Police Officer Involved Domestic Violence.
Lighting a candle of remembrance for those who've lost their lives to domestic violence behind the blue wall, for strength and wisdom to those still there, and a non-ending prayer for those who thought they had escaped but can't stop being afraid.
Pinal County Attorney James Walsh: "These were horrible crimes against very young children. This case really stands out as a showcase of the multi-disciplinary approach we have been working on for years. I am proud of the work done by the Family Advocacy Center."
FORMER MESA POLICE OFFICER SENTENCED TO 682 YEARS FOR SEX CRIMES
azfamily.com
by Jennifer Thomas
June 29, 2010
[Excerpts] MARICOPA, Ariz - A former Mesa police officer convicted of sex crimes was sentenced Monday to 682 consecutive years in prison. On June 1, a Pinal County jury found Justin Bowman, 31, guilty on 32 counts, including child molestation, sexual conduct with a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor, public sexual indecency, and furnishing harmful items to a minor. Police originally arrested Bowman in 2008 while responding to an alleged suicide attempt by him. His wife told police officers that she found child pornography on their home computer... Pinal County Superior Court judge sentenced Bowman to the maximum sentence of 15 consecutive life terms in prison. [Full article here]
EX-MESA OFFICER SENTENCED IN CHILD MOLESTATION
myfoxphoenix.com
29 Jun 2010
[Excerpts] ...Back on June 3, a jury found 31-year-old Justin C. Bowman guilty of 15 counts of sexual conduct with a minor, 6 counts of child molestation, 3 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, 5 counts of furnishing harmful items to a minor, and 3 counts of public sexual indecency to a minor. Monday, Bowman was sentenced... Bowman resigned from the Mesa Police Department in September 2008 in the midst of an internal investigation against him for unsatisfactory performance. [Full article here]
FORMER MESA COP GETS 15 LIFE SENTENCES IN CHILD MOLESTATION, PORN CASE
East Valley Tribune
Mike Sakal
June 29, 2010
[Excerpts] ...former Mesa police officer [Justin Bowman], who was arrested in 2008, committed the crimes against a 9-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy between March 1, 2008 and Oct. 29, 2008. Bowman's wife had called authorities to inform them that he was suicidal, and early on in the investigation, police discovered that he had child pornography on his computer hard drive and that he allegedly had been molesting the two children, according to court records... "It sounds excessive, but we have two issues at play here," [Kostas Kalaitzidis, spokesman for the Pinal County Attorney's Office] said. "First, we want this guy to go to prison, and second, you don't want him to get out. He's not a good guy, he's just not a good guy. He molested two pre-pubescent children and had child pornography on his computer. If he gets paroled on one life sentence, he's got to beat 14 other life sentences." The investigation was conducted by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, Child Help and the Pinal County Family Advocacy Center, which attempts to minimize the psychological trauma to victims. At the time of Bowman's conviction earlier this month, Pinal County Attorney James Walsh said in a statement, "These were horrible crimes against very young children. This case really stands out as a showcase of the multi-disciplinary approach we have been working on for years. I am proud of the work done by the Family Advocacy Center." [Full article here]
I got this comment from Anonymous this morning:
"Justice has been served. This pond scum, who thought he was too smart, too savvy and also figured "Geez, who wouldn't believe me...a cop?" was found guilty by a jury last month and sentenced on 6/28/10 to 14 LIFE terms, amounting to over 600 years! If he was depressed before the wife called the cops, how depressed do you think he is NOW?..." [police officer involved child abuse law enforcement public safety fatality fatalities lethal murder state jail arizona child porn pervert]
[CA] OCEANSIDE POLICE OFFICER RANDY FAYE JUDD- who admitted putting a loaded gun to the head of his ex-wife on Valentine's Day - is scheduled to be sentenced Monday. He was arrested at a mental health facility where he checked in after threatening his ex-wife's life. His ex says there was domestic abuse in the relationship while they were married. [Previous post on the blog here]
[NJ] MILLEVILLE OFFICER SHAWN MATOS CHARGED WITH DOMESTIC ASSAULT on June 14 for allegedly grabbing an unnamed woman by her neck and chest. Police Chief Ed Grennon says Matos’ paid suspension is "just procedure.”
[FL] UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA POLICE LT. WILLIAM SCOTT RICHARD, accused of sexually battering and stalking a woman - and arrested for the stalking - is no longer employed by the University of Florida Police Department. Chief Linda Stump says she was not certain of the date and would not say whether he was fired. The victim said that she had been afraid of Richard since December 2007. "He seems to know clearly where I live and go, and also my routines, even when I do not maintain consistent times," she wrote. "My primary concern is for my own safety. I have lived in constant fear of this person for over two years now." The police department is free of Lt. Richard, but what about the victim? Who is helping her? I would like to know she's being supported.
[PA] PENNSYLVANIA STATE TROOPER DANIEL FREEMAN accused of asking someone to burn down his ex girlfriend's house. He was originally charged with arson, conspiracy to commit arson and obstructing the administration of law but will stand trial only on solicitation to commit arson. He's free on a $35,000 bond.
[IN] SOUTH BEND POLICE OFFICER CPL. ANTHONY SCOTT arrested for domestic violence June 27th and is currently on administrative leave. This is the same officer that in 2006, when his wife was in the advanced stages of breast and bone cancer, was refused a shift change that would allow him to spend more time with her and their toddler.
[VA] SLAIN VIRGINIA STATE TROOPER TAYLOR BLANTON’S WIFE DONNA APPEALED HER LIFE SENTENCE - Donna Blanton, who is serving life in prison for killing her husband Virginia State Police officer 1st Sgt. Taylor V. Blanton and then blaming "intruders" took her appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court June 9th 2010. She says the prosecutor erred in his closing argument by suggesting she was obligated to prove she was innocent, and by telling the jury that she was in jail 10 days after the 2003 slaying. No decision is expected from the high court until September. [Earlier on the blog: [VA] Trooper Blanton's wife Donna sentenced again for murdering him]
[ND] HIGHWAY PATROL TROOPER MICHAEL POLOMNY based in Fargo arrested for assaulting (pushing, kicking and punching) his wife of 19 years while she held their infant son. He is charged with domestic assault and child endangerment. It happened at their home, in Moorhead, Minn. Bail was set at $6,000 bond or $2,000 cash, he is barred from contacting his wife and children - even for counseling, and was put on administrative leave. His wife told officers that she asked her husband if he was talking to "the woman" he has an online relationship with and that he turned off the computer and began assaulting her. She says that she was holding their infant son at the time, and two more of the couple’s six kids were screaming at him to stop. She says she tried to defend herself with the arm not holding the baby and that as he left the house he called their oldest on the phone and told her to come home or he would "have to kill your mother." He denies that he assaulted her but said he screamed at her so loudly that he almost lost his voice.
[CT] ANSONIA POLICE OFFICER EDWARD MAGERA ARRESTED FOR "DISORDERLY CONDUCT" after a a domestic incident June 27th. He was arraigned, and his case is continued to the family relations docket for Aug. 5. He was issued a partial protective order, which prohibits him from threatening or assaulting his wife. It does not prevent him from contacting her otherwise. Magera’s file at the clerk’s office did not contain an arrest report, he has been placed on paid administrative leave, and had to turn in his department gun and badge.
