[CAN] Linda Mariani's then-cop boyfriend killed her

Former Toronto cop found guilty of first-degree murder in death of mistress
THE CANADIAN PRESS, cjad.com
By: Maria Babbage
2007-10-31
[Excerpts] The lengthy, costly and often bizarre trial of a former Toronto police officer accused of killing his mistress and concealing her body behind a wall in his basement culminated Wednesday with a jury finding him guilty of first-degree murder. A jury in this suburban town north of Toronto took little more than a day to convict Richard Wills, 50, in the February 2002 death of Linda Mariani, 40, following a five-month trial. The two had been involved in a nine-year affair before Mariani's death. Wills is facing a life sentence with no chance of parole for at least 25 years... Wills's teenage daughter Jessica sobbed uncontrollably outside the courtroom, occasionally shrieking in despair and calling out, "Daddy, Daddy"...

[AL] Wife filed charge outside husband's dept, now "SEEKS" protection order

If there's enough to charge Officer Michael Thomas on domestic violence, then how can there NOT be enough for his wife to obtain a protection order? The (alleged) violence happened over a MONTH AGO. From out here it looks like a systemic rallying to help a cop keep his gun.
Lipscomb officer wants jury trail in domestic violence case
Birmingham News
October 30, 2007
A Lipscomb police officer who is charged with domestic violence decided to forego a bench trial in District Court because he wants a jury trial. Michael Thomas is accused of slapping his estranged wife after he walked in on her talking on the telephone to a man he believed to be her boyfriend. Thomas appeared in Bessemer District Court. "We stipulated that if we were to have a bench trial that he would be found guilty," said Thomas' lawyer, Larry McClendon. "We're requesting a jury trial in Circuit Court." Thomas is charged with third-degree domestic abuse. HIS WIFE IS SEEKING A RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST HIM. The Thomases are getting divorced. No trial date has been set.

From September news:
Lipscomb Police Officer Faces Domestic Violence Charges
WBRC-TV, MyFoxAL.com
September 25, 2007
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. A Lipscomb police officer is facing domestic violence charges according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's office. Authorities say Michael Thomas turned himself in early Friday morning after an arrest warrant was issued for his arrest late Thursday. HIS WIFE WENT TO JEFFERSON COUNTY TO FILE A COMPLAINT AND CLAIMS SHE TRIED TO GO TO LIPSCOMB POLICE AND THEY DID NOT RESPOND TO HER COMPLAINT. Jefferson county officials are investigating the claim.

[IL] Stacy Peterson, wife of Police Sgt. Peterson, is missing

[See comments section for updates, video links, and comments]
...Drew Peterson's previous wife, 40-year-old Kathleen Savio, was found dead in the dry bathtub of her Pheasant Chase home in March 2004... "I'm waiting for my attorney to advise me," Peterson said. "If he feels I should make a statement then I will. If he advises against it, then I won't."

Missing:
Stacy Ann Peterson
Anyone with information should call ISP Joliet District at (815) 726-6377.

Bolingbrook Police Sergeant's Wife Disappears
Sergeant's Previous Wife Died In '04, Case Ruled Accidental
CBS2Chicago.com
Oct 30, 2007
[Excerpts] State Police are searching for the wife of a southwest suburban Bolingbrook police sergeant... It was not clear how long Peterson, the wife of Bolingbrook police Sgt. Drew Peterson, has been missing... According to an Illinois State Police release which spelled her name Stacy Ann Peterson, she was last heard from at 10 a.m. Sunday. She was supposed to help a friend do some painting, but never showed up. Stacy Peterson is described as a 5-foot-2-inches, 100 pound, white female with brown hair and eyes. She was last seen wearing a red jogging suit. She has a tattoo of a blue and yellow carnation on the small of her back and a scar across her stomach, the release said... Drew Peterson's previous wife, 40-year-old Kathleen Savio, was found dead in the dry bathtub of her Pheasant Chase home in March 2004. Drew Peterson and Savio were divorced... Once entry was gained, the neighbor went inside and found Savio's body in a waterless bathtub... While there was no water in the bathtub, it may have drained out over time, as the plug was down, investigators speculated. A coroner's jury ruled the death accidental. State Police investigated that case as well. No charges were filed. According to one official, Savio was Drew Peterson's third wife, and Stacey Peterson is his fourth. More than 20 years ago, Drew Peterson was fired from the Bolingbrook Police Department... Drew Peterson won reinstatement with the department in March 1986. Judge Edwin Grabiec ruled police and fire commissioners lacked sufficient evidence to find Peterson guilty of the charges...

Search under way for wife of Bolingbrook cop
Chicago Tribune
Erika Slife, Matthew Walberg and Dan Blake
October 30, 2007
...Stacy Peterson, 23, was last seen Sunday morning by her husband, Sgt. Drew Peterson, said Bolingbrook police Lt. Ken Teppel. Peterson, 53, is a 29-year veteran of the department... At 4 a.m. Monday, her family went to the Illinois State Police to report that she was missing... Contacted at his home this afternoon, Peterson declined to comment. "I'm waiting for my attorney to advise me," Peterson said. "If he feels I should make a statement then I will. If he advises against it, then I won't." Teppel said investigators were treating the disappearance as a missing persons case, which is being handled by state police because it involves a member of an officer's family. Teppel said there are no signs of foul play... Peterson is a student at Joliet Junior College, where she is majoring in pre-nursing, said a campus spokesman...

[MA] Officer Flynn charged with domestic assault and battery

Danvers officer faces domestic assault charges
The Salem News, MA
By Matthew K. Roy
October 30, 2007
Leonard Flynn Jr., a Danvers police officer, was arrested over the weekend and charged with domestic assault and battery. Danvers police took Flynn into custody at 3:47 a.m. on Saturday at a Sheffield Road address. He will be arraigned tomorrow in Salem District Court on one count of domestic assault and battery... Flynn has been placed on paid administrative leave, and the department is investigating the incident, Chief Neil Ouellette said. Ouellette would not identify the alleged victim or discuss details of what led to Flynn's arrest... Citing the department's policy against disclosing the home address of a police officer, Ouellette would not specify an address or confirm that Flynn was at home when arrested. He refused to provide any other information about the incident...

