[OH] It was "disorderly" of Officer Lachner to repeatedly punch his girlfriend in the head?

...[Lorain police Officer Bill] Lachner, who has been working as a dispatcher while the charge against him was pending, will be able to return to working as a police officer now that the case is completed.

PREVIOUS POST:
[OH] Lorain Officer Lachner accused of hitting web editor for The Chronicle-Telegram in the head multiple times - The Chronicle-Telegram’s web editor, Rona Proudfoot, called from her locked bathroom for help. She said he had assaulted her, punching her multiple times in the head. She did not sign an arrest affadavit against him and he would not fill out a written statement...

OFFICER FINED $150 AFTER NO-CONTEST PLEA TO REDUCED CHARGE
The Chronicle-Telegram
by Brad Dicken
March 24th, 2012
[Excerpts] Lorain police Officer Bill Lachner pleaded no contest Friday to a disorderly conduct charge that stemmed from his Dec. 23 arrest on allegations he had physically assaulted his girlfriend and was fined $150. Lachner, 44, originally faced a domestic violence charge in the case, but that was reduced at the request of Special Prosecutor Dave Graves. Graves said the victim in the case, Chronicle-Telegram Web Editor Rona Proudfoot, approved the plea bargain. Both Proudfoot, who was in court Friday, and Lachner declined to comment after the hearing. Graves also said that Lachner is doing well in counseling... Proudfoot told police that Lachner punched her several times in the head before she locked herself in the bathroom and called police... Proudfoot, whom officers reported had no visible injuries, told police she didn’t want Lachner charged and dropped a protection order against him a few days after the incident... Lachner, who has been working as a dispatcher while the charge against him was pending, will be able to return to working as a police officer now that the case is completed.  [LINK]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety teflon ohio state politics]

[OH] Lorain Officer Lachner accused of hitting web editor for The Chronicle-Telegram in the head multiple times

The incident report on Lorain police officer William "Bill" Lachner's domestic violence arrest was not publicly available as is the practice, and Lachner was released from jail without seeing a judge - also not the way things are done. The Chronicle-Telegram’s web editor, Rona Proudfoot, called from her locked bathroom for help. She said he had assaulted her, punching her multiple times in the head. She did not sign an arrest affadavit against him and he would not fill out a written statement. The responding police sgt. did sign the arrest warrant. Lachner has been put on desk duty, disarmed, and due to a temporary restraining order, not supposed to go near his web editor girlfriend, Rona Proudfoot.

Updates:

• 12/28/2011 - At Proudfoot’s request, Judge Mark Mihok lifted a temporary protection order against Lachner. Proudfoot said she was not in fear of him... 
• 12/29/2011 - Mihok said he was lifting the order based on Proudfoot’s request to do so and because Lachner was reportedly seeking counseling...

LORAIN POLICE OFFICER CHARGED WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
chronicle.northcoastnow.com
Filed by Evan Goodenow
December 24th, 2011
[Excerpts] ...Police reports are usually left out at the police department for the public for 48 hours after they are released, but the report was not available until it was requested. However, Police Chief Cel Rivera said Saturday there was no attempt to conceal the incident and the department takes domestic violence charges against officers seriously. “These guys are human beings. They have the same frailties as everybody else... There’s consequences to that, and that’s something he’s going to have to deal with if it’s true.” Rivera said Lachner is innocent until proven guilty and has no history of violence, but the department will conduct an internal investigation of Lachner in addition to the criminal investigation... [Full article here]

LORAIN POLICE OFFICER ARRESTED FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
The Morning Journal
Saturday, December 24, 2011
[Excerpts] Lorain Police Officer William Lachner, 44, was arrested for domestic violence early Friday after his girlfriend reported that he had assaulted her during an argument. Lachner allegedly struck 32-year-old Rona Proudfoot of Lorain in the head multiple times, according to the police report. Proudfoot had no visible injuries, police noted. She told police she was not hurt, and she declined to press charges, stating that she just wanted Lachner gone for the night... However, charges were filed on her behalf by police...  Proudfoot stated that Lachner shoved her around the house “and struck her several times in her head with his fist”... While officers were conducting their interview with  Proudfoot, Lachner called her phone and spoke to Sgt. Kenneth Zapolski. He agreed to meet police at the station. Lachner told police the argument was strictly verbal and he left the scene so it would not escalate. In the police report, Sgt. Michael Hendershot states, “William advised me that he did not push or assault  Proudfoot and that there was no physical violence between the two of them.” Lachner declined to fill out a written statement... Officers arrested Lachner at the police station and took him to the city jail. He was released several hours later on $2,500 bond. Proudfoot works as the Web Editor for The Chronicle-Telegram in Elyria. [Full article here]

UPDATE:
POLICE OFFICER PLEADS INNOCENT TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Morning Journal
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
[Excerpts] Lorain police officer William Lachner pleaded innocent to a domestic violence charge during his arraignment yesterday in Lorain Municipal Court... Lorain attorney Michael J. Kinlin entered the plea on Lachner’s behalf. Lachner and [Rona] Proudfoot appeared in court during the arraignment. At Proudfoot’s request, Judge Mark Mihok lifted a temporary protection order against Lachner. Proudfoot said she was not in fear of him... Proudfoot, an editor at the Chronicle Telegram, told police Lachner shoved her around the house and struck her several times in the head. She called police shortly around 2 a.m. after locking herself in the bathroom, according to the report. Lachner told police he did not push or assault her, and there was no physical evidence of violence between them... Lachner’s pretrial is scheduled for Feb. 1 at 10:30 a.m... [Full article here]

UPDATE:

PROTECTION ORDER LIFTED AGAINST LORAIN COP

Chronicle-Telegram

by Steve Fogarty 

December 29th, 2011 

[Excerpts] A temporary protection order was lifted Wednesday against a Lorain police officer accused of assaulting his girlfriend last week. Lorain Municipal Court Judge Mark Mihok agreed to lift the protection order after the alleged victim, Chronicle-Telegram Web Editor Rona Proudfoot, told the judge during a hearing Wednesday that she was no longer afraid of William Lachner... Mihok said he was lifting the order based on Proudfoot’s request to do so and because Lachner was reportedly seeking counseling... Lachner has denied attacking the 32-year-old Proudfoot, who told police he assaulted her inside her vehicle after becoming angry... The argument continued at Proudfoot’s home, where Lachner is accused of punching her several times in the head... Proudfoot also told police there had been previous incidents involving Lachner. Lorain Police Chief Cel Rivera has said the department is conducting its own investigation into Lachner... [Full article here]

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder state politics]

[OH] Wife-killer Dembie resigns from Lorain County Sheriff's Jail and tries to flip the script.

Holly Marie Drake Dembie with her son William Jr.

...[Holly] Dembie’s mother, Cheryl Foldes, rejected the allegation that her daughter was abusive or could have even physically assaulted William Dembie, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps and the Army National Guard. “She was not a batterer, she was a nurturer,” Foldes said...

