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Officer-Involved Domestic Fatalities - 1 Officer-Involved Domestic Fatalities - 2 [WA] Tragedy Will Occur If They Don't Have ...

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Wednesday, December 31, 2008

[TN] Officer Anthony's wife fell

Officer Off The Job After Christmas Day Domestic Assault
NewsChannel5.com, TN
Dec 31, 2008
COLUMBIA, Tenn. - A midstate police officer was off the job Wednesday morning after spending some time inside a jail. Columbia Police Officer Mark Anthony was put on administrative leave, while he faces charges of domestic assault. A detective said on Christmas Day Anthony was arguing with his wife when he tried to grab her while she was holding a baby. She fell, but she wasn't seriously hurt. Anthony, a two-year veteran of the force, was out on bond Wednesday morning.

[NY] MURDER-SUICIDE: Arrested for dv yesterday, Retired Trooper kills wife Isol Cotto and himself

Retired trooper kills wife, turns gun on himself
Mid-Hudson News, NY
December 31, 2008

MARBLETOWN – A retired state trooper assigned to the Thruway shot and killed his estranged wife early Wednesday morning and then took his own life, State Police said.

William Cotto, 53, had entered his wife’s residence at 3657 Main Street in Marbletown around 4 a.m. armed with a shotgun and shot and killed his wife, 49-year-old Isol Cotto. Cotto them went to a parking lot at a nearby gas station and shot himself to death, police said.

No one else at the residence was injured.

Cotto had been arrested on misdemeanor charges for unlawful imprisonment in the second degree, menacing in the second degree and harassment in the second degree on December 30. At the time of his arrest, State Police secured all weapons known to be in Cotto’s possession. They included a shotgun and ammunition, as well as knives and billy clubs. He was arraigned and committed to the Ulster County Jail on 5,000 bail.

At the time of the murder/suicide incident, Cotto was in violation of an order of protection as a result of the earlier charges.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact State Police at Kingston at 845-338-1702.

Police are currently investigating the origin of the weapon used and are treating this case as a murder/suicide.
Police: Retired trooper kills wife, self
Poughkeepsie Journal
December 31, 2008

MARBLETOWN - Authorities said a retired state trooper shot and killed his estranged wife early today before taking his own life - a day after the ex-trooper was arrested for harassing his wife and being ordered to stay away from her.

State police at Kingston said they responded to a residence on Main Street in Marbletown just before 4 a.m. and were told by family members that former Trooper William Cotto, 53, had entered the home and shot his estranged wife.

Police said Isol Cotto, 49, was found dead in a bedroom from a gunshot wound.

State police and Ulster County sheriff’s deputies later found William Cotto in the parking lot of a nearby gas station, dead from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Cotto had been assigned to the New York State Thruway. Police did not say when he retired.

Police said Cotto was arrested Tuesday on misdemeanor charges of unlawful imprisonment, menacing and harassment.

Police said they confiscated weapons from Cotto following his arrest, including a shotgun, ammunition, knives and billy clubs.

Cotto had been arraigned in Marbletown court and sent to the Ulster County Jail on $5,000 bail.

It was not immediately clear when he was released, or who posted bail.

Police said Cotto was in violation of an order of protection related to Tuesday’s charges at the time of today’s incident.

Authorities are investigating where Cotto got the weapon used in today’s incident, which police said they are treating as a murder/suicide.

Anyone with information is asked to call state police at 845-338-1702.
[POLICE OFFICER INVOLVED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE MURDER FATALITY NY NEW YORK]

[CT] Cop Orbegozo, charged with armed kidnap & pistol whipping a 20yo female officer, is ALLOWED to "resign"

...City Police Officer Andre Orbegozo, charged with pistol-whipping a female rookie officer in an alleged domestic dispute, has resigned...

So Orbegozo was ALLOWED to quit before he was fired, and before any finding was made by the department - so he can still be a cop somewhere?

Previous posts:
Cop quits after domestic violence arrest
Connecticut Post, CT
By Aaron Leo
12/30/2008 01:35:04 AM EST

BRIDGEPORT - City Police Officer Andre Orbegozo, charged with pistol-whipping a female rookie officer in an alleged domestic dispute, has resigned.

Orbegozo, 32, of Naugatuck, was arrested in June and charged with second-degree assault with a firearm and second-degree kidnapping with a firearm, both felonies.

Orbegozo could have faced termination if he was disciplined by the city's Board of Police Commissioners.

Acting Police Chief Joseph Gaudett Jr. said he couldn't say much because it was a personnel issue.

"We're glad that this chapter is over," he said. "We wish him well."

Ansonia police say Orbegozo took the woman, who is in her 20s, into the woods behind Ansonia High School, where he struck her with a gun, causing a serious laceration. At her request, he drove her to Griffin Hospital in Derby for treatment, where he was arrested.

In August, a member of the police commission said fraternization among officers should be addressed, citing problems if relationships go sour. Dating between superiors and their charges is forbidden in Bridgeport's department.

The department makes policy while the board reviews and approves it, said David Hall, panel president, but Gaudett said there isn't a new policy yet.

"It wouldn't hurt to have a policy on fraternization," Gaudett said. "I'm not aware of an effort currently under way."

Orbegozo is free on $500,000 bond for a Jan. 13 appearance in Bridgeport Superior Court.

http://www.connpost.com/ci_11332777

Monday, December 29, 2008

[NY] Officer Lewis arrested 4th time - (How much will it take?)

...This is Lewis’ fourth arrest in the last eight months. Lewis was charged last month with misdemeanors of third-degree stalking and second-degree aggravated harassment for allegedly threatening his former wife a total of four times in August and November...

I don't need to say a thing, right?

Previous entries:

SCHENECTADY POLICE OFFICER ARRESTED AGAIN
Capital News 9, NY
Monday, December 29, 2008
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. -- A Schenectady police officer already charged in connection with a domestic dispute has been arrested again following a car accident over the weekend. John Lewis, 38, of Schenectady is charged with driving while intoxicated, aggravated driving while intoxicated, improper speed, and improper lane use. He was arraigned on Saturday and released on his own recognizance. He has been suspended without pay for 30 days... HE WAS ARRESTED IN NOVEMBER ON STEMMING FROM AN INCIDENT WITH HIS WIFE. HE WAS STALKING AND AGGRAVATED HARASSMENT CHARGESALSO CHARGED WITH HARASSMENT EARLIER THIS YEAR IN A SEPARATE INCIDENT WITH HIS WIFE. Lewis was also fired 10 years ago after using a racial slur but was later reinstated. [Full article here]

SCHENECTADY POLICE OFFICER CHARGED WITH DWI
Embattled Schenectady police officer charged with DWI
Schenectady Gazette, NY
By Michael Goot
Monday, December 29, 2008
...Department spokesman Officer Kevin Green said Lewis hit a parked car in the area of 1052 Eastern Ave. at 4:26 a.m. Lewis has been charged with two misdemeanor charges of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and aggravated driving while intoxicated for allegedly having a blood alcohol content of greater than 0.18 percent. He also was issued two violation tickets for imprudent speed and improper lane use. This is Lewis’ fourth arrest in the last eight months. LEWIS WAS CHARGED LAST MONTH WITH MISDEMEANORS OF THIRD-DEGREE STALKING AND SECOND-DEGREE AGGRAVATED HARASSMENT FOR ALLEGEDLY THREATENING HIS FORMER WIFE A TOTAL OF FOUR TIMES IN AUGUST AND NOVEMBER.
COURT PAPERS ALLEGE THAT LEWIS SAID IF HE FOUND HIS EX-WIFE WITH SOMEONE, HE WAS GOING TO KILL WHOEVER SHE WAS WITH AND HER.

