[IL] Police Sgt. Merritt resigned after domestic - now gets his felony impersonation charge dropped

Previous posts:

• [IL] Which officer's wife is recanting today? Sgt.'s Merritt's.- I was mad. I had too much to drink. I hadn't taken my meds. I can be quite dramatic. Details? I don't remember.
• [IL] Sgt. Merritt held accountable for half of what he's accused of doing to his wife- ...A 9-1-1 recording played in court contained Merritt’s sobbing wife telling a dispatcher that Merritt had hit her on the side of the head and had threatened to kill her...
• [IL] Convicted for domestic (wife) battery, Police Sgt. Merritt resigns - ...Merritt was convicted even though his wife testified that it never happened... A 911 recording played in court contained Merritt's sobbing wife telling a dispatcher that Merritt had hit her on the side of the head and had threatened to kill her. She refused to tell the dispatcher where he worked as a police officer but said he had hit her before...

FEBRUARY 10 2010 AND MARCH 30 2011 UPDATE NEWS EXCERPTS:

FORMER ALGONQUIN COP DENIES FLASHING INVALID BADGE
Chicago Press Release
February 10, 2010
A former Algonquin police sergeant who surrendered his badge last year after following a domestic violence conviction pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a charge he impersonated a police officer to get out of a speeding ticket. Wade Merritt, 46, asked for a jury trial on the Class 4 felony charge... Merritt resigned from the Algonquin Police Department in June, about one month after a judge convicted him of a domestic battery charge... He later was sentenced to nonreporting probation and a $150 fine. The 22-year police veteran is scheduled to return to court on the new case April 14. If found guilty of impersonating a police officer, he would face a sentence ranging from probation to three years in prison... [Full article here]

FELONY CHARGE DROPPED AGAINST FORMER ALGONQUIN POLICE SERGEANT
Patch.com
March 30, 2011
A charge for impersonating a police officer has been dropped for 46-year-old Wade Merritt... In 2009 Merritt resigned from the Algonquin police force about a month after he was covicted of domestic battery for hitting his wife. The charge was dropped yesterday in court after his attorneys argued that the indictment was not specific enough. [Full article here]

JUDGE DROPS FELONY CHARGE
Northwest Herald
By Sarah Sutschek
Mar. 30, 2011
WOODSTOCK – A case has been dropped against a former Algonquin police sergeant... Defense attorney Tom Loizzo said that the indictment merely mirrored statutory language saying Merritt “knowingly and falsely” represented that he was police officer. He said the indictment did not elaborate on how Merritt allegedly violated the law, whether it was flashing a fake badge, verbally indicating that he was a police officer, or another scenario. Phil Hiscock, chief of the criminal division for the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office, said he was unsure whether the charge would be refiled... Merritt resigned from the Algonquin Police Department in June 2009, about a month after he was convicted of domestic battery for hitting his wife. Merritt was sentenced to one year of conditional discharge for the battery conviction and also had to attend anger counseling. [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety hx repeat illinois state politics]

[NE] Lincoln Officer's estranged husband sentenced for stealing and trashing her police radio

Jeffrey Richardson has been been given 18 months probation by Lancaster County District Judge Jeffre Cheuvront for thrownig his Lincoln police officer estranged wife's police radio into a public trash container. He had taken it out of her vehicle and told police that he had done it.

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety nebraska state politics]

[NJ] Piscataway Police Sgt. David Powell's last stand.

As a commander of the Piscataway police SWAT team, Sgt. David Powell knew when to move in to save hostages and designed drills to teach other officers how to as well. On Sunday, Powell was on the opposite side...

Funeral services will be held Saturday, Apr. 2, 2011, 10:00 am at the Piscataway Funeral Home. Guestbook here.

Who knew what when, and for how long now?

How many domestic incidents were there, and were they handled as the law directs, or in a way to protect his career? How much action was taken to support and protect the family?

Does Piscataway Police Department have an officer-involved domestic violence policy that lays out clear procedures to follow?

Under the restraining order was Powell allowed to keep his guns in his home?

What points of intervention were passed over?

...[Retired Plainfield Police Capt. Mark] Edwards was on his way to the funeral of 52-year-old Plainfield Police Lt. Ronald S. Lattimore, who fatally shot himself last week, when the news about 46-year-old Piscataway Sgt. David Powell hit the airwaves... As a commander of the Piscataway police SWAT team, Sgt. David Powell knew when to move in to save hostages and designed drills to teach other officers how to as well. On Sunday, Powell, 46, was on the opposite side, barricading himself inside his house and declaring he had taken hostages... Powell's standoff began shortly after 3:30 p.m. Sunday when the 46-year-old off-duty officer refused to go to police headquarters to respond to a report that he had violated a restraining order earlier in the day... [Powell] refused to surrender and threatened to kill any officer who approached the house... He walked onto his front porch and fired multiple shots from a 9-millimeter submachine gun... Powell, who had been a member of the Middlesex County SWAT team and a commander of the Piscataway SWAT team, lived in the house on Parkside Avenue for a nearly 20-year period, a time marked by disputes according to neighbors...

N.J. COP DEAD AFTER SIEGE WITH OWN FORCE

UPI

March. 28, 2011

[Excerpts] A New Jersey police sergeant died of an apparent gunshot after a 10-hour standoff with his own force... Detective Sgt. David Powell, 46, a 21-year veteran of the Piscataway police, had just endured a difficult divorce, his mother, Diane, told The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J... Kenneth D'Annunzio, a volunteer firefighter, said police asked Powell to come out around 4 p.m., when four gunshots were heard from the house. A SWAT team - which Powell once commanded - and other police began to disperse around 2 a.m... "To be quite honest, this incident doesn't surprise me," neighbor [W.R.] told WABC. "What surprises me is that it took this long to get to this point. I really thought this would have blown up sooner"... [Full article here]

VETERAN NJ COP DEAD AFTER STANDOFF WITH POLICE

WABC Eyewitness News

Anthony Johnson

March 28, 2011

[Excerpts] A veteran New Jersey police officer is dead following an armed standoff with authorities that ended early Monday morning. The incident ended around 2 a.m., nearly 10 hours after it started. And when it was all over, 46-year-old Piscataway Police Detective Sergeant David Powell, a 21-year veteran, was dead. While the results of an autopsy are pending, it has been preliminarily determined that Sgt. Powell was the victim of a gunshot wound. What's not clear is who fired the shot.... Police say he was home alone at the time and his family was not harmed. Several shots were heard throughout the day. It is still unclear what sparked the incident, but there are reports that Powell had some previous personal issues... "To be quiet honest, this incident doesn't surprise me," neighbor [W.R.] said. "What surprises me is that it took this long to get to this point. I really thought this would have blown up sooner." Neighbors say Powell was recently going through a divorce from his second wife and had some emotional and legal problems... Shortly after 6:45 p.m., Powell stepped outside onto the front porch, armed with a 9 mm submachine gun. He fired several shots and police returned fire... The New Jersey Attorney General's Office is participating in the investigation... [Full article here]