[NJ] SUICIDE OF NEW JERSEY STATE TROOPER SCOTT GRAHAM- New Jersey State Police trooper Scott Graham, 35, of Keyport died of a single self-inflicted gunshot wound. He leaves behind a wife and three young children. Graham was a trooper for nine years and was assigned to the State Police academy in Sea Girt. Graham was in his State Police car on the side of a Parkway off ramp.
[FL] DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS OFFICER JENNIFER CORNELIUS (LAKE BUTLER) was accused of punching her boyfriend in the face three times in May and was arrested and charged with simple battery. She says he was attempting to leave with their 3-year-old son and that he pushed her and left. Her boyfriend said he decided to leave and take their son because she was intoxicated and he did not want the child to see them fighting. The eyewitness said she saw Cornelius punching but not the boyfriend's push. Cornelius says she was arrested out of spite after asking the responding law enforcement officer for his badge number, and that she only hit him once in the chest. The State Attorney’s Office dropped the first-degree misdemeanor count. “The victim came in, gave a statement explaining his version of events, and asked the state to dismiss the case,” said prosecutor Toby Hunt. “All I know is what’s in the police reports and what the victim tells us.” Her employer has required her to attend domestic violence counseling
[MO] NORTH KANSAS CITY POLICE OFFICER GARY FICKEN and KCPDsued by husband of Ficken's lover for misuse of police database - A federal lawsuit alleges that a North Kansas City police officer unnecessarily conducted a criminal background check on the husband of a woman with whom he was having an affair. Timothy Gilliam is suing the officer, Gary W. Ficken Jr.; the city of North Kansas City; its police department; and Police Chief Glenn L. Ladd in U.S. District Court in Kansas City.
[NM] LUNA COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY MIGUEL FLORES arrested June 26th on charges of battery of household member, robbery, and leaving accident scene. LCSO Chief Deputy Allen Carter said his department would conduct an Internal Affairs investigation, in addition to the arresting Deming Police's investigation. A neighbor said he had seen the reported victim limping in the street. Flores reportedly wanted her cell phone and when she didn't give it to him he reached in her pocket while sitting in his car and started driving away, dragging her on the outside of the car. She fell and he is said to have run over her foot.
[SC] NORTH CHARLESTON EX-MAYOR BOBBY KINARD SUICIDE -Kinard fatally shot himself in the head June 18, 2010 after shooting and wounding a man he found with his estranged wife at her residence. The Kinards, who share a law practice, have been estranged for about 3 weeks and were renting the apartment for Susan Kinard to stay in rather than the couple’s Isle of Palms home. Prior to Kinard allegedly shooting Portier, the former mayor hired a private detective to follow his wife. The detective was filming outside the apartment when the shooting happened. Police spotted Kinard driving away and initiated a traffic stop and Kinard killed himself. He is a former Mayor, former SC State Representative, and former Chief Municipal Judge for the City of North Charleston.
[GA] MACON POLICE DETECTIVE ERICK HOLMES DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CHARGE - A Macon Police Investigator, Detective Erick Holmes, is charged with family violence after his wife said he assaulted her. Holmes was arrested by the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office June 7, 2010 on charges of simple battery misdemeanor family violence. The victim said she was assaulted by her husband at their apartment - leaving marks on her face and neck.
UTAH DEFENSE ATTORNEY JAMES VALDEZ CHARGED WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE - A prominent Utah defense attorney is facing a felony domestic violence charge. James Valdez was charged June 2nd with one count of domestic violence aggravated assault, a third-degree felony. Valdez is said to have repeatedly punched his wife and pulled her hair. His wife told police she lost consciousness and awoke in the home's foyer with her "hair a mess and a big gash on her face." She was taken to St. Mark's Hospital and her son said he saw his mother's hair falling out "all over" the hospital bed.
[CT] ANSONIA POLICE EDWARD MAGERA WAS ARRESTED FOR "DISORDERLY CONDUCT" after a during a domestic incident June 27th. He was arraigned, and his case is continued to the family relations docket for Aug. 5. He was issued a partial protective order, which prohibits him from threatening or assaulting his wife. It does not prevent him from contacting her otherwise. Magera’s file at the clerk’s office did not contain an arrest report, he has been placed on paid administrative leave, and had to turn in his department gun and badge.
FLAGSTAFF POLICE OFFICER SHAWN GILLELAND was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence assault after hitting his girlfriend at the Country Thunder concert near Florence. Other off-duty Flagstaff police officers were with them. Gilleland hit his girlfriend in the face and hit another officer. Fellow officers reported the assault to an off-duty sergeant also at the event. Pinal County Sheriff's Office is investigating this incident. The officer that was hit by Gilleland I guess had the OPTION of not filing charges - and didn't. Seems to me assault is assault, and against the law, period.
[CT] NEW HAVEN FIREFIGHTER DAWUD AMIN FACES FELONY CHARGES for repeatedly striking his 14-year-old stepson with a belt on the back and chest with a belt, leaving visible welts... "'This is not a black-and-white scenario,' said Stanley W. Konesky Jr., a retired police officer who trains recruits at the Connecticut Police Academy in, among other things, domestic violence and child abuse."
[LA] NEW ORLEANS POLICE OFFICER JEREMY SMITH was arrested June 23rd and booked with simple domestic battery. He was immediately suspended without pay and is being investigated by the New Orleans Police Department's Public Integrity Bureau.
[OK] OKLAHOMA CITY POLICE OFFICER SGT LORI DAVISarrested for domestic violence on husband after he called 911 to report she had hit him. She was booked into the county jail but not charged. Her husband had red marks on his body.
[FL] ATTORNEY JAMES TARQUINIS IS CHARGED WITH CHILD ABUSE AND DOMESTIC BATTERY after a domestic fight at his home on June 26th. According to a witness, Tarquin slapped his wife, threw her onto the driveway, and held her down so she could not get up. The witness says he pulled Tarquin off his wife and punched him. Tarquin allegedly put his arm around his 9-year-old son's neck and shook him when the boy started to cry. He allegedly refused to talk to a deputy about the events and his wife Dawn was arrested on battery of a law enforcement officer when she allegedly hit a responding officer. [police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence (IPV) abuse law enforcement public safety arizona florida indiana NEW JERSEY VIRGINIAN MISSIOURI pennsylvania teflon new mexico washington georgia california utah connecticut lawyer PUBLIC OFFICIAL OKLAHOMA LOUISIANA GEORGIA SOUTH CAROLINA north dakota corporal lieutenant child abuse female state]
From earlier this month: ...Baltimore Police have been searching for Tshamba, a 15-year- veteran of the police force, for the past week...
Baltimore will pay - but no amount of money can breathe life back into the bullet-riddled body of Tyrone Brown or heal the hearts of Brown's family. The attorney for the shooter -Baltimore Police Officer Gahiji Tshamba - says the officer put himself on duty and was responding to the sexual assault of his girlfriend (an alleged butt pat) while in fear of his own life, when he shot unarmed Iraq Veteran Tyrone Brown 9 times, killing him. What? The scene was a bar, Officer Tshamba was armed and drinking? Officer Tshamba fled after the shooting? Hid? Caused a manhunt? He's driven drunk - and shot a man before while drunk? Those incidents were minimized and Baltimore Police kept him? Well then.
HOW IS THIS POLICE OFFICER STILL ON THE FORCE?
