[SC] Deputy Investigator Downie's Double-Tragedy - Marie & Ashleigh

Marie and Ashleigh Downie

Richland County Sheriff's Investigator Terry Downie

DECEMBER 2006

A Richland County Investigator tried to run back into his burning home early Friday morning to rescue his wife and daughter, but was unable to save them... He could not get back into the home to get his wife and daughter, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said. "He has literally lost everything," Lott said. It remains unclear where and how the fire started, although investigators are calling it accidental. Investigator Terry Downie, his wife, Marie, and their 17-year-old daughter, Ashleigh were asleep at about 3 a.m. when Downie heard a noise and went to investigate...

...Marie Downie, 41, and daughter Ashleigh Downie died from smoke inhalation due to carbon monoxide poisoning, according to Kershaw County Coroner Johnny Fellers. Elgin Police Chief Harold Brown said Marie Downie's husband and Ashleigh's father - Terry Downie, 63 - was able to get out of the house and survived the fire...

...Kirk Stropes, head of emergency communications for Kershaw County, confirmed Sunday (Dec. 10) that Ashleigh called 911 from inside the house moments after it started. He said that when dispatchers called back, they determined she was still inside, but disoriented from the smoke...

...Both Marie and Ashleigh Downie were active with the Richland County Sheriff's Department. Marie Downie served as the first president of the Richland County Sheriff's Department Spouses Association and Ashleigh was a member of the department's Explorers post...

...According to the report, Terry Downie did not give a statement right away because of his smoke-inhalation injuries...

...Brown said Downie is a retired investigator who is now "working back with Richland County Sheriff's Office." He said Downie called law enforcement from Richland County, who arrived at the scene along with local deputies and Kershaw County Fire Marshal Gene Faulkenberry and Sheriff Steve McCaskill...

..."The incident is still under investigation," Brown said. "Because of the deaths involved, the fire marshal and I both agreed to call SLED in to do a complete investigation, even though we're very certain there was no foul play. We have no reason to think (there) is, but because of the fatalities, naturally we will investigate it fully."...

Marie and her brother

Marie Downie's MySpace page

The song that Marie had playing on her Myspace page is no longer playing through the page's music player because it's been "deleted by the artist" (Myspace-lingo), but at the time of her death the song she had playing there was "Unappreciated."

[From Lyrics] I'm feeling really unappreciated. You're takin` my love for granted, babe. I don't know how much more, I can take from you. You don't do the things you use to do... And lately I've been feeling, feeling unappreciated... You're takin' my love for granted, babe. I don't know how much more, I can take from you... Lately our house is not a home. You come in, take a shower, then say I'm gone. What am I to do when my heart says leave but my feet won't move?... I'm trying hard to give you another chance but ooh baby I'm feeling really unappreciated.... I don't know how much more, I can take from you... I still don't understand why you treat me like you do. I use to give in to your lust but now I see the truth. Oh no I don't want to hear it. I'm through...

Ashleigh's MySpace page ~*~I ♥ Brandon~*~ "~*.`i WiLl LoVe YoU tIlL tHe DaY tHaT i DiE.`.*

...Kershaw County Deputy Phil McCloud arrived first, within 3 minutes. According to the Kershaw County Sheriff's Office incident report, when McCloud arrived, the "house was fully involved by fire. (Terry Downie) was in his front yard stating that there (were) family members still inside of the residence." The report goes on to state that "Deputy McCloud made every attempt to rescue the trapped victims inside the residence; due to the severity of the fire, (he) could only control the area"... McCloud then sustained minor injuries trying to get Marie and Ashleigh Downie out of the burning home...

...The young men helping to carry her casket were fellow explorers... Ashleigh was a senior at Lugoff-Elgin High School and also attended the Applied Technology Education Campus (ATEC), where she was named December Student of the Month in Health Science Technology...

...Kirk Stropes, head of emergency communications for Kershaw County, confirmed Sunday (Dec. 10) that Ashleigh called 911 from inside the house moments after it started. He said that when dispatchers called back, they determined she was still inside, but disoriented from the smoke. "My folks did everything they could possibly do to get her to get out of the house," said Stropes. "This is one of the bad parts of the job. It's really hit everyone hard." Stropes said McCloud pounded on the home's windows, trying to locate Ashleigh...

...Downie prepared a speech, which the associate pastor read. In it, Downie remembered Marie as a devoted wife always there to help anyone in a time of need.... Ashleigh was just like her mother, many said she was a miniature Marie, he wrote. She went overboard in helping others...

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

[MA] Agawam Cop Syniec accused of DV on Officer Petrangelo

Agawam Police Officer Barry Syniec charged with assault and battery, threatening, criminal harassment, witness intimidation and malicious property destruction in domestic events alleged to involve Agawam Officer Danielle Petrangelo as victim.

