FEBRUARY:
...[SWAT-trained Glendale Police Officer Brent] Thomas and his wife were in the midst of a divorce. Thomas' wife told police Thomas had abused her for seven to 10 years. She also shared photos of injuries... Police recommended in October that Thomas, a 14-year officer, be charged with felony counts of aggravated domestic violence, aggravated assault, criminal damage and interference with a judicial proceeding, a misdemeanor. A spokesman for the county attorney's office confirmed Tuesday that prosecutors will not file charges against Thomas... Police also learned that Thomas' wife told Glendale Officer Delores Baumann about the apparent abuse but she did not report it to supervisors... Baumann told investigators she "felt she was caught in a predicament that had no beneficial outcome regardless of what she did"...
Glendale Police Chief Steve Conrad notified Thomas and his (sometimes subordinate) girlfriend at work, Officer Heather Opp, that they were to be fired, so they resigned.
THIS MONTH:
Oregon police responded to [resigned Glendale police officer Bremt] Thomas's new home early Sunday after a caller reported he had assaulted his girlfriend. They arrived to find his 27-year-old girlfriend's face covered in blood and her eyes swollen, according to a probable cause statement filed in Lincoln County Circuit Court. He reportedly grabbed the woman by the throat when she tried to get money from a safe and later punched her "multiple times in the face and head"... Police responding to the couple's home also discovered dozens of loaded firearms including AR-15 rifles and semiautomatic handguns. A July 2010 order of protection bars Thomas from possessing guns... Thomas was arrested on suspicion of 71 counts of contempt of court for possessing firearms in his home, as well as felony assault, menacing, strangulation and harassment.
EXCERPTS FROM ARTICLES WITH LINKS:
FORMER GLENDALE POLICE OFFICER WON'T FACE ABUSE CHARGES: Policeman resigned after allegations surfaced
The Arizona Republic
by Lisa Halverstadt -
Feb. 22, 2011 01:03 PM
[Excerpts] Two Glendale police officers resigned months after an internal investigation was launched by an anonymous call. The unidentified caller reported in July that Glendale Sgt. Brent Thomas had abused his wife... Those allegations will not result in criminal charges, a Maricopa County Attorney's Office spokesman said on Tuesday. However, by December, Thomas and another officer with whom he had a romantic relationship had resigned and a third officer was reprimanded... Last summer, when the allegations were reported, Thomas and his wife were in the midst of a divorce. Thomas' wife told police Thomas had abused her for seven to 10 years. She also shared photos of injuries she said resulted from the abuse. Glendale police redacted details about the injuries and the abuse allegations in the documents released to The Republic. Police recommended in October that Thomas, a 14-year officer, be charged with felony counts of aggravated domestic violence, aggravated assault, criminal damage and interference with a judicial proceeding, a misdemeanor. A spokesman for the county attorney's office confirmed Tuesday that prosecutors will not file charges against Thomas. "Our position after reviewing the information that was provided to us is that there is not enough to win a conviction," spokesman Jerry Cobb said... Police officials relieved Thomas of his enforcement duties immediately upon learning of the abuse allegations and ordered him to return his department weapons, said Sgt. Brent Coombs... Thomas also chose not to speak to police investigators... Thomas and another officer, Heather Opp, worked the same shift and in the same patrol area, according to documents. Thomas also was Opp's supervisor, at times. In interviews with investigators, Opp first described her relationship with Thomas and his wife as friendly. She later said she and Thomas had a romantic relationship and that she had moved in with Thomas, who no longer lived with his wife... Police also learned that Thomas' wife told Glendale Officer Delores Baumann about the apparent abuse but she did not report it to supervisors. Thomas was Baumann's boss... Baumann told investigators she "felt she was caught in a predicament that had no beneficial outcome regardless of what she did." The internal investigation was completed Sept. 30. Investigators accused Opp of lying about her relationship with Thomas during her review. They recommended termination of Thomas based on the allegations against him. Police Chief Steve Conrad notified Thomas and Opp that they were going to be fired. Both officers resigned. Baumann was given a written reprimand... Opp, a two-year officer, agreed last month to voluntarily give up her right to serve as a police officer in Arizona after her case was forwarded to the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board for review. Thomas's case has not yet gone before the board. [Full article here]
