[NH] Before Police Lt. Flight "retired" amid theft charges the DV allegations against him came to nothing

[Auburn Police Lt. David Flight] was the subject of a domestic violence petition filed by his wife in 2009 that accused him of misfiring his service revolver, sending a bullet into his bedroom mattress.... She also alleged that he had allowed his 11-year-old daughter to handle his loaded service revolver... Mrs. Flight said her husband told her the gun went off accidentally... She called police on June 6, 2009, saying he allegedly threatened her... Flight disputed all of his wife’s allegations...

(You keep a criminal and so of course then a criminal you have.)

From Auburn Police Department
ABOUT US
..."Lieutenant David Flight, retired and moved on to other opportunities"...

EX-WIFE ALLEGED GUN MISUSE AGAINST RETIRED AUBURN OFFICER
New Hampshire Union Leader
By Pat Grossmith
September 30. 2012 11:46PM
[Excerpts] A retired Auburn police lieutenant, accused of stealing a rifle from the police station evidence room, was the subject of a domestic violence petition filed by his wife in 2009 that accused him of misfiring his service revolver, sending a bullet into his bedroom mattress.... She also alleged that he had allowed his 11-year-old daughter to handle his loaded service revolver... Mrs. Flight said her husband told her the gun went off accidentally... She called police on June 6, 2009, saying he allegedly threatened her as she was preparing for her daughter’s wedding, showed up at the wedding uninvited and later came to their home... Flight was never charged criminally in connection with the domestic violence incident... In divorce documents, Mrs. Flight said she had grave concerns with Flight’s ability to properly parent their child because of anger management issues. Flight disputed all of his wife’s allegations and, in court papers, told her to prove them... The court approved joint custody... [LINK]

FROM EARLIER IN SEPTEMBER:

FORMER AUBURN OFFICER INDICTED FOR THEFT
Union Leader
By James A. Kimble
September 13. 2012 1:23AM
[Excerpts] An Auburn police lieutenant who retired in 2010 after an internal investigation into missing evidence has been indicted on felony theft charges, according to prosecutors... [David Flight] was indicted on felony counts of receiving stolen property and theft by unauthorized taking for allegedly stealing a Remington 30-06 rifle from a police department evidence room... [Assistant Attorney General Ben] Agati said he could not elaborate on details of the case, or how the attorney general came to investigate Flight two years after his departure from the department. Neither the police nor town officials ever said what was missing from the department’s evidence room. Auburn Town Administrator Bill Herman said Wednesday that the 2010 probe did not deal with a stolen firearm... Flight was a 21-year-veteran of the department who handled the department’s prosecutions. He left under a separation agreement that paid him $17,053.27... [LINK]

FROM 2010:

INVESTIGATION ENDS, AUBURN OFFICER QUITS
Author: IAPE
September 21, 2010
[Excerpts] A 21-year police department vet­eran has resigned after a three-week-long internal investigation into missing evidence. The police commission met in non­public session yesterday and accepted Lt. David Flight’s resignation. Few details were released about the investigation, which began when an officer noticed missing evidence. Flight had supervisory authority over the evidence room. According to a news release from the department, “the investigation, which is now concluded, did not result in actionable findings.” Flight had been placed on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation. The police commission met with town counsel yesterday before entering into the non­public session. Commission Chairman Ken Robinson, Sr., said the board agreed to accept the terms of a separation agreement with Flight, but would not give details of that agreement. Police Chief Edward Picard would not say what evidence was missing. He said no action was taken against anyone else in the 21-member department, which includes 10 part-timers and seven full-timers, as well as civilian staff. Town Administrator Bill Herman said Picard made the decision to do an internal investigation instead of referring the matter to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. Flight served as the prosecutor for the police department and also assisted the county attorney and AG’s office in preparing criminal cases for felony-level offenses that occurred in the town of Auburn. The police commission had been scheduled to meet Oct. 5, but met in a special session yesterday... [LINK]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal repeat hx history new hampshire state politics]

[PA] Ex Altoona Police Detective Zahradnik is STILL causing his ex-wife to live in fear

...A former Altoona police detective, is accused of following his ex-wife and the couple's two children for about an hour Tuesday evening with the wife telling police that Zahradnik has kept her in constant fear of "his anger"...

