[NJ] Not forgotten: Police say Officer Meese and Lorena's deaths were self-inflicted - 2001

Although arriving police officers heard 1 gunshot from inside the home, the deaths of Middle Township Police Sgt. Merrill Meese and his wife Lorena were said to be a "double-suicide." Lorena was a Mexican native who worked as a nurse at a Cape May Court House hospital. Their 3 year old was found in the house unharmed.

SHOT DEAD; SUICIDE SUSPECTED: OFFICER, ACCUSED WIFE ARE FOUND

south jersey news in brief

Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa.

Jan 25, 2001. pg. B.6

[Excerpt] A veteran police officer and his wife, both fatally shot in the head, were found in their home by police investigating allegations of child endangerment, authorities said yesterday. Sgt. Merrill Meese Jr., 40, a 14-year veteran of the Middle Township Police Department, and Lorena Meese, 36, apparently committed suicide, said David E. Blaker, acting Cape May County prosecutor...

OFFICER AND WIFE DIED JUST AS POLICE ARRIVED OFFICERS PROBING AN ALLEGATION OF CHILD ABUSE HEARD A SHOT AFTER KNOCKING. THE DEATHS HAVE BEEN RULED SUICIDES

Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa

Amy S Rosenberg

Jan 26, 2001. pg. B.7

[Excerpts] "The officers went to the house, heard a gunshot, and broke in the front door," said James E. Rybicki, chief of detectives with the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office. "They found both deceased in the bathroom of the residence. It appears that both died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds"... Meese was a 14-year veteran of the Middle Township Police Department, where he had been assigned to the patrol division, supervising a motorcycle unit. The flag outside the police station in Cape May Court House was at half-staff yesterday, and black bunting was draped over the doorway. Chief William Hevener declined to comment, instead handing out a one-page summary of Meese's career as a police officer. Meese also had served as an assistant team leader in the SWAT unit, and had attended numerous accident-investigation schools as part of his training for the township, which is west of the 10-mile marker of the Garden State Parkway... Rybicki, of the Prosecutor's Office, said officers had knocked on the door before the gunfire was heard, but he would not say if the Meeses were aware of the officers' presence or the reason for their showing up at their home...

MIDDLE TWP. POLICE SERGEANT AND WIFE TAKE OWN LIVES

Couple was focus of child-endangerment investigation

[Excerpts] A township police sergeant and his wife died in what investigators say was an apparent double suicide Tuesday night, just as police arrived at the couple's home to investigate allegations of child endangerment. Merrill Meese Jr., 40, and his wife, Lorena, 36, were found dead after police heard a gunshot as they walked to the door of the couple's home in the Green Creek section of the township, police said. Acting Cape May County Prosecutor David E. Blaker said the allegations of child endangerment involved Lorena Meese, but he declined to provide details... Officers had no plans to arrest or press charges but only to ask questions when they arrived at the couple's Devane Street home at about 8 p.m. Tuesday. Just after arriving, the officers heard a gunshot from inside the home, according to police. They then forced their way into the home through the locked front door and found the couple dead of gunshot wounds to the head... Police also refused to release information on what weapon was used, whether it was a police service weapon and whether other weapons were present in the home... Meese was a 14-year veteran of the department and an active member of the local Police Benevolent Association. The flag in front of the police department was flown at half-mast Wednesday, and draped over the front entrance was a simple, black cloth.

PW'S LOOK AT THE WEEK'S MISDEEDS.

Philadelphia Weekly

by Brian Hickey

archives 2001 » jan. 31st

[Excerpts] A TOUCHY SITUATION Last week, police in Cape May County arrived at the home of a fellow officer, 40-year-old Merrill Meese Jr., to charge Meese's wife with a child-endangerment offense. They were walking to the front door when they were startled by a single gunshot. Once inside, they discovered the bodies of both Meese and his wife, Lorena. The couple's three-year-old son was found unharmed. The case is mysterious on several fronts. For one, South Jersey investigators refuse to elaborate on the aforementioned child-endangerment offense, except to say that it didn't involve the Meeses' child. Meese's mother defended her son and his wife, a Mexican native who worked as a nurse at a Cape May Court House hospital, in the days following the deaths. For another, if the case is a double suicide--as the investigators are currently calling it--why did the officers hear only one gunshot?...