ARIZONA COP WHO RESIGNED UNDER PRESSURE ARRESTED FOR NASTY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INCIDENT IN LINCOLN CITY
News Lincoln County
Apr 10 2011
[Excerpts] Lincoln City Police have arrested a former Phoenix Arizona area police officer for strangling a woman in the Nelscott area of Lincoln City. Lincoln City Police say the call came in very early this morning that a woman had been threatened, assaulted and then strangled. The woman survived the attack with serious injuries. An All Points Bulletin went out for all of Oregon that Brent Thomas may be headed back to his former home in Glendale, AZ. Having a description of Thomas’s car, authorities spotted him on Highway 20, just west of Philomath where he was pulled over and taken into custody. Thomas was lodged in the Lincoln County Jail where he is being held on charges of strangulation, assault, menacing and harassment. His bail was set at $290,000... Lincoln City authorities declined to identify the victim of this morning’s assault in Nelscott. [Full article here]
FORMER GLENDALE POLICE SERGEANT ARRESTED IN OREGON
The Arizona Republic
by Lisa Halverstadt
Apr. 12, 2011 04:49 PM
[Excerpts] A former Glendale police sergeant is being held without bond in an Oregon jail after he reportedly assaulted his live-in girlfriend, records show. Brent Thomas, who resigned last November amid an internal investigation, is also accused of continuing to possess firearms despite an order of protection filed by his estranged wife that bars him from doing so... Lincoln City, Ore. police responded to Thomas's new home early Sunday after a caller reported he had assaulted his girlfriend. They arrived to find his 27-year-old girlfriend's face covered in blood and her eyes swollen, according to a probable cause statement filed in Lincoln County Circuit Court... He reportedly grabbed the woman by the throat when she tried to get money from a safe and later punched her "multiple times in the face and head"... Police responding to the couple's home also discovered dozens of loaded firearms including AR-15 rifles and semiautomatic handguns. A July 2010 order of protection bars Thomas from possessing guns. Police allege Thomas has continued to operate a website that sells firearms and accessories despite the order. In the hours after the reported assault, police struggled to find Thomas. A gun was noted to be missing. Police later arrested Thomas along a Benton County highway, about 75 miles away. Officers found $400,000 cash in Thomas's trunk but not the handgun... Thomas was arrested on suspicion of 71 counts of contempt of court for possessing firearms in his home, as well as felony assault, menacing, strangulation and harassment. On Monday, a Lincoln County judge denied bail for Thomas after prosecutors argued he had failed to abide by the rules of the protective order, fled his home after the alleged assault and removed a handgun before he left. A Monday court filing by prosecutors also cited Thomas's training as Glendale SWAT officer... [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal brutal repeat hx teflon brotherhood arizona state politics]
...[SWAT-trained Glendale Police Officer Brent] Thomas and his wife were in the midst of a divorce. Thomas' wife told police Thomas had abused her for seven to 10 years. She also shared photos of injuries... Police recommended in October that Thomas, a 14-year officer, be charged with felony counts of aggravated domestic violence, aggravated assault, criminal damage and interference with a judicial proceeding, a misdemeanor. A spokesman for the county attorney's office confirmed Tuesday that prosecutors will not file charges against Thomas... Police also learned that Thomas' wife told Glendale Officer Delores Baumann about the apparent abuse but she did not report it to supervisors... Baumann told investigators she "felt she was caught in a predicament that had no beneficial outcome regardless of what she did"...
Glendale Police Chief Steve Conrad notified Thomas and his (sometimes subordinate) girlfriend at work, Officer Heather Opp, that they were to be fired, so they resigned.
THIS MONTH:
Oregon police responded to [resigned Glendale police officer Bremt] Thomas's new home early Sunday after a caller reported he had assaulted his girlfriend. They arrived to find his 27-year-old girlfriend's face covered in blood and her eyes swollen, according to a probable cause statement filed in Lincoln County Circuit Court. He reportedly grabbed the woman by the throat when she tried to get money from a safe and later punched her "multiple times in the face and head"... Police responding to the couple's home also discovered dozens of loaded firearms including AR-15 rifles and semiautomatic handguns. A July 2010 order of protection bars Thomas from possessing guns... Thomas was arrested on suspicion of 71 counts of contempt of court for possessing firearms in his home, as well as felony assault, menacing, strangulation and harassment.