NJ POLICEMAN DIES IN HOME STANDOFF WITH OFFICERS

MSNBC

3/28/2011

[Excerpts] A veteran New Jersey police officer who violated a restraining order was shot and killed during a nine-hour standoff at his home... [Sgt. David] Powell's standoff began shortly after 3:30 p.m. Sunday when the 46-year-old off-duty officer refused to go to police headquarters to respond to a report that he had violated a restraining order earlier in the day, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan... Neighbors said his wife and daughter had moved out of the house. Shortly before 4:30 p.m., Powell told police he was holding hostages. Piscataway police went to the residential neighborhood and summoned the Middlesex County SWAT team. They cordoned off surrounding streets and talked with Powell, who refused to surrender and threatened to kill any officer who approached the house... [Full article here]

PISCATAWAY STANDOFF, PLAINFIELD SUICIDE HIGHLIGHT OVERWHELMING STRESS COPS CAN FACE: Mental health issues a growing concern

njpressmedia.com

Mark Spivey

Mar. 28, 2011

[Excerpts] Retired Plainfield Police Capt. Mark Edwards was "shocked, but not surprised" when he heard on the radio Monday morning that a veteran Piscataway police officer had been killed after exchanging gunfire with police during a nine-hour standoff at his home. Edwards was on his way to the funeral of 52-year-old Plainfield Police Lt. Ronald S. Lattimore, who fatally shot himself last week, when the news about 46-year-old Piscataway Sgt. David Powell hit the airwaves. Little sense could be made of either incident Monday, but Edwards said both underscored the notion that the mental health of police, fire and emergency workers is something that demands close and constant scrutiny. "It's not uncommon for there to be a domino effect (with incidents like these)," Edwards said. "This is stressful work." Edwards, who served as a stress counselor to Plainfield officers during much of his nearly 27-year career in law enforcement, today remains an active counselor and board member of the New Jersey Critical Incident Stress Management Team, an all-volunteer nonprofit organization that offers support to emergency service personnel and their family members during and following periods of personal or professional crisis. Those workers are twice as likely as the average person to get divorced, three times more likely to suffer from alcoholism and between three and seven times as likely to commit suicide, Edwards explained, citing national statistics. Edwards's organization focuses closely on "critical incidents" that can include the on-duty use of a service weapon, a traumatic injury or even an investigation into a child's death... "The old concept from old-timers was to "bite your lip, be a man, man up,' " Edwards explained. Police suicide, specifically, is a phenomenon that only recently has been examined closely on a national level — the National Surveillance of Police Suicide Study was the first report of its kind to study actual suicides on a daily basis across all 50 states for an entire year. The study found that a little more than 140 U.S. police officers killed themselves in 2008, a figure that rose slightly in 2009... Edwards spoke highly of the Cop 2 Cop program, but added that it's critical that leaders of police departments everywhere make their officers aware of the availability of help in facing mental health issues... "Sometimes, we feel we're invincible," Edwards said. "Like it will never happen to us." [Full article here]

FATAL STANDOFF INVOLVING PISCATAWAY POLICE OFFICER REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION: No new information released in probe of police officer's death

njpressmedia.com

Joshua Burd

Mar 29, 201

[Excerpts] The investigation continues into the fatal shooting of a township police sergeant who barricaded himself and exchanged gunfire with officers outside his home Sunday evening... [Sgt. David] Powell, a 22-year department veteran, was the only person injured as a result of the nine-hour standoff on Parkside Avenue... The incident began around 3:30 p.m. Sunday when police contacted Powell via phone calls and text messages, asking him to report to headquarters after a report that he had violated a restraining order earlier in the day... ... [Full article here]

PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE: PISCATAWAY OFFICER SAID HE HAD HOSTAGES, FIRED SHOTS FROM PORCH

APP.COM

Mar. 28, 2011

[Excerpts] ...Ballistics tests will determine the source of the gunshot that killed Sgt. David Powell... An investigation is continuing and officers remained at the scene throughout the morning... "This incident did not come as a surprise,'' said [W.R.], whose husband, James, worked with Powell on the force before retiring. "There were other issues in the past that led us all to believe that this was on the horizon," [W.R.] said. She described his personality as "mercurial" and said that Powell, who had recently gone through a second divorce, was living with his sister... Another neighbor, who did not wish to be identified, said Powell's second divorce became final late last year. His wife and daughter had moved out of the house. The neighbor also said Powell had a grown son from his marriage. Charing Mack, another neighbor, said Powell "seemed to be a nice man,'' who would greet her when they were outside... [Google him here]

OFFICER KILLED IN 7-HOUR STANDOFF WAS A FORMER COMMANDER OF PISCATAWAY POLICE SWAT TEAM

The Star-Ledger

By Tom Haydon Sue Epstein

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

[Excerpts] As a commander of the Piscataway police SWAT team, Sgt. David Powell knew when to move in to save hostages and designed drills to teach other officers how to as well. On Sunday, Powell, 46, was on the opposite side, barricading himself inside his house and declaring he had taken hostages... Police Chief Richard Ivone called Powell a decorated officer who was respected in the department and was most recently assigned as a road sergeant in the patrol division. However, Ivone said, "there was a domestic situation that led to tragedy"... Powell, who had been a member of the Middlesex County SWAT team and a commander of the Piscataway SWAT team, lived in the house on Parkside Avenue for a nearly 20-year period, a time marked by disputes according to neighbors. [W.R.], who lives two doors away from Powell, said she knew he had problems for several years, and he should have been given help. "I’m extremely angry. This incident doesn’t surprise me. I really thought this would have blown up sooner. Imagine having to live two doors down from this," said [W.R.], whose husband is a retired Piscataway police officer. Representatives from the Cop2Cop counseling service for law enforcement were at the police department Monday, Ivone said. He said all township officers, including Powell were aware of the program, but it’s uncertain if Powell had called the counselors... Powell’s mother, when asked about her son, who grew up in Dunellen, said he had just gone through a difficult divorce. Her voice breaking with emotion, Diane Powell said he was "a loving father and a good son." She ended a telephone call, saying she couldn’t talk any longer... [Full article here]

PISCATAWAY POLICE OFFICER WHO DIED FOLLOWING 10-HOUR STANDOFF WAS A 21-YEAR VETERAN AND FATHER OF TWO

The Star-Ledger

By Sue Epstein

March 28, 2011

[Excerpts] ...Kenneth D’Annunzio, a volunteer firefighter with Arbor Fire Department in Piscataway, said police asked the barricaded officer to come out of the residence around 4 p.m., when four gunshots were heard coming from the house. D’Annunzio, who said he has known the officer for a few years, described him as a “very nice guy, very sweet, easy to get along with.” “I’d trust him with my own kids,” D’Annunzio said. “I couldn’t believe he was doing this"... [Full article here]

PISCATAWAY POLICE SERGEANT DIED FROM GUNSHOT WOUND AFTER FIRING SUBMACHINE GUN AT FELLOW OFFICERS

The Star-Ledger

Tom Haydon

March 28, 2011

[Excerpts] A Piscataway police sergeant died from from a gunshot wound after he barricaded himself in his home, told police he had hostages, then stepped on his front porch and fired a submachine gun at officers who returned fire... Powell, who had been a member of the Middlesex County SWAT team and a deputy commander of the Piscataway Police Department SWAT team, had lived in two-story house near the end of Parkside Avenue for a nearly 20-year period that had been marked by disputes, according to neighbors. [W.R.], who lives two doors away from Powell, said she had seen police officers at Powell's house several times in past years... Powell's mother, Diane Powell, said her son was "a loving father and a good son." Her voice breaking with emotion, Diane Powell said her son just went through a difficult divorce. She ended a telephone call, saying she couldn't talk any longer. [Full article here]

SELECTED COMMENTS FROM AROUND THE WEB:

...Unfortunately he realized that he was screwed as Law Enforcement Officers are second class citizens when it come's to domestic violence laws...