Baltimore Sun Webblog
June 7, 2010
[Excerpts] So now we know that Baltimore Police Officer Gahiji A. Tshamba, back in 2005, was intoxicated when he shot a man in the foot during a confrontation. What we don't yet know -- and hopefully answers will come today -- is how Tshamba managed to retain his badge after the incident? Tshamba, as we all know by now, is the off-duty officer who shot ex-Marine Tyrone Brown six times in Mount Vernon early Saturday after Brown patted the officer's female companion on the buttocks... Either way, police have been unusually blunt in calling this a troubling shooting and saying they are trying to determine whether Tshamba was intoxicated when he shot 13 tiimes. The officer has refused to make a statement and declined to submit to breath test. He has been put on administrative duties. A police spokesman said detectives have not found any reason to believe the officer's life was in danger... So that brings us back to September 2005... Police and prosecutors ruled the shooting justified but disciplined him for being intoxicated on the job. I suppose you can be imparied by alcohol and still be justified in using your weapon -- escaping criminal liability -- but it's hard to imagine keeping a guy on the force under such circumstances... [LINK]
ONE COMMENTER SAID:
"Im disturbed by the fact that this officer has had a number of prior shootings and still carrying his gun. He is not mentally fit for duty. If I had not taken a breathilizer I would have been arrested immediately at the scene. I am tired of the double standard when it comes to cops. He's losing his job, going to jail, and the family is going to win the lawsuit against the City."
‘LIFE IS TOO SHORT’ — GUNNED-DOWN MARINE‘S LAST WORDS HAUNT BAR PATRON: Former U.S. Marine Tyrone Brown was gunned down Friday night in Mt. Vernon by an off-duty police officer.
Investigative Voice
By A.F. James MacArthur
Wednesday, 09 June 2010 01:27
[Excerpts] “Life is too short.” Those were some of the last words spoken by former Marine Tyrone Brown moments before he died in a hail of bullets, according to a patron of Eden’s Lounge who was in the bar the evening the deadly shooting occurred... Both sides agree Brown’s encounter with a female companion of Tshamba started the conflict. Brown's sister says he was being friendly and meant no harm. Police say Brown made unwanted advances and was confrontational. But in an exclusive interview with Investigative Voice, a patron who encountered Brown at Eden’s Lounge just prior to the deadly shooting said the vet was friendly and kind. “He came up to us and said, ‘Why are you guys sitting there with your face looking so long? It’s a nice night, you came out to have a good time, you need to be happy and enjoy the moment,’ ” said Marcia, a regular patron of Eden’s Lounge... “He kind of just walked over to us; he had one arm on my chair, he didn’t seem threatening or anything... He said, ‘Don’t be sad, life is too short. Whatever is going on, whatever your situation is, it doesn’t matter. “Just be happy.’... He said he had to find his sister.” When Marcia heard that Brown had died and that he had been sexually aggressive with a woman after he left the bar, she was skeptical considering his behavior towards her just prior to the shooting... “He could have been sexual towards my girlfriend and me but he wasn’t. I don’t understand how he went from being jovial and casual to an aggressive fighter”... Police confirmed that Brown was shot nine times in the chest and groin area by Tshamba. Detectives found 13 shell casings at the scene... [LINK]
SEARCH INTENSIFIES FOR BALTIMORE POLICE OFFICER INVOLVED IN OFF-DUTY SHOOTING
WTOP
June 12, 2010
[Excerpts] Baltimore Police are searching for a police officer involved in the shooting death of an ex-Marine.
Police have obtained an arrest warrant for Officer Gahiji A. Tshamba in connection of shooting Tyrone Brown last Saturday morning. Brown was enjoying a night on the town and was shot nine times outside a Mount Vernon club... Baltimore Police have been searching for Tshamba, a 15-year- veteran of the police force, for the past week and an arrest warrant was issued Friday... Detectives believe Tshamba is attempting to avoid capture and may have possibly left Baltimore. He faces first-degree murder charges... "These charges are extremely serious," said Anthony Guglielmi, chief of public affairs with the Baltimore Police Department. "It is an affront to the men and women who wear the police uniform in Baltimore"... [LINK]
NO BAIL FOR OFFICER CHARGED IN FATAL SHOOTING
wtop.com
June 14, 2010
[Excerpts] A Baltimore police officer accused of shooting an unarmed man a dozen times outside a nightclub has been ordered held without bail. Officer Gahiji Tshamba turned himself in early Sunday morning, more than a day after he was charged in a warrant with first-degree murder in the death of 32-year-old Tyrone Brown. The victim was a former Marine and Iraq war veteran. Prosecutors characterize Tshamba as an extreme risk to public safety in arguing for him to be held without bail on Monday... [LINK]
SCRUTINY OF TSHAMBA COMES TOO LATE - Our view: The conduct of the officer charged in a fatal shooting outside a Mount Vernon club should have led to questions about his fitness for duty long ago
Baltimore Sun
June 14, 2010
[Excerpts] With the surrender of Baltimore Police Officer Gahiji A. Tshamba and his booking on first-degree murder charges in the fatal shooting of ex-Marine Tyrone Brown comes the necessary call by the city police union chief to consider the accused innocent until proven guilty. Mr. Tshamba has not given his side of the story, as is his right, and the matter of whether he will be held criminally responsible for the late-night shooting outside a Mount Vernon club — and for what offense — is ultimately up to a jury to decide. But regardless of whether Mr. Tshamba is ever found guilty, it is clear that the killing of Mr. Brown was tragic and senseless. He was not armed. The action that reportedly raised Mr. Tshamba's ire — the inappropriate touching of the officer's girlfriend — did not justify a violent response of any kind, and according to witnesses, Mr. Brown had his hands in the air when the firing began... It's also not too early to question whether the Baltimore Police Department should have had reason to take him off the force long before he wound up in that alley just over a week ago... In 2005, he was driving drunk and got into an altercation with a group of young men in another car who shouted racial epithets at him. That incident ended with Mr. Tshamba shooting one of them in the foot... [LINK]
TSHAMBA HELD WITHOUT BOND; ATTORNEY BEGINS DEFENSE
Baltimore Sun Webblog
June 14, 2010
[Excerpts] ...Addressing the incident for the first time, a defense attorney for Officer Gahiji A. Tshamba, 36, described his client as a decorated veteran who has been devastated by the allegations. He said the June 5 killing of Tyrone Brown came after the officer put himself on duty to respond to a sexual assault... "A police officer in fear for his life has to do what he has to do," attorney Adam Sean Cohen told reporters outside Central Booking. "If one shot doesn't work, if two shots don't work … you fire until the threat is gone."... [LINK]
FRIENDS, FAMILY RECALL SHOOTING VICTIM'S SENSE OF HUMOR, DUTY: Former Marine, killed in altercation with off-duty city officer, 'took care of us'
Baltimore Sun
By Jean Marbella
7:20 p.m. EDT, June 16, 2010
As a Marine reservist, Tyrone A. Brown committed to six years of active drilling, which he fulfilled in 2004, followed by two years in which he would be available for call-up if necessary. But just after he left its active ranks, his unit learned it was going to Iraq. "He came back just for us," his friend and fellow Marine corporal Chris Palmerino said in an interview. "He had already fulfilled his six-year obligation." As others would also say at Mr. Brown's funeral on Wednesday, Mr. Palmerino said his platoon leader "took care of us." Mr. Brown, 32, died not in Iraq but in his hometown of Baltimore, shot to death June 5 after an altercation outside a Mount Vernon bar with an off-duty Baltimore policeman angered that he had inappropriately touched a woman who was with the officer. Gahiji A. Tshamba has been charged with first-degree murder... Mr. Brown's two children, Jade and JacQuan, read poems, and musicians — including a childhood friend, Curtis Warren, a saxophonist — offered songs. Tributes from elected officials, including Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski and Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, were read. Soon, it would be time for his fellow Marines, some dressed in the same uniform that Mr. Brown was buried in, to assemble for a final march. His former boss, Gunnery Sgt. Ken Johnson, told the crowd that he'd made sure Brown's ribbons and buttons were straight and that his brass shone because he would't let him check into heaven looking bad — although, being a Marine, he used a more colorful term. "Marines never die, we merely go to heaven and regroup," Sergeant Johnson said to appreciative chuckles. "I do believe God prepares a special place for Marines." Mr. Brown's flag-draped coffin was borne out of the auditorium and taken to the Garrison Forest Veterans Cemetery in Owings Mills, where he was buried... [LINK]
HUNDREDS GATHER FOR FORMER MARINE'S FUNERAL
Annapolis Capital
Published 06/17/10
[Excerpts] ...Prominent civil rights attorney A. Dwight Pettit says he is representing Brown's family. He tells The Associated Press he plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of Tyrone Brown... Pettit says he's notifying the city of his plans to file a lawsuit but would probably put the action on hold until the criminal case is resolved. In 2004, Pettit won a $105 million judgment for the family of a man shot 21 times by a Baltimore police officer. [LINK] [police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence (IPV) abuse law enforcement public safety alcohol inebriated drunk drunken fugitive liability fatality fatalities lethal murder maryland state jail]
Harvey Bailey's attorney says they know who killed Jan? Is that the kind of evidence you can withhold to use only if murder charges are eventually filed? Really? And who was Jan Bailey? I haven't seen ANYthing printed that says who she was as a human being (daughter, mother, community member) - before she was the victim of this brutal homicide. I want to know.