PREVIOUS POST:

[OH] STOLEN: Holly Marie Drake Dembie - Loving mother, beloved sister, dear daughter, outstanding teacher with dreams - ...Lorain County Sheriff's Divison Corrections Officer William Dembie Jr. calmly confessed to killing his wife, Holly Dembie... Holly Dembie’s aunt, Diedre Ashmun, has said William Dembie was physically abusive to his wife, including using techniques for controlling combative prisoners...

SONG FROM HOLLY'S MYSPACE PAGE:

Alanis Morissette ~ King Of Pain

TRUST FUND SET UP TO HELP MURDER VICTIM'S SON

19 Action News

Posted: Aug 15, 2011 6:55 PM PST

Updated: Aug 16, 2011 2:27 AM PST

[Excerpt] A fund has been established to help the son of murder victim Holly Dembie. The account is set up at First Merit Bank for William A. Dembie. If you would like to help, you can make donations at any First Merit Bank and tell them you have a deposit for the William A. Dembie Benevolent Fund [Full article here]

HOLLY DEMBIE’S FRIENDS COME TOGETHER TO BRING HOPE TO TRAGEDY

The Morning Journal

By Adam Mawson

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

[Excerpts] Friends of murder victim Holly Dembie are coming together to put a glimmer of hope in an overwhelmingly tragic situation. Dembie, 33, of Grafton, was a special education teaching aide with the Midview School District. Her husband, William Dembie, 42, a Lorain County Sheriff’s corrections officer, is accused of murdering her Thursday... Holly Dembie left behind a 4-year-old son... Donations can be made at any FirstMerit Bank location. Also wanting to honor the memory of Holly Dembie, is Brandon Light, a North Ridgeville High School classmate of hers from the class of 1996. He has set up a Facebook page, “Porch lights for Holly Drake Dembie”... “I started the page basically over guilt. I needed to do something. I am harboring guilt for not getting more involved in her life,” he wrote. “Had I known more, had I realized that things were going to end this way, I would’ve helped my friends drag her ass out of there.” [Full article here]

CORRECTIONS OFFICER JAILED IN WIFE’S DEATH RESIGNS

Chronicle-Telegram

Filed by Brad Dicken

August 16th, 2011

[Excerpts] William Dembie Jr. has resigned from his post as a corrections officer at the Lorain County Jail... Lorain County Sheriff Phil Stammitti said that Dembie resigned Monday during a meeting in Erie County with Lt. Jack Hammond, the administrator of the Lorain County Jail. Stammitti said his office had been preparing for disciplinary hearings for Dembie, who had been on unpaid leave since his arrest... [Full article here]

OFFICER ACCUSED OF KILLING WIFE RESIGNS

News-Herald.com

By Kelly Metz

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

[Excerpts] Corrections officer William Dembie resigned from the Lorain County Sheriff's Office effective immediately, according to Capt. Jim Drozdowski... Drozdowski said [Lorain County Sheriff's Jail administrator Lt. Jack] Hammond would have had to draw up a report about Dembie's conduct and a pre-disciplinary hearing would be held. Rather than go through the process, Dembie decided to resign... [Full article here]

ABUSE ALLEGATIONS ON BOTH SIDES IN DEMBIE STABBING CASE

Chronicle-Telegram

Filed by Brad Dicken

August 17th, 2011

[Excerpts] Former Lorain County Jail Corrections Officer William Dembie Jr. was abused by his wife, whom he is accused of stabbing to death last week, his attorney said Tuesday. Defense attorney J. Anthony Rich said William Dembie, who resigned from his job on Monday, endured years of psychological and physical abuse at the hands of Holly Dembie, who worked with special needs children at Midview Schools. “He’s a classic battered spouse,” Rich said of Dembie, who is jailed on charges of murder and domestic violence. Holly Dembie’s mother, Cheryl Foldes, rejected the allegation that her daughter was abusive or could have even physically assaulted William Dembie, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps and the Army National Guard. “She was not a batterer, she was a nurturer,” Foldes said... “She thought she had married an American hero,” Foldes said. “But she married a man who was damaged”... Sheriff’s Sgt. Donald Barker has said that William Dembie told investigators that he and his wife had been discussing a divorce. He also said Dembie told them that an argument had escalated into a violent confrontation that night. Barker said Tuesday that Dembie never mentioned anything to him about being the victim of abuse. Foldes said she believes William Dembie felt rejected by her daughter, even though he didn’t seem happy with their marriage either. William Dembie’s first marriage, which gave him three children, also ended in divorce and left him angry, she said... “All that hatred and anger fell on her,” she said... Although Rich declined to elaborate on what his client said occurred that night, he believes a more appropriate charge would be voluntary manslaughter. That charge, he said, deals with killings committed by someone who has been provoked into a “sudden passion or in a fit of rage”... Rich said he intends to ask for his client to receive a lower bond during a hearing scheduled for Thursday in Elyria Municipal Court. The current bond is $5 million, which Rich called “excessive”... [Full article here]

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder ohio state politics rest in peace funeral]

[OH] Trooper Velez agrees to stay away from his wife so protection order is dropped and he's back to work

PREVIOUS POST:

[OH] Gun and badge taken from State Trooper Velez on wife's word he threatened her life - The wife of an Ohio Highway Patrol trooper has taken out a temporary domestic violence protection order against her husband after he allegedly threatened to kill her...

TROOPER BACK ON DUTY AFTER DOMESTIC PROBE

Chronicle-Telegram

August 16th, 2011

An Ohio Highway Patrol trooper who was placed on administrative duty while the patrol conducted an internal investigation into allegations he had threatened to kill his wife has returned to his regular duties.

Trooper Kenneth Velez, who lives in Lorain, was reinstated to his job as a motor vehicle inspector out of the patrol’s Medina post late last month, Lt. Anne Ralston said.

Velez’s wife, Rachel Velez, had accused him of threatening to kill her during a July 5 argument when she sought a domestic violence protection order last month. The protection order later was dropped after the couple agreed to stay away from each other as part of their legal separation, according to court documents.

After his wife obtained the protection order, Kenneth Velez was ordered to turn over his gun, badge, cruiser and patrol identification.

Ralston said that since the protection order was a civil matter and no criminal charges were filed, the investigation into Kenneth Velez is considered closed.

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal ohio state politics teflon]

[OH] STOLEN: Holly Marie Drake Dembie - Loving mother, beloved sister, dear daughter, outstanding teacher with dreams

...Lorain County Sheriff's Divison Corrections Officer William Dembie Jr. calmly confessed to killing his wife, Holly Dembie, during a call to the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office around 1:30 a.m. Thursday... Holly Dembie has been called a “beautiful person inside and out”... Holly would sing in the hallways and make up songs to help with lessons... "I never saw Holly in a bad mood and the kids just loved her"... Holly Dembie’s aunt, Diedre Ashmun, has said William Dembie was physically abusive to his wife, including using techniques for controlling combative prisoners on her. Ashmun also has said her niece, who worked with special needs children at Midview Schools, had consulted a lawyer about getting a divorce... William Dembie chuckled during Thursday’s hearing when Elyria Municipal Court Judge Lisa Locke Graves asked him if he was employed, before replying that he had worked at the Sheriff’s Office for nearly 13 years...

