Dennis ByrneSandwich Masachusetts Police Officer
...Byrne, 38, has a "long history of conflict due to an ongoing relationship between Byrne's wife ... and (the alleged victim)," a police report states. The alleged victim told police Byrne's wife is a battered woman, adding that "Byrne is unstable and that he will eventually kill (his wife)"... When police asked the alleged victim whether the violent encounter was an isolated incident, the man said he had lost count of how many times Byrne had threatened to kill him. The man also said Byrne was often in uniform while making the alleged threats... Police said the alleged victim also has voice mail recordings of Byrne identifying himself and making threats...
SANDWICH POLICE OFFICER TO APPEAL DISMISSAL
Cape Cod Times
George Brennan
October 07, 2009
[Excerpts] A police officer accused of beating a man so severely that he required 37 stitches is appealing his firing by the town... Dennis Byrne, 38, of Sandwich is seeking arbitration, said Lisa Smith, a spokeswoman for the International Brotherhood of Police Officers. The IBPO represented Byrne at his disciplinary hearing last month. "Once the facts are reviewed in an impartial setting, we're confident the officer will be returned to active status," Smith said... [Full article here]
SANDWICH FIRES POLICE OFFICER
Cape Cod Times
By George Brennan
gbrennan@capecodonline.com
October 06, 2009
[Excerpts] A Sandwich police officer has been fired by the town in response to an off-duty fight that sent another man to the hospital with 37 stitches. Dennis Byrne, 38, was fired by the town on Friday, nearly a month after a disciplinary hearing held by Town Manager George "Bud" Dunham. Yesterday, Dunham declined to comment on his reasons for dismissing Byrne citing the confidentiality of personnel decisions. In June, Byrne was arrested by his own department and charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a blunt object. A probable cause hearing in that case, originally scheduled for last Friday in Barnstable District Court, was postponed until Oct. 22... Court records indicate that the fight between Byrne and a Sandwich man stems from a "long history of conflict due to an ongoing relationship between Byrne's wife and the alleged victim." Byrne, who earned $61,000 in base pay as a patrolman, had been on paid administrative leave since his June arrest. On June 16 Byrne's wife visited the Sandwich man at his Route 6A home, court records indicate. Hours later, in the early morning hours of June 17, Byrne arrived at the home and was invited inside. The man eventually asked Byrne to leave, records indicate, but the officer refused and after the man turned his back, Byrne attacked him. Byrne's wife allegedly witnessed the attack, records indicate, and called state police in Middleboro from a cell phone. "Byrne struck him in the face 6 or 7 times," the man told police... The man told police this isn't the first time he's had a beef with Byrne. "(The man) stated that he has lost count of how many times Byrne has threatened to kill him"... "(The man) also stated that Byrne would constantly tell (him) that he couldn't do anything about it because he was a cop." [Full article here]
EXCERPTS FROM JUNE NEWS:
OFF-DUTY SANDWICH OFFICER CHARGED WITH BEATING MAN
Cape Cod Times
By George Brennan
June 26, 2009
SANDWICH — A 10-year veteran of the Sandwich Police Department is being charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after an alleged off-duty beating that left another man needing 37 stitches to his face, police said. Officer Dennis Byrne, 38, remains on paid administrative leave pending an upcoming disciplinary hearing... A clerk magistrate issued a criminal complaint against Byrne Wednesday after an internal probe was completed by Sandwich police Lt. David Guillemette, [Police Chief Michael] Miller said... A man who answered the phone at a number listed for Byrne said it was a wrong number... If convicted of the felony charge, he could face up to 2½ years in the Barnstable County Correctional Facility, Cape and Islands First Assistant District Attorney Michael Trudeau said. [Full article here]
EXCERPTS FROM JULY NEWS:
OFFICER ACCUSED OF BEATING WIFE'S PAL
Cape Cod Times
By Aaron Gouveia agouveia@capecodonline.com
July 09, 2009
[Excerpts] ...Accompanied by attorney Jens Bahrawy and an unidentified woman, Sandwich police Officer Dennis Byrne pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (blunt object) in Barnstable District Court yesterday. Byrne, 38, has a "long history of conflict due to an ongoing relationship between Byrne's wife ... and (the alleged victim)," a police report states. The alleged victim told police Byrne's wife is a battered woman, adding that "Byrne is unstable and that he will eventually kill (his wife)"... When police asked the alleged victim whether the violent encounter was an isolated incident, the man said he had lost count of how many times Byrne had threatened to kill him. The man also said Byrne was often in uniform while making the alleged threats. Police said the alleged victim also has voice mail recordings of Byrne identifying himself and making threats... [Full article here]
[police officer, officer-involved, perpetrated, domestic violence, police department, patrolman, law enforcement, terroristic threatening, death threats, hx, state]
Is the "man" a relative? I'm not making judgments - this would just make simpler sense.