OFFICER ORDERED HELD UNTIL TRIAL
August 08, 2006
[Excerpts] Agawam police officer Barry P. Syniec, 35, who is charged with beating another officer who was an ex-girlfriend, was ordered held without bail yesterday under a law designed to protect the public from danger... Syniec pleaded innocent in Hampden Superior Court last week to counts including assault and battery, threatening, criminal harassment and malicious destruction of property. After a hearing on whether Syniec poses a danger to the public, Judge Tina S. Page ordered him held without bail yesterday for 90 days until trial... Assistant District Attorney Michelle A. Cruz said her office sought commitment of Syniec to protect the parties involved... Syniec's employment status is "being reviewed" but refused direct comment yesterday on whether Syniec remains on the payroll. "He's not on the job if he's in jail," Gioscia said. Agawam Mayor Richard A. Cohen declined comment... Police were dispatched to an Agawam residence after being contacted by neighbors about a woman screaming for help. Grasso wrote that a female officer, identified as Danielle L. Petrangelo, 28, in a criminal complaint and grand jury indictment, told him that Syniec threatened to kill her and himself, and had thrown her across the porch and smashed her cell phone when she tried to call for help. Syniec argued with Petrangelo after he arrived intoxicated and threw beer bottles, golf balls and eggs at the house, Grasso wrote. On June 20, Syniec was committed to the Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center in Bridgewater for 30 days by Judge Paul M. Vrabel, after Syniec denied charges in Westfield District Court, according to court documents. Those charges include assault and battery, stalking, threatening to commit murder, malicious destruction of property and disorderly conduct... [Full article here]

OFFICER TESTIFIES AGAINST COLLEAGUE
October 04, 2006
[Excerpts] Agawam police officer Danielle L. Petrangelo testified yesterday that on June 19, a colleague and former boyfriend, officer Barry P. Syniec, arrived at her house uninvited, grabbed and threw her, and threatened to kill her and himself. A jury-waived trial for Syniec, 35, of Agawam, began yesterday and continues today in Hampden Superior Court, where Syniec has pleaded innocent to assault and battery, threatening, criminal harassment, witness intimidation and malicious property destruction... Defense lawyer Thomas J. Rooke said Syniec is an alcoholic who can't control his behavior... In June, Petrangelo said, Syniec began sending her messages and e-mail, stating he loved her and couldn't stop thinking about her, or that his hatred was worse. In voice messages, Petrangelo said, Syniec used obscenities and called her a whore... Petrangelo said two neighbors arrived and threatened to call police, and Syniec told them to do so, reciting the Agawam station number. "He looked at me, and he said very calmly that he was going to kill me and then kill himself, because he didn't care anymore," she said. [Full article here]

JUDGE RULES EX-COP GUILTY OF ASSAULT
Thursday, October 05, 2006
A former Agawam police officer, Barry P. Syniec, was found guilty yesterday of assault and battery and other crimes against his ex-girlfriend and colleague, officer Danielle L. Petrangelo. "I truly am sorry to the people I hurt," Syniec, 35, told Judge Bertha D. Josephson after a jury-waived trial in Hampden Superior Court. "My selfishness through drinking was what brought us all here. I'm disgusted with my own behavior." Syniec's voice broke and he cried at times while addressing the court. Besides assault and battery, Josephson convicted Syniec of threatening to kill Petrangelo, and malicious property destruction for twisting and breaking her cell phone... Josephson postponed sentencing and set a hearing for Nov. 1, adding that she wants a psychiatric evaluation of Syniec, along with an investigation and report from probation, before making a judgment. Assistant District Attorney Michelle A. Cruz recommended a sentence of 15 months in jail, plus 15 months suspended and three years' probation, while Syniec's lawyer, Thomas J. Rooke, argued for time served and 10 years' probation. Both agreed Syniec must give up his gun license and undergo treatment and testing for alcohol abuse. Rooke told the court that Syniec lost his job as an Agawam police officer and has been in custody for 3 ½ months, "a deep humiliation for a man who wore the badge"... Cruz, in seeking the jail sentence, said her office may be holding Syniec to a slightly higher standard because he was a police officer. "He took an oath to serve and protect the community," she said, adding that Syniec was "trained in handling volatile situations." Cruz said Syniec should be ordered not to contact Petrangelo, and to stay at least 500 feet away from her. Cruz said she is concerned for Petrangelo's safety, and other Agawam police officers whom Syniec believes are Petrangelo's allies. Rooke said Josephson could bar Syniec from the Town of Agawam entirely while he is on probation, and Syniec could live with a friend while selling his house there. Josephson acquitted Syniec yesterday of witness intimidation and criminal harassment. He has no prior criminal record. However, Josephson refused Rooke's request to release Syniec on electronic monitoring while he awaits sentencing, and Syniec remains held without bail. [LINK]