UPDATE: HOLLY DEMBIE FOUND DEAD IN GRAFTON TWP. HOME; husband allegedly confesses to murder (with video)

The Morning Journal

August 11, 2011

[Excerpts] Holly Dembie was a special education teaching aide within the Midview School District. According to her resume, she was working toward her bachelor’s degree from Lorain County Community College and believed in the power of teaching. The 33-year-old from Grafton Township was found dead early this morning. Her husband of roughly six years, William Dembie, 42, called the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office direct line at 1:32 a.m. confessing to the killing from the couple’s 14900 Cowley Road home, according to Lorain County Sheriff’s Sgt. Donald Barker... Holly Dembie had an expected graduation date from LCCC set for 2013 and has received an associate’s degree from the community college. She has been a Special Needs Paraprofessional since 2002. She had professional affiliations with the Cleveland Sight Center, Special Olympics and The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio... William Dembie has been a corrections officer since 1999. He has been immediately placed on administrative leave without pay. [Full article here]

HOLLY DEMBIE ON MYSPACE

- General: "The Great Outdoors, cooking, and helping people who have been dealt a lousey hand by fate."

- Heroes My Mom, Ann Sulivan, and all the men and women in uniform who are and have fought to preserve our freedom.

MURDERED WIFE WROTE ABOUT ABUSE ON THE WEB

The Morning Journal

By Kelly Metz

August 13, 2011

[Excerpts] Four months ago, a woman under the name h.dembie asked this question to Yahoo! Answers: “Is a judo choke hold considered domestic violence?” The woman stated she teaches special education, was married to a cop and she wanted to leave her husband. Early Thursday morning, Holly Dembie, 33, of 14900 Cowley Road, Grafton Township, was found in the back yard of her home. Her husband, William Dembie, a corrections officer with the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office, called the department and told dispatcher Joy Sanchez he killed his wife. He ask that deputies be sent to his Cowley Road home... Sanchez later asked, “Who did you kill, Dembie?” He said his wife. “Well, my ex-wife,” Dembie said, with a quiet chuckle. Dembie told Sanchez his wife’s name is Holly and he killed her with a Ka-Bar military combat knife... In the Yahoo! post about the judo choke hold from h.dembie, who didn’t have a photo and merely states she lives in Ohio, the writer stated she was “leaving this jerk” and “this is pathetic... i’m calling a lawyer. tomorrow... in one form or another it equates to abuse of power. he treats me like crap...” h.dembie wrote... “I was kind of surprised,” [friend and colleague Kara] Kaiser said about the murder. “There had been indicators, but you never expect that. I just ask, ‘Why couldn’t you just leave? Why couldn’t he just leave?’ He was tired of her (expletive) in the 911 tape. Then leave. Why do you have to ruin her life, her parents life and her son’s life and all of us, who are left wondering? And then wondering what we could have, should have done”... [William] Dembie has three children from a previous marriage, according to court records. He and his previous wife divorced in 2004. Kaiser said Holly Dembie loved her stepchildren and that her biological son, 4-year-old William Jr., was Holly Dembie’s life... [Full article here]

HOLLY'S 4 ENTRIES ON YAHOO ANSWERS 4 MONTHS AGO:

Subject: Is a judo choke hold considered domestic violence?

- i'm leaving this jerk....

- what if he is a cop....

- this is pathetic... i'm calling a lawyer, tomorrow.

- in one form or another it equates to abuse of power. he treats me like crap, misuses our funds and then chokes me out as he begs for a chance. this is the end of the mistreatment, i've dealt with it for 10 years. i'm done. he has been diagnosed with an antisocial personality disorder. i work in special education, which makes me want to help, but it's just too many hurts. he won't try. i realize that this is a predominantly adolescent forum but i need to vent. when i was pregnant with our only child he cheated and gave me a script. he didn't want to buy a crib. he thought i was jumping the gun. he didn't attend the first birthday. and punched me for the first time afterwards because i thought it was abnormal. i've never had help through the worst labor projects we've endured. his skin was too sensitive to help me rake or throw straw to seed a new lawn over 2 acres. i drove the bobcat in reverse for 12 hours by myself and raked and seeded it myself. i'm stubborn too. i'm reading this and [Ends there.]

SUSPECT CALMLY DETAILED WIFE’S SLAYING IN PHONE CALL

Chronicle-Telegram

Brad Dicken

August 13th, 2011 in Top Stories.

[Excerpts] Lorain County Jail Corrections Officer William Dembie Jr. calmly confessed to killing his wife, Holly Dembie, during a call to the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office around 1:30 a.m. Thursday... when deputies arrived, William Dembie wasn’t in the house, but when they called out for him he came forward and surrendered... Holly Dembie’s aunt, Diedre Ashmun, has said William Dembie was physically abusive to his wife, including using techniques for controlling combative prisoners on her. Ashmun also has said her niece, who worked with special needs children at Midview Schools, had consulted a lawyer about getting a divorce. William Dembie told detectives that the couple had been having marital problems for about a year and had talked about divorce, Barker said. Dembie told Sanchez during the call that he had had a few drinks, but wasn’t drunk... Dembie, who is being held on a $5 million bond and has been placed on unpaid leave, is due back in court next week. His court-appointed lawyer, Kenneth Ortner, declined to comment... According to prosecutors, William Dembie doesn’t have a criminal record. But Holly Dembie did call the sheriff’s office once on her husband in 2007, according to radio log reports released Friday. In her Jan. 25, 2007, call, Holly Dembie reported that her husband had become upset after receiving an email from one of his three children from a previous marriage. Holly Dembie told a dispatcher that her husband, who hadn’t been sleeping much, had kissed their new baby then walked out of their then-home on Island Road with a gun and drove off. When deputies arrived at the house, William Dembie’s car was back in the driveway. Holly Dembie told deputies that although she didn’t know where the gun was, her husband had gone back to bed and there were no threats or domestic trouble. “She’s fine with it, and there is no need for us here,” the radio log said.... [Full article here]

HOLLY'S ON YAHOO ANSWERS 9 MONTHS AGO:

Subject: I burned naked pictures of my husbands first wife.

We've been married 7 years. I asked him plenty of times to get rid of them. Now he's pissed off at me. I am feeling like leaving him. Would you?

CORRECTIONS OFFICER HELD AFTER WIFE SLAIN (UPDATED)

News-Herald.com

Thursday, August 11, 2011

[Excerpts] Holly Dembie was a special education teaching aide within the Midview School District. According to her resume, she was working toward her bachelor’s degree from Lorain County Community College and believed in the power of teaching. The 33-year-old from Grafton Township was found dead early this morning. Her husband of roughly six years, William Dembie, 42, called the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office direct line at 1:32 a.m. confessing to the killing from the couple’s 14900 Cowley Road home, according to Lorain County Sheriff’s Sgt. Donald Barker... Holly Dembie had an expected graduation date from LCCC set for 2013 and has received an associate’s degree from the community college. She has been a Special Needs Paraprofessional since 2002. She had professional affiliations with the Cleveland Sight Center, Special Olympics and The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio... [Full article here]

FROM "HOLLY DEMBIE'S EPORTFOLIO SPRING 2011"