ReplyDeleteI WAS ASK RECENTLY, WAS THERE ANYTHING I COULD HAVE DONE TO PREVENT THE ABUSE THAT, I SUSTAINED MANY YEARS AGO. WHAT RIGHT DOES ANYONE HAVE TO ABUSE ANOTHER HUMAN BEING? DO THEY REALY FEEL THAT, BECAUSE THEY ARE POLICE AND STATE OFFICERS THEY HAVE THAT RIGHT? ABUSE OF POWER IN ANY POSITION IS WRONG BUT....TO THOSE WHO ARE SUPPOSE TO UP HOLD THE LAW HAVE USE THE BADGE TO ABUSE!!!! WRONG IS WRONG.
ReplyDeleteWITH MUCH RESPECT AND WARMTH,
ROSA
FIRED SANDWICH POLICE OFFICER PLANS TO APPEAL DISMISSAL
ReplyDeleteWicked Local (blog)
By Paul Babin
Oct 12, 2009
[Excerpts] Sandwich Police Officer Dennis Byrne will appeal the town’s decision to fire him for allegedly assaulting another man last June. Byrne, 38, had been on paid administrative leave since the incident occurred the night of June 17. The town fired Byrne Friday Oct. 2, one month after he appeared before Town Manager Bud Dunham for a disciplinary hearing... Lisa Smith of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers said the organization will seek arbitration for Byrne... She expects that Byrne will get his job back... [Full article here]
Well, I guess you can consider the source an expert. It is well known in this town that the alleged victim in this case has a history of domestic violence himself- consider him an expert. The cop in this case has not been protected behind the blue wall. He was fired.
ReplyDeleteThe alleged victim obviously isn't a relative. More likely to be her lover... I have followed this and officer Byrne went to drag his wife from a local pill pushing scum bag that has ruined numerous lives... I heard he told him to go ahead and get it over with and hit him because "i deserve it, i've been sleeping with your wife for 10 years"... that's just the word on the street.. Would you want to find the mother of your kids at the local druggies house? IT'S SAD.
ReplyDeleteAssault is illegal.
ReplyDeleteWe can't have exceptions.
If my spouse cheats on me that's not a free ticket to break the law.
I've been there. I know how hard it is and how outside of our regular self we can get when it all comes down. But I deliberated to not do anything stupid.
Fired Sandwich police officer's case continued to Nov. 19
ReplyDeleteCape Cod Online
October 23, 2009
[Excerpts] A fired Sandwich police officer, accused of beating a man in an off-duty incident, made a brief court appearance yesterday. Dennis Byrne... was scheduled for a probable cause hearing in Barnstable District Court on an assault and battery charge. A prosecutor said the case is "moving toward a resolution" and requested that it be continued to Nov. 19. Byrne is appealing his termination to an arbitrator. [LINK]
the lover may be a scum-bag but the cop has been beating his wife for a long time. i know this. he should not get his job back!!!!
ReplyDeleteplease cite your source of information in the allegations that the cop has been beating his wife.
ReplyDeleteThe dirty laundry will all come out for everyone involved. The posting on March 14th is self serving. Why after 5 months is this here? Nobody in this town even knows what has been going on through the legal system. Only a very few??????? He should get his job back and back pay along with an apology from this town. Many people will not be happy when all the facts are presented.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the Sandwich Admin Sergeant charged and locked up for assault and battery on his wife in 2005 in Bourne? Look into that real case of domestic violence. The town didn't even do an investigation on this incident. Following the towns rationale with the decision to fire Byrne before his court case they should have fired this cop for the charge alone. Byrne is not charged with domestic violence. This is a small town and these incidents are well known.
ReplyDeleteSpousal abuse in WRONG. Husband towards wife AND wife towards husband. IT is WRONG. The fact that spousal abuse is even thrown into this particular case is extremely disrespectful to real victims- individuals and families as highlighted on this website.
ReplyDeleteIt is no secret that the alleged male victim is suing the Town for a pay day. The better the story, the bigger the pay off?
This cop was fired. He certainly has not been protected behind the blue wall. He was tried, found guilty and convicted by the Town Manager of Sandwich and not in a court of law. He has been personally, professionally and financially ruined before his right to defend himself of the charge in a court of law.