[OH] Detective Dexter's wife Denae charged with trying to kill him

Previous entry
[OH] Denae shot her police officer husband - 8/2707
... When a 911 dispatcher asked Denae Barnett-Dexter why she shot her husband, the 34-year-old mother of two, said, "Because he's trying to divorce me... I've got a gun in my hand. Smith & Wesson"...

Wife faces new counts in officer's shooting
Dayton Daily News
Monday, October 29, 2007
A Phillipsburg woman accused of shooting her husband, a Trotwood police officer, was indicted Monday on two new counts: attempted murder and attempt to commit murder, both first-degree felonies. Denae Barnett-Dexter, 34, had already been indicted on three counts of felonious assault, all second-degree felonies. She remains in Montgomery County Jail in lieu of $1 million bond. She is accused of shooting her husband Troy Dexter at their Phillipsburg home on Aug. 26, where Dexter went to pick up their two sons. Shot twice in the chest, Dexter ran to a nearby firehouse to get help while Barnett-Dexter called 911 to report that she had shot her husband. A first-degree felony carries up to 10 years in prison, under Ohio law. A second-degree felony carries up to 8 years.
Wife said she shot husband because of pending divorce
Trotwood detective survived two gunshot wounds in upper chest, recovering at Miami Valley Hospital.
Dayton Daily News
By Kelli Wynn
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
[Excerpts] When a 911 dispatcher asked Denae Barnett-Dexter why she shot her husband, the 34-year-old mother of two, said, "Because he's trying to divorce me." Her husband, Trotwood Detective Troy Dexter, 34, survived two gunshot wounds to his upper chest and is recovering at Miami Valley Hospital... Sheriff's deputies were dispatched at 3:35 p.m. Sunday to 37 S. State St., where Barnett-Dexter was staying with their two sons. When they arrived, they found Barnett-Dexter in the house alone. Dexter had run to a nearby firehouse. "I've got a gun in my hand. Smith & Wesson," Dexter told a 911 dispatcher. "I fought her for the gun. We're going through a divorce. She knew there was somebody else. She asked me to sit down and she shot me in the ribs and in the collar bone. Please hurry up." While Dexter was calling 911, Barnett-Dexter also was reporting the shooting. "I just shot my husband... I know I'm going to prison ... I'm waiting for the police department to take me to jail ... I've just been really distraught over this. I, um, admitted myself into the hospital maybe last week, I think ... Not stable ... I take ... (an antidepressant)." Incidents like the one Sunday and the shooting death of Trotwood Police Officer Cedric Ballenger by his wife Nicole bring the police department together, said Trotwood Public Safety Director Mike Etter. "I think it really brings to life (the) domestic violence (issue) and (how) nobody is immune to it," he said. When something like this happens, there is a sense of betrayal," Etter said, referring to the fact that when officers come to the department, the officers and their family become a part of the department's family... [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence law enforcement shooting ohio lethal female perp perpetrator]

[MI] "Resigned" Deputy Glover comes back, with black gloves & a knife

On probation, ex-sheriff's deputy faces new stalking charges
Convicted of assault earlier, officer had knife, prosecutor says
The Ann Arbor News
By Susan L. Oppat
Friday, October 26, 2007
Less than two months after he was placed on probation, a former Washtenaw County Sheriff's deputy was charged with aggravated stalking and violating his probation. David Glover, 39, was sentenced to 18 months of probation on Aug. 28, after pleading no contest to assault and battery, domestic violence and phone tampering. He was accused of FORCING HIS WAY INTO HIS GIRLFRIEND'S HOUSE LAST FEBRUARY AND ASSAULTING HER... Police were called back to the woman's Ypsilanti Township home on Oct. 19... Washtenaw County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Burke told Shelton Tuesday that GLOVER WAS ON THE WOMAN'S PORCH OCT. 19. HE SAID GLOVER HAD A KNIFE AND BLACK GLOVES IN HIS BACK POCKET and admitted he had been drinking, in violation of his probation. In addition to the incident in February that led to the probation term, Burke said Glover had also been convicted of malicious destruction of property for SMASHING A WINDOW IN HIS GIRLFRIEND'S CAR WHILE SHE WAS IN IT... Glover's preliminary hearing in the stalking case is set for Thursday...

AS YOU READ THE FOLLOWING, IMAGINE IT ALL FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE VICTIM, WHO HAS AT LEAST ONE CHILD IN THE HOUSE.

The recent article doesn't mention that Glover was originally also charged with felony first-degree home invasion - a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison - but he WAS ALLOWED to plea bargained that charge away.

The article doesn't mention that his original charges specified that he "tapped or cut telephone lines" - a high-court misdemeanor punishable by up to two years. He "grabbed" (ripped out?) the phone as she was trying to call 911 for help.

The article doesn't mention how he got into her house - by kicking down her door. And it doesn't mention that the two sergeants that responded to the house that night LET GLOVER WALK OVER THE KICKED-DOWN DOOR AND LEAVE WITHOUT BEING ARRESTED. The two sergeants are Sgt. Shawn Hoy and Sgt. Mike Mahalick. From an earlier article:
"...Mahalick acknowledged that the preferred response to a domestic assault is to arrest the assailant, but said HE NEVER SPOKE DIRECTLY TO THE VICTIM AND DID NOT NOTICE THE DAMAGE TO THE FRONT DOOR OF THE HOME RIGHT AWAY..."

How can he JUSTIFY not talking to the victim at a domestic violence scene? Do YOU believe Sgt. Mahalick didn't SEE the "kicked down" door?

The article doesn't mention that there was a SECOND incident that night - TWO HOURS AFTER they let Glover go HE CAME BACK TO CONTINUE HIS TERROR, and THEN the deputies got an OK from a supervisor to arrest Glover. How does THAT work? Permission to arrest?

The article doesn't ask who's in charge either. Thanks to the power of the police union, those two sergeants were going to REFUSE to testify UNLESS they were given criminal IMMUNITY! From an earlier article:
"...The two officers testified Thursday in a preliminary hearing for suspended Deputy David Glover, but were granted immunity from criminal prosecution... Chief Assistant Prosecutor Joe Burke said his office asked for immunity because the sergeants, through their union attorneys, indicated they would not testify without it..."

And there are LAWS regarding domestic violence in the presence of children but that has never been a part of Glover's case. From an earlier article,
"...The victim's 13-year-old daughter testified Thursday that Glover kicked the door in after pounding with his fists for about 15 minutes..."