THAT CASE IS PENDING. LEWIS’ DIVORCE BECAME FINAL IN LATE SEPTEMBER. HE ALSO HAS ANOTHER PENDING CONTEMPT CASE FOR ALLEGEDLY VIOLATING AN ORDER OF PROTECTION BY CALLING HIS FORMER WIFE SEVERAL TIMES. HE WAS ACQUITTED IN JUNE OF A VIOLATION HARASSMENT CHARGE, WHICH STEMMED FROM ALLEGATIONS THAT HE GRABBED AND PUSHED HIS WIFE IN A DISPUTE OVER THEIR CHILD. Lewis has been suspended without pay for 30 days after each arrest. He was then returned to the payroll but did not return to work. Green said Lewis was suspended without pay for 30 days as a result of the most recent incident. LEWIS ALSO HAS FILED A NOTICE OF CLAIM AGAINST THE CITY. HE ALLEGES THAT THE POLICE COLLABORATED WITH HIS EX-WIFE TO FORCE HIM FROM HIS JOB AND EMBARRASS HIM... Lewis’ attorney Kevin Luibrand said previously that his client has gone on disability for an undisclosed ailment. Police union President Lt. Robert Hamilton did not return a call seeking comment. [Full article here]

SCHENECTADY COP ARRESTED YET AGAIN
Albany Times Union, NY
Monday, December 29, 2008
SCHENECTADY - A city cop already facing charges for allegedly stalking his wife, has been charged with drunken driving after a automobile accident in the city, police said. Detectives from internal affairs arrested 38-year-old John Lewis on Saturday, charging him with driving while intoxicated, aggravated driving while intoxicated, speeding and improper lane use. Lewis has been suspended without pay for 30 days while the department proceeds with its case against him. Lewis was arrested and suspended without pay for 30 days in early November after allegedly stalking and threatening his wife and "whoever she was with." In that case, LEWIS IS CHARGED WITH THIRD-DEGREE STALKING AND SECOND-DEGREE AGGRAVATED HARASSMENT FOR ALLEGEDLY THREATENING ALISON LEWIS IN PERSON AND ON THE TELEPHONE, according to the city court document. LEWIS WAS RELEASED WITHOUT BAIL AFTER HIS ARREST IN THAT CASE. THE COURT COMPLAINT SAYS LEWIS ALLEGEDLY TOLD HIS EX-WIFE HE WOULD "KILL WHOEVER SHE WAS WITH AND KILL HER" AND THAT HE WAS "NEVER GOING TO LET HER GO AND HE WAS NEVER GOING TO LET HER BE WITH ANYONE ELSE." Alison Lewis asked for an order of protection against her ex-husband. Those arrests are just the latest controversy for Lewis... [Full article here]

[NY] Recently retired Corrections Officer Collins & wife Freddy are gone

...[Black Brook Town Supervisor Ricky] Nolan and Mr. [Otis] Collins worked together at Clinton Correctional Facility for 22 years. Mr. Collins retired just last year...

State Police investigating death of husband and wife.
AuSable Forks couple found dead

Plattsburgh Press Republican, NY
By LOIS CLERMONT - News Editor
lclermont@pressrepublican.com
December 29, 2008
AUSABLE FORKS — An AuSable Forks couple are dead, and State Police are investigating it as a possible murder-suicide. State Police troopers swarmed to the home of Otis and Fredricka Collins at 3 French Village Road about 10 a.m. Monday. Black Brook Town Supervisor Ricky Nolan said he was shocked to hear about the deaths and the possibility that Mr. Collins might have killed his wife and himself. “I can’t imagine. I’m at a loss for words. He was such as outgoing man, very giving.” Nolan and Mr. Collins worked together at Clinton Correctional Facility for 22 years. Mr. Collins retired just last year. He and Mrs. Collins were well-regarded around town. “They were very generous to the Food Shelf here, and they gave gifts for the Christmas drive,” Nolan said. “He was always stopping in to see if we needed anything.” He said the Collinses were foster parents to a number of special-needs children over the years. They had a son, Scott, who is serving time in Fishkill Correctional Facility after he pleaded guilty in 2005 to third-degree burglary and third-degree grand larceny. They also have a daughter who lives in the Albany area. Mrs. Collins, known as “Freddy” to many, had been seriously injured in a car accident in September 2004. Police reported she crossed the center line as she drove west on Route 3 in the Town of Harrietstown, and her Ford Suburban struck the rear axle of a tractor-trailer. A 14-year-old passenger in her SUV was treated for a facial injury. Nolan says Mrs. Collins walked with a limp but was doing well otherwise. “I can’t believe Otis would do that in a million years,” Nolan said of the murder-suicide report. David Bushey from Jay said he knew the Collinses well and that they were very nice people. “I saw him (Mr. Otis) this morning down to Rod’s store having coffee, and he was happy as all hell and nothing was wrong,” Bushey said Monday. “They never fought. They always got along good.” He said there was “nothing in the world Otis wouldn’t do for you.” Mrs. Collins was the daughter of Derna Torrance, who was well-known in the community because of her popular restaurant, Derna’s Diner, which was located in the building where the Collins now lived. The large structure had been converted to apartments. In 2003, firefighters from four departments were called to the building to extinguish a fire that displaced four tenants. — Staff Writers Dan Heath and Steve Bartlett contributed to this report. [LINK]

Sunday, December 28, 2008

VIDEO: Domestic Violence among Police - Gregory Mantell interviews Former LAPD Police Officer, Catherine MacWillie


Caption with the video:
Domestic violence is bad in any situation, but the problem is compounded when one or more of the parties is a police officer. Former Los Angeles Police Department Officer, Catherine MacWillie, founder of Custody Calculations, takes us behind the "blue wall."


Ms. MacWillie mentions one of my heroes, Bob Mullally - the LAPD police-dv whistleblower who did time for telling what he knew out loud - and also alludes to the Ramos and Ana Ramos, et al v. City of Los Angeles lawsuit - which was a result of not taking action before LAPD Police Officer Victor Ramos committed double murder suicide on his estranged wife and Gregory Thomas in front of Melba and Victor's 3 very young sons. I'll post on it in the near future.

The Gregory Mantell Show website
Gregory Mantell Show Youtubes
Gregory Mantelll Show Myspace

KUDOS to the
Pinellas County Domestic Violence Task Force for posting a link to this video. By doing so they are one of the very few general domestic violence entities that acknowledge officer-involved domestic violence as problem on their website. That matters to the victims of these crimes.

[IL] After Officer Marchan killed little Alizay and Anthony

Chicago Police Officer Dannie Marchan fatally shot his children Alizay (7) and Anthony (9) on September 15, 2008 in his double murder suicide. Dannie died on scene, Alizay at the hospital, and Dannie lingered a few days before his little spirit lifted away.

Like I'm sure many other people who never knew the family personally, I think of these two children often. Today I went searching for anything that may have been printed since that time and found a few things.
The photo above is the profile picture that Officer Marchan left on his Myspace page before the killings. I enlarged the image, lightened it and brought it into focus.
I wonder if he left this picture on purpose. There are children at Alizay and Anthony's school - and almost surely people from within his own family - who pray forgiveness for him. There are probably more of us from around the country still praying healing for the children's mother who continues to live with this every day.