ALTOONA POLICE DETECTIVE CRAIG ZAHRADNIK WAS ALLOWED TO "RETIRE" IN 2010 AFTER OMINOUS DOMESTIC EVENTS. LEAVING HIS JOB HELPS HIS DEPARTMENT, MAY HELP TO PROTECT THE GENERAL PUBLIC, BUT IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO PROTECT HIS EX OR KIDS. 

...He was pulled over by police with a large knife and gloves on the passenger seat of his car. Zahradnik was never charged with a crime after a state police investigation and retired after the alleged incident...

THE LETHAL DANGER IS SO CLEAR. 

[FORMER ALTOONA POLICE DETECTIVE] PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR ACCUSED OF STALKING EX-WIFE: Woman in ‘constant fear’ of suspect’s anger, police say
The Altoona Mirror
By Greg Bock
September 27, 2012
[Excerpts] An Altoona private investigator is free on bail after his arrest for allegedly stalking his ex-wife. Craig G. Zahradnik, 39, of 504 56th St., a former Altoona police detective, is accused of following his ex-wife and the couple's two children for about an hour Tuesday evening with the wife telling police that Zahradnik has kept her in constant fear of "his anger" according to charges filed by Altoona police... Zahradnik allegedly called Altoona police on his ex-wife at 7:56 p.m. to have officers check on the welfare of the woman and the two children, according to court records. It was immediately apparent after arriving at Zahradnik's ex-wife's home that the call was unfounded, and the woman told officers Zahradnik had followed her and the children for the last hour in his car... he stayed on her tail as she weaved through city and Logan Township streets. The woman called 911 and met with Allegheny Township officers in the Walmart parking lot... Zahradnik's ex-wife, along with her father and the children, returned to her home. As they neared an intersection close to her home at around 8 p.m., Zahradnik was spotted again... Zahradnik was arrested without incident at his home about 4 a.m. Wednesday, Altoona police said. Zahradnik currently operates Zahradnik Investigations in Altoona and retired as an Altoona police corporal after a run-in with police in October 2010. In that alleged incident, one where charges were never filed by state police investigators, Zahradnik's ex-wife claimed in an application for a protection-from-abuse order that he had called her, while drinking, and threatened to kill a male friend of hers before killing himself. When Zahradnik was taken into custody near his ex-wife's home late Oct. 9, 2010, state police noted he had a 14-inch kitchen knife and gloves on the front passenger seat of his car, records show. The records from that alleged incident indicated Zahradnik was taken to a mental health facility after his detainment by police but no charges were ever filed. [LINK]

FROM 2010 AND 2012 COMMENTS ON THE WEB: 

...Wow! Traveling in his car with a 14 inch kitchen knife and gloves on the passenger seat. This guy really has to be nuts. Too bad he didn't get charged....

...and yet he will get away with it again, he once told her, I have to many connections and you will never date or be with another man, numerous calls to 911 have been made by the family and yet Sgt Gibbons and Chief Freehling will and have covered up for him, yes he will fight the charges and will get off without any punishment  he stalks her, he makes threats all the time and he checks her phones records and texts, he drives by her house daily, his kids have witnessed him beating her, he has taken his service weapon out and put it to her head and threatened to kill her, when does it stop, it seems no one will help her at all, he is above the law and always will be, check his cell phone for calls and texts, very vulgur stuff, but his excuse will be, just checking on my kids. haha it will never end, this is only the beginning, see APD didnt want to fire him, so they gave him the option to retire since he was vested, so he wouldn't have any bad marks on his record. when does it end?...