Nobody has asked out loud how Glover was still a deputy if he was convicted, as the recent article says, of "...malicious destruction of property for SMASHING A WINDOW IN HIS GIRLFRIEND'S CAR WHILE SHE WAS IN IT..." (in 2004). He continued to be a deputy because the domestic violence charge was DROPPED. That makes his girlfriend in the car not human - just background scenery to the destruction of a windshield.

Why was he even OFFERED probation after his THIRD domestic violence incident (that made it onto the books)?

How much does the Sheriff's department know about Glover's drinking, and how long have they known it - while they allowed him to retain his weapon and powers of arrest?

And nobody has mentioned a gun.
A deputy,
without his gun?
Do deputies go to commit acts of violence without one?

[OH] Moves toward 1st trial in killing of Officer Cutt's girlfriend & full-term daughter, Jessie and Chloe Davis

Previous entries:
[OH] COP'S PREGNANT GIRLFRIEND, JESSIE DAVIS, MISSING
Waiting for the beginning of the truth
[OH] Officer Cutts in court for murdering Jessie & unborn baby Chloe
Ohio media could give life from Jessie's death, but sleep.
COMPLICITY OF ABUSE IN MEDIA'S FAILURE TO ASK

Autopsy ruling OK'd for trial use
Judge denies defense attempt to block testimony by medical examiner in first Jessie Marie Davis case
Beacon Journal
Phil Trexler
Oct 27, 2007
A judge on Friday denied a defense motion that claimed the autopsy findings in the death of Jessie Marie Davis should be excluded at a trial because they are "pure speculation"... [Defense attorney John] Alexander wants the doctor's testimony barred from the trial of Myisha Ferrell, which starts Nov. 5. Ferrell is accused of obstructing justice and abuse of a corpse... Ferrell, 30, is accused of helping Canton patrolman Bobby Cutts Jr. move Davis' body and then lying to investigators while the pregnant Lake Township woman was missing for nine days last June. An extensive jury selection process for Cutts' trial is to begin Dec. 3. Testimony is not expected until Feb. 4. Cutts faces a possible death sentence if convicted of aggravated murder of Davis and her unborn child. Kohler ruled that Davis, 26, died last June inside her Lake Township home of "unspecified homicidal violence." No cause of death, such as blunt force trauma or strangulation, could be determined because of extensive decomposition... Prosecutors said the [police] reports relate to Davis' normal health and pregnancy. They also include the apparent struggle that took place inside her home and her body being wrapped in a blanket and left in a field for more than a week last summer... Prosecutors contended that [Myisha] Ferrell told others during the time that Davis was missing that Cutts was responsible for the slaying. They also said Friday that she refused to take a lie-detector test, a claim the defense denied... Her attorney said that duress the fear that Cutts would retaliate if she went to police might play a part in her defense to the charge of lying to police. Prosecutors are fighting wide use of the duress defense... Alexander also wanted to bar prosecutors from introducing hearsay testimony on any statements Ferrell might have made to friends or others about Cutts and the slaying... Assistant prosecutor Dennis Barr said the statements should be allowed because they relate to the obstruction charge...

Myisha Ferrell trial set next week
Canton Repository
BY Shane Hoover
Saturday, October 27, 2007
...And while there will be evidence that Cutts killed Davis, it's Ferrell that will be on trial first, Assistant Stark County Prosecutor Chryssa Hartnett told the judge. Alexander said prosecutors should have to prove all the elements of aggravated murder because it's linked to Ferrell's obstructing-justice charge. Brown withheld ruling on that issue and several others involving the final set of legal instructions he will give the jury. Nor did he immediately rule on defense requests to:
- Question investigators on whether Ferrell was offered a polygraph.
- Exclude hearsay testimony of Cutts' alleged statements.
- Exclude Ferrell's statements regarding her alleged substance abuse.
Some of the issues won't be resolved until the trial is underway and the judge has had a chance to hear the evidence...

TRIBUTE VIDEO:

If you are afraid, hiding your abuse, and have anyone that loves you...

"I became an orphan.
My whole life was gone"

There is so much domestic violence, so many murders in the news everyday - that I have to make sure to keep this blog on topic - limiting it to incidents involving law enforcement officers, firefighters, and public officials. But today is the exception.

If you are afraid, hiding your abuse, and have anyone that loves you, or are not ready to die - this is for you, from Angela.

Excerpt from the news on October 30th 2006
..."That's my mother! She's the only one I've got!" Angela Skellas screamed...

Excerpts from today's news:
For years before her father killed her mother, Angela Skellas promised her mother she wouldn't tell anyone about the abuse in their family. But a year after Ioannis Skellas killed his wife and himself with a sawed-off shotgun, Angela, 24, now believes the time has come to tell the frightening story to prevent such unspeakable things from happening to others. "I listened to my mother when she said I would bring shame by speaking out on what was happening," said Skellas. "But I don't feel I'm betraying her now. If I can help somebody else, her death won't be in vain." On the anniversary of Karen Skellas' death tomorrow, there will be a memorial service at Lutheran Medical Center in Sunset Park, where Karen worked... Shocked by Karen Skellas' death, hospital friends have organized. Through the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, they've gotten additional training to recognize signs of trouble and provide interventions... employees are collecting cell phones for women who need to reach the police in an emergency. They plan to show videos on hospital monitors so visitors can be made more aware. "We don't want to lose anyone else," said Skellas' friend, Altagracia De La Rosa. Since her mother's murder, Angela Skellas' life has been unimaginable. "I became an orphan. My whole life was gone," said Skellas, who said her mother, who was 44 when she was killed, was her best friend. "I didn't have many friends because she was all I needed," she said. "I had put all my eggs in one basket - my mother's... He abused my mother verbally and emotionally. He abused my brother and me physically... He would take us out and spoil us. Then the next day, he would rant for hours and hours... He threatened to kill us. My mother kept asking, 'What did I do? What did I do?'" When Angela Skellas called the police, her mother would beg her to send them away. "She didn't want anyone to know anything... She felt it was very embarrassing"... Skellas, who was visiting friends, believes that had she been home, she'd be dead, too. She became hysterical when she returned to the apartment and saw her mother's body covered with a sheet. But when a police officer told her that her father killed himself too, Skellas was overwhelmed with a sense of calm. "I said. 'It's all over.' The officer didn't understand, but I knew my father couldn't hurt us any more...