Previous entries:
The Dia de los Muertos altar
...The Day of the Dead or Dia de Los Muertos is a festive Mexican celebration to remember loved ones who have died...
“In our culture, we believe the dead come back that day... So we imagine Anthony will come back and see his trophy, and Alizay will put on those little shoes and dance. That’s how we will always remember them”...
..."They were nice. My cousin, he was like my soldier," said Marissamver Roman, a sixth-grader at the school who was a first cousin to the deceased children. Alizay, she said, "was like a princess"...
...“It’s still difficult for me to understand why he did it. I think he lost control of reality. So I don’t feel anger now. I feel pity”...
...“I walk by the altar every day, very quickly. But I just don’t feel ready to look at those pictures,” kindergarten teacher Nohemi Ruiz said. “To look in their eyes, it still hurts”...
...Students immersed themselves in prayer, often several times a day, for Anthony and Alizay in heaven, for the father to be forgiven, for the mother to be healed. After the triple funeral on Sept. 29, 4th-grade English teacher Rebecca Loduca asked her students to write letters to Anthony and Alizay as a way of saying their last goodbye. Students put the notes inside balloons, brought them outside and released them...

Kids’ recovery a matter of faith
A month after slayings of 2 students, Catholic school still coping with tragedy

Chicago Tribune
By Margaret Ramirez maramirez@tribune.com
Thursday, October 30, 2008
[Excerpts] Inside St. Procopius Catholic School, the altar for the dead stands outside the kindergarten class, covered with fragrant marigolds and candy skulls, and topped with the smiling faces of Anthony and Alizay Marchan. Under the photos, Anthony’s baseball trophy rests beside Alizay’s silver Cinderella slippers. When parents and teachers saw the elaborate altar created for Thursday’s Day of the Dead celebration, they wept anew for the two children, who were fatally shot on Sept. 15 by their father, police Officer Dannie Marchan. He then killed himself. Eleven Chicago Public Schools students have been killed this school year by gunfire, most recently Julian King, nephew of Hollywood star Jennifer Hudson... Alizay and her father died that day. Anthony remained in the hospital for a week, dying on Sept. 23. After arriving at the school, the leaders divided the students into two groups, with Anthony and Alizay’s classmates from 2nd and 4th grade taken to Dufault’s office while the rest of the school reported to the gymnasium. With [Rev. Tim] Howe and [Sister Mary Paul] McCaughey behind him, [Principal Adam] Dufault recalled saying this: “Something sad happened. A very sad incident happened that resulted in Anthony being seriously injured. Alizay has passed away.” “He let the kids know what happened, that they had been hurt, without going into details,” Howe said. “He let them know it had been far away from school and they were safe... For two weeks, grief counselors were stationed at the school for teachers and students who needed them. Dufault said counselors used every available classroom and empty corner for talks and consoling. Students immersed themselves in prayer, often several times a day, for Anthony and Alizay in heaven, for the father to be forgiven, for the mother to be healed. After the triple funeral on Sept. 29, 4th-grade English teacher Rebecca Loduca asked her students to write letters to Anthony and Alizay as a way of saying their last goodbye. Students put the notes inside balloons, brought them outside and released them. “They seemed to take comfort in their faith and in knowing that Anthony is together with his sister and dad in heaven with God,” Loduca said. Kindergarten teacher Ruiz, who taught Alizay, said she initially was furious with Dannie Marchan. She recalled how he had come to the school for career day and spoke about being a police officer. Marchan told the students his gun was for protection and he tried not to use it. [Kindergarten teacher Nohemi] Ruiz kept replaying that memory in her head and wondered: How could he do that to his own children? How could God let that happen? Ruiz said she reached a turning point when she confronted a grief counselor in frustration, shouting those questions. “It’s still difficult for me to understand why he did it. I think he lost control of reality. So I don’t feel anger now. I feel pity,” she said. Eighth-grade teacher Brian O’Rourke said he is still sorting his emotions. “I know this whole thing has changed me. It’s too early to tell how,” he said. “I teach religion, and we talk about the mystery of faith. At the same time, I’m learning how I can feel so disappointed and confused.” ... With the Day of the Dead approaching, Dufault and teachers agreed the celebration planned for Thursday would allow students to honor the memory of Anthony and Alizay and reinforce the Catholic belief of resurrection and eternal life. The Day of the Dead or Dia de Los Muertos is a festive Mexican celebration to remember loved ones who have died. “In our culture, we believe the dead come back that day,” Ruiz said. “So we imagine Anthony will come back and see his trophy, and Alizay will put on those little shoes and dance. That’s how we will always remember them.” [Full article here]

Remembering the Marchan children
Day of the Dead takes on special meaning for school

Chicago Journal
By Micah Maidenberg, Editor
11/5/2008 10:00:00 PM
The annual Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead celebration, had particular meaning this year for students at St. Procopius, an elementary school located at 16th and Allport in Pilsen. On Sept. 15, St. Procopius fourth-grader Anthony Marchan and his sister, second-grader Alizay Marchan, were murdered by their father, an off-duty Chicago police officer. Dannie Marchan, 29, later killed himself with a gunshot to the head. Dia de los Muertos, a traditional Mexican holiday, starts at the beginning of each November, when Catholics celebrate All Saints Day on Nov. 1 and All Souls Day on Nov. 2. The holiday has a celebratory aspect, as people remember their ancestors and friends who have died. In Mexico, families visit gravesites with offerings and photographs. Last week, St. Procopius students observed the holiday with a procession down 18th Street, Pilsen's main commercial thoroughfare, to church plaza near 19th and Paulina. During the march, they carried paper mache skeletons bedecked in large hats and mustaches and small coffins for an ofrenda, or altar, they erected outside of the church. The altar was covered in dried marigolds, small candles with dancing skeletons inscribed on them, crosses and a small loaf traditional bread baked for the holiday. The deaths of the Marchan children weren't far from some students' thoughts. "They were nice. My cousin, he was like my soldier," said Marissamver Roman, a sixth-grader at the school who was a first cousin to the deceased children. Alizay, she said, "was like a princess. I lost my grandma but I didn't really know her. But with my cousins, I shared a lot of moments with them. It really hurts," Roman said. At the school, Roman explained that students had commemorated Anthony and Alizay with an altar that showcased photographs of them. "Almost everybody knew them," she said. Once they arrived outside of the church, troupes performed various dances, including a salsa-inflected number and one called el baile de los viejitos, or dance of the old folks, roughly translated. The students recited calaveras, or playful poems about the dead. St. Procopius principal Adam Dufault said the Marchan murders were hard for students and staff. "No worse thing has happened at this school," he said. [LINK]

Pilsen celebrates "Day of the Dead," honors young victims
Chi Town Daily News
By Kate Gardiner
October 31, 2008
[Excerpts] Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is traditionally celebrated tomorrow with public displays, prayer and remembrance for Mexicans worldwide. But at St. Procopius, a Catholic parish and school in Pilsen, Day of the Dead celebrations were held yesterday, to let students remember and honor those who they've recently lost. On Sept. 15, two students from St. Procopius were killed by their father, Chicago police officer Dannie Marchan, who then committed suicide. The siblings, Anthony, 9, and Alizay, 7, yesterday were memorialized by photographs on top of an altar just inside the entrance to the school. Angel Martinez, an eighth grader at St. Procopius, knew Anthony Marchan. He says he thinks the school came together in the weeks after the tragedy. "We've had more prayer, more church," Angel says. "It's been really emotional."... Ahmad Abuakar, the school's director of development and a newcomer, says the tragedy really helped him realize what the community, and the St. Procopius parish, is all about. "What stood out to me, as an outsider was to see how it affected everyone in the community," says Abukar. The school came together, and everyone sent in help"... [Full article here]

[NC] Sgt. Cody's sad decision

The Madison County Sheriff's Department and the State Bureau of Investigation are investigating the death of a former police officer who resigned his position as a sergeant with the Weaverville Police Department earlier this month after he was arrested and charged with assault...