...He needs some mental health advice, because this dude is going to kill that woman. I don't care what she did or what he did, it's over and they are split, it's time for him to be a man and move on, but still try to be a part of his children's lives without all the drama. This is just another case of men not being men, this generation has no idea how to be manly...

...Again this is sick - He was arrested taken to mental health and yet still allowed to practice as a PI and carry a weapon? Justice needs to be served - put him where he belongs, throw away the key...

...I hope like*****the police actually do something to stop this before anything bad happens. If not for her sake, for the sake of their children...

...Very ironic he's in trouble again for the same thing. I can remember back in 2010 he was kicked off the altoona police force for stalking his wife. They found a knife and ski mask on him I believe. Just shows how they protect their own. Slap on the wrist. He's a sick individual who needs to be punished before it's too late...


...APD's top brass and other ranking officers need to quit worrying about who is "leaking" information out from the department and focus on the problems they have going on in house. The public knows alot about what is going in and they are tired of the cover-ups and hidden incidents involving their officers. This is called "selective enforcement"...

...I was no surprised when i woke to see this article on the front page. when he was a cop for APD I had a inappropriate experience with him that was totally unethical as a police officer to do to a woman, especially while he was married with a new son. I reported it to the APD who put me thru 4 hrs of questioning & a stress test only to " shove it under the rug" The standards of the APD are sadly inappropriate & I also know for a fact he was letting woman go for traffic violations in exchange for sexual favors. his attitude was cocky & his status went to his head. I pray he will never carry a gun again & be disbarred as a police officer/detective "DICK" I was left embarrassed that I TOOK THE step to report his actions only to be told "he did nothing wrong. well, they believed him ,see where he is now! what does that say for him ? I believe his jealousy would have cost his x's new man his life. he wasn't worried about her when he was out running around...


EARLIER ARTICLES

DETECTIVE BEING INVESTIGATED: Order says officer contacted ex-wife and made threats
The Altoona Mirror
By Greg Bock
October 15, 2010
[Excerpts] An Altoona police detective is under investigation by state police after he was allegedly found with a 14-inch knife and gloves on his passenger seat after a series of threatening phone calls to his ex-wife last weekend. The ex-wife of Cpl. Craig Zahradnik made the accusations in her petition for a protection-from-abuse order she received after Saturday's alleged incident... The application for an emergency order, which was granted by a magisterial district judge, shows Zahradnik didn't threaten his ex-wife or their two children, but that Zahradnik called his ex-wife to tell her he was going to kill himself before calling back and threatening to go after a male friend of the woman... As his ex-wife tried to reach her friend, Zahradnik allegedly showed up at her house and pounded on the door. His ex-wife noted she hid until he left and called family members, who called 911. Zahradnik then called his ex-wife's house phone, but the woman said she didn't answer it because she "was afraid if I answered I would set his plan in motion that he may be trying to hurt himself," the PFA application states. She also pointed out Zahradnik has "many guns" at his home, and she was afraid he would hurt himself. Zahradnik was "picked up around 11 p.m." near his ex-wife's home and that he was taken to the Altoona Police Department, court documents state... His ex-wife said Zahradnik "has had a drinking problem for many years, and I do feel that it escalated the situation"... State police are investigating a terroristic threats incident in the city on Oct. 9, but that was all Trooper Jeff Petucci, a spokesman for Troop G, Hollidaysburg, said he could say about the case... Zahradnik was taken to a mental health facility after the incident. No criminal charges had been filed as of Thursday. A call to Altoona Police Chief Janice Freehling concerning the incident, the department's handling of Zahradnik's arrest and his status on the police force was unreturned.... [LINK]