...Tough for his family and really tough for his brother officers, having to take down one of their own...

...A cop owning an illegal submachine gun. Did this gun just fall into his hands when he "snapped" or did he acquire it ahead of time!...

...I can hear the anguish and grief coming from his mother. As a mom myself I have to say I really feel for her. The real issue I have as in most of these cases is whether those at the top did all they could. They must have been aware of his falling apart and should have stepped in before it came to this. I wonder if they really did all they could for this man and his family...

...If he had restraining orders against him and number of calls to the house why did the police allow him to have a machine gun or any type of assault weapons...

...A divorce should automatically require a psych eval and a week off...

...Do cops have psych evals every year? Maybe they should. Maybe 2 times a year...

...[W.R.] had better make nicey nicey with the police dept, or she will have massive tickets. Why? Because she told the truth about a guy who shot a SUBMACHINE gun at police officers whom he worked with...

...I saw the interview of [W.R.]. She just said that there were numerous incidents over the years. Her husband was a cop and she could probably tell the difference between a sane cop and one who is losing it. Nothing personal against the cop... its just a sad story when mental illness or severe depression set in...

...in another article it is stated that Mr. Powell was off-duty, but he was asked to report to police HQ as it had been alleged that he had violated a restraining order. He apparently refused to go to HQ and stated he was holing up in his house WITH hostages. that doesn't go over very well with police-- or the SWAT team, so they paid him a visit. that's when "barricading oneself in one's home" becomes a distinct no-no.... when someone(s) lives are in imminent danger. I feel so sorry for his kids....they don't ask for this.... RIP to Mr. Powell and God Bless those he left behind...

...he was on the force for 22 years not 21...

...Reading between the lines it sounds like Powell snapped after learning his colleagues at the station expected him to come down and address the allegation. Perhaps in the 'old school', this sort of thing would be swepted under the carpet, dismissed or what have you. Perhaps Powell felt betrayed by his fellow thin blue-liners that he worked with for 20+ years and this led to him snapping...

...If any others are going through depression in their lives they should take this situation and learn from it. Get help...ask for help....don't let it turn into tragedy.

RIP Sgt Powell...

...How about putting your great minds together to suggest ideas for how to keep incidents like this from happening instead of implying the reporter should withhold facts? How about organizing buying flowers or supporting your local police? How about asking how the domestic issues were handled and if this was avoidable or not? There is always something positive that can be brought out of a negative. Make it mean something...

...Another good man dead... Rest in peace Sir...

...A man is not a good man when he throws his 9 years old daughter out into the street! This man had no business coming within 50 feet of a gun. He knew he shouldn't have violated the restraining order and did so anyway. The police department had no right to reinstate this officer after he was suspended for 60 days!...

...RIP my HKA brother. We all have our problems and apparently yours were to great to overcome. Good or bad right or wrong you will be in our thoughts forever. Never judge a man until you have walked in his shoes...

...Don’t they have any sense there? Why even bother him. They call, and he doesn’t want to come in, fine, just protect the person who has the order of protection and wait for his next shift to talk with him. To have someone dead over this type of stuff is sickening. They know when he is due in next, they know he is a cop and has a gun, they know how to protect people. As soon as he shows he is not stable enough to come in, just leave him alone, protect the other person, and wait until his next shift. To go to his house for an armed confrontation has to be the most stupid response possible...

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety repeat hx terroristic threatening new jersey fatality fatalities suicidal suicide by cop new jersey state politics]

[CA] Officer Tungcab's wife injured, his family is worried.

San Diego Police Officer Roel Tungcab's ...own family told 10News they are concerned. Tungcab has not been seen since he posted bail. His mother said in their last conversation, Tungcab told her he was "just driving around," that he was somewhere near Los Angeles and that he didn't want to come home...

Everyone involved is standing in the need of prayer.

[Safe Call Now - provides crisis intervention and referral services to public safety employees]

OFFICER ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF DOMESTIC BATTERY

San Diego Union Tribune

By Debbi Baker, Susan Shroder

MARCH 29, 2011 .

[Excerpts] A San Diego police officer who was arrested last week on suspicion of domestic battery has been placed on paid administrative duty while the case is investigated, police said Tuesday. Roel Vincente Tungcab, 39, was taken into custody by sheriff’s deputies Thursday night... Tungcab called authorities about 5:45 p.m. Thursday and told dispatchers that he had pushed his wife, and that she fell and sustained an unknown injury... Deputies from the Imperial Beach station responded to the home and arrested Tungcab on suspicion of domestic battery. His wife was taken to a hospital. Tungcab was booked into the central jail and later posted bail, Ybarrondo said. The case has been submitted to the District Attorney’s Office for review... [LINK]

SDPD OFFICER ARRESTED ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CHARGES: Officer Roel Tungcab Is The Third Officer Arrested Or Placed On Administrative Assignment Since February

KGTV San Diego

March 29, 2011

[Excerpts] A San Diego police officer has been arrested on domestic violence charges. There was no answer on Monday when 10News knocked on the door of the Imperial Beach home of San Diego police Officer Roel Tungcab. It's the same home where days earlier, the officer called 911 for a domestic disturbance and also where he was arrested over the weekend on spousal domestic violence charges... his own family told 10News they are concerned. Tungcab has not been seen since he posted bail. His mother said in their last conversation, Tungcab told her he was "just driving around," that he was somewhere near Los Angeles and that he didn't want to come home... While the San Diego County Sheriff's Department investigates the case against Tungcab, SDPD has placed him on administrative assignment. San Diego police told 10News that Tungcab's arrest is a personnel issue... [Full article here]

ROEL TUNGCAB ARREST INFORMATION

Tungcab, Roel - (M/F) Age: 39

F PC273.5(A) Inflict Corporal Injury On Spouse/Cohabitant

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal california state politics]

[NV] Las Vegas Police Officer Pisciotta charged with domestic battery and burglary of bruised ex-girlfriend

LAS VEGAS OFFICER RELIEVED OF DUTY; FACES DOMESTIC BATTERY AND BURGLARY CHARGES

Las Vegas Review-Journal

By Mike Blasky

Mar. 29, 2011

[Excerpts] A Las Vegas police officer charged with [misdemeanor] domestic battery and [felony] burglary stemming from an incident with his ex-girlfriend has been relieved of duty without pay. Patrol officer David Pisciotta, Jr., 24, was arrested by Las Vegas police and booked at Clark County Detention Center... Las Vegas police officers responding to [his ex-girlfriend]'s workplace noted a bruise on [his ex-girlfriend]'s left arm and a cut on her palm... Pisciotta, who has been with the Metropolitan Police Department since May 2009, will remain suspended pending the outcome of a criminal investigation. Internal affairs also is investigating... A court appearance for Pisciotta is scheduled for May 17. [Full article here]

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety nevada state politics]

[TN] Wilson Co. Sheriff's Lt. Edwards' suspended for domestic, charged with thefts

...The Wilson County Sheriff's Department said Thursday that [Wilson County sheriff's deputy, Lt. John] Edwards has been suspended without pay after a domestic incident between him and his wife... Edwards took items from his wife's home and gave them to his girlfriend, and vice versa... He is also a co-owner of Bidmor Auction House in Mount Juliet...