Previous post:
December 5, 2008
[NC] Sgt. Cody and the "obvious signs of domestic violence” - ...“There were obvious signs of domestic violence” involving Cody and a female at the residence... Cody was released on a promise to appear...

Sheriff says officer's death was likely suicide
[LINK to full article]
December 16, 2008
[Excerpts] Madison County Sheriff John Ledford said Monday that the death of a former Weaverville police officer is “believed to be a suicide.” Andy Cody, 38, died Friday night of a gunshot wound, Ledford said. “We're treating it as a suicide,” he Monday. “On Friday night about 9 p.m., we got a call that a family member had found him at the residence,” Ledford said... Cody resigned as a sergeant with Weaverville Police Department after he was arrested Dec. 2 at his home, charged with simple assault. He was taken into custody after Madison County deputies responded to a complaint of a domestic disturbance at the house. Law enforcement officials said a deputy saw obvious signs of a domestic dispute between Cody and a woman said to be living with him...
Former policeman found dead
Domestic charge prompted resignation

News-Record and Sentinel
Jonathan Austin Editor@newsrecordandsentinel.co
published December 14, 2008 12:15 am
[Excerpts] MARS HILL – ...Andy Cody, 38, died Friday night or Saturday morning, law enforcement officials said Saturday. No one from the Madison County Sheriff's Department was available to provide details Saturday... Cody was arrested Dec. 2 at his home in Mars Hill and charged with simple assault after deputies responded to complaints of a domestic disturbance at Cody's home. “There were obvious signs of domestic violence,” Madison County Sheriff's Capt. Buddy Harwood said at the time. Released on a promise to appear, Cody then sought and received a domestic violence order of protection against [AT] , 38, whose relationship with Cody was described in court documents as “unmarried, of opposite sex, currently or formerly living together.” Cody, who had worked with the Weaverville Police Department for six years, resigned the same day... [LINK to full article]

[TX] Police arrest Officer Rogers for assaulting his ex girlfriend

Officer charged with assault in bar incident
San Antonio Express, TX
By Eva Ruth Moravec
12/28/2008 12:00 CST
[Excerpts]A San Antonio police officer assigned to the downtown bicycle patrol has been placed on administrative duty after being arrested on charges of assaulting an ex-girlfriend, according to police... Officer Rory Rogers went to a bar in the 1900 block of Stone Oak Parkway early Friday while he was off-duty and encountered his ex-girlfriend, a 21-year-old San Antonian, who was on the dance floor with friends... Rogers, a five-year veteran of the force, pushed the woman to the floor, where she cut herself on broken glass, then pushed her once more as she was getting up, Trevino said. Rogers then fled the bar, he said... Rogers turned himself in early Saturday morning, just one day after the woman filed the complaint. Although Rogers didn't admit to the crime, police were able to arrest him because of a tighter domestic violence policy that was adopted in January 2007 requiring officers to secure arrest warrants immediately for most family violence suspects. Several witness accounts were identical to the ex-girlfriend's story, Trevino said, giving police probable cause for an arrest warrant. Rogers posted bail and was released, Trevino said. He will remain on administrative duty during criminal and administrative investigations. [Full article here]

SAPD Officer Arrested for Pushing Ex-Girlfriend
WOAI
Aubrey Mika Chancellor AubreyMikaChancellor@woaitv.com
12/27/2008
[Excerpts]...The officer, Rory Rogers, who's been with the department for five years, was off-duty at the time. The ex-girlfriend told police while she was dancing Rogers came up to her and pushed her down. Then she says she got up and he pushed her down again. Police say there was broken glass on the dance floor and the woman had cuts on her arms, knee, and side... SAPD Spokesman Gabe Trevino told News 4 WOAI “If it's a family violence act and we believe you committed the act, we’re not gonna file a case at large like we've done in the past. We're gonna get a warrant and we're gonna come after you and that's been our policy and it's no different for this case.” Rogers is officially charged with assault - bodily injury... [Full article here]

Saturday, December 27, 2008

[NC] Trooper Grissom shoots his girlfriend's husband, Patrick Curry

...A THIRD PERSON WAS IN THE HOME DURING THE SHOOTING... GRISSOM IS NOT FACING ANY CHARGES... "I MEAN I JUST SHOT THIS GUY ON MY BACK DECK. HE JUST COME HERE AND BEAT ME IN THE HEAD"...

Man held in assault on his girlfriend Man shot at trooper's home is in critical condition

News & Record
December 24, 2008
[Excerpts] RALEIGH -- Authorities said that a North Carolina man was critically wounded but still alive yesterday afternoon after being shot the night before at the home of a trooper in the N.C. Highway Patrol. A patrol spokesman said yesterday that Trooper G.S. Grissom was off duty when Rockingham County sheriff's deputies responded to reported gunshots at his home Monday night... Hospital officials said that Curry was in critical condition yesterday. Patrol spokesman Capt. Everett Clendenin said that Grissom, 46, is on administrative leave, which is standard practice after a trooper fires a weapon... [Full article here]

911 Caller: "I Shot This Guy On My Back Deck"
WFMY News 2, NC - Dec 24, 2008
Mackenzie McKenzie
12/23/2008
[Excerpts] Rockingham County, NC -- Investigators released 911 calls from Monday nights officer-involved shooting in Rockingham County. The shooting happened at 46-year-old state trooper Gary Grissom's home. Rockingham County investigators say Grissom shot 27-year-old Patrick Martin Curry. Through 911 calls, WFMY News 2 learned a third person was in the home during the shooting... Grissom called 911 prior to the shooting, according to the tapes. He asked for deputies to respond to his house. When a dispatcher asked why he said "I got a little crazy guy over here with a gun. But don't put that on the radio, but tell them I need them to slide on over here." Before deputies arrived at the home on Oak Level Court, Grissom called 911 again. "I just called," he said, "I mean I just shot this guy on my back deck. He just come here and beat me in the head." Grissom asked for EMS and deputies. Then dispatchers demanded answers. Minutes later, a witness called... Grissom is not facing any charges... [Full article here]

Update: Off-duty trooper shoots man at Rockingham County home
News & Records
By Jonnelle Davis jonnelle.davis@news-record.com
Wednesday, December 24, 7:51 am)
[Excerpts] REIDSVILLE — A Reidsville man was hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday after being shot by an off-duty state trooper in a disturbance at the trooper’s home. The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office said G.S. Grissom, 46, shot Patrick Martin Curry after a disturbance Monday night... The wounded man’s father said Tuesday that the shooting was the result of a personal dispute, which had been brewing for at least a month. Steve Curry said Grissom was involved with his daughter-in-law, Cameron Curry. “He had been dating my son’s wife,” Steve Curry said Tuesday night. “They’ve been trying to work things out and get back together.” Patrick and Cameron Curry have been married for five years and have been separated for the past six months, his father said... Officials refused to provide any other specifics about the shooting and directed questions to the State Bureau of Investigation, which is handling the investigation... STEVE CURRY SAID HE KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT WHAT PRECIPITATED THE SHOOTING, BUT HE SAID HIS SON WAS AT HOME ABOUT 8:30 P.M. MONDAY, RECEIVED A PHONE CALL AND LEFT. He said Cameron Curry called him from Grissom’s home with the news that his son had been shot. Steve Curry said he could hear his son moaning in the background. “I’m praying and hoping that he makes it,” he said. [Full article here]

[MD] Ex 22 year vet Trooper Breeding won't stop

...Police say, because of his extensive criminal history, he's being held on almost a half million dollars bond... (Again?)