2006 Video:
POLICE OFFICER'S WIFE FOUND BEATEN, DIES
Daily News of Los Angeles (CA)
December 25, 1992
The wife of a Culver City police sergeant died at a hospital Thursday, about an hour after her husband found her beaten in the couple's Los Angeles house. Jan Bailey, 34, died at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital in Inglewood, said coroner's spokesman Scott Carrier. She was found by her husband, Harvey, after he came home from work about 6 a.m., said Detective Paul Mize of the Los Angeles Police Department's South Bureau Homicide Section.
SERGEANT AS SUSPECT POLICE OFFICER INVESTIGATED IN WIFE'S SLAYING TELLS HIS SIDE
Los Angeles Times
Lois Timnick
Feb 28, 1993. pg. 1
[Excerpts] It was just before dawn last Christmas Eve that Culver City Police Sgt. Harvey Bailey delivered a batch of his wife's homemade cookies to fellow night-shift officers at the station, then came home to find her bludgeoned and strangled. The oven was still warm, the scent of chocolate chip cookies still filled the West 99th Street bungalow, and the couple's 8-year-old son still slept. Now the 34-year-old officer, twice named Culver City's Officer of the Year, is a suspect in Jan Bailey's slaying. Harvey Bailey says he is innocent. And he says he is taking the unusual step, as an uncharged murder suspect, of going public about the case in hopes that someone who saw something suspicious that night - in a neighborhood distrustful of police - will come forward. The killing itself received scant media attention... Los Angeles Police Detective Philip Vannatter confirmed that Bailey is a suspect in the killing... Bailey acknowledges that his alibi is weak: He says he spent part of the night out skating alone. He admits that the marriage was troubled and that he was involved with another woman. He knows the police found no sign of forced entry, and that the money he stands to gain from his wife's life insurance and pension plan - less than $100,000 - could be seen as a motive... Bailey's lawyer, Joel Isaacson, said he has advised his client not to answer further questions or submit to a police polygraph test, both of which the lawyer considers harassment... Bailey said he "went roller-blading about 2 a.m.-I use a parking structure and some streets over in Culver City where it's safer-then came home to pick up the cookies." He said he did not go into the bedroom or see his wife then. "I got to the (police) station about 4 a.m., talked with co-workers about the upcoming holiday and got back home at 6 a.m. "I came in through the back and saw the door open," he said. "That's when I found Jan... I didn't know she had been strangled until I saw the death certificate." Bailey said he tried cardiopulmonary resuscitation, then dialed 911. Paramedics rushed the woman to Daniel Freeman Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 7:04 a.m... "The house had a lot of security-bars and all-and Jan was super security-conscious," he said. "No one knows my hours and, since our cars are generally in the garage, it would not be apparent if I'm home or not. I left the car in the drive that night, and it is possible that I may have left the door unlocked. When my wife was doing the laundry, it was not uncommon for her to leave the door unlocked as she went back and forth to the laundry room across the driveway." Bailey said his family has been supportive, but he senses "a certain amount of distancing" by his fellow police officers. He had been scheduled for a stint as detective in robbery-homicide, but after the killing, he asked for and received a transfer to car theft detail. "Jan's family (in New Orleans) and my mom and dad and brother have been there for me through the whole thing," Bailey said. Both he and his son, Christopher, are undergoing grief counseling... Bailey said he might have aroused suspicion because he doesn't appear appropriately sorrowful. He took a week of bereavement leave and then returned to work. "I'm not one to give myself to strangers," Bailey said. "I cry-with my son. That part of me is too private. I've been numbed. There's a ton of feeling inside of me, (but) I'd just as soon keep myself locked down. I have safe places to go and do my grieving." [LINK]
LT. BAILEY, UNDER A CLOUD, WILL ENTER A WEAPONS PLEA NEXT WEEK
TheFrontPageOnline
Contributed by Ari L. Noonan
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
[Excerpts] Three weeks before the 14th anniversary of the murder of his wife, Culver City Police Lt. Harvey Bailey appeared in court in downtown Los Angeles this morning on an eight-month-old charge of possession of two assault weapons. In the absence of his lead attorney, Mr. Bailey’s arraignment was continued... The LAPD, which investigated Jan Bailey’s violent death in 1992, reopened the case about a year ago. Mr. Bailey’s Culver City police colleagues say the weapons charges that bobbed up several months later are an attempt, ultimately, to solve the murder. The charges — filed March 31 — reportedly have allowed LAPD to venture into areas that otherwise would not have been legally accessible to detectives. Sources told the frontpageonline.com that in an attempt to draw closer to the 48-year-old Mr. Bailey, the LAPD tapped his home telephone. But they came up empty... An officer who knows Mr. Bailey said the assault weapons charges — a Feather Industries AT9 and a Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle — "are a source of embarrassment to him. Harvey takes great pride in maintaining an unsullied reputation. He feels something like this will tarnish his ability to lead." [LINK]
CULVER CITY POLICE OFFICER AGAIN UNDER SCRUTINY IN HIS WIFE'S '92 SLAYING
LA TIMES
By Andrew Blankstein
December 13, 2006
[Excerpts] Culver City police officer Harvey Bailey returned home from his office early on Christmas Eve 1992 to find his wife strangled and bludgeoned to death in the bedroom of their South Los Angeles bungalow. Not long after, the police sergeant and two-time officer of the year became the main suspect in the slaying. Los Angeles Police Department homicide detectives repeatedly questioned him, and prosecutors convened a grand jury to examine the case. In the end, he was never charged in his wife's death. Bailey remarried and was promoted to lieutenant after working a series of assignments with the Culver City Police Department. But 14 years later, the LAPD is again examining the slaying of Jan Bailey — and the focus again is on the 28-year police veteran. LAPD detectives served search warrants at Bailey's two homes and his locker at Culver City police headquarters. As a result of those searches, Bailey has been charged with two felony counts of illegal possession of assault weapons and faces formal arraignment Thursday in criminal court.... Bailey's defense attorney, Joel Isaacson, said the current charges, which he characterized as "hyper-technical firearm violations," are part of a calculated effort by detectives to harass and pressure his client in connection with the cold case... The Baileys' 8-year-old son, Christopher, was sleeping in the house on the night of the crime... Neighbors told police that they had seen a gang member dubbed "Kojak" nearby around the time of the killing and said that two other home robbery-killings had occurred in the same month as his wife's murder, one of them less than a quarter of a mile away, *Bailey said*. Tom Lange and Philip Vannatter, who later gained