Sources:

• Shotgun Horror. 'She Just Kept Saying, "No! No!". New York Daily News, October 30th 2006
• Young survivor breaks silence on domestic abuse that killed her mom, New York Daily News, Joyce Shelby, October 28th 2007

[NY] Deputy MacDuffee accused of headbutting girlfriend

Deputy charged in assault
The Post-Standard - Syracuse.com, NY
October 24, 2007
An Onondaga County Sheriff's deputy has been suspended without pay following the deputy's arrest early Saturday morning on a misdemeanor assault charge... Scott MacDuffee - is accused headbutting his 25-year-old girlfriend... MacDuffee was arraigned in Town of Skaneateles Court and released on his own recognizance...

[PA] Police call Pittsburgh cop-on-cop domestic a "mutual assault"

Fistfight at first police ball in 70 years
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
By Jeremy Boren
Saturday, October 27, 2007
A veteran police officer and his ex-girlfriend face simple assault charges for getting into a fight after attending the city's first police ball in 70 years, police said Friday. Witnesses told police they saw Officer Anthony L. Charles, 48, of Homewood and retired Officer Tracey R. Williamson, 44, of Lincoln-Lemington fighting... A security guard called police, who found Charles with blood trickling from his upper lip and Williamson complaining of a broken finger... Police Chief Nate Harper said he will immediately refer the matter to the city's Office of Municipal Investigations. The arrests come at a time when the police bureau is under scrutiny for how it deals with officers accused of domestic violence. "The fact that this occurred and we've been under the spotlight, we wanted to be transparent about this," Harper said. City Council is set to consider an ordinance that would require police to report instances of domestic abuse or face discipline or termination. The proposal followed a firestorm of criticism after the June promotions of three police officers who had faced allegations of domestic problems. Harper said he would decide whether to suspend Charles without pay after he and Williamson were arraigned, which was expected to happen late yesterday. Both planned to surrender, a bureau spokeswoman said. "These two have had an intimate relationship in the past, and (Thursday) night they got into a dispute, and it was a mutual assault" said police Deputy Chief Paul Donaldson, adding that the two did not go to the ball together. Donaldson said Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. decided Charles and Williamson should be charged with simple assault... Williamson also is charged with theft for allegedly stealing Charles' cell phone, which fell to the ground during the scuffle, Donaldson said...

[PA] Officer Dennis did kill Carli. Sentenced to life with no parole

Ending a 2-week trial today, a jury found then-Dallas Township police officer Jeffrey Dennis guilty of 1st degree murder for killing his wife - Luzerne County 911 Dispatcher Carli Bitterman Dennis - and Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Michael Conahan sentenced him to life in prison immediately after the verdict.

Amen

Excerpts from trial coverage here


Earlier blog entries:

March 02, 2006
[PA] COP'S WIFE & POLICE DISPATCHER CARLI DENNIS FOUND DEAD -Carli Anne Bitterman Dennis, 30, of Wyoming, died Monday, Feb. 27, 2006, at home. She was the wife of Jeffery J. Dennis. She was born in Auburn, N.Y., on Jan. 4, 1976. She was a daughter of...

Apr 20, 2006
[PA] Officer Dennis is saying that his wife killed herself, but... -Today Pennsylvania Dallas Township Police Officer Jeffrey Dennis says he didn't kill his wife Carli... Dennis claims his wife shot herself... the victim's best friend said Dennis told her Carli died because of what she did to him... Another witness said Dennis threatened to shoot her and make it look like she did it...

Jun 15, 2007
[PA] Stepping Closer to Justice for Carli - ...Prosecutors also plan to introduce evidence of other crimes Jeff Dennis allegedly committed, including a possible assault of his wife a week before her death. Those alleged crimes will be substantiated by eyewitness testimony of him grabbing her by the hair and neck multiple times... A witness also will testify Jeff Dennis had stated he placed a gun to the back of his wife's head "numerous times"...

October 15, 2007
[PA] Jeff Dennis, an officer when Carli was stolen from us, is on trial - I will add updates to the comments of this entry as the trial proceeds... Now it's time for a jury to decide whether 30-year-old [911 Dispatcher] Carli Dennis died from a lone bullet fired by her husband, police officer Jeff Dennis, or by herself...

October 24, 2007
[PA] Officer Dennis killed Carli the way he said he would - Jeff Dennis was kneeling at his wife's casket. His best friend, William Jones, walked up behind him, and leaned in to whisper something to him. But Jeff Dennis was already talking. He was whispering something to Carli's body. "I told you you wouldn't get away with it, bitch"...
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence (IPV) abuse law enforcement public safety fatality fatalities murder fake staged suicide pennsylvania state cop on dispatcher]

[NJ] Police Chief Kennedy on "vacation" after wife reports dv

Jersey Shore Police Chief Investigated, Turns In Guns
NBC10
October 25, 2007
...Cape May County's prosecutor confirms to NBC 10 that Sea Isle City Police Chief William Kennedy is the subject of an internal affairs investigation... a judge Wednesday issued a temporary restraining order against Kennedy following a domestic violence complaint made by his wife. In response, the prosecutor ordered Kennedy to turn over all of his weapons, which he did... No charges have been filed... A dispatcher at the police department told Greenberg that Kennedy is on vacation. "That causes a problem for the city on the administrative side because you have a chief who is operating under a cloud of an allegation of domestic violence," said city solicitor Paul Baldini. Prosecutors said Kennedy was ordered to assume only administrative duties at the police department and have no contact with his wife....

Chief Kennedy Still in Charge
Cape May County Herald
By Joe Hart
10/26/2007
Chief William Kennedy remains in charge of the Sea Isle City Police Department, but the county Prosecutor's Office has suggested the city grant Kennedy a temporary leave of absence... considering Kennedy's current circumstances. Yesterday, city officials held an emergency closed session meeting to discuss potential litigation with the chief. After the meeting, city Solicitor Paul Baldini issued a statement saying that a temporary restraining order under the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act had been entered against the chief by his wife...