EX-OFFICER JAILED FOR ASSAULT
December 09, 2006
[Excerpts] A former Agawam police officer will serve a total of six months in jail for aggressive acts last June against another officer whom he dated. Barry P. Syniec, 35, was found guilty after a jury-waived trial in Hampden Superior Court on Oct. 4 of assault and battery, threatening, and malicious destruction of property, involving Agawam Police Officer Danielle L. Petrangelo. Last week, Judge Bertha D. Josephson sentenced Syniec to 2½ years at the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow, but she ordered six months to be served directly, and suspended the balance... Syniec, who has been granted credit for about five months of jail time already served, will serve five years on probation, during which he is barred from working in law enforcement or possessing a firearm, and must undergo substance abuse counseling and treatment, and enroll in a batterer's program. Thirty-seven people submitted letters to the court on Syniec's behalf seeking leniency. The group included relatives, neighbors, family friends, former colleagues, and police officers from other towns. "I have known him (Syniec) to be a conscientious police officer, and a solid citizen.... It is my belief that he will prosper with the strong support of family and friends," wrote John M. Spellacy, a retired state police trooper. Thomas J. Sullivan of East Longmeadow, a former principal of the Green Meadow School in Hampden, wrote that he knows Syniec as a friend of his daughters... A neighbor, Dorothy Wright... Josephson acquitted Syniec of witness intimidation and criminal harassment. [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal terroristic threatening cop on cop massachusetts state politics]

[VA] Pam killed her husband Deputy Tim Jones & then herself

...Police found a semi-automatic handgun in Pamela Farmer Jones’ lap on the day she and her husband, Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Deputy Timothy Jones, were found dead inside their Kentuck Road home... “We struggle and we toil for answers, and then when we get them, we don’t know what to do with them. Life brings us to the place where we have to just trust God"...

Search warrant: Deaths murder, suicide

Danville Register Bee
By JONNELLE DAVIS
December 13, 2006
Police found a semi-automatic handgun in Pamela Farmer Jones’ lap on the day she and her husband, Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Deputy Timothy Jones, were found dead inside their Kentuck Road home, according to a search warrant filed Nov. 29... A deputy went to the home to conduct a well-being check after Timothy Jones failed to show up for work. Autopsy results revealed that Timothy Jones died of multiple gunshot wounds, while his wife died of a single gunshot wound that appeared to be self-inflicted... Tim Jones was an eight-year veteran of the sheriff’s office and was part of its special investigations division at the time of his death.

Shooting remains mystery
By JONNELLE DAVIS
Register & Bee staff writer
December 1, 2006
The old adage “opposites attract” never rang truer than it did in the union of Tim and Pamela Jones. Pamela Farmer Jones was outgoing and outspoken, a motivator whose charm and sweet demeanor made it a tough task to turn her down. “You couldn’t say ‘no’ to her,” said her cousin Kenneth Brooks. Pam’s husband Tim, on the other hand, had to be engaged in conversation. He was a polite man, but not a very vocal one, according to his wife’s family. “Tim was quiet,” said Thomas Brooks, who is Pam Jones’ cousin and pastor of Evangel Temple United Holy Church, where she was an associate minister. “From all signs, they were a nice, happy couple,” Thomas Brooks said... “Everybody was in shock”... The image that family members hold in their minds of Pam Jones is not one of a woman who would kill her husband and then turn the gun on herself, but of a woman who loved her family and her church. The couple met in the Tidewater area when Pam was a student at Christopher Newport University. Their marriage was the second for Pam, who had a son with her first husband. When they married, Tim gave the child his name and raised him as his own... At Evangel Temple, Pam shared many roles. In addition to her duties as associate minister, she chaired the youth department and finance committee, was a member of the trustee board and performed in the choir. Tim stuck mainly to one talent in the church: the bass guitar... The family said they knew of no problems in the couple’s marriage that would have led to what deputies discovered when they arrived at 956 Kentuck Road on that fateful day after Tim Jones failed to show up for work. “I have my doubts,” Thomas Brooks said of the conclusions state police have come to thus far in their investigation. “I have my inclinations”...