THEFT CHARGES

AND AN AUCTION BUSINESS?

WILSON CO. SHERIFF'S LIEUTENANT CHARGED WITH THEFT

NewsChannel5.com

Mar 25, 2011

A Wilson County sheriff's lieutenant has been suspended after being charged with theft. Lieutenant John Edwards is charged with theft over $10,000. An investigation began after an ex-girlfriend of Edwards filed a complaint with the TBI saying he'd stolen jewelry, guns, and a 4-wheeler from her home. During a search of the home, authorities found the items, and recovered them. Edwards was put on administrative leave. He is free on bond. [LINK]

ITEMS TRADED BETWEEN DEPUTY'S GIRLFRIEND, WIFE: John Edwards' Girlfriend Saw Her Property In Couple's House

Reported by Caroline Moses

March 24, 2011

[Excerpts] A Wilson County sheriff's deputy is facing theft charges after the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation arrested him Thursday on charges of taking more than $10,000 worth of goods... [TBI spokeswoman Kristen] Helm said Edwards took items from his wife's home and gave them to his girlfriend, and vice versa. She said there was no indication items had been stolen from other places. The Wilson County Sheriff's Department said Thursday that Edwards has been suspended without pay after a domestic incident between him and his wife... Edwards presides over the narcotics division for the Wilson County sheriff. He is also a co-owner of Bidmor Auction House in Mount Juliet. [Full article here]

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety con man repeat hx tennessee state politics]

[PA] I can't post on Ashley Police Chief David Cerski

I spent time gathering articles, editing them down to excerpts, formatting the text - but I couldn't post it. I'm not afraid, I'm intuitive - and always pay attention to my gut.

Be fair. Be just. Be human. Be smart.

Be careful.

[TN] Detective Coulter's lethal storm

An off-duty Sevierville Police Detective [Timothy Owen Coulter] is facing charges after allegedly threatening to kill Blount County Sheriff's deputies and ramming one of their cruisers... Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Marian O'Briant says the deputies were responding to a domestic call involving a weapon... [that Coulter] was threatening suicide and was traveling into Blount County to his family’s farm. They also had information that he was armed with weapons and would do harm to any law enforcement officer who attempted to make contact with him... Sevierville Police Department spokesman Bob Stahlke says Detective Coulter has been suspended for an internal review. Stahlke says Coulter has been in good standing with the department and called the incident "out of character"...

OFF-DUTY SEVIERVILLE POLICE OFFICER ARRESTED

Knoxville News Sentinel.

March 26, 2011

[Excerpts] An off-duty Sevierville police officer was arrested and charged Friday night after he allegedly rammed a Blount County sheriff officer’s patrol and injured two deputies. According to the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, Timothy Owen Coulter, 43, of Seymour has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault, a DUI, felony vandalism and possession of a handgun while intoxicated. Authorities were called to the area of Coulter Road near Davis Ford Road on Friday just before 8 p.m., after they heard that Coulter had been involved in a domestic situation in Sevier County, was threatening suicide and was traveling into Blount County to his family’s farm. They also had information that he was armed with weapons and would do harm to any law enforcement officer who attempted to make contact with him... They blocked the road and called him on his cell phone. Coulter told authorities again that he would kill any deputy who tried to approach him... He then backed his truck out of the driveway, headed toward an unoccupied cruiser, accelerated and rammed the front end of the car. It caused deputies standing nearby to dive into a ditch to avoid being struck by the vehicles, Other deputies struggled with Coulter while getting him out of the car, causing minor injuries to two officers. The injured officers were taken to Blount Memorial Hospital... [Full article here]

SEYMOUR POLICE DETECTIVE CHARGED WITH AGGRAVATED ASSAULT, DUI, AFTER RAMMING A BLOUNT SHERIFF'S CRUISER

Daily Times

2011-03-26

[Excerpts] An off-duty Sevierville Police Department detective is in custody today after ramming a Blount County Sheriff’s Office cruiser, injuring two county deputies. Blount County Sheriff James Lee Berrong said in a release today that Timothy Owen Coulter, 43, Mize Road, Seymour, is in custody at the Blount County Detention Facility facing three counts of aggravated assault, DUI, felony vandalism, and possession of a handgun while intoxicated. Bond amounts have not yet been set, but Coulter is to face those charges at 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 30, in Blount County General Sessions Court... Deputies did find a handgun and a box of ammunition in Coulter’s vehicle... Coulter was taken to BMH where he was treated, and then transported to the Blount County Detention Center. [Full article here]

DETECTIVE CHARGED WITH ASSAULTING DEPUTIES; RAMMING CRUISER

wbir.com

2:09 PM, Mar 26, 201

[Excerpts] An off-duty Sevierville Police Detective is facing charges after allegedly threatening to kill Blount County Sheriff's deputies and ramming one of their cruisers during a domestic incident Friday evening. Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Marian O'Briant says the deputies were responding to a domestic call involving a weapon on Coulter Road near Davis Ford Road... Deputies say Coulter threatened to kill deputies and rammed a squad car while trying to back out of the driveway... Sevierville Police Department spokesman Bob Stahlke says Detective Coulter has been suspended for an internal review. Stahlke says Coulter has been in good standing with the department and called the incident "out of character"... [Full article here]

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal suicidal ballistic suicide by cop attempt tennessee state politics]

[WV] Belle Police Officer Cox, who reportedly blackened girlfriend's eye, was afterwards crowned police chief

Yesterday I posted on Belle Police Officer Daniel Dodd who was arrested again for domestic violence. Dodd was put on administrative leave by the Belle police chief. It was brought to my attention that the police chief of Belle, Darrick Cox - before he was made chief - had his own reported domestic violence incident. As a Belle police officer Cox punched his girlfriend in the face, giving her a black eye and causing her face to swell.

• The mayor of Belle, Larry Conley, said the chief would investigate it.
• Then-Belle Police Chief John Sizemore told the media that Cox is a "good kid."
• The incident disappeared.
• Darrick Cox was crowned chief of Belle.

What is the message to the victim?

(Is she alive, and would we know if she wasn't?)

What does "law enforcement" MEAN in Belle, West Virginia?

This is nothing new.

Only another example.

A very small percentage of officer-involved domestic violence ever gets as far as being in the news. I can only imagine what some of these victims around the country suffer before their story hits the news. Even made public, for most, no accountabilty or protection follows. Every department needs to adopt a procedure and policy for OIDV cases. Every department needs to treat domestic violence as a CRIME.