Good luck to the cops of Sandwich. Your town would rather pay off a known scum bag with a pretty nice history than protect you or your rights! You could easily find yourself in a similar position for any reason whatsoever. Something really stinks in Sandwich. Someone needs to look at this closer.
If the comments get too long they will continue on the next page and there will be a link at the bottom of the page to get there.
ReplyDeleteASSAULT TRIAL DELAYED FOR EX-CAPE OFFICER
ReplyDeleteCape Cod Times
George Brennan
April 07, 2010
[Excerpts] Dennis Byrne, a fired Sandwich police officer, is scheduled for trial on an assault charge later this month. Byrne was initially scheduled to appear in court yesterday, but a court clerk said the jury trial has been rescheduled to April 27... The first arbitration hearing was held late last month, Town Manager George "Bud" Dunham said in an e-mail. Two more arbitration sessions are scheduled in mid-May...
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100407/NEWS/4070320/-1/NEWSMAP
In Canada we have Brad Burkholder of the OPP, who beats his wife Jody while drunk.... which is often.... and he is always protected by his criminal cop friends.
ReplyDeleteOne day he is going to kill someone.
Then what??
This has nothing to do with domestic violence. A known drug dealer who has been charged with domestic violence himself is shielding his immoral behavior by calling the husband an abuser. Sandwich Police has protected one cop arrested for Domestic Assault and battery, Sgt Michael Nurse. He is an Administrative Sergeant close to former Chief Michael Miller. Miller did not investigate the matter internally because Nurse told him his wife is mentally unstable. This is all public record.
ReplyDeleteNo disrespect, this is not a case of domestic violence. This is about what happened between two men, the looser town drunk and the drunks girlfriend's husband who just so happens to be a cop. I seriously question the motives of the person who tried to inflame an already sensitive issue by throwing unfounded comments regarding domestic violence. It appears to have been an unsuccessful attempt of one certain cop at getting a promotion. Protected by the blue wall? Not in this case. His fellow town cop sacrificed this cop to advance himself in the department. Oh, and by the way the investigating cop was passed over for the position. This same cop bailed out another town cop arrested for domestic violence against his wife (a woman). He was never investigated. The former chief supported this behavior and blames the wife as being crazy. I guess in this town it is acceptable to commit violent crimes against women. The higher ranking officers defend and support the practice and even show up to bail them out! Disgusting!
ReplyDeleteRegardless of his history, reprimands arrests, Officer Byrne DID IT AGAIN. AN Innocent man, who had been dating legally separated and living apart from this women and man beater. Even though I am a women, men are allowed to be in society as well, with out the fear of being harmed, particularly as this gentleman is partially crippled already.
ReplyDeleteOfficer Byrne out of his jurisdiction (even though he's been fired, stalked the gentleman whom she was seeing (obviously the only way to find someone is to stalk. So in stalking his ex-wife and her boyfriend, he broke into the house apparently through a bulk head, attemted to murder the man in his sleep be hitting him over the head with a heavy object, finally it's over, this former has been officer should be locked up for good. There wasn't even bail set. I beleive the arraignment shall be on FRI the event occured Mon, so it's being realized that this man is to dangerous to be on the streets. Regardless, when trying to beat up a women if a man stands uop to protect her, in this instance I think he was knocked out, but women's advocates, from MA and the Cape Cod area are invited to attend, in support of this woman beating violent crimunal, so he will remain behind bars. He's a natural born killer.
New post
ReplyDelete[MA] PLEASE hold brutal ex-officer Dennis Byrne-the-beater without bail. Another anger-management plea agreement failure.
As the public has access to only the local t.v. news and newspaper articles, it is good to have this additional detailed information from someone who clearly has a personal relationship with the victims or a first hand eyewitness accounting of the events. The paper failed to mention that the boyfriend was handicapped or likely knocked out. This is even more horrible.
ReplyDeleteThere are however errors reported by the local news and newspaper such as the marital status and living arrangements of the husband and wife. While it would sound better if they were, they are unfortunately neither divorced nor are they legally separated. They did in fact live together in the family home with their children on that horrible night. Yes, they have children- the true victims.
The acts of ALL of these narcissistic adults will no doubt negatively impact these children forever! How would it not? All of the adults involved made their decisions thinking of themselves only and All involved made very poor decisions. Well done!
A good parent puts the interest and well-being of their children before themselves but unfortunately this was not the case here. Victim or not- did anyone think of these kids? SO SO SAD!
