Some folks have to be afraid.
Previous posts on blog:
- [NY] Fired, reinstated Officer Lewis arrested for assault on his wife
- [NY] Fired, reinstated, arrested Officer Lewis arrested a 2nd time in 2 months
- [NY] Fired, reinstated, then twice arrested Officer Lewis CLEARED of dv charges
- [NY] Fired, reinstated Officer Lewis arrested 3rd time - after alleged death threats
- [NY] Officer Lewis arrested 4th time - (How much will it take?)
- [NY] Cop-on-cop domestic violence is FIFTH ARREST in 9 months for STILL-A-COP John Lewis
- [NY] Fire Officer Lewis? We'll believe it when we see it.
- [NY] Fired, reinstated, ARRESTED FIVE TIMES, suspended Officer Lewis is rejecting the plea deal
- [NY] STILL-A-COP??? Schenectady police officer John Lewis arrested SIXTH time -
Schenectady cop fired in 2010 DIES!!! John Lewis, 44, served 16 years on Schenectady force
ReplyDeleteBy Paul Nelson | February 20, 2014
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Police mugshot of Schenectady police Officer John Lewis.
Schenectady
John Lewis lost his job as a city police officer and his freedom six months apart in 2010 following multiple arrests over several years on charges ranging from computer tampering to domestic violence.
On Wednesday, the fired city patrolman, whose career was derailed by depression, stress and alcohol problems, lost his life.
A 911 call from his girlfriend sent city police to Lewis' Oregon Avenue home where they found him unresponsive.
Preliminary autopsy results late Thursday indicate Lewis died of natural causes. He was 44 years old.
The death comes a month after his mother, Frances Ann Galardy Lewis, died at Ellis Hospital.
In 2010, Lewis was sentenced to serve prison time, ending years of legal problems that led to being fired as a city patrolman. As part of a plea deal, Lewis was sentenced to two one-year terms after he admitted drunken driving and computer tampering.
The punishment ran concurrently with a 16-month sentence in federal court for his conviction of having a fallen comrade's gun in 2009 when he was prohibited from doing so by a domestic-violence-related order of protection. A judge also ordered Lewis to undergo mental health counseling, refrain from consuming alcohol after his release and pay for all the costs associated with the treatment.
Lewis had about 16 years on the force when he was fired in 2010 after then-Mayor Brian U. Stratton accepted an independent hearing officer's recommendation to terminate him.
It was the second time the city had let him go.
His battles with the department date back to 1998, when an arbitrator reversed his firing over his use of a racial slur at the police station.
Schenectady Police Chief Brian Kilcullen said Thursday that the department was saddened to learn of Lewis' death.
"Not withstanding Mr. Lewis' problems with the police department, for anyone to pass away at such a young age is tragic," Kilcullen said.
Retired Police Chief Mark Chaires echoed those sentiments.
"It's just an unfortunate set of circumstances," said Chaires, who ran the department when Lewis was terminated.
Retired Schenectady Police Officer Jeffrey Curtis recounted serving as the field training officer when Lewis first came on the police force and then later working together with him on the department's tactical unit.
Curtis, who in 2007 served four years in prison for stealing drugs from an evidence locker to feed his addiction, said he tried to help Lewis.
"It's similar to me, where I had my demons and was able to get help, I don't believe he identified his," added Curtis. "He was a nice guy who was seeking direction and I'm not sure he ever got it." Curtis said he last saw Lewis at the wake for Lewis' mother a few weeks ago.
"He was a good friend, a good man, and a good police officer," Curtis said.
On Thursday, Lewis' attorney, Michael Horan, said he was shocked to learn about Lewis' death from a reporter.
The attorney said he had a brief conversation with Lewis when they ran into each other about a month ago.
"It's tragic that his personal life and career took such a terrible turn," Horan said. "He made some bad choices but was a good cop in many ways."
pnelson@timesunion.com • 518-454-5347 • @apaulnelson
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