BELLE POLICE OFFICER ON LEAVE AFTER BATTERY CHARGE

Charleston Daily Mail, WV

March 29, 2007

[Excerpts] Belle Police Department has placed an officer on administrative leave after he was charged with domestic battery. Darrick Cox, 37, of South Charleston, allegedly struck a woman in the face early on Tuesday, causing her face to swell and giving her a black eye... The woman told officers that Cox was an intimate partner of hers... Belle Police Chief Robert Sizemore would not comment on the incident, but said that Cox is a "good kid" and a "good officer"... Belle Mayor Larry Conley said the Belle police will examine the incident, and Cox will remain on leave until the investigation is complete. "The chief will investigate it and report back to me," Conley said... [Full article archived here]

BELLE CHIEF OF POLICE?

Chief of Police Belle WV Darrick Cox

BELLE,KANAWHA COUNTY, WV POLICE

thelonerangerridesagain blog

MAY 16, 2008

I was wondering if anyone new who was out protecting them in the Town of Belle. I do, take a look at this in March of last year now Chief of Police Darrick Cox was charged with Domestic Battery after an incident with his girlfriend. Mayor Conley stated that the Chief of Police, at that time John Sizemore, would investigate and report back. Chief Sizemore was never given the order by Mayor Conley to investigate. Eventually the charges were dropped... [MUCH more here]

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety brotherhood brass favors corruption west virginia state politics]

[IL] ...Morton Police Sgt Lari Crim accused of (also) kicking his girlfriend in the stomach 3 times

...Morton Police Sgt. Lari Crim, 44, of Morton was charged on March 18 with two counts of domestic battery, Class A misdemeanors, for allegedly striking his mistress in the face and kicking her in the back [IN PUBLIC] March 4... The [new] motion alleges that Crim also battered his mistress [with whom he shares a child] on Feb. 18 [IN PUBLIC]... and threatened to kill her before kicking her in the stomach three times...

ACCUSATIONS INCREASE FOR POLICE OFFICER CHARGED WITH DOMESTIC BATTERY

Pekin Daily Times

By Sharon Woods Harris

Mar 25, 2011

[Excerpts] A Morton police officer who is accused of domestic battery against his mistress may face further charges as new accusations surface... Morton Police Sgt. Lari Crim, 44, of Morton was charged on March 18 with two counts of domestic battery, Class A misdemeanors, for allegedly striking his mistress in the face and kicking her in the back at Meadows Avenue Tap in East Peoria on March 4... The [new] motion alleges that Crim also battered his mistress on Feb. 18 at Carrigan’s Pub in East Peoria. Court records indicate that Crim allegedly got into an altercation with the woman outside the pub and threatened to kill her before kicking her in the stomach three times. [Tazewell County Assistant State’s Attorney Jon] Giraudo told 10th Judicial Circuit Court Judge John P. Vespa that it is possible that charges could be upgraded as the investigation continues... the incidents happened 14 days apart, both alleged acts were against the same woman, the woman was kicked hard enough to cause physical pain on both occasions and that both incidents happened at establishments that predominantly serve alcoholic beverages... While out on bond, Crim cannot possess a weapon of any kind, consume alcohol or enter a business where the primary source of revenue is alcohol... Crim was ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim... [Full article here]

EARLIER THIS MONTH:

POLICE SERGEANT ARRESTED AFTER FIGHT WITH GIRLFRIEND

Pekin Daily Times

By Steve Stein

GateHouse News Service

Posted Mar 07, 2011 @ 08:00 AM

[Excerpts] A Morton police sergeant was arrested and charged Friday with two counts of domestic battery in connection with an altercation with his girlfriend in the parking lot of an East Peoria tavern. Sgt. Lari Crim was released on $5,000 bond from the Tazewell County Justice Center... According to court records, Crim and his girlfriend, with whom he shares a child, argued Friday in the parking lot of the Meadows Avenue Tap. The girlfriend told East Peoria police Officer Jason Ernst during an interview at the Morton police station that Crim slapped her across the left side of her face with his right hand, and kicked her "forcefully" in the lower back when she turned to walk away from him. Two witnesses told Ernst the woman was crying and on her knees in the parking lot after the alleged slap and kick. Neither Morton Police Chief Nick Graff nor Tazewell County State’s Attorney Stu Umholtz wished to comment... [Full article here]

MORTON POLICE OFFICER NOW SUSPENDED WITHOUT PAY: Sgt. Lari Crim charged with domestic battery after scuffle with woman at East Peoria tavern

Journal Star

By Steve Stein

Mar 21, 2011 @ 10:21 PM

[Excerpts] The village's Board of Fire and Police Commissioners suspended police Sgt. Lari Crim without pay on Monday... After listening to testimony at a public hearing and deciding there was probable cause for a disciplinary hearing for Crim, members handed down the suspension... [Morton police Chief Nick] Graff suspended Crim with pay following the sergeant's arrest... Gerald Brady, Crim's attorney, asked the board to continue the sergeant's suspension with pay so he can support his family, which includes his wife and two children... Domestic battery is a Class A misdemeanor. Each charge is punishable by as much as one year in jail, two years of probation and a $2,500 fine. If found guilty, Crim will be unable to carry a firearm and carry out his law enforcement duties... [Full article here]

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety illinois state politics tactical reapaet hx brutal alcohol]

[US][TX] Ex-SWAT SNIPER FBI Agent Carlos Ortiz sentenced to 2 years in prison

PREVIOUS POST:

[US] [TX] Dallas FBI Agent Carlos Ortiz spoke of brutal plans to murder FBI wife and FBI boss - ...FBI agent Carlos Ortiz was fired Wednesday before being taken into custody... Ortiz is accused of making “extreme-type” threats against his wife, an FBI analyst whom he is divorcing, planning to kill her, and also planning to kill his boss... Authorities assigned security to Ortiz's wife... The affidavit also says Ortiz was seen as a threat to himself or others on two previous [armed standoffs] occasions... On both occasions, the affidavit says law enforcement officers convinced Ortiz "to check himself into a "health facility for evaluation and/or treatment"...

FORMER DALLAS FBI AGENT GETS TWO YEARS IN PRISON FOR PLAN TO KILL BOSS

The Dallas Morning News

By JASON TRAHAN

25 March 2011

[Excerpts] Former FBI agent Carlos Ortiz Jr. was sentenced Friday to two years in prison for attempting to purchase a .50-caliber rifle that he planned to use to assassinate the head of the Dallas field office. Ortiz, 49, of Red Oak, faced a maximum of 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty in December to threatening to kill Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Casey Jr... Casey suspended Ortiz without pay in May after Ortiz's wife, an analyst in the Dallas FBI office, accused him of domestic violence. In the year leading up to his arrest, Ortiz's life unraveled. He declared bankruptcy, filed for divorce, doubled up on his anti-anxiety drug prescription and applied for food stamps. He also began hoarding weapons. On Aug. 19 and 20, Ortiz made several phone calls to a friend, a former law enforcement officer and licensed firearms dealer, authorities said. In those calls, he made threats against his wife and Casey and said he was looking for a .50-caliber rifle, capable of shooting up to a mile. The friend was alarmed after the first call and notified the FBI. Agents had him record later calls in which Ortiz again threatened to kill his wife and Case... Ortiz has had troubles with the law before, including armed standoffs with local police in 1992 and again in 2004. No charges were filed in either case, and he returned to duty as an FBI agent, even though after the first standoff incident then-Dallas FBI boss Oliver "Buck" Revell recommended he be terminated. Ortiz's 21-year career with the FBI included service as a SWAT team member and a sniper... [Full article here]