Speaker says 'these are difficult times'
By SUSAN ELZEY
selzey@registerbee.com
December 3, 2006
Funeral services were held Saturday for Pamela Farmer Jones at Bibleway Cathedral as speakers referred to the service as a “celebration of her life.” “We shared both good times and bad times back then,” said the Rev. Leonard Thompson of McLaughlin Memorial Holiness Church in South Boston. “Today shall be a celebration of life… The enemy has wreaked havoc upon us and brought tears to our eyes, but the God that I serve shall wipe away the tears.”... During the service, several ministers spoke with all calling upon God to help Jones’ family. “We lift up this family to you to touch, to heal and to forgive,” said Charles Allen, pastor at James Street United Holiness Church in Danville. “Allow the Holy Spirit to breathe on this family, and remember her mother. Let them know that you haven’t left them.” Tara Scott, Jones’ first cousin, gave the family tribute, remembering Jones as being “so sweet” and a “busy bee, always doing something. We need to celebrate the life she lived, not how long she lived,” Scott said. “She truly lived a good life… Pam, we love you , we miss you, but we know you are OK.” The Rev. Floyd Blackwell, pastor of Miracle Temple Baptist Church in Newport News where Jones was also a member, delivered the eulogy, speaking of his struggles to understand Jones’ death... “We struggle and we toil for answers, and then when we get them, we don’t know what to do with them. Life brings us to the place where we have to just trust God... They were both good-hearted helpers of humanity,” he said. Calling the circumstances surrounding their deaths “an unexplainable mystery,” he assured Jones’ family that the members of Miracle Temple Church would continue to pray for her family... Larry Campbell, assistant pastor at Bibleway, estimated about 1,000 people attended the service. Funeral services for Tim Jones will be held Monday at Miracle Temple Baptist Church in Newport News...

Pastor says deputy 'was precious to us'
By JONNELLE DAVIS
jdavis@registerbee.com
December 5, 2006
Timothy Jones was a shining star within the Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office whose light will be missed, Sheriff G. Harold Plaster said Monday at the deputy’s funeral. The quiet, unassuming 42-year-old was a dutiful law enforcement officer who loved his job as well as his co-workers. “Tim was an individual that was easy to be around,” Plaster told the crowd of family, friends and law enforcement officials who gathered inside Miracle Temple Baptist Church Monday afternoon to say farewell to Jones. “He would uplift others that may be down”... Plaster said Jones quickly rose through the ranks of the department, starting out as a school resource officer and eventually being promoted to an investigator within the special investigations division. His most recent evaluation, which Plaster shared bits of with the crowd, was glowing: he kept a calm demeanor in stressful situations, maintained a good working relationship with other law enforcement agencies and kept a neat appearance on the job. Jones was a member of Miracle Temple, as well as Evangel Temple United Holy Church, where he played the bass guitar. “Tim was precious to us,” said Evangel Temple Pastor Thomas Brooks, who was Pamela Jones’ cousin. Jones left behind a son, Lorenzo, as well as his parents, two sisters, a brother and a host of other family members and friends. He was laid to rest in Hampton Memorial Gardens...

A peek into my week tracking power domestic violence

This is just a PEEK into my mailinglist of power dv -
selected stories and posts between Dec 3 & Dec 10th, 2006


[NJ] Wife-killer Police Sgt. Vanaman's bail reDUCED? ( B L EH ! )
Instead of going to school, the 14-year-old son of Barbara and [Millville] police Sgt. Robert Vanaman learned in court about the evidence, which the state has collected, that could prove his father fatally shot his mother and slashed himself to make the crime look like self-defense... Victim Barbara Vanaman's stepfather also was present and sat on the opposite side of the courtroom from Vanaman's son... Vanaman's status as a police officer makes him more of a flight risk. "Because he's facing the rest of his life behind bars and because he is a police officer is reason to flee... As a member of law enforcement, I can think of nothing more terrifying than being in prison for the rest of my life with the people I helped put there"... [He got bail anyway.]


[US] Secret Service Special Agent In Charge Lon Garner's dv
Lon Garner, the lead U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Denver, was charged Friday with two counts of felony second-degree assault for allegedly choking his wife... choking his wife until her ears started to ring and her peripheral vision became dark... choked her until their son, Lon Jr., struck his father on the head, knocking him down... Garner initially faced a misdemeanor assault charge... The more serious counts were filed based on the evidence... Christine Garner said she waited almost a year to come forward because her husband threatened he would "eliminate" anyone who tried to ruin his career... A restraining order was issued and he was ordered to stay away from his wife. He has also been told to wear a GPS tracking bracelet...


[NC] Wife who killed husband Officer Witherspoon - 50 new charges
...A woman accused of killing her police officer husband at their Mooresville home now faces more than 50 new charges. The 58 counts brought in Iredell County Superior Court against Misty Keller Witherspoon include allegations that she committed embezzlement, identity theft and obtained property by false pretenses...


[NC] Firefighter "Rusciano has been arrested at least 3 times"
...Rusciano has been arrested at least three times. He was arrested twice for domestic violence, and once for threatening his fellow firefighters. At his trial he was acquitted of that charge... this latest charge against Rusciano stems from an incident on Nov. 2, two days before he allegedly pointed a gun at his wife... Despite his past difficulties, he has remained a firefighter in good standing... “We feel he is pushing the limits of fairness” and “Firefighters need to know he is responsible also”... With his current troubles, Rusciano is facing two counts of communicating threats and one count of making harassing phone calls...