Hello! My name is Holly Dembie and I have worked as a Teacher's Assistant and as a Special Education Paraprofessional for the past 8 years. I am specialized in working with students who are visually impaired and multi-handicapped. It is my goal to become a Moderate to Severe Intervention Specialist for grades K-12 by the year 2013... [More here]

CORRECTIONS OFFICER DESCRIBED HIMSELF AS BEING 'VERY RATIONAL'

Fox 8 News

By Dave Nethers

August 11, 2011

[Excerpts] On her Myspace profile, Holly Dembie, 33, described her interests as "helping people who have been dealt a lousy hand by fate." Early Tuesday, fate found her murdered in the back yard of her Grafton home; her husband, William Dembie, 42, admitted he killed her. Dembie, a corrections officer at the Lorain County Jail for the past 12 ½ years, called the sheriff's office after 1:30 a.m... Dembie was immediately charged with murder. In a posting on his Facebook page, Dembie described himself as not being a "social butterfly." He also wrote, "I think that most people who know me believe that I am a very rational person." A neighbor said the couple just had their house built two years ago. They also said the Dembies mostly kept to themselves and were aware of only one argument the couple had during that time... The Dembie's home is only two doors away from Holly's parents. Dembie appeared before a Magistrate in Elyria Municipal Court on Thursday morning where he was officially charged with murder, chuckling when he was asked if he had a job... Superintendent John Kuhn of the Midview schools said she [Holly] had a passion for her work with special kids. "Holly was very beloved by the staff, had a lot of energy, always wanted to do more for her kids," Kuhn told Fox 8 News on Thursday. "I think she really cared about people who needed extra help." [Full article here]

FROM "HOLLY DEMBIE'S EPORTFOLIO SPRING 2011"

In the decade I've spent in Special Education, I have learned that you must be adaptable. From Braille poems to Math supplements on a Smart Board, one thing is always the same. The enigma is your compassion. When everyone says it can't be done, try anyway. When you hit a plateau, try anyway. The difference we make lasts for lifetimes, and it is our duty to make the most out of every opportunity. [LINK]

MURDERED WOMAN HAD BEEN SEEKING DIVORCE, FAMILY SAYS

Chronicle-Telegram

Filed by Brad Dicken and Kiera Manion-Fischer

August 12th, 2011

[Excerpts] ...Diedre Ashmun, Holly Dembie’s aunt, said the couple’s 4-year-old son wasn’t home at the time of the killing because he had gone with his grandmother and other relatives to see a drive-in movie. The family saw the crime scene tape and patrol cars when they returned home. Ashmun said her close-knit family is devastated by the loss of her “big-hearted” niece, who worked with special-needs children at Midview Schools. “This is going to be a great loss, not only to the family, but for the community and the schools,” she said. Ashmun said she doesn’t know what led William Dembie to kill his wife, although the couple was having marital problems... “This was devastating for her because she said, ‘I don’t want to live my life like this,’ but she didn’t want to be the first in the family to get a divorce,” Ashmun said. Ashmun said that William Dembie had physically abused his wife, including using tactics on her that he was trained to apply when controlling prisoners. “My niece told me he was abusive,” she said. “He got rough-handed with her”... Dembie chuckled during Thursday’s hearing when Elyria Municipal Court Judge Lisa Locke Graves asked him if he was employed, before replying that he had worked at the Sheriff’s Office for nearly 13 years.... Ashmun and her husband, Dennis Ashmun, said he kept mostly to himself and rarely attended family functions, even though Holly Dembie’s parents lived two doors down the street. The Ashmuns said that William Dembie was smart, but also described him as “dark.” Records from the Ohio State Nursing Board showed that he became a licensed practical nurse in 1997 and became a registered nurse last year... Coleen Barta, an intervention specialist at West Elementary School in Grafton, said she’d known Holly Dembie for about five years as a colleague and friend. “She loved working with the kids, and the kids loved her,” Barta said. Holly Dembie was a paraprofessional aide with her 11-year-old cousin, who is blind and has cerebral palsy. Ashmun said her daughter was the reason Holly Dembie got her job... Barta said Holly would sing in the hallways and make up songs to help with lessons... Iva Pratt, another co-worker, said she can’t fathom why someone would want to kill her friend, who she called “the sweetest lady in the whole wide world.” “She’s always bubbly,” Pratt said. “I always begged her to just have part of her energy level. She always smiled. I never saw Holly in a bad mood and the kids just loved her.” Web reporter Rona Proudfoot contributed to this story... [Full article here]

NOTICE:

Holly Marie Drake Dembie, 33 passed away August 11, 2011. Loving mother... Beloved sister... Dear daughter... Loving niece... Holly loved spending much of her time outdoors, gardening, watching birds and caring for animals. She had a huge heart for disabled children and believed everyone deserves a fighting chance. Visitation Sunday 2-6 P.M. at Jardine Funeral Home, 15822 Pearl Rd., Strongsville. Funeral Service to follow 6 p.m. SUNDAY at Jardine's. Interment is private. [LINK]

MURDER VICTIM REMEMBERED

News-Herald.com

By Kelly Metz and Kate Snyder

Friday, August 12, 2011

[Excerpts] Holly Dembie has been called a “beautiful person inside and out.” The 33-year-old mother of a young son and special education teaching assistant for Midview schools... Dembie was an educator, a fact that was apparent in an online portfolio and an extensive résumé. She recently earned an associates of arts degree in teaching from Lorain County Community College and was set to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in teaching special intervention K-12 from the community college in 2013. She had been a special needs paraprofessional at East Elementary School in Grafton since 2002... She had professional affiliations with the Cleveland Sight Center, Special Olympics and The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio... Robyn Warner said on The Morning Journal Facebook page that Dembie was truly “a beautiful person inside and out ... She enjoyed her job at the school like no other person I knew”... Danielle Wilkinson-Counts wrote on Facebook that she knew Dembie from high school. “She was so fun, funny and was sweet to everyone! This is so sad!” Wilkinson-Counts wrote. Betty Cantley also chimed in on Facebook, stating her son had Dembie as a teacher. “My prayers are with her family, thank you for helping my son,” Cantley wrote... The neighbor said it was weird to see the house so quiet. “Normally, she’d be out mowing right now,” she said... [Full article here]

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder ohio state politics rest in paece funeral]

[OH] Gun and badge taken from State Trooper Velez on wife's word he threatened her life

RESTRAINING ORDER PLACED ON STATE TROOPER

Chronicle-Telegram

Filed by Brad Dicken

July 8th, 2011

[Excerpts] The wife of an Ohio Highway Patrol trooper has taken out a temporary domestic violence protection order against her husband after he allegedly threatened to kill her during an altercation Tuesday. Trooper Kenneth Velez, who lives in Lorain and works as a motor vehicle inspector out of the patrol’s Medina post, was placed on administrative duty... Velez’s gun, badge, cruiser and patrol identification have been taken from him while he is on administrative duty... The order, issued Wednesday through Lorain County Domestic Relations Court, contains a warning to law enforcement officers that Velez has access to firearms and they should proceed with caution when dealing with him.... A police report on the incident was not completed. The protection order, which bars Kenneth Velez from contacting his wife, also protects the couple’s three children, including their 18-year-old son, a 16-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son... Kenneth Velez also is prohibited from entering the Lorain County Justice Center, where his wife works... A full hearing on whether the protection order should be made more permanent is scheduled for July 20... [Full article here]

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal ohio state politics ]

[OH] David Schmitz sentenced to 5 years for stalking female Elyria detective

PREVIOUS POST:

[OH] Elyria Police Dectective is being stalked, and is afraid for her family and herself - ...“I am scared that he will cause me/family physical harm,” [Elyria Police Detective] Lisa Dietsche wrote in her request for the protection order, which is in effect through August 2015...