[FL] I SPY LT. DOUG BALDWIN BACK AT WORK

- AFTER REPORTEDLY BEATING DOWN HIS OWN SON - WHO SAYS HE WAS TRYING TO PROTECT HIS MOM FROM GETTING HURT:

Mom, 3 kids survive
vehicle's flip
Pensacola News Journal
Sean Dugas
October, 26, 2007
...and her three young children escaped serious injury Thursday... Lt. Doug Baldwin of the Pensacola Police Department said at the scene...

EXCERPTS FROM FIVE MONTHS AGO:

Officer's court date set in battery case
Pensacola News Journal
Thyrie Bland tbland@pnj.com
May, 16, 2007
A Pensacola police officer arrested Sunday is accused of grabbing his son by the neck and head and slamming him against a wall, according to a sheriff's report. Lt. Doug Baldwin... accused of grabbing his son by the neck and head and slamming him against a wall... Baldwin's son said his father and mother were arguing... he became fearful his father would strike his mother... he then stepped between his parents and his father threw him against a bedroom wall... stated that (his father) struck him several times with his closed fist to the head and body area... Baldwin "stopped hitting him when (his wife) jumped on his back"... There was swelling on the right side of Baldwin's son head and one of his ear's was bleeding. Baldwin had a scratch on a knuckle of his right hand. Domestic violence long has been an issue in the homes of law enforcement officers... "Very often some of those personality traits needed to be an officer can lead to domestic violence in law enforcement families"...

NEWS 2 DAYS LATER:

Officer can return to work today after arrest on battery charges
Local briefs
Pensacola News Journa
May 18, 2007
A Pensacola police officer arrested on a domestic violence battery charge Sunday can return to work today, Assistant Police Chief Chip Simmons said... Baldwin discussed the incident Thursday with Police Chief John Mathis... There were no restrictions put on Baldwin after his arrest, such as not allowing him to carry a gun, that would prevent him from doing his job... Baldwin is scheduled for arraignment May 29.

I FOUND NO FURTHER NEWS.

[OH] Police provide Officer Lombardi's accomplishments, silent on his dv

...DETAILS OF EVENTS THAT PRECEDED LOMBARDI'S ARREST WERE NOT AVAILABLE...



Canton suspends police officer after arrest
Canton Repository
By Lori Monsewicz
October 24, 2007
[Excerpts] A city police officer is on paid suspension following his arrest on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge. Patrol officer Michael D. Lombardi, 41, has another court hearing next week after pleading not guilty to the charge Monday. He was arrested Thursday by Louisville police and released after posting a $10,000 bond. Louisville police say they were called to Lombardi's home by his wife. "We responded to a request for assistance from his spouse. Her complaint constituted domestic violence," said Louisville Police Chief Andrew Turowski. He said Lombardi was cooperative with the officers. DETAILS OF EVENTS THAT PRECEDED LOMBARDI'S ARREST WERE NOT AVAILABLE. Lombardi is a former Marine... received several commendations... A 1985 graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas High School... enlisted in the Marine Corps... honorably discharged... received the rifle expert badge three times... awarded the Sea Service Deployment ribbon and Good Conduct medals... His personnel file contains letters of commendation for disarming a suicidal man with a gun, assisting in the arrests of men running from a burglary, finding and arresting a man accused of rape... and cutting down a suicidal man hanging by the neck...

[VA] Deputy Gregory "resigns" (avoids internal investigation)

Norfolk deputy charged in
[DV] firearms case
wavy.com
Oct 24, 2007
Virginia Beach Emergency Communications responded to a call of a gunshot wound in the 900 Block of Whitehurst Landing Rd. on Tuesday. Both police and emergency medical services personnel responded. Upon their arrival, they found no one suffering from gunshot wounds. Investigations reveal that the suspect had a dispute with a family member and had made some kind of threats. A family friend became involved in the dispute and the suspect fired his handgun in the direction of the victim, Edwin McNair. The victim was not harmed and the suspect fled the scene in a black Chevrolet Cavalier. The suspect was located within minutes and police placed him into custody. A Norfolk Sheriff's Deputy, Dennis L. Gregory, 30 was charged with Threatening Bodily Harm and Discharging a Firearm in Public. He was transported to the Virginia Beach Correctional Center where he was released by the magistrate on a personal recognizance bond. This case remains under investigation.

Norfolk deputy quits after being charged with firing gun
The Virginian-Pilot
By MATTHEW ROY
October 24, 2007
...He resigned the following morning... Patrol officers located him within minutes and took him into custody. He was later freed on a personal recognizance bond.

[PA] Pittsburgh Councilman Peduto wants amendments to proposed policy

Pittsburgh City Councilman William Peduto suggested a series of amendments Tuesday that he believes would create a zero tolerance policy for city police officers accused of domestic violence...

Zero tolerance urged for abuse for Pittsburgh police
By The Tribune-Review
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
...Peduto said the proposed amendments -- including one that requires any officer who is the subject of a domestic violence or protection from abuse investigation to immediately surrender his service weapon -- are based on national best practice models from the International Association of Chiefs of Police... (Full article)

[PA] Weapon returned to Officer McCollum despite 2 dv actions against him

Lake Fong/Post-Gazette

From left, Vice-Chair Richard Carrington, Chair Marsha Hinton, and member Malik Bankston of the Citizen Police Review Board, listen to CPRB Executive Director Elizabeth Pittinger's report at the public board meeting at Kingsley Community Center on Tuesday.

Read full article here:
Dispute over police with PFAs heats up
Tough limits proposed; officer regains gun
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
By Jonathan D. Silver and Rich Lord,
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
[Excerpts] A judge on Monday relaxed weapons restrictions against a Pittsburgh police officer who was under a protection-from-abuse order. The case illustrates a key issue facing public officials as they craft policies to deal with officers accused of domestic violence. The issue is whether an officer accused in civil court of domestic abuse, including threatening behavior, should have a service weapon temporarily removed. Since April, Officer Todd McCollum of the East Liberty station had been under court order to sign out his service weapon at the beginning of his shift and return it at the end. But after concerns arose about his safety on the streets, Officer McCollum, a 10-year veteran, now is allowed take that gun home... In April, an Allegheny County Common Pleas Court judge ordered Officer McCollum to relinquish all his firearms after a former girlfriend, Kimberly Stanley, a fellow police officer, filed a PFA against him... [McCollum's attorney] Mr. [Patrick] Nightingale said it was not good for the criminal element to know an officer is not armed while off duty... The issue of domestic violence was brought to the fore by the June 18 promotions of three police officers with histories of domestic abuse allegations. 35 city officers, including Officer McCollum, have been the subjects of protection orders, and some have been allowed to carry firearms while on duty. Officer McCollum also was the subject of another PFA, one filed by Emilie Kirkpatrick, a former city 911 police dispatcher. That PFA was converted to a no-contact consent agreement good until April...