EXCERPTS FROM ARTICLES WITH LINKS:
FORMER GLENDALE POLICE OFFICER WON'T FACE ABUSE CHARGES: Policeman resigned after allegations surfaced
The Arizona Republic
by Lisa Halverstadt -
Feb. 22, 2011 01:03 PM
[Excerpts] Two Glendale police officers resigned months after an internal investigation was launched by an anonymous call. The unidentified caller reported in July that Glendale Sgt. Brent Thomas had abused his wife... Those allegations will not result in criminal charges, a Maricopa County Attorney's Office spokesman said on Tuesday. However, by December, Thomas and another officer with whom he had a romantic relationship had resigned and a third officer was reprimanded... Last summer, when the allegations were reported, Thomas and his wife were in the midst of a divorce. Thomas' wife told police Thomas had abused her for seven to 10 years. She also shared photos of injuries she said resulted from the abuse. Glendale police redacted details about the injuries and the abuse allegations in the documents released to The Republic. Police recommended in October that Thomas, a 14-year officer, be charged with felony counts of aggravated domestic violence, aggravated assault, criminal damage and interference with a judicial proceeding, a misdemeanor. A spokesman for the county attorney's office confirmed Tuesday that prosecutors will not file charges against Thomas. "Our position after reviewing the information that was provided to us is that there is not enough to win a conviction," spokesman Jerry Cobb said... Police officials relieved Thomas of his enforcement duties immediately upon learning of the abuse allegations and ordered him to return his department weapons, said Sgt. Brent Coombs... Thomas also chose not to speak to police investigators... Thomas and another officer, Heather Opp, worked the same shift and in the same patrol area, according to documents. Thomas also was Opp's supervisor, at times. In interviews with investigators, Opp first described her relationship with Thomas and his wife as friendly. She later said she and Thomas had a romantic relationship and that she had moved in with Thomas, who no longer lived with his wife... Police also learned that Thomas' wife told Glendale Officer Delores Baumann about the apparent abuse but she did not report it to supervisors. Thomas was Baumann's boss... Baumann told investigators she "felt she was caught in a predicament that had no beneficial outcome regardless of what she did." The internal investigation was completed Sept. 30. Investigators accused Opp of lying about her relationship with Thomas during her review. They recommended termination of Thomas based on the allegations against him. Police Chief Steve Conrad notified Thomas and Opp that they were going to be fired. Both officers resigned. Baumann was given a written reprimand... Opp, a two-year officer, agreed last month to voluntarily give up her right to serve as a police officer in Arizona after her case was forwarded to the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board for review. Thomas's case has not yet gone before the board. [Full article here]
ARIZONA COP WHO RESIGNED UNDER PRESSURE ARRESTED FOR NASTY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INCIDENT IN LINCOLN CITY
News Lincoln County
Apr 10 2011
[Excerpts] Lincoln City Police have arrested a former Phoenix Arizona area police officer for strangling a woman in the Nelscott area of Lincoln City. Lincoln City Police say the call came in very early this morning that a woman had been threatened, assaulted and then strangled. The woman survived the attack with serious injuries. An All Points Bulletin went out for all of Oregon that Brent Thomas may be headed back to his former home in Glendale, AZ. Having a description of Thomas’s car, authorities spotted him on Highway 20, just west of Philomath where he was pulled over and taken into custody. Thomas was lodged in the Lincoln County Jail where he is being held on charges of strangulation, assault, menacing and harassment. His bail was set at $290,000... Lincoln City authorities declined to identify the victim of this morning’s assault in Nelscott. [Full article here]
FORMER GLENDALE POLICE SERGEANT ARRESTED IN OREGON
The Arizona Republic
by Lisa Halverstadt
Apr. 12, 2011 04:49 PM
[Excerpts] A former Glendale police sergeant is being held without bond in an Oregon jail after he reportedly assaulted his live-in girlfriend, records show. Brent Thomas, who resigned last November amid an internal investigation, is also accused of continuing to possess firearms despite an order of protection filed by his estranged wife that bars him from doing so... Lincoln City, Ore. police responded to Thomas's new home early Sunday after a caller reported he had assaulted his girlfriend. They arrived to find his 27-year-old girlfriend's face covered in blood and her eyes swollen, according to a probable cause statement filed in Lincoln County Circuit Court... He reportedly grabbed the woman by the throat when she tried to get money from a safe and later punched her "multiple times in the face and head"... Police responding to the couple's home also discovered dozens of loaded firearms including AR-15 rifles and semiautomatic handguns. A July 2010 order of protection bars Thomas from possessing guns. Police allege Thomas has continued to operate a website that sells firearms and accessories despite the order. In the hours after the reported assault, police struggled to find Thomas. A gun was noted to be missing. Police later arrested Thomas along a Benton County highway, about 75 miles away. Officers found $400,000 cash in Thomas's trunk but not the handgun... Thomas was arrested on suspicion of 71 counts of contempt of court for possessing firearms in his home, as well as felony assault, menacing, strangulation and harassment. On Monday, a Lincoln County judge denied bail for Thomas after prosecutors argued he had failed to abide by the rules of the protective order, fled his home after the alleged assault and removed a handgun before he left. A Monday court filing by prosecutors also cited Thomas's training as Glendale SWAT officer... [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal brutal repeat hx teflon brotherhood arizona state politics]
You have no clue of the complete facts in these cases and this is slanderous!
