...During the trial, Long said she had complained about Sanchez harassing her to several officers after she first met him in 2000, including to her neighbor, Capt. William Engle, but nothing was ever done. Instead, she said, Sanchez continued to pull her over, call her on the phone, stop by her house and shine a spotlight from his cruiser on her home...Woman testifies that she was terrorized by Lorain police officer Jesus Sanchez
Chronicle-Telegram, OH
Brad Dicken bdicken@chroniclet.com
Nov 18, 2008
[Excerpts] Lorain police Officer Jesus Sanchez spent two years terrorizing her, Sarah Long testified Tuesday during the first day of Sanchez’s menacing by stalking trial. At times tearful, Long said she endure years of Sanchez pulling her over, calling her, shining the spotlight from his police cruiser into her home and going so far as kissing and touching her, once even trying to stick his hand down her pants. “I tried to avoid him at all costs... I pretty much locked myself in my house... I was afraid to go out, afraid of Jessie and the other officers"... [Full article here]
Accuser in officer stalking case testifies for second day
Chronicle-Telegram, OH
Brad Dicken bdicken@chroniclet.com
Nov 20, 2008
[Excerpts]A tearful Sarah Long returned to the stand Wednesday to continue her testimony against Jesus Sanchez, the Lorain police officer accused of stalking her for nearly two years... Long’s now 15-year-old son testified Wednesday that Sanchez told one of Long’s other children to get away while he held their mother... Several other witnesses also took the stand Wednesday, providing bits and pieces of testimony to back Long’s story. Her former neighbor, Rachel Perry, testified that she recalled a police cruiser pointing a spotlight at Long’s house several times a week and police coming over to confront a man who was pounding on Long’s door... Lorain police officer Miguel Baez testified he was called to Long’s home in September 2002 for an unwanted man at the residence. Baez said he recognized Sanchez when he arrived and immediately called a supervisor to the scene... [Full article here]
Prosecutor: Lorain cop abused his position
Chronicle-Telegram, OH
Brad Dicken bdicken@chroniclet.com
Nov 20, 2008
[Excerpts] ELYRIA — Lorain police Officer Jesus Sanchez abused and betrayed his position when he stalked Sarah Long in 2001 and 2002, Assistant Lorain County Prosecutor Peter Gauthier said Thursday during closing arguments in Sanchez’s trial. “The duty of a police officer is to serve and protect, not harass,” Gauthier said. Gauthier said it was amazing that Long ever complained to police about the harassment that Sanchez, 53, allegedly subjected her to for approximately 1½ years. “What do we do when the protectors become the people we need to be protected from?” he asked county Common Pleas Judge Edward Zaleski, who will decide whether Sanchez is guilty of two counts of menacing by stalking he faces... During the trial, Long said she had complained about Sanchez harassing her to several officers after she first met him in 2000, including to her neighbor, Capt. William Engle, but nothing was ever done. Instead, she said, Sanchez continued to pull her over, call her on the phone, stop by her house and shine a spotlight from his cruiser on her home. He also would touch and kiss her. Gauthier said the most serious of those incidents came in November 2001... Gauthier also blasted the internal investigation into Sanchez that was conducted by Sgt. Daniel Smith, who closed his investigation on Sept. 15, 2002, without finding any problems. That same day police were called to Long’s house to remove Sanchez, who was allegedly pounding on the door and shouting curse words at her. Smith testified Thursday that he had investigated the case to the best of his ability, but Gauthier pointed out he never even interviewed Sanchez and conducted “a really poor investigation.” Zaleski said he plans to announce his verdict Dec. 2, after he reviews the evidence... [Full article here]
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ReplyDeleteSTATE OF OHIO
ss: AFFIDAVIT
COUNTY OF CUYAHOGA
Jesus Sanchez, after being duly sworn and cautioned according to law states as follows:
1. I have personal knowledge of the facts in this Affidavit and am competent to testify to those facts.
2. I have been a member of the Lorain Police Department for 26 years. I have first-hand knowledge and awareness of the policies, practices, and procedures in the Lorain Police Department (the "Department"), which policies are both written and unwritten, and are both formal and informal.