Breeding has been
jailed
and released
jailed
and released
jailed and
released,
and now
jailed again.


[MUST SEE] Previous post:
June 14, 2008 - [MD] 1/2 a mil bail for "former officer" Breeding's "various crimes" - ...Bond of a half-million dollars set on a former police officer arrested Sunday night following a domestic assault was apparently determined out of concern for his personal safety and the safety of victims in cases pending against him... Officers noticed injuries to the victim consistent with the allegation...
(Note: 2 comments on that post were left right before this arrest, and had made me wonder who was really writing them.)

FORMER STATE TROOPER TASED AND ARRESTED FOR BURGLARY
MSNBC - WHAG-TV
Dec. 26, 2008
[Excerpts] A former Maryland State Police trooper is behind bars after he allegedly broke into a woman's home on Christmas Eve. Robert Breeding is being accused of breaking into his estranged wife's home, on Louisiana Ave., and stealing her personal property. Witnesses, at the scene, told police that Breeding had fled into the woods on foot. Officers checked the area but were unable to find him. Four hours later, a Cumberland Police K-9 unit located Breeding walking near Byrd Avenue towards Louisiana Avenue... Breeding refused to stop and tried to run from the officer. The Police K-9 was released after him, but was called off when Breeding stopped running. As police tried totake Breeding into custody, officers say he wasresisting and attempted to pull an unknown object from his pants pocket. A Taser was deployed to take Breeding down... Court documents show he's already been convicted on assault and theft charges. Police say, because of his extensive criminal history, he's being held on almost a half million dollars bond... [Full article here]

[police officer involved domestic violence law enforcement repeat hx teflon maryland state]

Police working Pardo massacre aren't effected by it?

VIDEO - PRESS CONFERENCE EXCERPT:
Chief is asked about feelings of cops working Bruce Pardo case

There was a press conference with Covina Police Chief Kim Raney about Bruce Pardo. Pardo shot an eight year old girl in the face who answered the door, executed nine people, incinerated them and the house with 2 pressurized tanks of flammable compounds,
booby trapped his santa claus suit he left on his car's seat to explode (and it did), then shot his own severely burned body in the head. What were once bodies are reduced to teeth. No one could help the people inside the burning home...
ALL OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY PEOPLE INVOLVED ARE RENDERED HELPLESS.

But amid all of that human mass destruction, mayhem and massacre - when the chief is asked about the feelings of cops his answer gives evidence of just one of the reasons that law enforcement officers find it so hard to reach for help when they need it.
He says they are professionals.
It's no wonder police suicide rates are so high - and why there are too many officer involved domestic murder-suicides. The beliefs within the police culture that professionals don't need help or aren't wounded by the work trap those who need a hand.
Until this attitude changes the rates will never go down.
I am not knocking the chief. I have no right. He is there and I even understand why he said what he did. But we have to come to the place where officers will not be viewed as unprofessional if they are effected by the work... if they stumble or need someone, for a period, to help them pace their breath again.

[Too many] Officers Down

[IN] Prosecutor, soon-to-be-judge, Jennifer Evans will recover from gunshot wound to head

...Evans' husband didn't want to go into too much detail or go on-camera, because the investigation is ongoing, but he said that, "She didn't know it was loaded…

Husband: LaPorte County deputy prosecutor, soon to be judge, accidentally shot in head
WNDU-TV, IN
Ryan Famuliner
Dec 25, 2008 / Dec 24, 2008
[Excerpts] LaPorte County is abuzz with the news that the deputy prosecutor was shot earlier this week. There had been very little information released about the Monday night shooting, but today WNDU spoke with Jennifer Evans' husband Stephan about the incident, to try and clear things up. He says it was an accidental shooting. The details of the story have been more or less held from the media so far. The county prosecutor's office has really only confirmed there was a shooting at Jennifer Evans' home Monday night, and that her injuries were not life threatening. Evans' husband didn't want to go into too much detail or go on-camera, because the investigation is ongoing, but he said that, "She didn't know it was loaded… when she was handling it." He said he was home at the time, but he wouldn't say who actually fired the gun... LaPorte City Police are investigating the case but wouldn't make any comment today, or even provide WNDU with the police report. They said the prosecutor's office will be releasing all the information and WNDU couldn't get in contact with County Prosecutor Rob Beckman despite numerous calls to staff, messages, and visits to his office Wednesday. NOTE: An associated press report citing our conversation with Jennifer Evans' husband Stephan indicated that she had shot herself. We have not reported that; Stephan would not confirm who shot the gun... [Full article here]

LaPorte deputy prosecutor shot
Evans expected to recover; she was elected judge in November.

South Bend Tribune
BY STAN MADDUX
Dec 25, 2008
LAPORTE - LaPorte County Deputy Prosecutor Jennifer Evans was shot just before midnight Monday, according to police. Evans, who in November was elected judge of LaPorte Superior Court 3, remained in the hospital Tuesday but was expected to survive, Prosecutor Rob Beckman said. "My understanding is she will fully recover and it's not life-threatening," he said. Monday about 11:45 p.m., emergency workers responded to a neighborhood on LaPorte's southwest side where Evans lives. Police directed all questions on the case to Beckman, who would not comment on specifics... [Full article here]
[public official involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal INDIANA state politics]

[WI] Shot in the face, Deputy Hutchins' girlfriend leaps from window, before 12 year Karess Patton also shot

...The girlfriend -- still trying to flee the deputy -- jumped out of an upstairs window to the pavement below and continued to run through a number of yards before getting help from another neighbor...