SINCE LAST POST:

EX-OFFICIAL WANTED TO FIRE FBI AGENT HELD IN MURDER PLOT AFTER 1992 STANDOFF

The Dallas Morning News

By JASON TRAHAN jtrahan@dallasnews.com

03 September 2010

[Excerpts] A former special agent in charge of the Dallas FBI office said he tried to fire Carlos Ortiz 18 years ago after the troubled agent was involved in a seven-hour armed standoff with SWAT team members. But Oliver "Buck" Revell said his recommendation was rejected by his FBI superiors in Washington because Ortiz, who is currently accused of plotting to kill his wife and his former boss, was deemed fit for duty by psychiatrists... "My recommendation to headquarters was unequivocal that this man was not qualified to be an agent or carry a weapon and I want him out of my office. They said, 'Well that would be a discriminatory action.'" Ortiz remained an FBI special agent for nearly two more decades after that, despite initiating a second armed standoff in 2004 when, authorities say, he took his own child hostage. Again, Ortiz passed a mental evaluation and returned to duty.... His career effectively ended in May when he was placed on unpaid leave after his wife, a bureau intelligence analyst, accused him of physically assaulting her during an argument and threatening to "beat the [expletive] out of" her. But it wasn't until last month that he was fired and placed in handcuffs - after he allegedly tried to get a friend to help him buy a .50 caliber rifle so that he could kill not only his wife, with whom he is engaged in a bitter divorce, but also the current head of the Dallas FBI office, Robert E. Casey Jr... The FBI came under fire in 2004 when Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, accused the bureau of trying to keep an internal study of agents' misdeeds from becoming public... But cases such as Ortiz's continue to pose challenges. For one, he was never charged in any of his incidents... To some, the eventual arrest of wayward agents often comes too late. "Who cares about being sued," Revell said. "We've got lots of lawyers. I care about people's lives. You do what you need to do and worry about a lawsuit later." [Full article here]

FORMER FBI AGENT PLEADS GUILTY TO FEDERAL FELONY OFFENSE

Defendant Admits Threatening to Assault and Murder

FBI Special Agent in Charge

U.S. Department of Justice

United States Attorney James T. Jacks

Northern District of Texas

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA INQUIRIES: KATHY COLVIN

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2010

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txn/

[Excerpts] DALLAS — Carlos Ortiz, Jr., 49, of Red Oak, Texas, pleaded guilty this afternoon before Chief U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater to one count of retaliating against a federal official, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Ortiz has been in federal custody since his arrest in late August 2010 on a related charge outlined in a federal criminal complaint. He faces a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is set for March 18, 2011, before Judge Fitzwater... That afternoon, Ortiz contacted the friend from whom he had received the weapons, and on a recorded call, stated that he wanted a .50 caliber gun. During the conversation the friend asked Ortiz why he didn’t want to meet at the police station to exchange his child with his ex-wife, Ortiz replied, “No, ‘cause that son of a bitch (Casey) told me if I got anywhere near a police department he was gonna do something else, ‘cause God knows what else he’d put on my ass.” The friend asked if Ortiz was referring to the Dallas Division SAC. Ortiz replied, “Yeah, I’m definitely gonna piss on his grave, I might just put a .308 down his fucking (unintelligible).” During the call, Ortiz expressed anger at losing his job with the FBI, saying “and what do I have for 26 years, one more year away from retirement? Shit. And an OPR”... On the date of his arrest, during the execution of a federal search warrant at Oritiz’ residence and vehicle, a “signed sworn statement” by Ortiz was found. In this statement Ortiz writes, "...Mr. Casey has broken me as a man and human being, with his constant threats and follow through terminating me leaving with no way to sustain my son. Mr. Casey never listed to me and has left me no options." Additionally, Ortiz wrote, "Finally that if Mr. Casey was not allowed to have so much power unchecked this would have never happened..." This "signed sworn statement" was left in Ortiz’ residence in an envelope, which bore the following notation: "DAD TAKE TO THE PRESS." Included in the firearms seized were .308 caliber firearms, the caliber that Ortiz specified in his threat against the FBI Dallas Division Special Agent in Charge. The case was investigated by the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Criminal Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham is in charge of the prosecution. [Full article here]

[police officer domestic violence public safety double murder plot federal bureau of investigation cop-on-cop arsenal law enforcement terroristic threatening federal bureau of investigation brutal]

[MI] Now "retired" Detroit Police Officer Wedad Elhage sent to prison for stalking

Now "retired" Detroit Police Officer Wedad Elhage sent to prison for aggravated stalking of her Wayne County assistant prosecutor ex-girlfriend.

...“Affairs of the heart are best cured in the company of compassionate counseling,” her attorney, Charles Busse, said today. “Unfortunately, the court didn’t see it that way”...

[Full article here]

Previous post:
[MI] Convicted Detroit Police Officer Elhage: “I paid a high price for loving Shelley” - Cop-on-Prosecutor Stalking

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety michigan state politics female perp perpetrator cop-on-attorney cop-on-prosecutor cop-on-official database technology crime lesbian gay homosexual]

[PA] Allowed-to-resign Philadelphia Officer Wiggins sentenced to 17 to 35 years for dad-like sex asasult

..."My whole childhood was take away from me before it even began. . . . You knew I was a vulnerable child with nowhere to run and no one to turn to and you took advantage of me"... "He told me I was his girlfriend and he was in love with me," she said. "He told others I was his daughter"...

PREVIOUS POST:

[PA] Victim of Philadelphia police Officer Tyrone Wiggins: "I want to tell anyone who is a potential victim to come forward..." - After an internal investigation that allegedly took the Internal Affairs department TWO YEARS, Philadelphia police Officer Tyrone Wiggins was allowed to resign one day before he was arrested, which protects his pension. - Prosecutors said Wiggins targeted the victim when she was 10 and spent two years ingratiating himself with her family... Wiggins denied the charge and insisted that all he ever was to the young woman was a mentor, godfather and karate instructor... After he'd become like a "godfather" to the victim and her brother, the victim told jurors that Wiggins showed her a pornographic video then "exposed himself and had her perform a sex act on him"... [His attorney, Scott] Sigman said Wiggins was like a father to the woman...