ReplyDeleteNews excerpts are slanderous? Interesting.
ReplyDeleteslanderous??? really??? the facts about this story are true; trust me i know; so next time think before you speak.
ReplyDeleteIf you know so much, you must be a eye witness. I would hope you have contacted the investigating police agency. The actual facts are very questionable but why not try the man in the media.
ReplyDeleteArguing is usually futile
ReplyDeleteBTBW - Do you have an update on this story? Any latest developments?
ReplyDeleteThanks for asking. Caused me to look and see. Yes, something did happen. I have to run but will post. He should be under a jail - and is not. What a deal!!!!
ReplyDeleteYes he should be under a jail or burning in hell. He and 5 other officers of the glendale pd killed an unarmed man putting 200+ bullets into him. I'd say overkill. They ALL should have been prosecuted.
DeleteFORMER ARIZONA COP SENTENCED IN LINCOLN COUNTY COURT, NEXT ROUND POSSIBLY “THE FEDS.”
ReplyDeleteNews Lincoln County
July 28, 2011
[Excerpts] A former Phoenix area police officer who moved to Lincoln City with his girlfriend, also a former police officer, has pleaded guilty to savagely assaulting her at their Lincoln City home last April. Brent Thomas was sentenced [by Judge Sheryl Bachart] to serving time already served... Court records reveal that Thomas had argued with his girlfriend at their Nelscott residence, during which Thomas beat her up so badly she needed stitches for a number of head wounds, and that he had choked her. He was picked up by authorities just west of Philomath after an all points bulletin went out over statewide 9-1-1 systems. In 2010, Thomas was a Glendale, Arizona police sergeant and was the immediate supervisor of his then police officer girlfriend. When Thomas’ wife learned about their affair, she filed for divorce and contended that he had beaten her repeatedly over the last ten years of their marriage. However, due to lack of immediate evidence, no charges were ever filed. When both Thomas and officer Heather Opp learned they were both going to be fired for having an affair, seen as compromising professional ethics and employment rules, they both quit and moved to Lincoln City where Thomas pursued his gun manufacturing and sales activities through his internet website... In addition to getting a jail sentence for time already served, Thomas will have to pay nearly $20,000 in court costs and restitution to his now former girlfriend. He is banned from owning or even possessing guns. And he is to be evaluated for alcohol addiction. He is also barred from entering any bar or tavern or to drink any alcoholic beverages. His case is expected to be forwarded to the U.S. Agency of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. [Full article here]
FORMER COP SENTENCED IN LINCOLN CITY ASSAULT CASE: Details of gun cache sent to ATF, investigators say
ReplyDeleteThe News Guard
Patrick Alexander
Posted: Thursday, July 28, 2011 2:24 pm
Updated: 9:37 am, Fri Jul 29, 2011.
[Excerpts] A former police officer charged with assaulting his girlfriend and violating a court order by operating an assault rifle assembly line in the basement of a Lincoln City home has been sentenced to four years' probation after striking a plea deal with prosecutors. Brent Victor Thomas, a former sergeant with the Glendale Police Department in Arizona, was arrested on April 20 after Lincoln City police received a report that he had assaulted his girlfriend, Heather Jo Opp... According to Officer Trent Morrill, police arrived to find Opp with a badly swollen face and multiple head lacerations that required stitches. Opp, also a former member of Glendale Police Department, told officers that she and Thomas had argued and that he had told her to go back to Arizona. Opp said Thomas grabbed her by the throat when she tried to take money from the home's safe to pay for the trip and that she punched him in an attempt to get away. After that, she said, Thomas punched her multiple times in the face, grabbed cash from the safe and left the house. Thomas was arrested heading east on Highway 20. On April 11, Thomas was arraigned in Lincoln County Circuit Court on three counts of second-degree assault and two counts of third-degree assault as well as counts of fourth-degree assault, menacing, strangulation and harassmen... Thomas also faced 71 counts of contempt of court relating to possession of numerous guns despite being the subject of court order prohibiting possession of any firearms. That 2010 Order of Protection was issued by Maricopa County Superior Court, Ariz., which found that Thomas posed a "credible threat" to his wife, Leigh Ledoux. Police seized 14 assembled handguns, nine assembled rifles and more than 40 lower receiver sections of AR-15 rifles... Thomas is registered as director of Rifles Rus, Inc and president of Dynamic Armament, Inc., a company for which Ledoux is listed as secretary. On May 2, Judge Sheryl Bachart refused Thomas' bail request and he remained in custody until a July 26 hearing at which he pled guilty to one count of fourth degree assault... In return for the guilty plea, prosecutors asked the court to dismiss all the other charges against Thomas... Bachart also ordered that Thomas undergo domestic violence treatment as well as an alcohol evaluation... Thomas was also ordered to return his police uniform patches to Glendale Police Department. Bachart imposed a jail term of 120 days with credit for time served. Thomas was released from jail on the day of sentencing, having served 107 days... Lincoln City Police Chief Steven Bechard said his department passed on details of the case to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF... [Full article here]
Shocked to say the least!!!