Previous post:
[Wi] Deputy Hutchins, who shot his girlfriend & 12 year old neighbor who helped her, has a violent history

Milwaukee County Sheriff's Deputy Ordered To Stand Trial
Thomas Hutchins Accused Of Shooting Girlfriend, 12-Year-Old Girl
WISN.com, WI
December 26, 2008
MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department deputy accused of shooting two people, including a 12-year-old, was ordered to stand trial on Friday. Deputy Thomas Hutchins was off-duty last week when police said he shot his girlfriend in the face and then shot a 12-year-old girl at the house where his girlfriend ran for help. According to the criminal complaint, Hutchins told police he fired at his girlfriend in self-defense after she hit him with a candlestick during an argument. But that wouldn't explain why he then is accused of following her to a nearby apartment and firing through the door where she ran for safety, 12 News reporter Nick Bohr said. That door was riddled with bullet holes and the victim's blood. The gunfire penetrated the steel door and struck a 12-year-old girl in the hand and leg, police said. The girlfriend -- still trying to flee the deputy -- jumped out of an upstairs window to the pavement below and continued to run through a number of yards before getting help from another neighbor. Both victims are recovering from their injuries. In court on Friday, Hutchins conceded prosecutors have enough evidence for a trial and one was ordered. The date hasn't been set yet. Hutchins remains in custody on $150,000 bail. He is suspended without pay from the sheriff's department. Hutchins is being held at the Waukesha County Jail because he has recently worked at the Milwaukee County Jail. [LINK]

[MS] Officer Hobson turns himself in on domestic violence/ assault warrant

MPD officer arrested
Meridian Star, MS
By Brian Livingston blivingston@themeridianstar.com
December 26, 2008
Meridian Police Department officials confirmed this week that one of its officers had been arrested. MPD Chief Benny DuBose said Daren Dennis Hobson, 37, of 3436 Poplar Springs Drive, turned himself in to deputies of the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday after he was contacted by MPD supervisors that the county had a warrant out for his arrest on domestic violence/simple assault charges. "The supervisors told him of the warrant and he decided it would be best to just turn himself in," said DuBose. It was unclear who filed the initial complaint against Hobson that led to the warrant being issued. DuBose said Hobson, who was a recently promoted senior police officer with the MPD, would have his status with the department reviewed. Hobson has been with the department for a little more than a year and was one of the DUI officers on the force. He posted a $1,000 bond and is currently out of jail.
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence (IPV) abuse law enforcement public safety mississipi teflon repeat hx]

Friday, December 26, 2008

[OH] Sheriff Swanson fires Deputy McCrosky this time

...MCCROSKEY ALLEGEDLY PUSHED THE WOMAN, WHILE SHE WAS HOLDING THEIR INFANT SON, AND THREATENED TO KILL HER AND HIMSELF. SWANSON SAID MCCROSKEY ALSO WAS ARRESTED IN AUGUST FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE...

Sheriff’s deputy could lose his job, following his arrest
Canton Repository
By Benjamin Duer
Posted Dec 22, 2008
CANTON -A Stark County Sheriff’s deputy could lose his job, following HIS LATEST arrest on domestic violence. Michael D. McCroskey, 34, faces misdemeanor counts of domestic violence and unlawful restraint. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for 8 a.m. Dec. 30 in Massillon Municipal Court. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges... Jackson Township police arrested him Dec. 5 at a residence in the 2700 block of Blackfriars Drive NW after an argument with a woman turned violent, according to court records. McCroskey allegedly pushed the woman, while she was holding their infant son, and threatened to kill her and himself. Swanson said McCroskey also was arrested in August for domestic violence. The charge was later reduced to disorderly conduct. McCroskey was found guilty in Canton Municipal Court. McCroskey paid a $50 fine and had all, but one, day of a 30-day jail term suspended... [Full article here]

Sheriff fires deputy accused of domestic violence
Canton Repository
By Benjamin Duer
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
CANTON — Stark County Sheriff Tim Swanson today fired a deputy who is accused of domestic violence. Swanson said Michael D. McCroskey, 34, can appeal his decision. “But, as of this morning, I gave him his letter, and he’s done,” he said. Swanson declined further comment. McCroskey has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor counts of domestic violence and unlawful restraint. The charges stem from a Dec. 5 incident in Jackson Township. His next court date is Dec. 30 in Massillon Municipal Court. According to court documents, McCroskey pushed a woman while she was holding their infant son, then threatened to kill her and commit suicide. McCroskey had been employed with the Sheriff’s Department since April 19, 2007, working in the county jail. McCroskey also was arrested for domestic violence involving the same woman Aug. 25,. He was found guilty on a lesser charge of disorderly conduct. A disciplinary hearing was held Monday. [LINK]

Thursday, December 25, 2008

[OH] Deputy Tilton who said wife lied about February dv & got custody of kids & charges dropped is arrested for dv again

...TILTON WAS A DETECTIVE WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. HE RESIGNED IN APRIL IN RETURN FOR THE DISMISSAL OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CHARGES...

[Cop on cop: Teresa Tilton, then a corrections officer at the Washington County Jail.]

Former deputy charged with domestic violence
News and Sentinel
December 26, 2008
MARIETTA Authorities early Christmas morning charged a former Washington County deputy sheriff with domestic violence, the sheriff said Thursday. Mark Tilton was caught around 1 a.m. in the woods near his home on Ohio 60, Lowell, Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks said. The department received a 911 hang up call around midnight Christmas Eve from the Tilton home at 12622 State Route 60 where investigators interviewed Teresa Tilton, Tilton's wife, the department said. She said her husband was intoxicated and there was an argument where he punched her in the face, then fled, the department said. Mrs. Tilton had an open and bleeding cut on the bridge of her nose, the department said. Tilton, 40, was caught in the woods by deputies after being tracked by a department search dog, the department said. He was charged with domestic violence and resisting arrest and taken to the Washington County Jail where he was lodged in lieu of bond, the department said. Tilton was a detective with the sheriff's office. He resigned in April in return for the dismissal of domestic violence charges against him and was also acquitted this summer of assaulting a Lowell man after a card game. [LINK]

ARTICLES FROM EARLER THIS YEAR

...TERESA TILTON FIRST SAID SHE WAS INJURED IN A FALL, BUT THE COUPLE’S CHILDREN SAID THE WOMAN WAS INJURED DAYS EARLIER IN A FIGHT WITH THEIR FATHER... TERESA TILTON LATER ADMITTED SHE HAD BEEN HIT IN THE FACE AND KICKED BY HER HUSBAND...

Detective released from jail
www.mariettatimes.com
By Brad Bauer, bbauer@mariettatimes.com
February 20, 2008
[Excerpts] A Washington County sheriff’s detective facing domestic violence charges was released from jail Tuesday during an arraignment in Marietta Municipal Court. Mark Tilton, 39, of Lowell was charged early Monday with assaulting his wife, Teresa Tilton, 38, after an argument at their home. Tilton has pleaded not guilty, and a March 11 pretrial is scheduled... The investigation began after Tilton’s wife was taken to Marietta Memorial Hospital late Sunday. Teresa Tilton first said she was injured in a fall, but the couple’s children said the woman was injured days earlier in a fight with their father... “(One of the children) stated the two argued, entered a bedroom and later she heard a loud thump and what sounded like a struggle,” Parks wrote in his report. “At that point the witness entered the bedroom and found Tilton on top of his wife positioned in a fighting manner and pulling the victim’s hair.” Parks said Teresa Tilton later admitted she had been hit in the face and kicked by her husband... [Full article here]

Comment by Doriza on newsite
02-20-08 10:13 PM
I am the Aunt of Teresa Tilton and saw the artical of the abuse. I now hear that the husband has gotten a court order to take the three girls away from Teresa Tilton, there mother. I do not understand why. After all, Mark Tilton has threaten the oldest girl for tell what she knows and on the last call that was made to the Tilton's home, he through the oldest girl to the wall for trying to stop the abuse. What is wrong with the system? One judge put this court order to him to stay away and he (Mark Tilton) went and got another judge to let him take his girls away from there mother, what will happen to the girls. Mark Tilton is an abusive person and he can hurt these girls for what they have told the police. Please protect the children.

LESS THAN THREE DAYS AFTER HE WAS CHARGED WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, WASHINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S DETECTIVE MARK TILTON WAS GRANTED CUSTODY OF HIS THREE CHILDREN... MARK TILTON SAID HIS WIFE FABRICATED THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ACCUSATION IN ORDER TO PUT HIS CAREER AND LIVELIHOOD IN JEOPARDY...