MAN GETS 5 YEARS FOR STALKING POLICE DETECTIVE

Chronicle-Telegram

July 2nd, 2011

[Excerpts] A Sheffield Lake man was sentenced Friday to five years and seven months in prison after a jury convicted him of stalking an Elyria police detective and her family. David Schmitz, 34, had originally agreed to a plea deal in the case but later withdrew from the agreement and demanded a jury trial. The jury convicted him of retaliation, menacing by stalking, identity fraud and violating a protection order. Lorain County Common Pleas Judge Christopher Rothgery handed down the sentence immediately after the jury returned its verdict... Schmitz began harassing Elyria police Detective Lisa Dietsche and her family following a breakup with Dietsche’s sister... [Full article here]

SINCE LAST POST:

POLICE STALKER TAKES PLEA DEAL

Chronicle-Telegram

Brad Dicken

December 14th, 2010

[Excerpts] A Sheffield Lake man accused of stalking an Elyria police detective and her family took a plea deal Monday. David Schmitz, 33, entered guilty pleas to charges of violating a protection order, identity theft and menacing by stalking. An additional charge of retaliation was dropped in exchange for the plea, according to court records... ... He has been in the county jail since his arrest Aug. 24, but was released Monday after entering the guilty pleas.... [Full article here]

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence IPV abuse law enforcement public safety ohio stalker state]

I'm back. It's time to try to catch up... and here are some items I gathered without blogging on them

The last three or four weeks have been a lot of this and that.

I have been keeping up pretty much with emails from victims, but the blog and other projects have lagged. Hopefully things that kept me from doing what I do have subsided now and I can begin trying to catch up some.

Speaking of catching up, I don't post every story.

There are too many. Instead, I keep a list of stories and cases that I have filed but not blogged on - and this would be a good time to drop some of those here. Not having blogged on them makes them no less important. I'm just one person wishing I was a team of people - but at peace with my limitations. I may come back to this post and add some more for these time periods.

JUNE 2011

[PA] Philadelphia Police Officer Howard Lomax was arrested on the belief that he assaulted the girlfriend that he lives with, and then four days later went to his estranged wife's residence and physically assaulted her also. Both women had injuries. After an investigation by the Department's Internal Affairs Bureau and the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, he was charged with two counts of Simple Assault and two counts of Recklessly Endangering another Person. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey suspended Lomax with the intent to dismiss him from the force.

[OR] The day after former Portland police Ryan Graichen was released from jail on other charges he created the first of two fictitious Facebook profiles so he could stalk his former girlfriend, despite a no contact order. His bail has been revoked and he is being held without bail. Graichen now faces additional charges of stalking and four counts of violating a civil anti-harrassment order. Graichen currently resides in Washington State.

MAY 2011

[CA] Virgil Millon fatally shot his ex-fiancee, Arabella Bradford, and her close friend, Malvin Conley Jr. Police then killed Millon outside the home he and Bradford owned. All three had worked for the state Department of Corrections. Millon, 46, was a lieutenant in the juvenile justice division; Bradford, 38, was a ; Conley, 43, of Riverside, was a corrections officer at California Institute for Men in Chino. Less than 24 hours before her death, court documents show, Bradford - who wrote that her ex-fiance had been stalking her - had served Millon with a notice that she planned to seek a permanent restraining order that would prohibit him from contacting her... Date of deaths: MAY 10, 2011

[PA] Rockview state police trooper Timothy Lear, accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, was acquitted of all charges by a Huntingdon County jury Thursday. Karen Muir, the attorney representing Lear, said the jury deliberated for just 15 minutes before returning with a “not guilty” verdict on felony trespass, misdemeanor simple assault, false imprisonment and other charges.

[AL] Madison County Sheriff's Deputy Dennis Dominick Daversa was arrested by Huntsville Police on charges of burglary, and third-degree domestic violence (harassment). Daversa was booked into the Madison County Jail and put on leave pending an investigation by both Huntsville police and the Madison County sheriff's office.

APRIL 2011

[NC] Recently retired New Bern North Carolina Police Officer Ernest Flowers and commander of the New Bern Young Marines and his wife, Dawn Nelson-Flowers, a non-sworn member of the police department, were both ordered to jail for up to 48 hours on domestic assault charges. Ernest Flowers was charged with assault on a female and Nelson-Flowers was charged with simple assault.

[OH] Euclid Police Officer, Sgt Kevin Blakely, shot and killed himself at the very beginning of a meeting with his supervisors in the department's detective bureau about his lack of cooperation about an internal investigation that had been started on him. April 20, 2011

[ME] Kennebec County Sheriff’s Deputy Mark F. Brown of Vassalboro was cleared of domestic violence assault and violating a protective order. The mother of his child said that Brown confronted her about getting a protection order against him and backhanded her across her face in a parking lot two blocks from the courthouse. She says she waited days to report it because she was embarassed and didn't want to escalate the situation that was already frightening for her. During the trial Brown had two people that testified that he was with them at the time of the reported incident.

[CT] Rocky Hill Police Sergeant Leonard "Lenny" Kulas has taken his own life though engaged to be married. Condolences to his fiance, family and friends. Date of death Thursday, April 28, 2011.

MARCH 2011

[NC] Boone Police Officer Jonathan Lee Cropper was found dead March 16, 2011 at his Avery County home of a gunshot wound that police believe was self-inflicted. He started with the Boone Police Department on Oct. 18, 2010, in the patrol division. PIC

[PA] Ashley Police Chief Dave Cerski has been fired fired. The termination comes about a week after Cerski's ex-girlfriend filed a protection from abuse order against him. He had been successfully sued twice in court since 1997. In December 1997, while a sergeant, Cerski was sued after being accused of being hostile to a county crisis intervention caseworker and was also sued in 2004 for allegedly mistreating a female Ashley fire police official.

