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Friday, November 14, 2008

[CT] Sgt. Allen averts this felony too.

...The [recent] computer crime charge is a felony... Allen's February arrest was not his first. He was granted special probation in November 2000 after he was convicted of misdemeanor assault and breach of peace... [after he was originally chargd also with felony unlawful restraint]...

Previous entry:
[CT] Sgt. Allen - Abuse of database to assist friend in harassment - ...The friend used the information allegedly given to her by Sgt. Reginald Allen, a 17-year veteran, to harass her ex-boyfriend's pregnant girlfriend, who was living in Windsor...

HARTFORD POLICE SERGEANT ACQUITTED OF COMPUTER CHARGE
The Hartford Courant
By CHRISTINE DEMPSEY
November 14, 2008
It took less than 25 minutes Thursday for a jury to acquit a Hartford police sergeant accused of misusing a patrol car computer. The six-member jury announced its verdict at 2:15 p.m., said Sgt. Reginald Allen's attorney, Richard Brown. "Obviously, I was very pleased," Brown said afterward. "My client has been suspended without pay since Feb. 4. This, obviously, has been very embarrassing for him," he said. Allen, an 18 1/2 -year veteran, had to sell his house because of financial problems, Brown said. "He's very pleased that he's been vindicated." Brown also represents Allen in the ongoing internal affairs investigation that arose from the allegation that he ran a woman's license plate on his mobile data terminal last year for personal reasons. "We're in the process of discussing this matter with the Hartford Police Department," he said. The state presented six witnesses over two days. The first two witnesses testified about a love triangle involving Allen's friend, Zelma Woodson, who was living with Allen Richardson — who at the same time got another woman, Audrey Gagnon, pregnant. The state alleged that Woodson found and harassed Gagnon with information that Allen gave her... During the trial, Brown suggested that Woodson could have found Gagnon's address on a magazine or flier... In his closing arguments Thursday, Brown acknowledged that his client ran Gagnon's plate on the night of Nov. 6, 2007. But he reminded the jury it had to "decide beyond a reasonable doubt" that Allen was checking the license plate for an illegitimate reason. A Hartford sergeant testified that Allen failed to document what he was doing while on duty that night as he should... Allen's February arrest was not his first. He was granted special probation in November 2000 after he was convicted of misdemeanor assault and breach of peace for beating up a man in an East Hartford bar. The computer crime charge is a felony. [Full article here]

BACK IN 2000

OFFICER SUSPENDED AFTER ARREST

The Hartford Courant
Christine Dempsey & Tina A. Brown
Josh Kovner contributed
March 30, 2000
[Excerpts] A Hartford police detective was suspended Wednesday after his arrest on charges that he beat a man in an East Hartford dance club. Det. Reginald Allen is one of about 20 Hartford officers to be arrested in the last five years. Colleagues described him as a good officer and said they were surprised by the arrest. The suspension without pay is automatic because one of the charges - FIRST-DEGREE UNLAWFUL RESTRAINT - IS A FELONY, Allen's superiors said. The other charges are third-degree assault and breach of peace... The victim, David Diaz of West Hartford, suffered a split lip and cuts and bruises, East Hartford police said. According to the arrest warrant application, Allen went to Stage East early in the morning of Jan. 30 to talk to a man who allegedly was involved in a crash that damaged Allen's private car in May 1999. Allen was stopped at the door because he was not dressed appropriately, a club security worker told police. ALLEN SHOWED HIS BADGE AND SAID, "I'M ON BUSINESS," and was allowed in, the worker told police. Allen approached Diaz, a bar patron, and asked if he remembered him, Diaz told police. DIAZ - WHO ONE WITNESS SAID LOOKED CONFUSED - TOLD POLICE THROUGH A SPANISH INTERPRETER THAT HE DID NOT KNOW WHAT ALLEN WAS TALKING ABOUT. ALLEN GRABBED HIM BY THE ARM, EVENTUALLY LEADING HIM TO THE MEN'S ROOM, WHERE ALLEN PUNCHED HIM IN THE CHEST AND STRUCK HIM IN THE BODY AND FACE, DIAZ TOLD POLICE... DIAZ TOLD POLICE THAT HE GOT OUT OF THE MEN'S ROOM, AND THAT THE STRUGGLE CONTINUED IN THE HALLWAY. ALLEN THREW HIM INTO THE COAT ROOM, WHERE DIAZ LANDED ON A TABLE, BREAKING IT, DIAZ ALLEGED. Diaz's girlfriend told police she saw "a black male picking David Diaz off the floor and holding him by the neck.'' Another witness said Allen had a set of handcuffs in his hand.
ALLEN DENIED USING FORCE...
[said] that he did not show his badge...
and that he did not have handcuffs or a gun.
He said he saw a Stage East employee he knows and walked in. The worker, however, told police he did not see Allen until later, during the struggle... "I can't see Reggie committing a crime. he knows the consequences," [Union President Sgt. Michael] Wood said... Diaz also filed a notice of intent to sue the town of East Hartford through his lawyer, Ramona Mercado-Espinoza. Mercado-Espinoza, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday, CITED THE DEPARTMENT'S FAILURE TO ARREST ALLEN. East Hartford's acting police chief, Mark Sirois, said the notice did not prompt the arrest. Patrol officers who responded to the club that morning decided to have the detective division investigate after getting conflicting statements. The arrest warrant was not signed until last week... The arrest marks the second incident to come to light in the past two months in which a Hartford officer has been accused of flashing his badge to gain special access or treatment. Court documents released in January said Officer Greg Thompson stole license plates and used his badge to escape arrest when stopped in West Hartford driving an unregistered car. He pleaded guilty to three counts of theft of a marker plate and/or insert and one count each of creating a public disturbance and trespassing.

DETECTIVE GRANTED PROBATION - ARREST IN BEATING EVENTUALLY COULD BE ERASED FROM RECORD
The Hartford Courant
Thursday,
ERIC RICH; Courant
November 30, 2000
[Excerpts] A Hartford police detective charged with beating a man in a restroom at an East Hartford dance club was granted a special form of probation Wednesday. Manchester Superior Court Judge Jorge Simon approved Reginald Allen's bid for accelerated rehabilitation, a diversionary program that could erase the record of his arrest. Defense attorney Michael Georgetti noted that Allen , a 9-year veteran of the force with no previous criminal record, has completed anger management classes since his arrest in March. Allen was automatically suspended after his arrest but soon returned to work after prosecutors dropped a felony charge against him and instead pursued charges of misdemeanor assault and breach of peace... [David] Diaz recently received an insurance settlement for his injuries, which included a split lip, cuts and bruises. Accelerated rehabilitation allows defendants with no criminal record to circumvent prosecution by agreeing to a term of probation. If Allen completes the 2-year term successfully, the record of his arrest will be erased.

3 comments:

  1. I don't know who writes this stuff, there is always two sides to a story and your web site reports one. get it right or don't write it at all

    ReplyDelete
  2. I post the "side" that's available. I cannot post the side that is not.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ha Ha. We got away with it and you don't

    ReplyDelete

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