Deputy refutes charges
Judge grants him custody of young children

www.mariettatimes.com
By Brad Bauer, bbauer@mariettatimes.com
February 22, 2008
[Excerpts] Less than three days after he was charged with domestic violence, Washington County sheriff’s Detective Mark Tilton was granted custody of his three children late Wednesday. Tilton, 39, of Lowell, fired back in court late Wednesday, alleging his wife was the aggressor and asking Washington County Common Pleas Court Judge Ed Lane to grant him emergency custody of their children. During an emergency hearing late Wednesday in Lane’s courtroom, attorneys representing Tilton said his wife, Teresa Tilton, 38, is mentally and physically abusive. Mark Tilton said his wife fabricated the domestic violence accusation in order to put his career and livelihood in jeopardy. A conviction could cost him his jobs with the sheriff’s office and the military. Mark Tilton’s attorney, Bill Burton, said there is no merit to the domestic violence charges filed against the officer earlier this week. “There’s zero merit. It absolutely didn’t happen,” Burton said. “In fact, the evidence we presented (in Lane’s court) was overwhelming the other way.” Burton said Teresa Tilton came home drunk Sunday night and fell on a deck outside the couple’s home. He said her 20-year-old daughter from a previous relationship found her there and called police. According to statements filed in the domestic violence case, Teresa Tilton alleged she was hit and kicked by her husband. The incident was allegedly stopped by the 20-year-old stepdaughter. “(One of the children) stated the two argued, entered a bedroom and later she heard a loud thump and what sounded like a struggle,” sheriff’s Deputy Scott Parks wrote in his report. “At that point, the witness entered the bedroom and found Tilton on top of his wife positioned in a fighting manner and pulling the victim’s hair.” Teresa Tilton first told officers she was injured in a fall, but her story changed after the 20-year-old told officers she was injured days earlier. At the conclusion of the Wednesday hearing, Lane granted the detective a temporary civil protection order, custody of the couple’s three children (ages 8, 11 and 14) and rights to the family home. Teresa Tilton was not at the hearing and will have an opportunity to respond to the allegations during a full hearing set for Feb. 28. [Full article here]
POLICE OFFICER INVOLVED PERPETRATED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPUTY SHERIFF DEPARTMENT CUSTODY CHILDREN

[FL] Cop on firefighter domestic violence - Officer Tiffany Morris charged

...He's a Clearwater firefighter; Tiffany Morris, 26, is a Temple Terrace police officer, and her husband said he didn't know what she might do if she got a weapon...

Temple Terrace police officer jailed, accused of battery on husband
Tampabay.com, FL
By Molly Moorhead
December 18, 2008
Last modified: Dec 23, 2008 06:34 PM
NEW PORT RICHEY— A Temple Terrace police officer has been charged with domestic battery after her husband accused her of biting him and grabbing his head and shoulders while he was driving. Tiffany Morris' husband told authorities she had too much to drink while the couple partied with friends Tuesday night, and she became argumentative on their drive home. He drove as she yelled at him about being rude in front of their friends, Fred Morris, 28, said. She became physically aggressive as he drove north on the Suncoast Parkway, the Pasco sheriff's report said. When they got home to New Port Richey, according to the report, Fred Morris hid his and his wife's guns. He's a Clearwater firefighter; Tiffany Morris, 26, is a Temple Terrace police officer, and her husband said he didn't know what she might do if she got a weapon. Fred Morris was lying in bed, the report said, when his wife climbed on top of him demanding to know where her gun was. Then she began throwing things. Fred Morris called for help, but said he didn't want his wife arrested. He said she had never been violent in the past. Tiffany Morris was charged with domestic battery, a misdemeanor, and remains in the Pasco County jail in Land O'Lakes without bail. Morris has been with Temple Terrace police since May, and is in the midst of her year-long probationary period, Temple Terrace spokesman Michael Dunn said. The incident could affect her job, Dunn said, but the agency is seeking further information about her charges. [LINK]

[Wi] Deputy Hutchins, who shot his girlfriend & 12 year old neighbor who helped her, has a violent history

...AN OFF-DUTY MILWAUKEE COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPUTY WORRIED HE’D LOSE HIS JOB IF HIS GIRLFRIEND CALLED POLICE DURING A DOMESTIC DISPUTE SHOT HER AND A 12-YEAR-OLD NEIGHBOR GIRL BEHIND THE DOOR OF AN APARTMENT WHERE THE VICTIM RAN FOR HELP...

[WI] Deputy Hutchins shoots girlfriend and 12 year old. OIDV discussed.

Video: ...Domestic abuse victim advocates say even when there are warning signs, when the abuser is in law enforcement, the cases can be especially difficult. "Law enforcement officers have access to more resources, more power, and this issue really is about power and control. You know when I read the statement, 'I'll make it my mission in my life to hurt you' - what that means for a law enforcement official is they DO have the power. They have institutionalized power behind them... As a community, ordinary citizins, we should all be concerned about people who have issues about power and control who are law enforcement. Absolutely, because they make us ALL less safe"...

[WI] Deputy Thomas Hutchin's 12 year old victim tells God she forgives him

12 year old Karess Patton: "I didn't know he was like that. So I just tell God, I forgive him."

[WI] Deputy Hutchins shoots girlfriend and 12yo
xxxxxxxxx


...CONFRONTED ABOUT THE NEIGHBOR'S DOOR, HE ADMITTED TO SHOOTING IT, POLICE SAID, BECAUSE HE WANTED SOMEONE TO OPEN IT SO HE COULD CHECK ON HIS GIRLFRIEND'S CONDITION. HE SAID HE DID NOT MEAN TO SHOOT ANYONE AND DID NOT KNOW HE HAD SHOT A CHILD...

SHERIFF'S DEPUTY ARRESTED IN DOUBLE SHOOTING

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI)
By Linda Spice lspice@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Dec. 16, 2008
[Excerpts] A Milwaukee County sheriff's deputy was being held Tuesday on a possible charge of attempted homicide in connection with a double shooting Monday night that wounded a 31-year-old woman and a 12-year-old neighbor girl, police records show. A neighbor of the woman said the victim had pounded on her door before fleeing to the girl's apartment, and the neighbor described the incident as "chaos"... Sherrelia King, who lives next door to the woman who was shot, said she heard "arguing and the gunshots and the glass shattering, and then she must have come over here, because I heard banging on my door." But when she got to the door, nobody was there. She said she heard more shooting after the initial shots were fired... The 12-year-old lives in an adjacent building about 15 feet away. "That had to be traumatic for that baby, that child," said King of the girl. "You just go to the door and the wild, wild west comes in"... Roy Felber, president of the Milwaukee Deputy Sheriffs' Association, said Tuesday afternoon that he and association vice president Rich Graber were on their way to speak with the arrested deputy... "I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE HE'S ALL RIGHT, THAT HE HAS WHAT HE NEEDS," FELBER SAID. "AS FAR AS ANYTHING ELSE, I DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. IT WAS OFF-DUTY. THAT'S BETWEEN HIM AND HIS ATTORNEY." [Full article here]

12-YEAR-OLD SHOOTING VICTIM SPEAKS OUT
CBS58
December 17, 2008
EXCLUSIVE: Girl allegedly shot by an off-duty sheriff's deputy is speaking only with CBS 58 - A 12-year-old child allegedly shot by an off-duty sheriff's deputy is speaking only with CBS 58. Karress Patton was shot three times after 39-year-old deputy Thomas Hutchins allegedly fired several shots from his service weapon into her apartment Monday night... [Full article here]

..."DEPUTY THOMAS HUTCHINS THREATENED TO TAKE MY LIFE." SHE CONTINUED, "HE DOESN'T CARE, HE WILL KILL ME"...