[VA] Norfolk police Lt. William Mackenzie killed his wife Patricia and himself inside their Great Bridge condominium, investigators confirmed, and left their friends and neighbors stunned because they saw no warning signs. I collected a lot of information - articles, videos, etc - but another blogger's post made me so upset by what was said about the MacKenzie's that I couldn't post. Blessings and healing to this family. Date of deaths: March 21, 2011

[ME] Fairfield Deputy Police Chief Steven Trahan - The state Attorney General's Office has decided not to prosecute Trahan on a domestic assault charge because it does not believe a judge or jury would find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. [Google him here]

[VA] Prince William County police officer Charles Edward Kincheloe has been charged with domestic assault and battery. His police powers have been suspended as part of an internal investigation. He was released on a $1,500 unsecured bond. [Google him here]

[OK] Muskogee Police Officer Perry Galvin, under investigation for allegedly hitting his wife will not be charged. “Based upon the circumstances of the case and the wishes of the complaining witness, no charges are being filed”... Galvin will remain on administrative leave until he goes before an internal board of discipline. March 2, 2011 [Google him here]

[OH] Lorain police officer Zachary Iannantuono is fired for abusing his authority in a dispute with a police dispatcher with whom he had been involved... This isn’t the first time that Iannantuono’s relationship with her has caused problems for the officer... Another officer had to remove a "defiant" Iannantuono from Nieves’ property in May 2009, and he was later placed on leave and removed from road patrol after concerns about [dangerous] comments he’d allegedly made in July 2009 came to light... March 8th, 2011. [Earlier post here] [Google him here]

[UK] Lancaster Farms Young Offenders Institute Prison Officer Robert Holden strangled his wife Nicola and then hanged himself at their family home in Torrisholme, Morecambe. Police said that the pair, of Low Lane, had been experiencing “marital difficulties.” March 4, 2011

[CT] Ex Wilton Police Officer Andrew Barone from Trumbull, has been sentenced to nine months in prison for one count of first-degree reckless endangerment and four counts of fourth-degree computer crime. He was also given nine years of probation for the multiple Class A misdemeanor charges. He was originally charged with one count of sexual assault (of his girlfreind's 16 year old sister) in the second degree, three felony counts of computer crime in the third degree, one count of larceny in the sixth degree and eight breach of peace counts in the second degree. Previously blogged about here.

[NJ] Plainfield Police Officer, Lieutenant Ronald S. Lattimore, reported to work but was found dead in his Watchung home later that night. Lattimore was found March 23, 2011, around 8:45 p.m. in his garage, having suffered a fatal and self-inflicted gunshot wound.

FEBRUARY 2011

[ND] Bureau of Indian Affairs Police Officer Duane Gunville accused of cutting his wife with a knife in Devils Lake will have an aggravated assault charge dropped if he completes a domestic violence program. The Prosecutor and the defense attorney agreed to defer prosecution because Gunville's wife recanted, saying now that he did not atack her - but was cut trying to keep him from killing himself with a knife. February 25, 2011

[MD] Prince George Police Sgt. Tora Lynn Coates' formber boyfriend is suing the county for $20 million, claiming that her supervisors should have prevented the attack. Attorneys for 48-year-old Billy Peoples, of White Plains, said Prince George's County police brass should have known that his fiancee, Sgt. Tora Lynn Coates, was suicidal, a danger to the public and unfit to be a police officer. Three years ago, Coates killed herself and critically wounded Peoples by gunfire in what detectives determined was an attempted murder and suicide... According to a Nov. 18, 2008 post on the Web site Behind the Blue Wall, a man who identified himself as Coates' fiance said the shooting left him partially paralyzed. "I do not blame her, I miss her everyday. But I blame her [department]. I had warned the [department] that she might have problems that they need [to] address," the writer said. "She was so well liked by her superiors that they felt that [it] needed to be pushed under the carpet so not to tarnish and end her career"... [Full article here]

[PA] Pittsburgh police Detective David Honick - Prosecutors withdrew charges Tuesday against Pittsburgh police Detective David Honick and his wife accused of assault. Honick and his wife, Jennifer, both 37, refused to testify against each other at a preliminary hearing in Pittsburgh Municipal Court, and there was no clear aggressor in the dispute. [cop om cop clerk dv] - Feb 16, 2011

[TX] El Paso Police Officer Zake Rivera was arrested on sexual assault after making a domestic violence victim give him oral sex against her will in his patrol car outside the apartment building where her husband and her had fought. DNA evidence was found on her person. Records from 2006 that show the Civil Service Commission voted to disqualify Rivera from taking the exam to become a police officer. February 25, 2011

[MA] Medford Police Sergeant James Lee's Civil Service hearing about hitting a woman who he had previous dated was closed to the public. The woman was granted an extended protection order. Sgt. Lee was denied. "The hearing is the first step of a process that will determine if Lee committed any wrong-doing or misconduct, and if so, what disciplinary measures are warranted." Feb 22, 2011

[FL] Davie Police Officer Kevin Kilpatrick - on paid leaved 7 years - has been investigated on accusations involving a domestic abuse call cover-up, as well as a DUI charge. The department fired him twice, and twice he won his job back... He collected $80,275 annually until he was again fired in January 2008, when a psychologist ruled him "permanently unfit for duty." Kilpatrick sued and the city reinstated him in August 2009. Kilpatrick said psychologists have since ruled him fit for duty, but the department has kept him on paid leave... He has made more than $550,000 for not working... See: [FL] Officer Kilpatrick gets paid for not working after domestic and dui history

JANUARY 2011

[WA] Kennewick Firefighter Ryan Gladstoneone was charged with first-degree child molestation "of a child he knows" on January 18th, 2011, while the child was visiting his home. He and his wife were in the midst of a divorce. He was put on leave and served a protection order from his wife. While in jail he was found hanging, and later died at the hospital. DOD Jan. 27, 2011

[ID] Ex Ada County Jail Deputy Michael James Lee is accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting his wife and fatally stabbing his mother Lynn Blake. He is facing multiple felony charges — including first degree murder, second degree kidnapping, rape, aggravated assault, battery, and use of a deadly weapon during a crime. He worked as a deputy until 2010. These violent crimes happend January 4, 2011

[AZ] Former Sgt. Tim Smith firing upheld. by Peoria personnel board. Smith was terminated February 2010 after an investigation found that the 13-year Peoria police officer had threatened to kill his former wife and used a department cellphone to send harassing text messages to her. Investigators also found that Smith had attached a Peoria police tracking device to his wife's car and documented a 2008 incident in which Smith had thrown a drink in another man's face at a Peoria bar after learning the man had purchased a drink for his wife. [LINK] [LINK]

[IN] Marion County Deputy Prosecutor Kirmille Welbon was was fired after she was charged in connection with a domestic altercation - charged with residential entry, battery with injury and criminal trespass.

[VA] Fired Brunswick Correctional Center Corrections Officer Tiffany Harrison of Brodnax arrested and jailed without bond for stabbing her husband, ex-convict William Harrison to death over an argument about beans she says.

[NM] Alamogordo Police Officer Andy Dominguez's Sudden Death Shocks Community: He died suddenly in his home Jan. 4 2011 at the age of 39. A cause of death hasn't been released.

[PA] PITTSBURGH FIREFIGHTER Thomas Baltos was charged with domestic violence, aggravated assault, simple assault, resisting arrest and making terroristic threats... Baltos is accused of assaulting his wife. When police arrived, they found a woman in need of medical attention. She was taken to Allegheny General Hospital. Police officers responding to the call said Baltos had a large sword and was making threats to the officers. When police attempted to take him into custody, he began to fight several officers.

[TX] Lubbock police officer Jason Hignight resigned right before being arrested and charged with two counts of sexual assault of a child and one count of indecency with a child. Hignight's underage family members, ages 16 and 12, were interviewed by police about the allegations after the mother of the girls brought them to the police department. According to an arrest warrant, Hignight's wife walked in him exposing himself with one of the victims. The 16-year-old victim told police that the sexual assaults have been going on for three years. Jan 19, 2011

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Some of the March, 2011 cases I filed but didn't blog on...