fame investigating the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman, told a different story. According to their investigation, Bailey regularly worked the night shift as a sergeant but was at home with his wife the night of Dec. 23. She had baked chocolate-chip cookies for upcoming holiday parties and for her husband's colleagues. They went to bed about 9 p.m. Bailey told the detectives that he awoke four hours later, now early December 24, and left to go roller-blading in an area near the Culver City-Los Angeles border, which included the Fox Hills Mall... At the time, detectives said that Bailey aroused suspicion by failing to submit to a polygraph test and immediately hiring a criminal defense attorney. Police said they were also puzzled because during interviews, Bailey never expressed concern about the safety of his son, who was home at the time of the slaying. In the short term, Isaacson said he would challenge whether detectives had probable cause for the search that resulted in the weapons charge. But the lawyer said he was also developing a defense if Bailey is charged with murder. "We have developed new information regarding the person who is responsible for this murder"... [LINK]
SERGEANT PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO WEAPON CHARGES
CBS 2, CA - 22 hours ago
Dec 14, 2006 3:50 pm US/Pacific
(CBS) LOS ANGELES A Culver City police sergeant under scrutiny in connection with the 1992 slaying of his wife pleaded not guilty Thursday to weapons charges. Culver City police Sgt. Harvey Bailey, who was the main suspect in his wife's murder 14 years ago but was never charged, was arraigned on two felony counts of illegal possession of assault weapons. He was released on his own recognizance... The guns, including two semi-automatic rifles, were seized by LAPD detectives March 31 in connection with a warrant served at Bailey's 99th Street home, which he was renting to his in-laws...
LT. BAILEY ELUDES BAIL TRY, BUT IS BOOKED AT THE PARKER CENTER
the front page online
By Ari L. Noonan
December 14, 2006
[Excerpts] ...As the drama began to escalate this morning in a so-called distraction case, a felony weapons charge against Lt. Harvey Bailey of the Culver City Police Dept., the veteran officer won one and lost one in a brief courtroom appearance. The judge, describing his conclusion as a “close call,” denied the prosecution’s request for bail. With one television camera rolling, the judge, however, ordered the Culver City officer to be booked, finger-printed and photographed before returning home. Because of the long-smoldering extenuating circumstances linked to Mr. Bailey, the case has begun to mushroom in the Los Angeles media. The Los Angeles Times caught up with the story yesterday, and by last night, the Bailey case, with illustrations, backgrounds and details, was a local news telecast staple... What undoubtedly was on the minds of all courtroom principals was that 14 years ago on Christmas Eve, Mr. Bailey’s first wife, Jan, was murdered. No one dared mention it aloud, though. The late Mrs. Bailey’s family — they don’t live in Southern California — anxiously is watching each development of the weapons case, sources said. While Mr. Bailey was widely suspected of the homicide, he never was arrested. Some of his Culver City police colleagues have acknowledged that their doubts about his innocence never have abated... For his part, friends of Mr. Bailey say he has labored assiduously through 14 years of unrelieved scrutiny to maintain an immaculate work slate... But the circumstances in Commissioner James N. Bianco’s courtroom this morning were far dicier — and wide of Mr. Bailey’s control. Deputy District Attorney Tal Kahana and Mr. Isaacson dueled over whether Mr. Bailey should be allowed to walk straight out of the courtroom or be required to post bail... In pensively weighing the competing options of granting or denying bail, Mr. Bianco said that Mr. Bailey’s status as a police officer was both a plus and a minus in reaching his decision to forgo bail... “Mr. Bailey does not deserve special treatment because he is a police officer,” he said. But the fact that he is a police officer, the judge added, also merits consideration as a positive. In declining to grant bail, the youthful Mr. Bianco issued two warnings to the defendant: “Make sure you are on time for your (January) court appearance. Make sure you walk a straight line.” This morning, Mr. Bailey was in the corridor before the bailiff unlocked the courtroom. [LINK to part of the article. Have to run search on their site to get the rest.]
POLICE SERGEANT PLEADS GUILTY TO POSSESSING RIFLE
CBS 2, CA
Apr 19, 2007
[Excerpts] (CBS) LOS ANGELES A Culver City police sergeant has pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a semi-automatic rifle found while police investigated his wife’s 1992 slaying. Harvey Bailey was sentenced to two years summary probation and ordered to serve 300 hours of community service after pleading to a misdemeanor charge, said Joel Isaacson, his attorney. He was initially charged with two felony counts of illegal possession of assault weapons, stemming from the recovery of the firearms during a March 31, 2006 search of Bailey’s 99th Street home, which he was renting to his in-laws. Isaacson said he did not know what effect his client's plea would have on his position in the Culver City Police Department, where Bailey has worked for more than 28 years. The department does not comment on personnel matters, said Sgt. Randy Vickrey...
WITH FIREARMS CHARGES SETTLED, WILL LT. BAILEY BE ALLOWED TO RETURN TO WORK?
The Front Page Online
By Ari L. Noonan @ 3:00 AM April 19, 2007
[Excerpts] ...Mr. Bailey’s team appeared to eagerly embrace the settlement with the District Attorney’s office. “It’s a fair decision,” said Joel Isaacson, his attorney.
By striking a compromise deal — that was proposed by Deputy District Attorney Tal Kahana and grabbed by the other side — the way has been paved, legally, for Mr. Bailey to return to active duty.
Reduction of the single surviving charge from a felony to a misdemeanor could salvage Mr. Bailey’s career in police work. Under state law, he would have been barred if he had been convicted of a felony... Throughout Mr. Bailey’s 24 months of summary probation, he will be reporting, at still undetermined intervals, to Judge Ricciardulli, starting on June 19... The judged warned Mr. Bailey that if he violates the terms of his probation, he would face up to a year in jail... The 49-year-old officer has been on paid leave since last autumn... Police Chief Don Petersen declined to even confirm he was on paid leave, much less any other detail... [LINK] [police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence IPV abuse law enforcement public safety fatality fatalities lethal murder state jail lieutenant sergeant unsolved unresolved]
Although Deputy Kipp Needham said that arrestinig officers would have to kill him, the officers didn't. Anyone else - they would have. He is said to have choked a trooper and punched the trooper REPEATEDLY in the face. He was armed - cocked and loaded. There's no clue in the news given to what he did to his wife and his daughter when he assaulted them. OF COURSE his wife wants the protection order dropped. Of course she does. And to his defense attorney and boss, OF COURSE this is an isolated incident materializing out of nowhere. OF COURSE it is.