I have not doubt that the courts will deal with this ex-cop and I am sure he will rightfully pay for his bad acts. I pray that God will watch over these children- they are the only ones that matter. I would suggest inviting child advocates to your rally. As you say, lock this ex-cop up for good. I would suggest charging adults that neglect or interfere with the welfare of children with the same severity. This is the time in their life where their personality and psyche is developed. Natural born killer? Raise your children right. It is much better to build a good person than to try to repair one.
I have grown tired of people who spend more time trying to justify every poor decision versus taking the effort to make the right decisions in the first place. I am done.
Well said to the above. Seems to me they both "did it again". If that is the case and they after all these domestic abuse accusations have been sharing the same home something is seriously wrong... correct me if I'm wrong but this male victim is a different man then the victim of previous acts... I am perplexed at this whole disturbing situation. seems no steps were taken by either husband or wife to end this cycle and truley be free to lead "normal" lives... will their children have the tools and skills to do so with their lives... very sad and irresponsible of all people involved.
ReplyDeleteJust a quick clarification to the original post of February 22, 2011- There is no "legal separation," as such, in the state of Massachusetts. This means that you do not have to get court permission to live apart from your spouse and it is legal to live apart from your spouse. From the sounds of it though, it sure would have been a better idea. I am not sure why there is a focus on marital status. There doesn't need to be legal justification as to why this "couple" was together in the male victims house that night and I would think he must have known where she lived because it surely wasn't with him.
ReplyDeleteThe term "separation" is key. Anyone that lives in this town knows that the Byrne's were living together and by definition not "legally separated". If what I understand you to say- legally separated and living apart- I sure hope there were no kids in that house at 3 am when this occurred.
Nevertheless, it doesn't change what happened or how it will effect the only casualties that truly matter. As adults, they made their choices and should own up to them.
There's a newer post. Run a search in the search box in the upper left had corner of the page: byrne
ReplyDelete[MA] Fired Officer Byrne is going to jail on 1st domestic charges - still facing 2nd charges
ReplyDeletehttp://behindthebluewall.blogspot.com/2011/03/ma-fired-officer-byrne-is-going-to-jail.html
Where are the people who defended this piece of garbage in the first post?
ReplyDeleteWhy have they not come back to continue their defense?
Nepotism in Policing is the biggest crime cops commit. They lie, defend, turn their backs until it is too late and then they pretend it never happened.
I'm going out on a limb and assuming you refer to the ex-cop as "this piece of garbage". I am one of the people who defended him from the first post and will continue to do so until I hear ALL OF THE FACTS and make my own conclusion. There has been no trial or evidence presented. I must ask where did the original poster get all the details? Obviously some of what they considered FACTS were wrong but are taken as true because it was written. I admittedly don't know the players as did the person who started the comments.
ReplyDeleteThe newspapers have corrected errors in their initial reports. They clarified that the "wife" is married with young children and living with her husband whom she had spent the day with prior to ending up in some other guys bed. If she is married and living with her husband and kids you tell me who their kids would consider the "piece of garbage"? They are the only ones who matter. The poor kids- did anyone think of them?
FACTS don't apply as evidenced by the original post so it is O.K. to post whatever people say. Having said that, it's O.K. to post that people who grew up in Barnstable say that the "partially crippled gentleman" has a criminal past and is actually an ex-convict himself. And if true, would I want my kids exposed to the likes of him? I would say- hell no.
I believe the Judge referred to the culpability of all involved in this case she called a soap opera and all involved made bad judgments per the newspaper. That speaks volumes to me. She must have heard FACTS that would lead her to make such a statement.
I am at a loss as to how nepotism in policing pertains to this particular story? Things need to at least make sense and in this case they don't. He is not a cop and was not a cop on that day. Wait for the trial. That's what I plan to do.
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ReplyDelete'Soap opera' lands Sandwich ex-officer in jail
capecodonline.com
March 03, 2011
By George Brennan gbrennan@capecodonline.com
March 03, 2011
BARNSTABLE — Dennis Byrne, a fired Sandwich police officer, had his probation revoked Wednesday and will serve six months in jail for his 2009 assault on the former boyfriend of his wife.
The sentence followed a three-hour hearing Wednesday in Barnstable District Court that Judge Joan Lynch described as a "soap opera." Courtroom testimony was at times emotional, at times inconsistent and included profane language. Much of the testimony centered on Byrne's alleged abuse of his wife and her repeated infidelity over an eight-year period.
Byrne was arrested by the Barnstable police Feb. 21 and accused of attacking his wife and her boyfriend inside the man's Hyannis home as he lay naked in bed. The alleged assault occurred just after 3:30 a.m. and, according to testimony, Byrne broke into the house, hit the boyfriend with a lamp, elbowed him in the face and slammed his wife's face into a wall.