FORMER PHILA. COP SENTENCED FOR SEX ASSAULT

abclocal.go.com

March 25, 2011

[Excerpts] A former Philadelphia police officer has been sentenced for sexually assaulting a girl over an eight-year-period. Tyrone Wiggins, 51, was sentenced to 17 ½ to 35 years in prison on Friday. He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and $5,000 restitution to the victim... The victim is now a member of the Philadelphia police department. [Full article here]

RETIRED COP GETS 35 YEARS IN CHILD SEX ASSAULT

Philadelphia Inquirer

Joseph A. Slobodzian

March 25, 2011

[Excerpts] A decorated, retired Philadelphia police officer and martial arts instructor - found guilty of sexually assaulting a female student for six years start when she was 12 - was sentenced to 17 1/2 to 35 years this morning by a Philadelphia judge... "This was a case of child abuse carried out against a victim by an assailant she trusted, someone she saw as a mentor," [Common Pleas Court Judge Sandy] Byrd said. Wiggins, who retired in November 2009 after 23 years with the police department just one day before his arrest, was found guilty by a Common Pleas Court jury in December of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, statutory sexual assault, and corrupting a minor. Defense attorney Scott P. Sigman urged Byrd to sentence Wiggins to no more than the mandatory minimum five years, citing Wiggins' service as a Marine, a law enforcement career in which Wiggins garnered awards for valor, was shot making an arrest, and taught karate to thousands of children and adults... But a Philadelphia jury believe the victim, now a 26-year-old Philadelphia police officer... The victim made a brief impact statement in which she said, "My whole childhood was take away from me before it even began. . . . You knew I was a vulnerable child with nowhere to run and no one to turn to and you took advantage of me." With no DNA or other forensic evidence, the jury had to weigh the credibility of Wiggins, a polished and poised man with a commanding presence, and the victim, a soft-spoken woman who barely looked at her former mentor without breaking down... [Assistant District Attorney Mark] Cipoletti said Wiggins began a two-year "grooming process" during which Wiggins insinuated himself into her family and became a self-described "godfather" to the girl and her brother... "He told me I was his girlfriend and he was in love with me," she said. "He told others I was his daughter"... [Full article here]

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety abuse of power custodial rape child abuse children philadelphia state politics]

[WV] Belle Police Officer Dodd has a new police department, new woman, but same domestic violence allegations

A police officer [Daniel Dodd] is on the other side of the law for the second time after his wife says she was verbally, physically and emotionally abused... [Jennifer] Totten says he grabbed the cell phone out of her hand, threw her up against a wall, then to the floor and attempted to break the phone. She also claims that Dodd slapped her face three times... Dodd used to work for the Charleston Police Department until he was put on administrative leave in 2007. It was related to domestic violence charges then... [AND YET] Dodd is charged with first offense domestic battery...

Video: Wife Jennifer Totten is speaking out

PREVIOUS POST:

[WV] So what if [Charleston] Officer Dodd is getting paid? What about him being cleared of domestic battery? - ...According to the complaint, Dodd hit his girlfriend, [DP], choked her and pushed her down. [dp] had bruises on her back, arm, thigh and neck... Dodd's girlfriend, [DP], refused to testify and submitted a sworn statement maintaining that Dodd never assaulted or abused her. She said she was the aggressor and he was only defending himself...

BELLE POLICE OFFICER ON PAID ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE FOR ALLEGED ASSAULT

wowktv.com

March 25, 2011

By David Iversen

[Excerpts] A Belle Police Officer has been put on administrative leave following a reported incident of domestic violence. Daniel Dodd was arraigned Thursday for allegations of domestic battery. Charleston Police led the investigation. Belle Police Chief Derrick Cox said Dodd would remain on administrative leave until the outcome of an administrative hearing... Dodd's wife reported that he hit her and screamed at her in front of her children. [Full article here]

BELLE POLICE OFFICER CHARGED WITH DOMESTIC BATTERY: A Belle Police Officer is on paid administrative leave after domestic battery charges were filed against him.

WSAZ

Carrie Jones

Mar 24, 2011

[Excerpts] A Belle Police Officer is on paid administrative leave after domestic battery charges were filed against him.... Daniel Dodd and his wife got into an argument that led to physical violence on Tuesday. Jennifer Totten told police Dodd became angry because she posted a comment on a memorial website for her late boyfriend. The complaint states that Totten called 911 when Dodd began screaming at her and she became threatened. Totten says he grabbed the cell phone out of her hand, threw her up against a wall, then to the floor and attempted to break the phone. She also claims that Dodd slapped her face three times. Dodd is charged with first offense domestic battery. Kim Holmes, Belle Mayor, says that Dodd is currently on paid administrative leave... Back in 2007, while working for the Charleston Police Department, Dodd was arrested for domestic battery charges against his girlfriend at the time. Those charges were later dismissed. [Full article here]

BELLE POLICE OFFICER CHARGED WITH DOMESTIC BATTERY

WVGazette.com

By Gary A. Harki

March 25, 2011

[Excerpts] A Belle police officer is charged with domestic battery following an incident where he allegedly slapped his wife on Tuesday, according to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court. He has been placed on paid administrative leave, said Christopher Negley, lawyer for the town of Belle. Daniel A. Dodd, 28, of Charleston, allegedly threatened and then slapped Jennifer Totten after she posted a comment on a memorial website for her late boyfriend. Totten tried to call 911 but Dodd grabbed her, according to the criminal complaint... Dodd was a Charleston Police officer when he was charged with domestic battery when his girlfriend claimed he grabbed her by the throat during an argument in June 2007. He was found not guilty of the charges after a bench trial in front of Kanawha County Magistrate Ward Harshbarger in January 2008... [Full article here]

UPDATE: BELLE POLICE OFFICER CHARGED WITH DOMESTIC BATTERY: A police officer is on the other side of the law for the second time after his wife says she was verbally, physically and emotionally abused.

Reporters: Brooks, Carrie Jones

UPDATE 3/25/11 @ 7:20 p.m.

[Excerpts] A police officer is on the other side of the law for the second time after his wife says she was verbally, physically and emotionally abused. Daniel Dodd used to work for the Charleston Police Department until he was put on administrative leave in 2007. It was related to domestic violence charges then, but he was later cleared. Now, he's back in the headlines for a second time for the same crime. For nearly two years, Jennifer Totten says she's learned to live with abuse until her husband finally pushed her to the limit... Totten says her main goal is to look out for her daughter's safety. "I mean, she witnessed all this, and I think that's what bothers me the most," Totten said. "She had that terrified look on her face, wondering what's going on... It kills me when my daughter sees it," Totten said. "It doesn't just hurt me, it literally breaks my heart, and I just hold her, cry and tell her I'm sorry." Totten is a stay at home mom and admits - she didn't report Dodd sooner because she was scared to leave him since he is the primary financial provider... [Full article here]

3 WVGazette.com Comments:

• Good job by the Belle Police Department to hire another woman beater! This one had done it prior to getting hired, the other one did while in the department. He got promoted to Chief afterwards, so maybe this one will be voted in as Mayor!
• Was it the same girlfriend in the 2007 incident? These women tend to go back to these men, and these men tend to not change their behavior. I hope I'm wrong in this instance.
• well why not slap her around a little, he already got by with it once and he knows hes going to get by with it again, this good ole boy stuff has got to end, people already losing all respect for officers because of the few bad eggs and thats so wrong because theres so many many good and decent ones out there, hopefully she will get her justice but i doubt it and then he can move to another town and be cheif... whats wrong with this picture

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[NYPD] Police Commander Juanita Holmes beaten, injured by estranged husband, Ex-Detective Fowlkes

Deputy Inspector Juanita Holmes wound up in the hospital with broken ribs and her estranged husband, retired Hempstead, L.I., Detective William Fowlkes, was arrested, sources said... A judge gave Holmes, the commander of the 81st Precinct in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, an order of protection against Fowlkes, who bills himself as a "success coach"... "Inspector Holmes is a highly regarded police executive who is the victim of a terrible crime," said Roy Richter, president of the NYPD Captains Endowment Association. "She has the care and support of her friends and co-workers as she recovers from this traumatic act of violence"... Twice-married, she is a 24-year NYPD veteran from a family of cops. Four sisters and a brother are on the force; another brother is a corrections officer; and another is a bounty hunter...

