...[Former Yakama Tribal Police Officer] Anthony J. Hernandez, 28, was in uniform and on duty at the time of the Sept. 18, 2009, incident, resulting in his termination from the force and prosecution on charges of first-degree kidnapping, felony harassment and reckless endangerment.... PREVIOUS POST:
[WA] Officer Hernandez accused of assaulting wife and threat to bury man on sacred Yakama mountain, Pahto - ...Hernandez's wife was being treated for a cut over her right eye... The man told police that Hernandez said he was a tribal officer and could kill him and bury him on Mount Adams and get away with it...
I am leaving the intimate details out of these excerpts but the links to the articles are here.
TRIAL BEGINS FOR EX-TRIBAL POLICE OFFICER
Yakima Herald-Republic
BY CHRIS BRISTOL
September 27, 2011 AT 11:51PM
[Excerpts] Trial got under way Tuesday in the case of a former Yakama tribal police officer accused of going into a jealous rage when he caught his estranged wife in bed with another man. Anthony J. Hernandez, 28, was in uniform and on duty at the time of the Sept. 18, 2009, incident, resulting in his termination from the force and prosecution on charges of first-degree kidnapping, felony harassment and reckless endangerment. In his opening statement, Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Ken Ramm told a jury of seven men and seven women that testimony will show Hernandez was angry and misused his service weapon during the incident... Ramm told the jury that Hernandez and his wife, Miranda, had separated several months prior to the incident and were dating other people... But veteran defense attorney Adam Moore told the jury there are two sides to every story and that there was much more to the incident than the prosecution was willing to admit... In the meantime, Hernandez remains free on his own recognizance. Moore said his client is unemployed. The case has a number of similarities to the case of Sean Moore, a Yakima County sheriff's deputy who was convicted of attacking a woman and male friend last year while on duty and in uniform. Moore, no relation to the defense attorney, later committed suicide in jail... [Full article here]
OFFICER POUNDED, YELLED AT BEDROOM DOOR, WITNESS TESTIFIES
Yakima Herald-Republic
BY CHRIS BRISTOL
By Chris Bristol
Thursday, September 29
[Excerpts] The first day of testimony in the trial of former Yakama tribal police officer Anthony Hernandez got off to a surprise start Wednesday when it was revealed the man he caught in bed with his estranged wife is the stepson of the Zillah police chief. Steven Perez, 23, took the stand against Hernandez... Perez told the jury he was a 21-year-old college student and football player when the incident occurred... [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal terroristic threats washington state politics]
There but for the Grace of God go I.
ReplyDeleteWe live by laws that we have to abide by, but I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't say here that I know how out of character we can become when faced with our estranged spouse's lover.
Thank God we have laws. We have to decide between what we feel like doing and what we actually do.
The defense says it was all a misunderstanding. Hmm. And we don't know if the dissolving marriage included abuse. We don't know anything. That's what court is for and I pray that whatever is true and just is what is decided in the end - that the court process is fair and professional, and that all the parties can move on from where they are and make the best of what's left of the rest of their lives.
Here's some advice from someone who has documented a lot of deaths - when you are divorcing stay away from alcohol and lovers. Let the process finish. And if there are fears, move away, no matter how inconvenient. Location matters.
Former tribal officer found guilty on harassment charges
ReplyDeleteYakima Herald-Republic
by Chris Bristol and Mai Hoang
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
[Excerpts] A Yakima County jury on Tuesday acquitted former Yakama tribal police officer Anthony Hernandez of kidnapping a man he found in bed with his estranged wife. The jury also acquitted Hernandez of reckless endangerment but convicted him of felony harassment for threatening to kill the man, who turned out to be the stepson of the Zillah police chief. All three decisions were unanimous... Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Ken Ramm pointed out that a felony conviction effectively prevents Hernandez, who was fired after his arrest, from ever working again as a police officer...
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2011/10/04/former-tribal-officer-found-guilty-on-harassment-charges
Former tribal officer convicted on lesser of three charges
ReplyDeleteBY CHRIS BRISTOL AND MAI HOANG
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC
[Excerpts] A Yakima County jury on Tuesday acquitted former Yakama tribal police officer Anthony Hernandez of kidnapping a man he found in bed with his estranged wife. The jury also acquitted Hernandez of reckless endangerment but convicted him of felony harassment for threatening to kill the man, who turned out to be the stepson of the Zillah police chief... Prosecutors accused Hernandez of lashing out in anger after he found his estranged wife, Miranda, asleep in bed with another man the morning of Sept. 18, 2009. Hernandez was in uniform and on duty at the time, and there was no question that he detained Perez at gunpoint. The question is whether he had a right to and for how long. Earlier in the trial, Perez and Miranda Hernandez testified that Hernandez repeatedly threatened to kill Perez after kicking in the locked door to Miranda Hernandez's bedroom. The officer, an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation, had moved out weeks earlier but still had a key to their house in Toppenish and would come by to feed his dog and pick up his mail. Hernandez testified that he overreacted due to years of neurotic, needy behavior on the part of his estranged wife and that he released Perez, who had been handcuffed nude on the floor of the master bathroom, as soon as he realized his error. He said he threatened Perez, whom he had never met before, but only initially and only because he mistakenly thought Perez was responsible for a bad gash to Miranda Hernadez's head. In actuality, the gash was caused when Hernandez kicked in the door...