[IL] Police offer "tension" excuse for arrested Officer Stocke

...STOCKE WASN'T ARRESTED BY PEKIN POLICE UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING, AFTER BEING ALLOWED TO FINISH HIS SHIFT... POLICE SAID THERE WAS A LOT OF TENSION IN THE HOUSE THAT NIGHT BECAUSE OF FINANCIAL ISSUES...

TAZEWELL JAILER FACES
BATTERY CHARGE
Pekin Daily Times
October 24, 2007
A correctional officer with the Tazewell County Jail was arrested last week for allegedly breaking his 12-year-old son's wrist after throwing the boy into kitchen cabinets and then onto the floor. Jeffrey M. Stocke, 36, of Pekin grabbed the boy by the arm and began swinging him into the kitchen cabinets... The boy was taken to Pekin Hospital for his injury that night, but Stocke wasn't arrested by Pekin police until the next morning, after being allowed to finish his shift... After throwing the boy to the floor, Stocke twisted his arm behind his back, straddled him and raised his fist as though to punch the boy before his mother intervened... Police said there was a lot of tension in the house that night because of financial issues.... [Tazewell County Sheriff Bob] Huston said he will review the interview transcripts to make a determination on discipline.... he was released from jail Oct. 17 after posting $500. He faces one misdemeanor count of domestic battery... Stocke was convicted of driving under the influence in 1994, convicted of giving alcohol to a minor in 1996, had an order of protection filed against him in 2004 and has had numerous driving-related violations. An order of protection was filed against him Oct. 17 by the boy's mother, who filed for divorce Monday. (Full article)

[CT] Divorcing Torrington Fire Captain Belancik

City fire captain
charged again
The Register Citizen
By TRACY KENNEDY
10/24/2007
[EXCERPTS] A Torrington fire captain is accused of purposefully aiming his truck at a city woman, endangering her and her two teenage children... The alleged victim told police that on Oct. 10 Belancik was angry with her because she pulled out shrubs from their home and planted mums. Belancik drove by her work and stared at her through the window, and called her demanding to know why she took out the shrubs, according to the warrant. She told police that, a week earlier, she was at a traffic light on Main Street, and saw Belancik pass, blaring the horn of his black Dodge Dakota pickup truck. The week before, she told police, Belancik passed her on Main Street near Pearl Street and swerved toward her vehicle, honking the horn. She had to swerve to avoid a collision, she told police. The two vehicles were no more than a foot a part and her children were in the car, according to her statement. The victims told police he was afraid and couldn't believe Belancik would intentionally try to cause an accident, according to their statement. In another alleged incident... Police said he seemed frustrated about the allegations and believed the victim and her children fabricated their stories about him to create friction during their ongoing divorce suit... (Full article)

Torrington firefighter arrested in domestic complaint
American-Republican
October 23, 2007
Robert Belancik, a veteran city firefighter going through a contentious divorce, was arrested Tuesday on charges he swerved into the path of a vehicle carrying his wife and her two children Oct. 4. Investigators charged Belancik on Tuesday on a warrant for the incident based on a complaint filed by his wife of nine years... The complaint was filed Oct. 10, along with a claim Belancik has been harassing her by telephone and driving by her Torrington home and job site. IT WAS HIS SECOND ARREST THIS YEAR TO STEM FROM DOMESTIC ISSUES. Belancik was arraigned Tuesday in Bantam Superior Court on charges of second-degree reckless endangerment, reckless driving, risk of injury to a child and failure to grant half the highway. Police held him on $40,000 bond, but Judge Paul Matasavage reduced it to $10,000. Belancik, who had been shackled, walked out of the courthouse an hour later. (Article here)

[FL] After Paula O'Connor put her story online...

...The deaths in July of Paula O'Conner and her toddler Alijah, known as "AJ," came months after she created a Web site... "The Military's lack of response on this situation is beyond absurd"...

Former cop is suspect in 2 killings
Police are searching for Ralph Wright Jr. in the deaths of his ex-girlfriend and son.
Orlando Sentinel
Henry Pierson Curtis
October 24, 2007
[EXCERPTS] A former Orange County deputy sheriff and Eatonville police officer [Ralph "Ron" Wright Jr.] was named Tuesday as the only suspect in the double murder last summer in St. Petersburg of his ex-girlfriend and their 15-month-old son. "After we eliminated everybody else, he was the only one left," police spokesman George Kajtsa said. "He is the focus of the investigation"... The deaths in July of Paula O'Conner and her toddler Alijah, known as "AJ," came months after she created a Web site, militarydeadbeatdads.com, to expose what she claimed was Wright's lack of support. "This is my story," O'Conner began when she wrote the Web site's four-page account of love, betrayal and abandonment. "The Military's lack of response on this situation is beyond absurd"... The bodies were discovered July 6 in O'Conner's home on Dawson Avenue North in St. Petersburg...Wright has not cooperated with the investigation, police said. Investigators are trying to locate anyone who might have seen Wright near O'Conner's home in the period surrounding her death...