Some cases I just file, and don't blog - here's some of those from March 2011.

[VA] Norfolk police Lt. William Mackenzie killed his wife Patricia and himself inside their Great Bridge residence, and left their friends and neighbors stunned because they saw no warning signs. Actually I didn't do a blog about the MacKenzie's because I was too upset about derogatory things said about the Lt. online already - people talking without KNOWING. Some bloggers make motives up - just fill in the blanks about people they don't know based on other cases. Not everyone fits into patterns. I read deeply into this incident and, for the public, this murder-suicide is a mystery. Until and unless more information is released that's all that can be intelligently (and compassionately) said. It's sad and tragic. Blessings to their people. I have all the articles and videos if family wants them in the future. Date of deaths: March 21, 2011 More here.

[ME] Fairfield Deputy Police Chief Steven Trahan - The state Attorney General's Office has decided not to prosecute Trahan on a domestic assault charge because, they say, they do not believe a judge or jury would find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. That stinks. (Since, he got a settlement and "resigned." There's news this month on him.) [Google him here]

[VA] Prince William County police officer Charles Edward Kincheloe has been charged with domestic assault and battery. His police powers have been suspended as part of an internal investigation. He was released on a $1,500 unsecured bond. [Google him here]

[OK] Muskogee Police Officer Perry Galvin, under investigation for allegedly hitting his wife will not be charged. “Based upon the circumstances of the case and the wishes of the complaining witness, no charges are being filed”... Galvin will remain on administrative leave until he goes before an internal board of discipline. March 2, 2011 [Google him here]

[OH] Lorain police officer Zachary Iannantuono is fired for abusing his authority in a dispute with a police dispatcher with whom he had been involved... This isn’t the first time that Iannantuono’s relationship with her has caused problems for the officer... Another officer had to remove a "defiant" Iannantuono from Nieves’ property in May 2009, and he was later placed on leave and removed from road patrol after concerns about [dangerous] comments he’d allegedly made in July 2009 came to light... March 8th, 2011. [Earlier post here] [Google him here]

[UK] Lancaster Farms Young Offenders Institute Prison Officer Robert Holden strangled his wife Nicola and then hanged himself at their family home in Torrisholme, Morecambe. Police said that the pair, of Low Lane, had been experiencing “marital difficulties.”

[NC] Boone Police Officer Jonathan Lee Cropper took his own life. [More here]

[CT] Ex Wilton Police Officer Andrew Barone from Trumbull, has been sentenced to nine months in prison for one count of first-degree reckless endangerment and four counts of fourth-degree computer crime. He was also given nine years of probation for the multiple Class A misdemeanor charges. He was originally charged with one count of sexual assault (of his girlfreind's 16 year old sister) in the second degree, three felony counts of computer crime in the third degree, one count of larceny in the sixth degree and eight breach of peace counts in the second degree. Previously blogged about here.

[NJ] Plainfield Police Officer, Lieutenant Ronald S. Lattimore took his own life. [More here]

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities teflon brass murder suicide acquitted no charges maine north carolina oklahoma ohio united kingdom connecticut virgina state politics]

[OH] Elyria Police Dectective is being stalked, and is afraid for her family and herself

...“I am scared that he will cause me/family physical harm,” [Elyria Police Detective] Lisa Dietsche wrote in her request for the protection order, which is in effect through August 2015...

MAN CHARGED WITH STALKING ELYRIA DETECTIVE
chronicle.northcoastnow.com
Brad Dicken
October 2nd, 2010
[Excerpts] A Sheffield Lake man has been indicted for allegedly stalking an Elyria police detective and her family. David Schmitz, 33, is charged with violating a protection order and menacing by stalking, according to an indictment handed down this week by a county grand jury. He already was under indictment for menacing by stalking, retaliation and identity theft. The victim in both cases, according to court documents and police reports, is Elyria police Detective Lisa Dietsche, who is the sister of Schmitz’s ex-girlfriend, Sandy Kalb. Kalb and Schmitz had a brief relationship that ended in February 2008, according to police reports filed in April 2008 in which Kalb, Dietsche and their parents complained that Schmitz was harassing them... Dietsche told deputies that she had told Schmitz to leave her family alone, but he continued to harass them. As a result, Schmitz was charged with telecommunications harassment but pleaded out to a charge of disorderly conduct persisting... In July of this year, Dietsche sought and received a civil stalking protection order against Schmitz. The order bars Schmitz from contacting or coming near Dietsche, her husband, Elyria police Officer Raymond Dietsche, their children, Lisa Dietsche’s parents and her niece. “I am scared that he will cause me/family physical harm,” Lisa Dietsche wrote in her request for the protection order, which is in effect through August 2015. The latest charges against Schmitz stem from an Aug. 24 encounter between Dietsche and Schmitz at the Lorain County Justice Center... Schmitz is being held in the Lorain County Jail after his bond was revoked. His attorneys have asked for the bond to be reinstated... [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence (IPV) abuse law enforcement public safety ohio state]

[OH] Ex-Officer Sanchez's conviction stands. (6 years later Sarah is still afraid of police.)

An appeals court has upheld the stalking conviction of former Lorain police Officer Jesus Sanchez... “She [Sarah Long] said that, six years after the final incident, she is still scared of police officers and is often scared to leave her house,” the decision stated... Earlier this year, the city agreed to pay Long $175,000 to settle a lawsuit she had filed against the city, accusing it of turning a blind eye to the sexual misconduct of its officers, including Sanchez...

Previous posts:

• [OH] Sarah says police ignored her fear of Officer Sanchez - ...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...
• [OH] Wife of convicted Lorain police officer rented a billboard so citizens will know who to cal - ...Marsha Sanchez said the billboard has nothing to do with her husband, who has yet to be sentenced...
• [OH] Ex-Officer Jesus Sanchez gets only 60 days - His victim is mad - Sanchez's Victim: ..."I'm very disappointed... I wrote in my calendar that 'Justice Day' was today. I feel that justice wasn't served... You laugh, point and tease as if you were being tried for stealing a candy bar... For nearly a decade, I've been living in a prison in my home, my heart and in my mind"...
• [OH] Stalking victim of then-Officer Jesus Sanchez, Sara Long, wins lawsuit against the City of Lorain for tolerating it's bad cops - The city of Lorain reached a settlement Friday with a woman who had accused the city of ignoring the sexual misconduct of its police officers, including one who was convicted of stalking her. Sarah Long will receive $175,000 under the agreement...
  