[TX] DALLAS ORDERED TO REHIRE OFFICER WEBB
...Prosecutors had accused Officer Jason Webb of striking his ex-wife in the face, arm and torso and then threatening to retaliate against a witness. They planned to offer evidence that he had assaulted the woman 20 times in two years...The officer was arrested and charged with assaulting a family member. He was also indicted on felony charges of retaliating against a witness... that case was dismissed when the witness refused to testify. His ex-wife became reluctant to proceed with the case, and prosecutors agreed to the plea bargain. In July 2002, the Police Department suspended Officer Webb for five days without pay for getting involved in a domestic disturbance discrediting the department. By that time, he had been suspended twice for other incidents – one day for conduct unbecoming an officer in May 2002 and one day for domestic disturbance discrediting the department in February 2001... Officer Webb's ex-wife could not be reached for comment...


[TX] Rehiring Ofc. Webb might(?) make it hard to fire cops for dv
"Dallas police Officer Jason Webb, who was fired three years ago after he pleaded no contest to assaulting his ex-wife, has to be rehired. His court-ordered reinstatement is troubling because either a state appeals court misapplied state law or Dallas police and attorneys botched his dismissal. Moreover, legal experts suggest this case might make it more difficult for police departments to fire officers who have a history of domestic violence. Let's hope the ramifications don't run that deep."


[IN] Several neighbors call police to home of Ofc. Skaggs
...Martinsville Police Chief Frans Hollanders confirmed that officer Chance Skaggs, who was already on probation from an earlier suspension, has been suspended until the internal investigation being conducted by the department is complete... The department had received several 911 calls from residents in the area... it was a domestic problem between Skaggs and his family...


[NY] Linda Erlichman - "A WONDERFUL LIFE MOURNED"
Linda Erlichman was so loved that her 50th birthday in October sparked a monthlong celebration, family and friends said Friday... Erlichman's life was cut short Wednesday when, police said, her ex-boyfriend, Craig Saboski, 48, a former New York City [NYPD] police officer, shot her to death in the Hicksville plumbing supply store where she worked. He then killed himself. Saboski, of New Hyde Park, who had a history of harassing women, seemed to have been provoked because he was being prosecuted for stalking Erlich.man, of East Meadow, who ended their relationship in the spring... He was still on probation in the case involving his ex-wife when police arrested him in September for stalking and harassing Erlichman...


[OH] Ex-Deputy Brandenburg's wife allowed to drop dv charge
...[Butler County Sheriffs Deputy Nick] Brandenburg's wife, who had accused him of assaulting her at the couple's Liberty Twp. home, filed a request Monday seeking dismissal of her complaint... Brandenburg, 27, resigned in October after an internal investigation into the domestic violence complaint led to a separate, unrelated fourth-degree felony theft charge...



[NY] Recently retired NYPD Ofc. Heilberger kills wife & self ..
...Heiberger retired from the NYPD in February... Initial police reports indicated that two people who had been shot in the head were discovered by children coming home from school... TOWN OF WALLKILL POLICE SAID THEY HAD BEEN CALLED TO THE HOUSE BEFORE, ALTHOUGH THEY COULD NOT SPECIFY WHY OR WHEN."(UNIFORMED OFFICERS) WERE FAMILIAR WITH THE RESIDENCE FROM PAST RESPONSES," SAID JOHN QUINN, DEPUTY CHIEF OF THE TOWN OF WALLKILL POLICE. "THEY WERE ALWAYS FIGHTING AND SHE'D SAY SHE COULDN'T STAND HIM," SAID A CLERK AT CITGO WHO DECLINED TO GIVE HER NAME. ANOTHER CLERK TOLD POLICE ELENA HAD BEEN IN THE STORE MONDAY NIGHT DISCUSSING DIVORCING PETER...



[NY] Father of slain Elena Hieberger about his daughter
The bodies of a retired NYPD cop and his wife - both killed in what cops believe was a murder suicide - were discovered in their Orange County home yesterday by two of her young children... "He took my daughter's life and he left my grandchildren orphans"... his daughter, who graduated from nursing school last week, had been planning to leave her husband, whom he described as "abusive." Law-enforcement sources said the couple fought bitterly Monday night about Elena's plans to seek a divorce..."She called me this morning and said, 'I've just about had it with Peter... In a weird twist, Heiberger, who retired from the force in February after 20 years, was once a partner to a cop who shot and killed his girlfriend before turning the gun on himself in their Queens apartment, according to Marmo...