3. I also have first-hand knowledge of the occurrences of improper sexual activity committed, or engaged in, by Lorain police officers which are detailed in this Affidavit.
4. During the course of my 26 years of employment as a Lorain police officer, I have observed what Ï believe is a pervasive pattern of sexual misconduct by Lorain police officers committed while they are on duty. In virtually all of these instances, this sexual activity was not consensual.
5. In most instances, the improper sexual activities of police officers committed while the officers were on duty were reported to supervisors in the Department. However, based upon my knowledge, experience, and observations, the Department persistently ignored these reports. Moreover, it failed to discipline the officers involved and thereby tolerated the misconduct as though it were a policy of the City.
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6. The on-duty sexual misconduct by Lorain police officers was so prevalent, and the consequences of such activities were so minimal, that I believe the City has an unofficial policy, custom, and/or practice to tolerate, turn a blind eye toward, and not meaningfully punish or prohibit police officers in the Department for such misconduct
7. While Í am not comfortable disclosing names of particular officers or supervisors who have engaged in the conduct set forth above in this Affidavit, Ï am aware of a large number of instances where Lorain police officers involved in on-duty sexual misconduct, which conduct was reported to their superiors, and, despite such reports, resulted in no meaningful consequence(s) for the offenders involved. A number of representative examples of this misconduct, and the Department turning a blind eye to it, are detailed below:
(a) A lieutenant was accused of kissing a woman without her consent. The only adverse action taken against the lieutenant was to transfer him from the Detective Bureau.
(b) A Sergeant was accused by a married woman of stalking her. No disciplinary action of any kind was taken against him.
(c) Another sergeant exposed his penis to a woman and asked for oral sex. No disciplinary action was taken against him.
(d) A patrolman attempted to kiss a woman without her consent. He was merely reassigned, without any other disciplinary action.
(e) A patrolman tried to forcibly kiss an employee of the Lorain Municipal Court. This officer was also merely reassigned, without suffering any other discipline.
(f) A patrolman was accused of stalking a married woman. He was not disciplined for this conduct.
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(g) Various other police officers in the City were caught engaging in sexual acts while on duty. However, no formal disciplinary action was taken against them.
There may be other incidents of sexual misconduct by Lorain Police officers committed while they were on duty which I can not recall at this time.
8. Based upon my personal knowledge and observations, supervisors of the offending police officers have ignored, tolerated, and/or tacitly accepted and allowed this sexual misconduct to occur.
9. At the time of the events described in this affidavit and my deposition testimony, and the allegations made by Sarah Long that I admit, I believed that nothing would happen to me as a result of my sexual advances toward the Plaintiff, Sarah Long, given the long history of the Department tolerating, acquiescing, ignoring, and failing to mete out discipline for such conduct. In other words, I believed, based upon my knowledge of prior incidents by Lorain police officers as described above which was tolerated, accepted or at least ignored, and the unofficial long-standing policy of the Department that tolerated such conduct without any significant adverse effects upon the participating officer's employment, that I would likewise not be discharged or otherwise disciplined were I to engage in sexual contact with women, including the Plaintiff, Sarah Long, while I was on-duty and being paid to be a police officer. The primary reason I made sexual advances toward Plaintiff while on duty was my knowledge of the City's policy of tolerating such conduct and deliberate indifference toward such conduct by on-duty police officers.
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10. Based upon my personal knowledge, the City's tacit approval of, or at least acquiescence of its police officers engaging in sexual activities while on duty, I believe the city tolerated and allowed the victimization of women who were subjected to these behaviors by Lorain police officers.
11. But for the City of Lorain's policy of overlooking the types of behavior described herein, I would not have engaged in such conduct or attempted to engage in such conduct with the Plaintiff while on duty.
JESUS SANCHEZ
Sworn to and subscribed before me, a Notary Public in and for the State of Ohio by the j^ove Affiant, a person known to me and pursuant to law, on this o&Msz: 2006.
Notary Public
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