How will the problem find remedy where no problem is acknowledged?
News Excerpts:
Police say a 12-year veteran Grand Traverse County Sheriff's deputy turned on them, after assaulting his own family... Michigan State Police responded to a domestic situation at the deputy's home... At some point, the troopers say Needham had a loaded and cocked semi-automatic pistol... Needham tried to run from the officers... Needham punched one of the troopers in the face several times... He faces four charges, including domestic violence against two family members and assaulting a police officer [LINK]
Video
Dispatchers could hear a woman screaming in the background... Needham told deputies, "You will have to kill me."
...Police say Needham attacked members of his family, had a loaded gun while drunk, and fought and tried to choke the trooper who tried to arrest him. His defense attorney says it was an isolated incident brought on by a "one-time set of factors"... "Very surprised and actually shocked at what happened," says Sheriff Tom Bensley. "Deputy Needham has been an excellent officer for the time that he's been with the sheriff's department." [LINK]
Video
...Deputy Needham assaulted family members, had a locked and loaded firearm during incident... Sheriff: "This is a one time occurence..."
...Authorities on Tuesday charged Kipp Alan Needham, a 12-year member of the sheriff's department and its 2007 employee of the year, with assaulting, resisting or obstructing a police officer causing injury, possessing a firearm while intoxicated and two counts of domestic violence. The assault charge is a felony punishable by up to four years in prison and/or $5,000... Police told Needham to remain on the ground, but he allegedly ignored their orders. Needham ran toward the patrol vehicle, slid his county-issued, loaded semi-automatic pistol toward police and said, "You're going to have to kill me," court records show. Needham ran to the backyard, and police gave chase with a Taser in hand. He then punched and choked a trooper, police reports show. Another trooper helped restrain Needham, and they repeatedly struck Needham in the head and handcuffed him... [LINK] [police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence (IPV) abuse law enforcement public safety preferential lethal michigan state jail]
A City of Rowlett judge and her husband are dead in what appears to be a murder-suicide, police say. Police arrived at the residence in the 3200 block of Sunrise after responding to a call from Dustin Loveland who received a text message from his father explaining that he had murdered his wife... [LINK]
Video
City of Rowlett Municipal Judge Belinda Loveland left a legacy with children from good families and broken homes. She was also the founder of Camp ROCK, a mentoring program for junior high students. The camp included fun activities like bowling to coach them on the game of life..."She was awesome," said camp participant Stephanie Palmer. "I loved her"... Many of the students were waiting for Loveland to arrive at Bowl-a-Rama Monday when they learned that their favorite judge had been the victim in a murder-suicide... Loveland inspired children at-risk children who ended up in her juvenile court... "She didn't blame them, but she gave them more courage, and loved to know they can do it" ... It is her gentle, fun-loving spirit they will remember most. [LINK]
...[Funeral] Services for Richard Loveland are at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Lake Pointe Church chapel in Rockwall; services for Belinda Loveland will follow at 12:30 p.m. at Lake Pointe's Pier 419 youth chapel. The city and the Pray Rowlett fellowship of ministers will host a vigil in honor of Belinda Loveland and other victims of domestic violence at 7:30 p.m. Friday on the Rowlett Chamber of Commerce lawn, 3910 Main St. A memorial fund set up in Belinda Loveland's honor will benefit the ROCK program. "She was naturally drawn to kids because that's where she could make an impact," Kimberly Loveland said. "ROCK has to keep going." [LINK]
The Rowlett community will come together on Friday evening (June 25) at 7:30 p.m. on the steps of the Chamber of Commerce at 3910 Main Street to pray for Hope Against Violence. This vigil is in response to recent violent acts over the past several months that have claimed four lives in Rowlett... Junior High students from Coyle Middle School who participated in a program Judge Loveland started for at-risk teens also plan to attend the vigil and funeral services wearing their Camp ROCK (Reaching Our Community's Kids) T-shirts. Over the past several years, Judge Loveland's ROCK program has provided hundreds of students with mentoring that teaches life skills, provided them with the training and encouragement necessary to succeed in school and stay out of the juvenile justice system, while advocating the benefits of living substance-free. Any assistance you can give us to inform the Rowlett community about the Hope Against Violence prayer vigil on Friday will be greatly appreciated. For more information: 972-463-3954. [LINK] [public official involved domestic violence intimate partner violence (IPV) abuse law enforcement public safety fatality fatalities lethal murder state texas murder suicide]
...SHE SAID HE PICKED HER UP AND THREW HER ON THE GROUND AND THEN SLAMMED HER HEAD AGAINST THE FLOOR SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE LETTING HER GO. SHE SAID HE DISCOURAGED HER FROM CALLING 911, SAYING THAT IF SHE SUMMONED POLICE, HE WOULD BE FIRED FROM HIS JOB... THE AGENT’S WIFE WAS TAKEN TO COLBY HOSPITAL IN EVERETT WITH A BRAIN BLEED AND BRUISING ON HER FACE... THE AGENT’S WIFE TOLD AUTHORITIES HER HUSBAND HAS SHOVED HER AND KICKED HER IN THE STOMACH IN THE PAST AND NOW FEARS FOR HER LIFE... “I FEEL HE IS A DANGER TO ME AND I FEAR OF WHAT ELSE MY CHILDREN WILL WITNESS”....
FEDERAL AGENT ACCUSED OF VIOLENT ATTACK ON WIFE
KIROTV
June 24, 2010
[Excerpts] SNOHOMISH, Wash. -- A federal agent is accused of attacking his wife so severely that she was hospitalized with brain damage... The incident, which is under investigation by Snohomish County prosecutors, took place inside a home in a gated community in Snohomish on June 17... The restraining order said the woman slapped him and he reacted by grabbing her neck, throwing her to the ground and smashing her head on the floor four or five times. The woman stated, “I did not black out, but saw stars and knew he was going to kill me if he continued to hit my head into the ground,” the restraining order filed by the woman said. The man’s wife said he stopped assaulting her when the couple’s two children came in and screamed, “Daddy, stop!” the restraining order said. According to the restraining order, when the woman called 911, her husband went to pack a bag and told her to tell police to meet him at the gate, so that neighbors wouldn’t see police activity at the couple’s home. The restraining order said that at the same time, the agent’s wife was taken to Colby Hospital in Everett with a brain bleed and bruising on her face... The agent’s wife told authorities her husband has shoved her and kicked her in the stomach in the past and now fears for her life, court documents said. “I feel he is a danger to me and I fear of what else my children will witness,” she stated in the restraining order... Snohomish County deputies confiscated 15 guns from the couple’s home, including the agent’s service weapon. The agent has not been charged with a crime... [Full article here]
FEDERAL AGENT ARRESTED AFTER WIFE REPORTS ASSAULT
The Daily Herald
By Diana Hefley
Thursday, June 24, 2010
[Excerpts] ...No charges have been filed against the 42-year-old man... Sheriff's deputies were summoned to the couple's house after the woman reported that she'd been assaulted during an argument. Two children were home at the time of the incident, according to the report. The woman told police that she and her husband were arguing when she slapped him across the face. She said he picked her up and threw her on the ground and then slammed her head against the floor several times before letting her go. She said he discouraged her from calling 911, saying that if she summoned police, he would be fired from his job. The woman complained of blurred vision and head pain. She was taken to Valley General Hospital and later transported to Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett where she was treated for a head injury and bruising to her face. Deputies encountered the man at the entrance of the gated development. He told officers that his wife became angry during an argument and slapped him. He said he shoved her away from him and she fell backward, police wrote in court papers. He was booked into the Snohomish County Jail and later released. A court commissioner on Monday ordered the man to stay away from his wife and children. The woman told the commissioner that since her husband returned from deployment to Afghanistan, he has been quick to anger. She told police she believes he may be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder... [Full article here] [police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence (IPV) abuse law enforcement public safety fbi lethal washington state brutal]
Macon Georgia Police Officer Tommy Thomas faces firing after punching his wife in the face, knocking her down in front of grandkids Thomas told deputies his wife struck a car he ws riding in with a female with her own vehicle and then his wife then started slapping herself in the face, hitting herself with something from the side of the road, screaming, “You are going to jail.” (Hah!) But deputies also spoke with Thomas’ grandchildren, who said they saw Thomas knock his wife to the ground. His wife was treated for a swollen face and scratches. He was charged with one count simple battery of family violence act and two counts of cruelty to children in the third degree.