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[NC] Martin County Deputy Johnson's girlfriend had injuries to her forehead, face and neck

...Martin County Sheriff's Deputy Christopher Johnson is accused of assaulting and striking his girlfriend by "slamming her on the couch, choking her, elbowing her in the face twice, leaving a bruise, punching her in the mouth, knocking two teeth loose causing her mouth to bleed"...

MARTIN COUNTY DEPUTY ACCUSED OF ASSAULT

By WNCT Staff

Published: February 01, 2011

[Excerpts] A Martin County deputy is in hot water this afternoon after being arrested on an assault charge. Officials confirm that Martin County Sheriff's Deputy Christopher Dandre Johnson was arrested Monday in Greenville after turning himself in for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend... The woman suffered minor injuries. Johnson has been suspended with pay pending an internal investigation... Johnson is free on bond this afternoon, but is scheduled to appear in court on February 23rd. [Full article here]

MARTIN COUNTY DEPUTY ARRESTED IN GREENVILLE

The Daily Reflector.

By Jennifer Swartz

February 1, 20110

[Excerpts] ...[Martin County Sheriff's deputy] Christopher Dandre Johnson, 27, appeared before a Pitt County magistrate Monday afternoon after turning himself in to Greenville police. A warrant charging him with assault on a female was issued after his 25-year-old girlfriend, a resident of New Bern, accused him of assaulting her... The woman suffered scratches on her neck and injuries to her forehead and cheek under her right eye, police said... “He is suspended with pay pending an internal investigation”... Following the Monday arrest, Johnson was free on a $2,500 unsecured bond... [Full article here]

MARTIN CO. DEPUTY ARRESTED BY FORMER COLLEAGUES AT GPD: A deputy sheriff was arrested by some of his former coworkers in Greenville after they say he assaulted his girlfriend.

Feb 1, 2011

[Excerpts] ...Johnson is currently on administrative leave with pay from his job as a deputy sheriff in Martin County. Greenville police say Jones was hired as a police officer trainee in January 2010 and voluntarily resigned three months later. A month later he became a Martin County deputy. The arrest warrant says Johnson punched his girlfriend in the mouth, knocking her two front teeth loose. Johnson was arrested Monday by Greenville police on charges of assault on a female... Johnson is accused of assaulting and striking his girlfriend by "slamming her on the couch, choking her, elbowing her in the face twice, leaving a bruise, punching her in the mouth, knocking two teeth loose causing her mouth to bleed"... [Full article here]

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[NJ] Officer DeLeon arrested for domestic violence - again

NEWS FROM APRIL 2010 AND JANUARY 2011:

OFFICIALS: ALLEGED ASSAULT ON GIRLFRIEND COULD GET TRENTON COP CANNED

The Trentonian

April 07, 2010

[Excerpts] The Trenton cop [Erwin L. DeLeon] arrested here Saturday at his residence and charged with simple assault on his girlfriend could lose the right to carry his gun, and hence his job, if he is found guilty... [He] was charged with a disorderly persons offense by police here and faces a 10 a.m. April 13 court date in township municipal court, said Bordentown City Police Chief Chief Matt Simmons... A TPD spokesman deferred comment on the actual crime to the Burlington County prosecutor’s office and Chief Simmons. “It’s a disorderly persons (case), simple assault, so it’s not something that would even come up to this office,” said First Assistant Prosecutor Ray Milavsky. Why would the TPD so quickly suspend an officer without pay on a disorderly persons case? “I can only speculate, but perhaps Trenton’s view is that it still brings into question whether or not he’s fit to be a police officer... A police officer who engages in an act of domestic violence, it also causes him to lose his weapon, too, if he’s found guilty. In these Attorney General guidelines about police officers charged with domestic violence, if he gets convicted, he loses his right to carry a firearm; that would cost him his job, if convicted.” Simmons said that’s totally up to the Trenton police and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, as far as the disposition of DeLeon’s job... “Upon investigation, we learned there were signs of domestic violence within the home. So he was arrested and charged for simple assault”... Asked what signs there were in the home of domestic violence, Simmons said, “Just tangiable property thrown around within the home. ... There were signs of domestic violence. ... There was physical touching”... [Full article here]

9 MONTHS LATER:

TRENTON POLICE OFFICER ARRESTED

The Times of Trenton - NJ.com

Alex Zdan

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

[Excerpts] A city police officer was arrested Friday after he allegedly grabbed and pushed his girlfriend and physically restrained her from leaving his car... Police would only confirm that two-year veteran Erwin L. DeLeon was charged with kidnapping and simple assault and was held on $100,000 bail. DeLeon is suspended without pay pending the outcome of the criminal charges and an Internal Affairs investigation, police said... Police could not comment on any discipline in DeLeon's past, but several sources said he was arrested last spring in Bordentown City on domestic violence charges against a different woman... [Full article here]