CHARGES EXPECTED TOMORROW AGAINST DEPUTY

Today's TMJ4, WI
Melanie Stout
Dec 17, 2008
A Milwaukee county sheriff's deputy arrested for shooting his girlfriend in the face has resigned. He's expected to be charged Thursday for Monday night's shooting near 91st and Brown Deer... We have also learned that Deputy Thomas Hutchins has had a history of violence. HIS EX-WIFE FILED A RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST HIM FOUR YEARS AGO. IN IT SHE WROTE, "DEPUTY THOMAS HUTCHINS THREATENED TO TAKE MY LIFE." SHE CONTINUED, "HE DOESN'T CARE, HE WILL KILL ME." HIS EX-WIFE WROTE FURTHER, "IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO I TELL, NO ONE CAN PROTECT ME. HE WOULD MAKE IT HIS MISSION IN LIFE TO HURT ME." SHE CONTINUED, "I SAID THAT'S NOT GOING TO MAKE OUR DAUGHTER HAPPY WITH ME DEAD AND YOU IN JAIL. HE SAID HE WILL DO IT AND HE WON'T GET CAUGHT." ACCORDING TO ARREST RECORDS, HUTCHINS WAS ARRESTED FIVE YEARS AGO FOR DOMESTIC ABUSE AND FOR BATTERY. THE CHARGES WERE LATER DROPPED... [Full article here]

...THE WOMAN ATTEMPTED TO CALL 9-1-1. AT THAT POINT, SHE SAYS HUTCHINS BEGGED HER NOT TO CALL THE POLICE SAYING HE WOULD LOSE HIS JOB. HE EVEN RIPPED THE PHONE OUT OF THE WALL..."YOU TAKE MY JOB, I'LL TAKE YOUR LIFE"...

FORMER SHERIFF'S DEPUTY CHARGED

TMJ4
By Jon Byman
December 18, 2008
Prosecutors have filed attempted murder and reckless injury charges against a former Milwaukee County Sheriff's Deputy. Deputy Thomas Hutchins is accused of shooting a woman with whom he has a child and shooting a 12-year-old girl who lived in a home where the first victim ran for help. In total he faces three charges: attempted murder, reckless injury and endangering safety. If convicted on all three, Hutchins faces as many as 95 years in prison. According to the criminal complaint, Hutchins got into a fight with the mother of his child over the way she had disciplined their daughter. The fight got violent with Hutchins hitting the woman at one point. The woman attempted to call 9-1-1. At that point, she says Hutchins begged her not to call the police saying he would lose his job. He even ripped the phone out of the wall. According to the complaint, when the victim continued to attempt to call 9-1-1, Hutchins pulled out his gun pointed it at her and said, "you take my job, I'll take your life." Hutchins then fired at the victim, hitting her in the face. She ran next door and a 12-year-old girl at a neighboring home let her in. SHE YELLED FOR THE GIRL TO CLOSE AND LOCK THE DOOR, WHICH THE GIRL DID. AT THAT POINT, HUTCHINS FIRED MORE SHOTS INTO THE HOME. At least four of those shots hit the little girl in her leg and hand. Hutchins has resigned his position. [LINK]


...MARY HUTCHINS CLAIMED THAT HER EX-HUSBAND HAD THREATENED HER FOR FOUR YEARS AND SAID HE'D MAKE HER SEE HER MOTHER, WHO DIED IN 2004....

DEPUTY NO STRANGER TO CONFLICT MAN'S EX-WIFE GOT RESTRAINING ORDER

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI)
Author: MEG JONES mjones@journalsentinel.com
Thursday, December 18, 2008
[Excerpts] A Milwaukee County sheriff’s deputy arrested in the double shooting that wounded a woman and a 12-year-old girl threatened to kill his ex-wife two years ago, according to a temporary restraining order issued against him. In December 2006, Thomas D. Hutchins , now 39, was ordered by a Milwaukee County circuit judge not to phone or threaten his former wife, Mary Hutchins , now 35, and to stay at least 200 feet away from her and her home. Mary Hutchins wrote in the petition for the temporary restraining order that Thomas Hutchins threatened to take her life. "On the voice mail he said he would (expletive) me up he doesn’t care he will kill me. It doesn’t matter who I tell, no one can protect me," Mary Hutchins wrote. "He would make it his mission in life to hurt me." Mary Hutchins claimed that her ex-husband had threatened her for four years and said he’d make her see her mother, who died in 2004. Thomas Hutchins , a 12-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, was in custody Wednesday on a possible charge of attempted homicide. Milwaukee police said a 31-year-old woman was shot in the cheek after a domestic argument in the 8800 block of N. Swan Road on Monday night. The woman, described by police as Hutchins ’ girlfriend, ran to the 12-year-old girl’s apartment, where the child was shot in the leg. Hutchins does not live with the woman who was shot, but they have a child who is less than 2 years old, police said... [Full article here]


...THEN HE POINTED HIS GLOCK HANDGUN AT HER AND STATED, "YOU TAKE MY JOB, I'LL TAKE YOUR LIFE," ACCORDING TO THE COMPLAINT. HE FIRED TWICE, THE COMPLAINT SAYS. SHE FELT PAIN IN HER FACE AND RAN...

DEPUTY CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED HOMICIDE HE FIRED THROUGH DOOR AND HIT WOMAN, GIRL, COMPLAINT SAYS

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI)
LINDA SPICE lspice@journalsentinel.com
Friday, December 19, 2008
An off-duty Milwaukee County sheriff’s deputy worried he’d lose his job if his girlfriend called police during a domestic dispute shot her and a 12-year-old neighbor girl behind the door of an apartment where the victim ran for help, according to a complaint filed Thursday. Thomas D. Hutchins , 39, is charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless injury and endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon in connection with Monday’s shooting in the 8800 block of N. Swan Road. According to the complaint: A 31-year-old woman told police Hutchins became upset while visiting her home when she disciplined their child. They argued and Hutchins struck her in the face, the woman told police. She told Hutchins to leave, but he refused and she began to call 911. He begged her not to call, then pulled the phone out of the wall and broke it. Then he pointed his Glock handgun at her and stated, "You take my job, I’ll take your life," according to the complaint. He fired twice, the complaint says. She felt pain in her face and ran to a neighbor’s home. The girl had let her in and then closed and locked the door when the woman heard multiple gunshots. The girl was hit three times in her right thigh and suffered a graze wound to her right hand. Hutchins later told police he had been drinking brandy and champagne. He said the woman was upset with her sister and when he tried to calm her down she struck him in the head with a candlestick. He feared for his safety and shot twice. He said he didn’t know if he had shot the woman. Hutchins said he then drove to his mother’s house. After he was confronted about the neighbor’s door, he admitted to shooting it, police said, because he wanted someone to open it so he could check on his girlfriend’s condition. He said he did not mean to shoot anyone and did not know he had shot a child. Hutchins is being held in the Waukesha County Jail. He has resigned from the sheriff’s office, said department spokeswoman Kim Brooks. [LINK]