THANK YOU TO THE TWIGG COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT DEPUTIES FOR YOUR PROFESSIONALISM.
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence (IPV) abuse law enforcement public safety liar georgia state lies]
...[Son of Dallas Police Chief David Brown, David] Brown Jr. was allegedly involved in some type of domestic disturbance and was spotted armed with a gun and allegedly shooting randomly... Witnesses said Brown went on a random shooting spree with two high-powered guns...
Killed: Innocent bystander Jeremy McMillan, Lancaster Police Officer Craig Lamont Shaw, and the shooter, David Brown Jr. Prayers are lifted for all family, friends, and co-workers.
FUNERAL SERVICES SET FOR SLAIN LANCASTER OFFICER
WFAA
Jun 21, 2010
[Excerpts] Lancaster is mourning its first police officer ever killed in the line of duty. Officer Craig Shaw was a five-year veteran of the force... The Lancaster Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance will hold a Prayer Vigil at 9 a.m. Wednesday at First United Methodist Church of Lancaster, 201 South Dallas Avenue. A candlelight vigil is scheduled for Thursday evening at 8 o'clock at the Lancaster Public Safety Facility at 1650 North Dallas Avenue. Visitation for Officer Shaw is Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Inspiring Body of Christ Church, 7701 South Westmoreland Road in Dallas. The officer's funeral will take place at the same Dallas church at 11 a.m. Saturday... The Craig Shaw Trust Fund has been established, and contributions can be made at any local Chase bank branch. [Full article here]
SHERIFF: OFFICER SHAW'S KILLER LIKELY CHIEF'S SON: Main Suspect Is David O'Neal Brown Jr.
FOX 4 News
21 Jun 2010
[Excerpts] The man suspected of killing a Lancaster police officer on Father’s Day is the Dallas police chief’s son. According to Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez, while the investigation into the shooting death of Officer Craig Lamont Shaw is still in its "infancy," the main suspect is 27-year-old David O'Neal Brown Jr. He is the son of DPD Chief David Brown. Witnesses said Brown went on a random shooting spree with two high-powered guns... His first victim was 23-year-old Jeremy McMillan, an innocent bystander... “Jeremy threw his hands up and as Jeremy threw his hands up he just started shooting”... [Lancaster Police Officer Craig] Shaw was one of the first on the scene. He was cut down by a bullet from an AK-47. Another officer returned fire, killing Brown... Sources told FOX 4 officers did respond to a domestic disturbance call earlier in the day involving Brown and his girlfriend. No one was arrested at the time. [Full article here]
Video: [TX] Lancaster shooting probe focuses on son of Dallas chief [6:21]
LANCASTER SHOOTING PROBE FOCUSES ON SON OF DALLAS CHIEF
WFAA
Jun 21, 2010
[Excerpts] ...Sources tell News 8 that David Brown Jr. — the son of the new Dallas police chief — was responsible for killing Lancaster police Officer Craig Shaw and another man, Jeremy McMillian. Brown was shot and killed by another Lancaster officer. Chief Brown has publicly conceded that his son had problems in the past... Chief Brown at this time is not speaking in public about what happened to his son. But he did issue a statement though the department saying he was deeply saddened by the loss of his son and his condolences go out to the family of the fallen officer. A person who spoke with Chief Brown on Monday said Brown had no plans for any public statements. [Full article here]
Video: [TX] Son of Dallas police chief believed shooter of Lancaster officer and bystander [1:55]
SON OF DALLAS POLICE CHIEF BELIEVED SHOOTER OF LANCASTER OFFICER
By Rebecca Lopez
WFAA
21 Jun 2010
[Excerpts] ...Brown Jr. was allegedly involved in some type of domestic disturbance and was spotted armed with a gun and allegedly shooting randomly... A trust fund has been set up for the [Lancaster Police Officer Craig] Shaw family at Chase Bank. Donations can be made under the Craig Shaw Trust Fund at any branch. [Full article here]
Video: [TX] Funeral services set for slain Lancaster Police Officer Craig Shaw [00:54]
SOURCE: DALLAS POLICE CHIEF'S SON KILLED LANCASTER OFFICER
The Dallas Morning News
By Tanya Eiserer
Scott Goldstein
June 21, 2010
[Excerpts] The son of Dallas Police Chief David Brown killed a Lancaster police officer and another man during a Sunday melee that left three people dead... David Brown Jr., 27, was himself shot and killed by officers... Brown had been behaving erratically at the apartment complex where the shootings occurred... After shooting [innocent bystander Jeremy] McMillian, Brown stalked back and forth to his apartment at least twice, the law enforcement source said. Brown eventually retrieved a rifle from the trunk of a Dodge Stratus, then got into the Stratus. As sirens began to sound with the approach of police, and as bystanders were yelling and screaming, he backed the car out and began to leave the apartment complex. Shaw, the first officer there, tried to stop [the] Stratus after witnesses told him the shooter was driving away... Brown then stopped, got out of his car, and fired at the officer's car. Shaw returned fire, firing many rounds. It is not clear if Brown was hit at that point... Brown then got back in the car and began firing again from inside the vehicle. Shaw was hit in the head. Other officers, who by then had arrived on the scene, returned fire, striking the Brown repeatedly. He died at the scene... Another officer returned fire at the suspect and shot and killed him." ... [Full article here] [police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence (IPV) abuse law enforcement public safety fatality fatalities texas state suicide by cop family murder lod lodd in the line of duty death hero]
According to an FBI affidavit, [Wyoming State Trooper Franklin] Ryle had asked [Highway Patrol trooper Devan] Henderson whether he wanted to help Ryle kill his wife and take part in the plan to stage an accident involving a trucker.
THAT is not the focus of the most recent news - which is equally as twisted - but that POINT - Trooper Henderson keeping his mouth shut after being asked to help kill a cop's wife - stood out to me because of all the victims of officer-involved domestic violence who come to fear all the police around them - not knowing who may be conspiring with their ex to do them harm.