L.A. PARKER COLUMN: TRENTON POLICE DEPARTMENT IS IN A WORLD OF HURT

The Trentonian

January 23, 2011

[Excerpts] No matter how you pitch it, the past two weeks have been incredibly awful for the Trenton Police Department... This past week, veteran cop Mylon Kelsey and three police officers were involved in a brawl at the city’s famous watering hole, TirNa Nog on Hamilton Ave. Kelsey has been charged with aggravated assault and weapons offenses but police will not name the other three officers involved in the incident. An Internal Affairs investigation nailed Kelsey but the public certainly has a right to know which other officers were involved in the bar fight. IA has a history of offering protection for their buddies so don’t expect much more news about this fight... [Full article here]

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[PA] Accountability article: "In Philly, filing complaint against a cop isn't easy"

IN PHILLY, FILING COMPLAINT AGAINST A COP ISN'T EASY

phillynews.com

Jan Ransom

January 31, 2011

[Excerpts] The number of complaints against Philadelphia police officers has spiked in the past few years, yet getting a complaint form isn't always as easy as it's supposed to be. At times, officers at some police-district headquarters pressure complainants for personal information regarding the complaint, and provide misinformation or even deny them the form needed to file a complaint. In spot checks conducted recently by the Daily News, supervisors at five police districts refused to allow the complainant to remain anonymous - which is against the Police Department's own policy - and wouldn't supply the form to reporters who posed as complainants. An additional 11 of the city's 21 police districts did not follow department policies for filing complaints. Problems included creating a hostile environment for complainants, and neglecting to inform them of the procedure and locations to file a complaint... [Full article here]

[FL] Legal trickery? Still no charges, no arrest for alleged public domestic attack by Deputy Chief Bobby Jones

A judge has granted the alleged victim in a dating violence investigation involving Cocoa Deputy Police Chief Bobby Jones a restraining order...

Previous Post:
[FL] NOT ARRESTED FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Cocoa Deputy Police Chief Bobby Jones - ...The witness who tried to help Jones' girlfriend as she was being assaulted says his life was threatened. The father of the assaulted woman says she has tried to get a protection order. Jones has a wife and kids. Nobody's safe. And despite photographs and a witness, this deputy chief was not arrested...

COCOA DEPUTY POLICE CHIEF HIT WITH RESTRAINING ORDER
Florida Today
By Rebecca Basu
January 27, 2011
[Excerpts] A judge has granted the alleged victim in a dating violence investigation involving Cocoa Deputy Police Chief Bobby Jones a restraining order. At a hearing in the matter, both parties attended and agreed to the order without admissions, which means the allegations in the victim’s petition were not addressed. Jones, 38, could face assault charges stemming from an alleged altercation in mid-December in downtown Melbourne... Jones, who was not arrested and has not been charged, is on paid leave. He earns $72,000 annually... The order says Jones should have no contact with ]the victim] and not go within 500 feet of her home and workplace, not go within 100 feet of her car and that Jones shall not use or possess a firearm or ammunition except while performing duties as a law enforcement officer... “I think he may try and threaten me to not press charges,” she wrote. “He may be afraid of losing his job.” Court records also show that earlier this month Jones’ wife, Elizabeth, filed for divorce... [Full article here]
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[CA] Whoever murdered cop's wife Cheryl Rose Wynn didn't leave evidence behind. Reward offered.

..."We have no suspects,

no leads,

no evidence"...

Monday marked a painful one-year anniversary for a retired LAPD officer [Steve Wynn]. His wife was found murdered in their Orange County home, and the case remains unsolved. A large reward has been offered in the case... Cheryl Rose Wynn, 48, was found stabbed to death inside her Orange home a year ago... "We have no suspects, no leads, no evidence," Orange police Sgt. Dan Adams said. "We have nothing. It's very unusual that we have nothing to work off of"...

PREVIOUS POST:

[CA] The wife of a retired police officer, Cheryl Rose Wynn, was murdered in their home - Detectives continue to investigate the stabbing death of a 48-year-old woman [Cheryl Rose Wynn]... Wynn's husband [ex-LAPD Detective Steve Wynn] told officers that he came home and found his wife on the bedroom floor... Wynn's husband is a retired police officer who works as a private investigator [Wynn Investigations]... Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Aaron Towner at (714) 744-7456...