SANCHEZ STALKING CONVICTION UPHELD
Morning Journal
By Kelly Metz
October 02, 2010
[Excerpts] Former Lorain police officer Jesus Sanchez’s 2008 stalking conviction was upheld in an appeals court, according to a unanimous decision out of the 9th District Court of Appeals Thursday. Sanchez was found guilty of menacing by stalking by Lorain County Common Pleas Edward Zaleski after Lorain resident Sarah Long filed a complaint in Sept. 2002... Long was awarded $175,000 in January from the city of Lorain after she filed a lawsuit stemming from the stalking. Sanchez’s attorney Terry Gilbert filed the appeal, stating there was insufficient evidence to convict his client... Long testified she had to seek therapy and began taking medication to control mood problems and panic attacks stemming from her encounters with Sanchez, the decision stated. “She said that, six years after the final incident, she is still scared of police officers and is often scared to leave her house,” the decision stated, referencing Long’s 2008 testimony in trial... Sanchez argued because Long lacked corroboration for her story, waited more than a year to file a police report and because her testimony lacked credibility, it should not be used against him. The appeals court, however, found the “trial court did not lose its way in finding Mr. Sanchez guilty of menacing by stalking”... The appeals court also overruled Sanchez’s argument that he was not entitled to view discovery of the case. [Full article here]

FORMER OFFICER’S STALKING CONVICTION UPHELD
Chronical Telegram
Filed by Brad Dicken
October 1st, 2010
[Excerpts] An appeals court has upheld the stalking conviction of former Lorain police Officer Jesus Sanchez. In a unanimous decision announced Thursday, the 9th District Court of Appeals wrote that Lorain County Common Pleas Judge Edward Zaleski had sufficient evidence to find Sanchez guilty of menacing by stalking. Sanchez retired from the Police Department after Zaleski, who heard the case instead of a jury, handed down the guilty verdict. Sanchez later was sentenced to serve 60 days in the county jail. Sanchez was convicted of stalking Sarah Long, a woman he met in late 2000 at a bingo game where he was working security. During the 2008 trial, Long testified that at first Sanchez seemed nice enough, but as they knew each other longer his behavior changed and he began stalking her... He began calling her, pulling her over and stopping by her house. In once instance, Long testified, Sanchez kissed her and tried to force his hand down her pants while holding her arms above her head. During that same encounter, Long said during the trial, Sanchez rubbed her pregnant belly. Earlier this year, the city agreed to pay Long $175,000 to settle a lawsuit she had filed against the city, accusing it of turning a blind eye to the sexual misconduct of its officers, includ­ing Sanchez. During the trial and again in the appeal, Sanchez’s lawyer, Terry Gilbert, argued that Sanchez was targeted for prosecution because of an affidavit he signed as part of a settlement agreement with Long. The affi­davit detailed what Sanchez had done and leveled accusations at several other Lorain police officers. Prosecutors countered that Sanchez was charged because he admitted to criminal activity in the affidavit... [Full article here]
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[OH] Ex-Lorain Officer Montelon files suit against the Police Department

A former fired Lorain Police Officer has filed a federal suit against the Lorain Police Department claiming they tried to silence him... Joe Montelon says his civil rights were violated and the harassment is in retaliation for him being the source that led to the Department of Justice investigation of police brutality. No criminal charges were ever filed against Montelon...


AFFIDAVIT TO SEARCH OFFICER'S WICKLIFFE HOME UNSEALED
The News-Herald, Journal Register News
By Kelly Metz
Published: Friday, August 06, 2010
[Excerpts] Unsealed Thursday, the affidavit that initiated a 2008 search of former Lorain police officer Joseph Montelon's home in Wickliffe said that investigators previously dug into Montelon's trash and found items suggesting Montelon was the person who had mailed numerous "threatening anonymous letters" about Lorain police Chief Cel Rivera to public officials in Lorain County... "An anonymous tip is never a basis for a search warrant," [Montelon's attorney, Terry] Gilbert said. Investigators dug into Montelon's trash in 2008 on July 3, July 17 and Aug. 28, the affidavit said. They found news articles, envelopes addressed to prior recipients of the letters, a Lorain police roster... Investigators also found an anonymous letter to a retired Lorain police chief stating, "Four officers have died at Mr. Rivera's hand," citing police officers who had committed suicide allegedly because of Rivera... Gilbert said no matter what was stated in the affidavit or found in the search "it doesn't change our position that the search was illegal"... [Full article here]

TRASH SEARCH, LETTER ‘THREATS’ BEHIND ’08 RAID ON EX-COP’S HOME
Filed by Brad Dicken
Chronicle-Telegram
August 6th, 2010
[Excerpts] When Lorain police raided the Wick­liffe home of former Lorain police officer Joseph Montelon nearly two years ago, they not only were trying to determine if he was the author of letters aimed at Lorain police officers, but also the identity of Mon­telon’s source of internal police information, according to the affidavit used to obtain the search warrant... Montelon has not been charged with a crime, but court documents filed by Ohio Attor­ney General Richard Cordray’s office, which took over the case as special prosecutors in April, said felony charges are possible... Montelon has declined to say whether he was the author of the letters, which often blasted Police Chief Cel Rivera, comparing him to the debauched Roman emperor Caligula... The letters were sent to public officials, police and media for years but were never signed... [Lorain City Councilwoman Anne] Molnar said she’s read all of the letters but never saw any­thing threatening in any of them... [Full article here]

WICKLIFFE MAN FILES SUIT FOR RAID
News-Herald staff
August 28, 2010
[Excerpts] The August 2008 search of former Lorain police officer Joseph Montelon's Wickliffe home has resulted in a lawsuit that claims the search and seizure of Montelon's property were illegal... According the lawsuit, the affidavit "contained false statements made knowingly, intentionally, or with a reckless disregard for the truth." It also said Montelon's property has been illegally held for two years... The city of Lorain, Police Chief Cel Rivera, Capt. Richard Resendez and Detective A.J. Mathewson are named as defendants... [Full article here]

MONTELON SUES CITY, OFFICIALS DUE TO SEARCH
Morning Journal
By KELLY METZ kmetz@MorningJournal.com
August 28, 2010
[Excerpts] ...“The whole point of the lawsuit is to stop these renegade cops in Lorain from trampling on people’s rights,” Montelon’s attorney Terry Gilbert said. “What they did in getting that warrant was shameful and goes against every cornerstone of what a free society is all about in order to be critical of government officials. To abuse their authority like that can not be tolerated.” Police have justified the search of Montelon’s home on the threat of charging him with aggravated menacing and menacing by stalking, two charges which do not hold up against his client, Gilbert said. Mathewson did not state the letters caused physical harm, but were only written to emotionally bother Rivera, which does not constitute menacing, according to the lawsuit. “Mathewson did not allege any facts in the affidavit that indicate any crime at all occurred. He misled the law in his affidavit and did not properly allege elements of either offense or conduct that would constitute a crime,” the lawsuit stated... Montelon has been “living under a cloud of uncertainty” regarding the investigation, which started in 2008 and he has yet to be indicted, Gilbert said. Gilbert compared the city and Rivera’s actions to that of Nazi Germany or communist Russia... “You dissent against your government and they go after you,” he added. “And the collaboration between Rivera and Resendez and getting local law enforcement involved to ransack somebody’s house to see if you are the one writing letters, it’s hard to even believe that could happen so blatantly.” Gilbert said he is leaving it up to a jury to determine what damages Montelon should be awarded if they win the suit, but the main goal of the suit in general is stop this kind of action. Lorain Mayor Tony Krasienko said he did not have a chance to look at the suit, but “feels confident the police department did everything correctly.” Lorain Law Director Pat Riley and Rivera could not be reached for comment. “We will review it and deal with it appropriately,” Krasienko said. [Full article here]
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