[MA] Officer Karl Johnson arrested 3rd time
A [Springfield] city police officer was arrested yesterday for the third time since 2004 after failing to appear for his trial on charges of assaulting an ex-girlfriend and carrying a firearm while intoxicated... the assault and firearms charges involved a dispute between Johnson and an ex-girlfriend. Johnson tangled with the law again on Nov. 2, 2005, when he was arrested and charged with trespassing and resisting arrest...



[NJ] Sgt Vanaman who killed wife Barbara out on bail, w/kids
A Millville police sergeant accused of killing his wife [Barbara] has been released on bail and is living with his two children. Robert Vanaman returned to his home shortly before 4:30 p.m. Monday, at which time he was reunited with his 5- and 14-year-old sons... Vanaman is charged with first-degree murder, hindering prosecution, tampering with evidence, fabricating physical evidence and filing a false report with police...


[[IN] Officer Tyler, charged with battery, loses pay
A little more than a week after being charged with misdemeanor domestic battery and interfering with the reporting of a crime, Officer Clark D. Tyler of the Fort Wayne Police Department learned he would be suspended from his job without pay... His wife later told city police who investigated the case that she suffered pain from Tyler lying on top of her chest and to her wrists from being held. She also had bruises on her arm from being grabbed, court documents said. Tyler has denied any wrongdoing. He was ordered not to have any contact with his wife when he was released from jail on bond...


[IL] Fire Chief John Wu sorry for private dv & going back to work
..."I apologize for the disruption to the community and the Fire Department," Wu said in a statement. "While I consider the matter to be private, I will strive to earn back the respect and trust of the community and the department. I look forward to leading the department with integrity and honor."... "We're happy to have him back and we're happy he's coming back to work," Assistant Naperville Fire Department Chief Mike Zywanski said. "We're looking forward to his return"...


[CA] DV-killer of Officer Kaliah Harper enters not guilty plea
...The attorney for Quartus Hinton, 28, said Hinton is not claiming to be innocent in the death of Officer Kaliah Harper, but that pleading not guilty is a formal requisite to a trial...


cloud note: presuming an officer's guilt
...If I feel like calling NJ Millville Officer Robert Vanaman a wife-killer before he has his day in court, I think that's alright - since no one is arguing whether or not he killed her, just why. But some of these cases I post the officer could very likely be set up... And I am DEVASTATED at the thought of anyone being set-up. BREAKS MY HEART, I don't care who it is, what country, what job. It's just awful to think of a life that comes tumbling down because someone arranged it...


[MI] Ex Deputy, Ex Cop, Deputy Mayor Csapo dv update
Jurors needed only 35 minutes of deliberation after a daylong trial to find Traverse City Commissioner Ricky Edward Csapo guilty of domestic violence for assaulting his wife during an alcohol-fueled encounter on a downtown street... A city elected official is not removed from office because of a misdemeanor conviction, said city attorney W. Peter Doren. "There's nothing in the charter ... that talks about what happens when someone is convicted of a misdemeanor”... [Rick Csapo is a retired Deputy Sheriff of Grand Traverse County, retired Grand Traverse County police officer, a business agent for the Police Officer Association of Michigan, serving his second term as a Traverse City Commissioner and currently is mayor pro tem.]


[CT] Mayor calls firefighter Ryan's wife beating issues "personal"
eventually got upset and struck her several times in the face with his fists, eventually throwing himself on top of her in bed and continuing to strike her... The daughter -- said her father was trying get their mother to leave the house with him before the police arrived... [Mayor Joseph] Jaskiewicz said the town has not opened an internal investigation into the charges against but is doing its “due diligence” and has forwarded the information to the town attorney for review... “There's some personal issues. I don't think this has anything to do with ...[Chesterfield firefighter Shawn] Ryan's wife answered the door... distraught, and had an inch-and-a-half-long cut over her right eye and blood running down her face... She said --RyanRyanChesterfield firehouse, to be honest with you”...


[NC] Firefighter Rusciano - several dv arrests - Will keep job
...The fire department administration met this week to decide Louis Rusciano’s future. The chiefs voted to suspend, not terminate the firefighter. After all of his troubles, Rusciano is still a Charlotte firefighter. He has been arrested several times on domestic violence charges, including last week...


[TN] Lead investigator, Sgt. Charles Donald Kirby "resigns" after wife attack ...A Franklin police sergeant has resigned his position following accusations he shoved his wife and grabbed her by the neck during a Nov. 25 argument... [VIDEO SAYS THEIR NINE YEAR OLD WAS BEHIND A DOOR SCREAMING DURING THE ATTACK]


[VA] Officer DeAngelis supports wife accused of trying to kill him
...Circuit Judge Patricia West on Wednesday denied bail for Michelle DeAngelis, although her [ Virginia Beach Police Officer] husband, Albert DeAngelis, publicly supported his wife and said he would get counseling for her if she were released... Michelle DeAngelis initially denied her involvement but changed her story during interviews... Albert DeAngelis testified that he has been in close contact with his wife, who is four months pregnant - speaking to her daily and visiting her in jail once a week. Asked whether he was fearful of her, Albert DeAngelis said, "No, I am not"...


