's pathetic and sad that he did what he did to you and got what amounted to a slap on the wrist! Police should be expected to hold up to a higher standard and to hear that he struck not only you but also your autistic child sickens me. His apology was typical of Daves Arrogance and sick mental state. If there is anything we can do for you, don;t hesitate to contact me. I know alot about things concerning the police dept here and would like to share them with you also!
[PA] What the stepson of ex-officer Turkos has to say -
ReplyDeletehttp://behindthebluewall.blogspot.com/2008/12/pa-what-stepson-of-ex-officer-turkos.html
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