EARLIER:

"MY MOTHER AND BROTHER DIDN'T DESERVE THIS"
firstcoastnews.com, WTSP-TV Tampa
By Tammie Fields
7/10/2007
[Excerpts] 18-year-old Victoria Goodin is numb. She can't bear to go inside the St. Pete home that her mother, 37-year-old Paula O'conner shared with Victoria's little brother. A.J. they called him was just 15 months old. "When my brother came along that was her world. Her pride and joy. He'd always been a very happy baby." She says if you were having a bad day you would see his smile and it would make your day better... Goodin lives with her father and was standing in the front yard of her mother's home when the bodies were found. "I just dropped and started screaming where's my brother? Where's my brother?... My mom and brother did not deserve this. They were two of the best people in the world." Goodin says she'll always remember her mother by the way she handled adversity like A.J.'s delicate surgeries for a heart condition... His expensive hospital bills led Paula to hire a private investigator and an attorney for a paternity suit against, Ralph Daniel Wright, Junior. Paula recently learned he was married after she says he fathered A.J. She wrote about the ordeal on the website she created at militarydeadbeatdads.com.... "I couldn't have asked for a better mom, I really couldn't have"...  [Full article here]

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence (IPV) abuse law enforcement public safety fatality fatalities murder child abuse abandonment state jail deadbeat dead beat florida state]

[OH] After 14 second chances, Officer Martzolf fired

Jackson trustees OK firing of officer
Canton Repository
By FELLICIA SMITH
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
[Excerpts] A township police officer accused of domestic violence earlier this year has been fired. Township trustees voted unanimously Monday night to terminate officer Eric B. Martzolf of Jackson Township following a recommendation by Police Chief Harley Neftzer. Martzolf, 38, had been on the force since 1994... Martzolf initially was charged with domestic violence for an Aug. 28 confrontation at his wife's workplace... He later pleaded no contest and was convicted of a lesser charge of disorderly conduct. He was accused of striking [PUNCHING] his wife in the face twice and pushing her to the ground [AND THROWING THINGS AT HER CO-WORKERS WHEN THEY TRIED TO HELP HER]. An internal investigation concluded Martzolf was involved in conduct unbecoming of an officer and conduct that constituted a crime, Neftzer said. "Of course you don't want to make this kind of recommendation, but officers are expected to conduct themselves (as professionals) on and off-duty"... Besides Martzolf's current situation, Neftzer said he took into account Martzolf's personnel file, which includes three suspensions without pay, seven written reprimands, two written warnings and two counseling sessions with supervisors and the finding of a hearing officer from a predisciplinary hearing last week...

NOTES I WAS KEEPING ELSEWHERE: 

Aug 29, 2007
[OH (again)] Officer Martzolf jailed for dv at his wife's job
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/police_dv/message/8366
..."He was involved in a domestic situation at his wife's place of employment," Police Chief Harley Neftzer said. "Upon arrival, the (responding) officer identified him as the primary aggressor in this situation."  Martzolf was charged with one count of domestic violence, a misdemeanor...

Aug 30, 2007
[OH] Officer Martzolf DV - More detail - PRIOR HISTORY
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/police_dv/message/8372
"I have to be careful because it's a personnel issue, but we did send him to counseling before" Trustee John Pizzino said... he has been suspended without pay three times, received seven written reprimands, two written warnings and was twice counseled by supervisors for his on-duty conduct...

Sep 21, 2007
[OH] Punching wife in head is not dv
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/police_dv/message/8480
...he was found guilty of a minor misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. Eric B. Martzolf was originally charged with a misdemeanor count of domestic violence, but pleaded no contest to the lesser charge... Martzolf was arrested on Aug. 28 at his wife's job in the 7200 block of Whipple Avenue after he reportedly pushed her to the ground and struck her in the head with his fist. If he had been found guilty of domestic violence, legally Martzolf would not have been able to carry a firearm..

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

[PA] Officer Dennis killed Carli the way he said he would

Friend testifies about Dennis' casket comments
William Jones says police officer had threatened to 'blow her head off' before.
Wilkes Barre Times-Leader
By David Weiss
October 24, 2007
[EXCERPTS] Jeff Dennis was kneeling at his wife's casket. His best friend, William Jones, walked up behind him, and leaned in to whisper something to him. But Jeff Dennis was already talking. He was whispering something to Carli's body. "I told you you wouldn't get away with it, bitch," Jones said he heard Jeff Dennis say. The scene at Carli's wake led Jones to probe a bit more about the death. He asked Jeff Dennis what happened. "Bitch was cheating on me again," Jeff Dennis said, according to Jones. "What do you think happened?" Jones said he was skeptical that Carli actually shot herself. "(Jeff Dennis) told me I was always able to see right through him"... Jones' sometimes teary testimony came Tuesday in the sixth day of Jeff Dennis' trial on homicide charges in Carli's death... It happened the same way Jeff Dennis once described it to Jones... Jones said Jeff Dennis spoke with him about Carli's affair. He hoped to reconcile with Carli, but he also said if he heard Carli was cheating again, he had another plan. He would "blow her head off," Jones said. And Jeff Dennis often bragged about how he could kill someone and make it look like a suicide, Jones said. Carli, on the other hand, told Jones how she wanted to leave Jeff Dennis. Jones told Carli she could stay with Jones and his wife if she needed to. But Carli wouldn't do that. She told Jones that Jeff Dennis would "kill us all" if that happened, Jones said. His wife, Joyce, couldn't understand how Carli could live like that. She always saw Carli "nervous and scared"...


Earlier blog entries:

March 02, 2006
[PA] COP'S WIFE & POLICE DISPATCHER CARLI DENNIS FOUND DEAD -Carli Anne Bitterman Dennis, 30, of Wyoming, died Monday, Feb. 27, 2006, at home. She was the wife of Jeffery J. Dennis. She was born in Auburn, N.Y., on Jan. 4, 1976. She was a daughter of...

Apr 20, 2006
[PA] Officer Dennis is saying that his wife killed herself, but... -Today Pennsylvania Dallas Township Police Officer Jeffrey Dennis says he didn't kill his wife Carli... Dennis claims his wife shot herself... the victim's best friend said Dennis told her Carli died because of what she did to him... Another witness said Dennis threatened to shoot her and make it look like she did it...

Jun 15, 2007
[PA] Stepping Closer to Justice for Carli - ...Prosecutors also plan to introduce evidence of other crimes Jeff Dennis allegedly committed, including a possible assault of his wife a week before her death. Those alleged crimes will be substantiated by eyewitness testimony of him grabbing her by the hair and neck multiple times... A witness also will testify Jeff Dennis had stated he placed a gun to the back of his wife's head "numerous times"...