...[Former Wyoming State Trooper Franklin] Ryle took [Walmart trucker Richard] Smidt to Ryle's house to ask his wife to help stage the accident. She later alerted authorities. Ryle testified that he released Smidt after having a change of heart. But federal prosecutors argued that Ryle only abandoned his plan after realizing that the global positioning system in Smidt's truck would have proven it had been stationary, not traveling down the road, before getting involved in any accident with Ryle's car... Smidt's lawsuit states that top Highway Patrol officials entered into a settlement agreement with him, paying him $10,000 to end any claims he might have against the state. He says the officials didn't tell him that they knew Ryle had plotted to kill him... "I'm supposed to determine how this somewhat sleazy approach to solving this problem is legal or not, because it doesn't look very good," Downes said...
PREVIOUS POST: [WY] Trooper Ryle - Allegations he threatened, choked, bit his wife, and held a gun to her head - ...The protection order request doesn't mention the allegations that led federal authorities to file charges against Ryle on March 26. It does include accusations by Ryle's wife that he choked and bit her, held a gun to her head and threatened to take away the couple's two children... A judge granted the order the same day. Federal authorities have charged Ryle with unlawfully arresting and kidnapping a man in an incident that allegedly happened eight days before the protection order was granted...
FEDERAL JUDGE SAYS WYOMING TREATED TRUCKER IN 'SOMEWHAT SLEAZY' MANNER
Land Line Magazine
June 16, 2010
A federal judge says the state of Wyoming’s treatment of a Walmart trucker who was kidnapped by a former state trooper was “somewhat sleazy.” But The Associated Press reported the judge didn’t rule on Monday on the state’s request to dismiss the trucker’s lawsuit. Former trooper Franklin Ryle pleaded guilty last year to kidnapping Richard Smidt with the intent of killing him. Ryle planned to injure himself in a staged accident with Smidt’s truck and then sue Walmart for damages. Smidt accepted a settlement payment from the state before he learned that Ryle had planned to kill him. Smidt is now seeking more money from the state. [LINK]
JUDGE KNOCKS WYO.'S HANDLING OF ABDUCTED TRUCKER
cbs4denver
Ben Neary, Associated Press Writer
Jun 14, 2010
[Excerpts] ...Former trooper Franklin Ryle pleaded guilty last year to federal charges that he violated Smidt's civil rights by kidnapping him and holding him in his patrol car for about an hour. Ryle has testified that he had intended to kill Smidt after pulling him over near Douglas in January 2009. Ryle took Smidt to Ryle's house to ask his wife to help stage the accident. She later alerted authorities. Ryle testified that he released Smidt after having a change of heart. But federal prosecutors argued that Ryle only abandoned his plan after realizing that the global positioning system in Smidt's truck would have proven it had been stationary, not traveling down the road, before getting involved in any accident with Ryle's car... Smidt, of Arvada, Colo., approached the Highway Patrol early last year, before news of Ryle's plot broke, to document that Ryle had forced him to abandon his truck for a while by the side of the road. Smidt's lawsuit states that top Highway Patrol officials entered into a settlement agreement with him, paying him $10,000 to end any claims he might have against the state. He says the officials didn't tell him that they knew Ryle had plotted to kill him... "This is the colonel of the Wyoming Highway Patrol, who knows full well that one his troopers has almost murdered a truck driver — Rick Smidt," [Smidt's lawyer, Pat] Crank said. "They pay him a pittance, $10,000, and have him, without a lawyer, sign a settlement agreement"... "I'm supposed to determine how this somewhat sleazy approach to solving this problem is legal or not, because it doesn't look very good," Downes said. He said he will rule on the state's request to dismiss the case as soon as possible. [Full article here]
DEC 2009
FORMER TROOPER GETS PROBATION
Casper Star-Tribune
William Browning
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 12:00 am
[Excerpts] A judge Tuesday sentenced a former state trooper to two years of supervised probation for possessing anabolic steroids... Longo’s name surfaced during a Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation probe of Franklin Ryle Jr., a former trooper recently sentenced to 15 years behind bars for attempting to kidnap a Walmart truck driver. During that investigation, authorities discovered anabolic steroids in Ryle’s desk... In February, Longo walked into the office of Col. Sam Powell, the head of the Wyoming Highway Patrol, and admitted to having used steroids during the previous 18 months and sharing some with Ryle... The steroids Longo pleaded guilty to possessing, Blonigen has noted in the past, were for personal use... Longo, who was based in Casper, cut ties with the Highway Patrol in August... Another former state trooper, Devan Henderson, 34, pleaded guilty to possession of steroids earlier this year and was also sentenced to two years of supervised probation. Apart from probation, Longo was sentenced to 100 hours of community service... [Full article here]
APRIL 2010
TRUCK DRIVER SUES OVER WYOMING TROOPER KIDNAPPING
Associated Press
April 13, 2010
[Excerpts] A Walmart trucker filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday saying he wasn’t told that the Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper who detained him early last year had planned to kill him in a possible extortion plot against the retailer. Trucker Richard J. Smidt of Arvada, Colo., claims Highway Patrol administrators agreed to pay him $10,000 last year to settle any possible claims after former trooper Franklin Ryle detained him near Douglas in January 2009... Ryle pleaded guilty in July in the federal case. In testimony at his plea hearing, Ryle said he drove his patrol car to his house in Douglas with Smidt in it. Ryle said he told his wife that the trucker was already dead and that he needed her to help stage an accident involving the truck and his patrol car. But Ryle testified he decided he couldn’t go through with the killing as he drove Smidt back to his truck. Ryle released Smidt after telling him that a computer mix-up had falsely indicated there had been a warrant for his arrest. The Highway Patrol and the FBI began investigating Ryle after his wife alerted her brother, a Casper police officer, about the plan later in January... According to the lawsuit, Smidt asked [former Patrol Administrator Sam] Powell, who retired this year as colonel in charge of the Highway Patrol, why Ryle had detained him. It states Powell responded only that Ryle wanted to get his truck... The lawsuit names former Highway Patrol trooper Devan Henderson as a defendant. He pleaded guilty last year to a state felony charge of possessing steroids in a prosecution stemming from the Ryle investigation. According to an FBI affidavit, Ryle had asked Henderson whether he wanted to help Ryle kill his wife and take part in the plan to stage an accident involving a trucker. Smidt claims Henderson violated Smidt’s rights by failing to arrest Ryle when he learned of his plot. [Full article here]
MAY 2010
EX-TROOPER SENTENCED FOR STEROIDS
Casper Star-Tribune
William Browning
Friday, May 7, 2010 11:30 pm
[Excerpts] A former state trooper [Franklin “Joe” Ryle Jr.] already serving a 15-year prison term for kidnapping a truck driver was given a sentence of 18 to 24 months behind bars Friday for steroid possession... After accepting the guilty plea, Judge David Park sentenced the 42-year-old to up to two years behind bars. That term will run at the same time as his current federal prison sentence. Before receiving his sentence Friday, Ryle, dressed in an orange jumpsuit and shackled, told the judge, “I’ll take whatever you give me”... Last year, while investigating Ryle’s plot to kidnap a Walmart truck driver, authorities interviewed another former state trooper, Devan Henderson... Henderson told investigators that in 2004, he and Ryle brought steroids back from Mexico, where they had gone to vacation... Investigators also say that in January 2009, they found two vials of Cypiogen, an anabolic steroid, in Ryle’s work desk, as well as one syringe and 11 needles... [Full article here]