Both were bloodied and bruised in the attack, according to testimony.
During the attack, Byrne allegedly ripped a T-shirt off his wife. "He grabbed my right breast and said he bought them so he's taking them back," she testified Wednesday
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ReplyDeletePrevious Threats
At other times, her testimony conflicted with what she told investigators about previous altercations with her husband. She apparently told investigators that her husband had broken her nose during an altercation in early February. But on the witness stand, the woman said she "caught it on the door" as she tried to get by him.
Before the hearing, Byrne, who has been held at Plymouth County Correctional Facility since his recent arrest, shuffled into the courtroom in shackles mouthing words to his wife. He repeated the gestures while she was on the witness stand, apparently out of view of Lynch.
During testimony, Byrne's wife told the court she wasn't afraid of the ex-police officer, even though she asked for and was granted a restraining order on Tuesday.
Christina Maxwell, a family friend, said Byrne had threatened to kill his wife during an incident a year ago. "He said the only way I'm leaving is if (she) is in a body bag," Maxwell said.
She also described several incidents in which Byrne's wife had bruises that she attempted to hide.
Hours before the alleged attack on Feb. 21, Byrne had an altercation with his wife's boyfriend at a Centerville restaurant that prompted a police response. At that point, the boyfriend declined to press charges.
According to testimony, Byrne had confronted the man about his ongoing relationship with his wife after a day of drinking alcohol. Byrne and his wife still lived together in Sandwich up until his arrest and have three children.
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ReplyDeleteBlame Shared
Byrne's attorney, Jens Bahrawy, argued that the repeated infidelity, the loss of his job as a Sandwich police officer, and the foreclosure on the couple's home all played a role in her client's behavior.
"Mr. Byrne describes it as having the rug of his life pulled out from under him," Bahrawy said.
Bahrawy had asked that Byrne remain on probation with strict stay-away orders, but the judge ultimately rejected that idea. She did concede that Byrne was not alone in blame.
"There were so many bad judgments made in these circumstances by everyone," Lynch said, adding the February incident "played out like a soap opera."
Byrne was charged with armed burglary and assault, assault with a dangerous weapon (lamp), assault and battery, and vandalism. During Wednesday's hearing, Lynch found there was probable cause on all charges and will send the case to the Barnstable County grand jury.
A motion by the Cape and Islands District Attorney's Office to determine whether Byrne posed a danger was withdrawn because of the jail sentence imposed by the judge.
In October, Byrne admitted sufficient facts in Barnstable District Court in the June 2009 beating of another man linked romantically to his wife, and the case was continued without a finding. In that case, he opened a gash on the man's head that required 37 stitches to close. Byrne was fired by the town of Sandwich shortly after that incident, a termination that was upheld on appeal.
Had Byrne not been charged with another crime, the assault and battery charge in the 2009 case would have eventually been dismissed. Instead, he now has a criminal record and faces the charges related to the Feb. 21 incident.
Along with the six months in jail, Lynch sentenced Byrne to two years of supervised probation during which he will have to wear a GPS tracking device. Byrne also was ordered to stay away from his wife and her boyfriend.
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110303/NEWS/103030326/-1/news
The part of an anonymous comment today that I can post:
ReplyDelete"Byrne was ordered to stay away from his wife for 2 yrs.... looks like the soap opera will play out again... they are back playing house together again after 6 mos. of him behind bars.. looks like all the people who wrote on here were all wrong! The wife has her husband back where she wants him!..."
Dennis Byrne home invades and attacks a cripple while he is sleeping. I am surpised he didn't get more then 6 months. It doesn't matter if the disabled guy had a record and did jail time. It sounds like it the previous posts that it is ok to attack someone because they had a prior. That makes no sense. Is it ok to attack someone for being Polish or a Democrat? The answer is no. Mr. Byrne got a sweet deal plead out to breaking and entering this man's home and striking him while he's asleep. Mr. Byrne is a brave man. I thought Mr. Byrne lived 8 houses past his estranged wife and just came by to give her some old fashion beatings and watch the kids while she stayed at her boyfriends house. Didn't Mr. Byrne leave the children unattended while he was committing this crime at 3:30 AM. A 3 year old with no adult supervision doesn't sound like a responsible parent in my book.
ReplyDeleteThe person posting on September 7th clearly has knowledge of what I would consider an unsafe situation regarding an unattended 3 year old child. I hope this person does the responsible thing and takes action to ensure the safety of this child.
ReplyDelete