REWARD: $50K IN STABBING DEATH OF RETIRED POLICEMAN'S WIFE
dailybreeze.com
01/31/2011
A $50,000 reward was offered today for information that helps solve the stabbing death of a retired police officer's wife, who was found dead in her residence in Orange a year ago today. Cheryl Rose Wynn's husband arrived home on Palo Loma Place about 6:30 p.m. last Jan. 31 and found her dead, Sgt. Dan Adams said. There were no apparent signs of forced entry, he said, adding that investigators don't have a motive for the killing of the 48-year-old woman whose family offered the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of her killer... He said his wife, who worked for Boeing for about 20 years, is also survived by her adult daughter, a 3-year-old grandson and two stepsons. Anyone with information on the case was urged to call Detective Aaron Towner, (714) 744-7456 [Full article here]

$50,000 REWARD OFFERED IN WOMAN'S KILLING ONE YEAR AGO
The Orange County Register
By Denisse Salazar
Published: Jan. 31, 2011
[Excerpts] ...Her husband, Steve Wynn, told officers he came home and found his wife on the bedroom floor bleeding, Adams said. He is a retired police officer from a Los Angeles County agency. "We have no suspects, no leads, no evidence," Orange police Sgt. Dan Adams said. "We have nothing. It's very unusual that we have nothing to work off of." Steve Wynn described his wife as a very giving and loving person. "We are hoping that maybe the enticement of $50,000 will encourage someone to come forward if they know who was involved," Steve Wynn said during a telephone interview. Cheryl Rose Wynn worked for The Boeing Company for 24 years. She was a procurement agent in the company's supplier management group in Cypress... [Full article here]


$50K REWARD MARKS ANNIVERSARY OF ORANGE MURDER
KABC
John Hartung
January 31, 2011
[Excerpts] Monday marked a painful one-year anniversary for a retired LAPD officer. His wife was found murdered in their Orange County home, and the case remains unsolved. A large reward has been offered in the case. A tangible pain is still visible Kristina D'Elia's face. It was a year ago Monday that her mom was murdered inside her home... On Jan. 31, 2010, 48-year-old Cheryl Rose Wynn was stabbed to death. She was found by her husband... No arrests have been made. Monday, the family announced a $50,000 reward... "Frustration is definitely the key word in this case. No lead to a suspect. No evidence at this point that we can find anywhere else other than what we found that night in the residence, so we're looking for the public's help on this case, for sure," said Orange Police Sgt. Dan Adams. Kristina D'Elia's stepfather, Steve Wynn, did not want to talk on camera, but did issue a statement Monday: "It is a very emotional day. It is a sad memory. There isn't a day that goes by that we don't remember Cheryl. We hope the reward of $50,000 will get someone to speak who may know something," wrote Wynn... [Full article here]

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[TN] Memphis, Ex-Officers sued in case where cop's estranged wife and employer planted with drugs

ARTICLE FROM JUST BEFORE THE JURY'S RULING:

POLICE DRUG PLANTING CASE NOT QUITE OVER

WREG-TV

April Thompson

1/31/2011

[Excerpts] ...Memphis police officers James Fetter and Adam Gagnier were charged with planning the traffic stop, waiting until Fetter's estranged wife Leah and her friend and employer Herbert Adcock were together driving, pulling them over and, according to Leah and Adcock, planting illegal drugs in Adcock's truck and Leah's purse. The cops later pleaded guilty to some of the charges and lost their jobs... Six years later, Leah Fetter and Adcock are back in federal court trying to get the former cops and their former employer to pay... Fetter then got other officers to help him set up the two, pulling them over for a traffic stop and getting Officer Gagnier to plant the drugs... Herbert Adcock and Leah Fetter say they never recovered financially... They say the Police department ignored their constant complaints about James Fetter. The case is being decided by a jury. James Fetter is out of jail, but Adam Gagnier remains behind bars on several charges. [Full article here]

[TN] Memphis escapes paying framed cop's wife and her employer for drug frame case - [A federal jury has ruled that Memphis is not liable but the involved officers will be ordered to pay an as-of-yet undetermined amount.]

Previous post:
[TN] Officer Fetter's abused wife planted with cocaine

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