October 15, 2007
[PA] Jeff Dennis, an officer when Carli was stolen from us, is on trial - I will add updates to the comments of this entry as the trial proceeds... Now it's time for a jury to decide whether 30-year-old [911 Dispatcher] Carli Dennis died from a lone bullet fired by her husband, police officer Jeff Dennis, or by herself...
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence (IPV) abuse law enforcement public safety fatality fatalities murder fake staged suicide pennsylvania state cop on dispatcher]

[MO] Unnamed officer not charged, but suspended for "domestic disturbance"

Kearse chides officer
The Rolla Daily News
Alan Lewis Gerstenecker, Editor
October 22, 2007
A Rolla city police officer soon will return to work after serving a three-day suspension for which he was disciplined by Rolla Police Chief Mark Kearse for an incident in which officers were called to his home for a domestic disturbance. After completion of internal and independent investigations, the officer was not charged. Because he was not charged, the officer's name was not made public. The investigations just recently were completed. The disturbance occurred "about two weeks ago," Kearse said. Kearse said after officers were called to the patrolman's home, the Rolla Police Department conducted its investigation and then referred the case to Phelps County Prosecutor Courtney George, who sought an independent special prosecutor in Pulaski County to review the case. That special prosecutor decided no charges were warranted. "We wanted all this to be above board," Kearse said. "Beyond our investigation, we wanted someone else to take a look at this." While Kearse acknowledged the special prosecutor could not find reason to file charges, he took a less forgiving look at his officer's situation. "We, as police officers, live in glass houses," Kearse said. "Sometimes, these officers are like our children. We need to guide them through this process." For that, Kearse elected to suspend the officer without pay for three days and demote him a rank, which he did not specify. "He has served his three days' suspension, and he's used some vacation time. He'll come back to work in the next couple of days," Kearse said. Kearse said he regrets taking the action, but he noted the officer has been reprimanded and a note of the incident placed in his personnel file.

Article focusing on the UPside (mostly) of current cop psych testing

How many states don't psych test their police recruits? This article mentions that Florida doesn't, which is interesting to me as the collector or cop dv news - because the number of Florida cases that I have on file now is one of the highest, and I've always wondered how that could be. The high rate could also mean that Florida police departments are more likely to arrest officers who do wrong, Florida media is more apt to print the stories, or who knows, maybe they are too close to the sun? I would like to hear more about the states that don't test, and we don't - perhaps that's too "political" to print. And LORD KNOWS I'd like to see some articles about the "stress" of being a stressed or power-hungry officer's family member that tells it like it really is.

Mental woes can kill career chances
Police recruits under scrutiny
Florida Today, FL
BY J.D. GALLOP
October 23, 2007
[Excerpts] ...At a time when police training emphasizes responses to terrorism, mass shootings, domestic violence calls and even code enforcement issues, police academies and psychologists are growing increasingly sophisticated in gauging how prospective officers react to traumatic situations emotionally and mentally, as well as physically. That means the use of an ever expanding battery of screenings, interviews, background checks, lie detector tests -- even examinations of recruits' blogs and online social pages like MySpace -- to pinpoint patterns of behavior, maturity levels and responses to situations. "In the past, officers saw their role as one of keeping order and saw social work as something different," said Dr. Susan Saxe-Clifford, a California-based psychologist and editor of the Police Psychology Online journal. "But over the years the jobs have melded. (Officers) really have to have the ability to manage everything that comes their way..." Police academies and law enforcement agencies in Brevard County and elsewhere have watched as the psychological evaluations expanded to cover cultural changes, fears about terrorism and maturity levels in an increasingly younger pool of recruits, Saxe-Clifford said. For example, comments about race and women that would have been dismissed as "guy talk" in the male-dominated departments of decades ago could land a recruit a date with a therapist today. And questions about domestic violence and a recruit's personal relationships are covered much more thoroughly in today's exhaustive evaluations than in years past, Saxe-Clifford said. "You want somebody responsive, intuitive and with a strong work ethic, someone who will take action," Saxe-Clifford said"... The psychological screenings, which can occur throughout an officer's career, thanks to the efforts of police unions, drew national attention earlier this month after a 20-year-old Wisconsin sheriff's deputy named Tyler James Patterson went on a shooting rampage, killing six people at a teen party... Patterson, who worked for a rural department, was never psychologically screened. Investigators say a failed relationship with a former girlfriend and an insult at the party sparked the violence... IN FLORIDA, THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATIONS ARE NOT MANDATORY... Administrators at BCC's Criminal Justice Center, which offers the county's only law enforcement training program, constantly scrutinize the conversations, demeanor and interaction of their 120 academy students... "We Google people. We check out their MySpace pages. . . If we find something inconsistent like that then that's something we want to examine more closely," Reynolds said. The academy also uses the popular Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, a 567-question test featuring deliberate non-sequiturs covering a recruit's sleep habits and levels of anger. The $120 test is given only when a recruit has a job offer... Along with refined psychological screenings and stress awareness classes for recruits, police agencies over the last decade have stepped up stress intervention efforts for officers involved in deadly or traumatic situations. Most agencies now have Critical Response Teams made up of officers and counselors who meet with police at crime scenes... Peer-to-peer groups also have been put in place at several agencies, ready to help officers talk about problems. Therapy sessions are offered once a stress-related issue is spotted...

[NV] Deputy Cypher's attack on wife loses it's felony essence

Former Douglas County sheriff's deputy enters plea in DUI
KREN CW 27 TV
October 20, 2007
A former Douglas County sheriff's deputy has pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence and domestic battery. At the same time Friday, a felony burglary charge and a misdemeanor stalking charge against 37-year-old Jason Cypher were dismissed. Cypher was ordered to stay out of the county at least until his sentencing December third and to have no contact with the victim, who works for the sheriff's office. Cypher was arrested September 14th on charges that he battered his wife and was driving drunk while off duty. He was expected to be released from jail after 35 days in custody... Cypher resigned September 25th after 15 years with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.

Hmmm...

Deputy's wife: Stalking began in July 2006
Nevada Appeal
Sheila Gardner
September 17, 2007
...According to the sheriff’s report, the Cyphers were returning from a house-warming party in Carson City when the incident occurred. Another couple who attended the party with the Cyphers was driving behind them when they reportedly saw the victim on the roadway... She tried to lock herself into the witness’s vehicle, but Cypher reportedly climbed through an open window, grabbed her hair and punched her on the side of her face while calling her names and accusing her of extramarital affairs, according to the sheriff’s report. The victim reportedly had a bump on her head and a black eye. She told deputies that Cypher reportedly grabbed two cell phones from her as she tried to call for help. He said she grabbed the car keys from the ignition and threw the keys and his off-duty revolver out the window. Deputies recovered both missing items. They also confiscated a knife that Cypher had in his shorts...