ReplyDeleteI've known this guy for years and he was always an a**hole to deal with. I've seen him have tantrums and have witnessed him browbeat his wife in public. It was only a matter of time before this happened. The articles fail to mention that he shot an unarmed man in Glendale in 2008. Where ever this guy is you can bet that he has guns with him!
ReplyDeleteBTBW - Have you got any more details on this case? I would think that someone like this would find his way back into the system. Typically criminals like this can't help themselves and repeat their behavior.....
ReplyDeletethere is nothing going on with this case. It is at a stale mate and may be dismised!! After seeing both the photos and hearing recorded sessions of the abuse, there are no elegations only facts!! The next step is to find out WHY this man is escaping everything thrown at him and why nothing in 2 years has been done for the victim. ITS TIME TO GO VIRAL!!! MEDIA AND ALL RESOURCES WILL NOW BE USED TO FIND OUT WHY THIS WREAKS OF COVER UP SO BADLY!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhoops. Looks like the strategy to wait until everyone forgets about it isn't going to work. Stay on it! Update me if you find anything out please.
ReplyDeleteEx-Glendale sergeant pleads no contest to assault charge
ReplyDeleteFormer Glendale sergeant was charged in assault
The Arizona Republic
by Lisa Halverstadt
Aug. 1, 2011 02:26 PM
A former Glendale police sergeant has pleaded no contest to domestic-violence assault.
Brent Thomas, 43, was arrested in April after he allegedly assaulted his live-in girlfriend in Oregon and fled.
Lincoln City police found dozens of loaded firearms in Thomas' home, which were not there when they returned to search the house.
Thomas was barred from possessing weapons because of an order of protection filed by his estranged wife in Arizona.
Thomas, a 14-year Glendale officer, resigned from the Police Department last November amid an investigation sparked by an anonymous report he had abused his wife.
The couple were in the midst of a divorce when the allegations surfaced. Thomas' wife said he had abused her for years and shared pictures of her injuries.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office decided in February that it would not file charges against Thomas.
Thomas, a former Glendale SWAT officer, later moved to Oregon.
On April 10, police responded to Thomas' new home to find his 27-year-old girlfriend's face covered in blood and her eyes swollen, according to Lincoln County Circuit Court records.
Thomas was held without bond in the county jail on suspicion of three counts of felony assault and misdemeanor counts of domestic-violence assault, menacing, strangulation and harassment. He also faced 71 misdemeanor counts of continuing to possess weapons.
Last Tuesday, Thomas agreed to enter a no-contest plea for misdemeanor assault as part of an agreement with prosecutors. All other charges were dropped and Thomas has since been released from jail.
Court records show the former officer was ordered to complete a batterer's intervention program, undergo an alcohol evaluation and to return his firearms to his estranged wife in Arizona.
He will also be required to return police uniform patches seized during the investigation to the Glendale Police Department and to pay more than $11,000 in fines, according to records.
Last month, Thomas agreed to permanently surrender his certification to serve as an Arizona police officer.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/08/01/20110801glendale-sergeant-pleads-no-contest-assault-brk.html
BTBW - Anything ever come of his Domestic Violence in Az? Check out and see if anything has surfaced....
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you know (and I'm swamped with cases involving murders) so any chance - since you can post as anonymous, that you could update us?
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know where this guy is now cause I just had a guy by the same name, with an AZ phone # threaten me over text in TX?
ReplyDeleteHe runs an auto tinting and clear bra business in Argyle, Tx.
ReplyDeleteAccurate Auto Detail & Tint Argyle TX and Clear Bra North Dallas
Delete