[MN] Fire Chief Bleskachek: "hard not to just collapse into shame"
(Her former domestic partner, a Minneapolis fire captain, who said [Fire Chief Bonnie] Bleskachek denied her the opportunity to advance in the department... that she was beaten at least 10 times by Bleskachek... to have suffered blackened eyes, injured ribs and head injuries.) ..."It's very, very difficult. It's hard not to just collapse into shame about it," said Bleskachek. "My greatest fear is that this has made it that much more difficult for women in fire service across the nation"...


[MN] NOT SO EASY to fire Chief Bonnnie Bleskachek
...So why don't they just fire her?... Under the terms of her employment, [Fire Chief Bonnie] Bleskachek can invoke union and civil service protections to block an attempt to fire her from the department she has headed since 2004. She also has the option to haul the city into court if she doesn't reach a settlement agreement.... Bleskachek's lawyer warned that "she won't go quietly"... According to the terms and conditions of her appointment as chief... she gets her job back as a firefighter... She could request a hearing before the city's Civil Service Commission or file a grievance under the city's collective bargaining agreement... She could file a civil rights suit, contending she was fired either because of her gender or sexual orientation, which are both protected classes...


[NJ] Sgt. Patrick O'Conner charged for killing his family's pet dog
A mentally disturbed, former Morris County sheriff's officer, who was charged in October with killing his family's golden retriever with a knife and baseball bat, was indicted Wednesday on animal cruelty and weapons' possession charges... O'Connor was on probation - on a conviction for pointing a loaded handgun at a Denville police sergeant... After the October arrest, he was also charged with violating his probation. He was sent to the Ann Klein Forensic Hospital in Trenton, where emotionally unstable defendants are housed, and then transferred on Nov. 21 to the Morris county jail, where he still remains...


[OH] Officer Krista Adams escapes Ofc. Bulman
Police say, after [New Miami Police Officer Krista] Adams told [Ex- Fairfield Township Police Officer William] Bulman their relationship was over... Bulman allegedly grabbed the handcuffs off her duty belt and handcuffed her to the footboard of the bed... "Eventually, she was able to get herself out of the handcuffs and tried to leave. He actually slammed her against the wall. She actually fell to the ground and was actually trying to crawl out of the residence at which time he grabbed her leg and was twisting her leg. She was able to get out of the residence at which time police were contacted"... Adams was taken to the hospital for treatment. Police say she suffered bruises...


[OH] When Officer Krista Adams tried to leave suicidal ex-sgt Bulman
...According to the police report, [New Miami Police Officer Krista] Adams went to [Ex- Fairfield Township Police Officer William] Bulman's home to end their relationship. She said Bulman became very upset and said, "You're not going anywhere. I will handcuff you to the bed if I have to"... handcuffed her to the footboard of his bed. Adams told Bulman to let her go because he was holding her against her will. He replied by saying, "Well add disrupting public service to (the list of charges) also," and threw his home phone and her cell phone against a wall, police said. Bulman then held Adams down on the bed and refused to let her go. He threatened to stick a gun in his mouth while she was handcuffed because, "he had nothing else to live for," according to police... He was transported to the Butler County jail and was released on his own recognizance... He was charged with abduction and assault... Fairfield Twp. police officials said Bulman was terminated in September, but did not elaborate... "He made a couple of suicidal comments. It's very disturbing that an ex-law enforcement officer would be in a situation like that." Adams told authorities Thursday wasn't the first time Bulman had made suicidal threats to her...


[IN] TONIGHT - 2 HOUR SPECIAL ON TROOPER CAMM FAMILICIDE
"...[Indiana State Trooper David] Camm gets an automatic appeal because he has life without parole; he gets an appeal to the Indiana Supreme Court. I never expected him to get a second trial. Who knows? The one thing I’ve learned in five years when it comes to the Camm case is: Don’t be surprised by anything..."


[IN] Will Trooper Camm win a 3rd trial for killing his family?
...After six years, two trials and nearly $2 million of taxpayer money, the last thing Floyd County wants to consider is the idea of twice-convicted [family] murderer [Ex Indiana State Trooper] David Camm getting a third chance...



[CT] Suicidal-dv-rapist/batterer Officer Crespo is in JAIL?
...Harkins shares today’s agenda with two officers incarcerated on felony charges: Former Vernon Officer John Troland, who has been convicted of a felony computer crime charge, and former East Windsor Officer Rafael Crespo, who has been convicted of first-degree sexual assault, said Pfeifer...