BROOKLYN COP SAVAGELY BEATEN BY ESTRANGED HUSBAND IN LONG ISLAND
New York Post
By Jamie Schram
March 25, 2011
[Excerpts] The commanding officer of Brooklyn’s 81st Precinct was savagely beaten by her estranged husband outside the Long Island home of another man she was visiting, law enforcement sources said. Deputy Inspector Juanita Holmes suffered broken ribs and needed to be hospitalized after Monday’s vicious attack at the hands of her husband, retired Hempstead, LI Detective William Fowlkes, sources said... [Full article here]

TOP NYPD COMMANDER ALLEGEDLY BRUTALLY BEATEN BY HUSBAND
nbcnewyork.com
Fri, Mar 25, 2011
[Excerpts] ...Deputy Inspector Juanita Holmes, a 24-year NYPD veteran, was beaten Monday by her estranged husband, retired Hempstead, L.I., Detective William Fowlkes, officials told the News... A friend heard Holmes' screams and chased Fowlkes away. Suffolk County police arrested Fowlkes Tuesday on charges of misdemeanor assault, trespassing and criminal mischief. Fowlkes was released after arraignment and is scheduled to return to court April 8... The couple had been separated and living in different apartments, officials familiar with the investigation told the News. [Full article here]

NYPD PRECINCT BOSS JUANITA HOLMES BRUTALLY BEATEN BY JEALOUS EX-COP HUSBAND, SOURCES SAY
New York Daily News
By Alison Gendar, Rocco Parascandola and Bill Hutchinson
Marc Fader/City Limits
Friday, March 25th 2011, 4:00 AM
[Excerpts] A top NYPD commander was brutally beaten by her jealous ex-cop husband who suspected she was cheating on him with a detective, sources told the Daily News on Thursday. Deputy Inspector Juanita Holmes wound up in the hospital with broken ribs and her estranged husband, retired Hempstead, L.I., Detective William Fowlkes, was arrested, sources said. Fowlkes, 47, followed Holmes, 46, to the other man's Suffolk County home on Monday and began pummeling her on the front lawn, sources said. Her piercing screams brought Holmes' friend charging out of his house - and he chased Fowlkes away... A judge gave Holmes, the commander of the 81st Precinct in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, an order of protection against Fowlkes, who bills himself as a "success coach"... "Inspector Holmes is a highly regarded police executive who is the victim of a terrible crime," said Roy Richter, president of the NYPD Captains Endowment Association. "She has the care and support of her friends and co-workers as she recovers from this traumatic act of violence"... Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly recently named Holmes to run the 81st Precinct... "She's a good lady, and a good cop and this is a horrible thing to have happened to her," a police source said... It was unclear if Holmes was romantically involved with the man she was visiting - who is a member of the NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force... Twice-married, she is a 24-year NYPD veteran from a family of cops. Four sisters and a brother are on the force; another brother is a corrections officer; and another is a bounty hunter... [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety brutal nypd nyc city cop on cop new york state politics]

[CA] Fired Deputy Mathis' wife says domestic violence never happened & case will be dropped if he completes classes

...Kathy Mathis, the defendant's wife, said her husband [fired Merced County sheriff's deputy Johnny Mathis] never abused her. She works as a correctional officer at the department... "They basically said that I lied and that I didn't want him to get in any trouble," she said. "There was never any type of domestic violence, nothing like that, between the two of us. And that's been from day one"...

PREVIOUS POSTS:

• [CA] Merced County Sheriff's Deputy Johnny Mathis was NOT ARRESTED for domestic assault - ...Prosecutors said an arraignment date will be SENT TO HIS RESIDENCE...
• [CA] Deputy Mathis back on (modified) duty after FIFTH accusation of violence - His most recent victim was his wife. - A Merced County sheriff's deputy [Johnny Mathis] who faces domestic abuse charges for allegedly shoving his wife against a wall [amid other public safety personnel] inside the main jail while on duty has cost the county more than $400,000 in settlements from civil lawsuits alleging excessive force... Lawyers for Ferreira and Mathis told them not to answer questions about steroid use...
• [CA] Deputy Mathis fired but since he was never arrested for attacking wife in front of cops - is this just a strategy? - Merced County Sheriff's Deputy Johnny Mathis attacked his wife, was never arrested, and after a brief bit of time off was back on duty. This "alleged" attack happened in the presence of other officers. I suspect that his firing is actually protecting him from a completed internal investigation. If there's no report and the blue wall of silence kicks in, there will be nothing to keep him from coming back or being hired at another law enforcement agency...

MERCED COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY JOHNNY MATHIS: Charges against Merced ex-deputy may be dropped

Accused of pushing his wife, he'll have to complete counseling to settle case

Merced Sun-Star

By Victor A. Patton

Mar. 24, 2011

[Excerpts] A misdemeanor spousal abuse case against a former Merced County sheriff's deputy will be dismissed, pending his completion of counseling sessions. Johnny Mathis, 38, was accused of pushing his wife, an on-duty dispatcher with the department, while he was in uniform and on duty May 26 of last year at the sheriff's main office, according to the sheriff's report. Not long after the alleged incident, Mathis was fired by the department. Mathis' case was scheduled to go to trial this week. But on Tuesday, his attorney, John Garcia, reached an agreement with the Merced County District Attorney's Office. Under terms of the agreement, the misdemeanor spousal abuse count will be dropped if Mathis completes 12 counseling sessions... Deputy District Attorney Nicole Silveira, the prosecutor, said she reviewed every dimension of the case, but no particular issue stood out in the decision to settle. "After looking at the evidence in the case, we feel this is the appropriate resolution," she said... [Garcia] said his client's wife even denied the allegations of violence. Garcia added that Mathis' wife had stood by him throughout his legal ordeal. Kathy Mathis, the defendant's wife, said her husband never abused her. She works as a correctional officer at the department... "They basically said that I lied and that I didn't want him to get in any trouble," she said. "There was never any type of domestic violence, nothing like that, between the two of us. And that's been from day one." According to sheriff's reports, the alleged pushing incident happened during an argument between Mathis and his wife in front of and inside the sheriff's main office. He allegedly entered the jail and asked to talk to her while she was working. During the argument, he reportedly threw his cell phone on the ground and pushed her. A witness said she was holding her arm and crying after the incident. Mathis, who was in uniform when the incident happened, wasn't arrested... Garcia said his client hopes to resume his law enforcement career... On the flip side, civil lawsuits involving Mathis as a defendant cost the county more than $400,000, after allegations of excessive force... [Full article here]

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence (IPV) abuse law enforcement public safety california cop on dispatcher repeat hx teflon cop on cop]