[CT] Psychiatrist: Officer Crespo's fiance' was too afraid to leave him
...A PSYCHIATRIST WHO TREATED THE UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN NOTED THAT SHE WAS TOO AFRAID OF [EAST WINDSOR POLICE OFFICER RAFAEL] CRESPO TO END THE RELATIONSHIP... "EAST WINDSOR POLICE HAVE A CODE OF ETHICS. OFFICERS ARE EXPECTED TO LIVE BY IT ON AND OFF DUTY. THAT COMMITMENT TO A HIGH STANDARD SHOULD HELP THE OTHER 25 OFFICERS RETAIN A SENSE OF PRIDE IN THEIR WORK. IN A CLOSE-KNIT DEPARTMENT, THEY ARE BOUND TO BE UPSET BY THE ARREST OF ONE OF THEIR OWN. NO TOWN IS IMMUNE FROM PROBLEMS OR PROBLEM EMPLOYEES. WHAT SETS APART AN ETHICAL ADMINISTRATION IS THE WAY IT HANDLES A CRISIS."


[VA] Bodies of Deputy Tim Jones and wife Pamela found
...bullets shattered the couple’s nearly 16-year marriage. Virginia State Police say multiple bullets pierced [Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Deputy] Tim Jones’ body, while a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound brought an end to Pam Jones’ life... Asked whether Pamela Jones may have shot her husband before killing herself, Sgt. Robert Carpentieri said, "I can't say that for sure."...


[NJ] Ex-County Officer Brightman arrested for threats to wife
...[Former Passaic County Officer] Gregg Brightman, 30, of Bloomingdale was charged Monday with making terroristic threats, witness tampering, criminal mischief and harassment, police said. Brightman repeatedly telephoned his wife at a restaurant Sunday afternoon and threatened her and a female friend she was dining with, said Lt. Derek Bastinck. He then went to a home where his estranged wife is staying and dented the front of her friend's car... (PHOTO IS NOT BRIGHTMAN, just stock photo of what he's accused of. Innocent until proven guilty.)


[AL] Councilman/ex-deputy Barlow had a non-dv at his house
...[Satsuma City Councilman and former Mobile County Chief Deputy MarkBarlow] "has been in law enforcement for over 20 years, and he is keenly aware of the law regarding domestic violence and harassment," [his attorney Ken] Nixon said. "Mark did not harass his wife, commit domestic violence or do anything else wrong. Mark and his wife are going through a divorce... Michelle Barlow declined to comment... Barlow was unavailable... police Chief David Benefield, contacted this week, would not comment...


[AL] Cop Bass quits after dv. Girlfriend helped by another cop
...Before he resigned, [Greenville Police officer John] Bass spent Wednesday night in the Butler County jail. He made his $13,000 bond Thursday morning. Girlfriend Kristie McGough claimed in the police report that Bass choked her and struck in the face with his fists. She was able to get away by going to another policeman's home who in turned called for help...



[OH] Lucas Mayor resigns & whines before pleading guilty to dv
..."I'm just tired of the personal attacks," he said. [John I] Finley said he is also tired of the "ongoing running in circles and decisions being made without thought only to be retracted at the next meeting"... The couple said they renewed their wedding vows Nov. 15. "I think John is a different and better man today than ever before," said David Badnell, Finley's second attorney. "When John is sober, he is one of the most caring guys I know -- and he's been sober ever since that incident in August"...


[OH] Fire Lt Goolsby is back to work after fire at girlfriends garage
...Chief Metzger said fire officials began an internal investigation and interviewed [Toledo Fire Department Lieutenant Kevin] Goolsby - who has maintained his innocence - and the police detective handling the criminal case. The officials believe the situation is "not necessarily clear cut," and the department wanted to utilize Lieutenant Goolsby in some capacity while he is awaiting his due process, the chief said...



[CA] "Even toughest can fall victim" to dv"
...If anyone knew how to handle herself in a dangerous situation, it was [Richmond Police Officer Kaliah] Harper. But despite all of her street smarts and self-defense training, Harper couldn't protect herself from a former boyfriend who wouldn't take "no" for an answer...


[NY] Wife of ex-NYPD: "I think I need to get away from him"
..."Daddy, I think I need to get away from him," Victor Marmo remembers his eldest daughter Elena Heiberger] saying the day before her death. He gave her a New City lawyer's name. She told him make certain the lawyer didn't call the house, in case her husband [New York Police Officer Peter Hieberger] picked up the phone... "In beginning, he was like a hero," said her father. "But things slowly got worse and worse"... Yesterday, town police said none of the six calls to the home since 2002 were for fights between the Heibergers... Peter, according to Victor Marmo, "was a creation of the NYPD." Finbarr Mahon, a NYPD officer who Marmo said was Peter's old partner, killed his girlfriend and himself in February 2005 in their Queens apartment with his .38-caliber service revolver...