CASES TARNISHING LOCAL POLICE FORCE
The Altoona Mirror
December 12, 2010
[Excerpts] ...Last month, a protection-from-abuse case against another Altoona police officer, Cpl. Craig Zahradnik, was continued after the officer's lawyer asked for 30 days to work out a settlement between Zahradnik and his ex-wife. Zahradnik is under investigation by state police at Hollidaysburg for terroristic threats. Zahradnik was taken into custody Oct. 9 near his ex-wife's house after police found a knife and gloves on the front seat of his vehicle. He was placed under a temporary PFA for threatening harm to his ex-wife's male friend... It's very difficult for a police force to uphold the law when its own members have trouble obeying it. [LINK]

MEMO MAY SHOW APD INVOLVEMENT IN COVER-UP: Judge’s opinion implies information may have been withheld about fight
The Altoona Mirror
By Phil Ray and Greg Bock
September 14, 2012
[Excerpts] Altoona police memos allegedly indicate that the alleged cover-up of a brawl at Pellegrine's Lounge more than two years ago... One of those memos, according to an opinion issued two weeks ago by Blair County Judge Timothy M. Sullivan, "references the withholding of information by Chief [Janice] Freehling." The memo, written by retired city detective Craig Zahradnik, does not elaborate about what may have been withheld... Zahradnik declined Thursday to provide about the details of the sealed memos to the Mirror. He cited the newspaper's unwillingness to remove negative news stories about him from its website detailing an alleged incident four months after the Pellegrine's fight. Zahradnik's ex-wife accused him in a protection-from-abuse order of making drunken threats against a male friend of hers the night he was pulled over by police with a large knife and gloves on the passenger seat of his car. Zahradnik was never charged with a crime after a state police investigation and retired after the alleged incident. "I'm not talking about anything right now. ... I'm not talking to anybody about anything," he said... [LINK]

 [police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal terroristic threatening children pennsylvania state politics]

[FL] Jury finds Avon Police Officer Parker did murder his girlfriend's toddler, Kaedyn Short

..."Kaedyn Short could not be here. She can not take the stand and tell you what [Former Avon Park police officer James] Parker did to her that night. But she has spoken to you. She should have been the safest little girl in the world. Her mama was a nurse and her mama's boyfriend was a police officer. Nothing should have happened to that little girl"...

Parker was sentenced immediately after the trial to life without parole on the 1st degree murder charge and to 30 years on the aggravated child abuse charge.

... Did you ever hear Mr. Parker threaten one of the three children he was babysitting, Assistant State Attorney Steve Houchin asked? "Yes," replied William Ward, who worked with Parker at the Avon Park Police Department. "When she was asleep." Parker looked at Kaedyn and said, "I beat the s--- out of you," Ward testified. "And he looked up at me and smiled"... 

PREVIOUS POSTS:

• [FL] Officer Parker - reinstated after domestic violence - now accused of putting girlfriend's toddler in critical condition
• [FL] The 1 year old that REINSTATED Avon Park Police Officer James Parker was babysitting - "Baby Hope" Kaedyn Short - has died
• [FL] Officer Parker, previously reinstated after domestic violence charge, now charged with 1st degree murder
• [FL] Update on the death of baby Kaedyn Short
• [FL] Ex-Officer Parker re-indicted for the death of his girlfriend's toddler, Kaedyn Short

Kaedyn died when she was taken off of life support, on May 27 2009.

Excerpts from news September 12th through September 26th, 2012:

JAMES HILTON PARKER III TRIAL
Highlands Today
By Gary Pinnell
Published: September 12, 2012
[Excerpts] The first witness set the tone and context for James Hilton Parker's murder trial. Did you ever hear Mr. Parker threaten one of the three children he was babysitting, Assistant State Attorney Steve Houchin asked? "Yes," replied William Ward, who worked with Parker at the Avon Park Police Department. "When she was asleep." Parker looked at Kaedyn and said, "I beat the s--- out of you," Ward testified. "And he looked up at me and smiled"... Parker, now 36, is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse. Houchin said Kaedyn, the daughter of Jennifer Short, had so many skull fractures they couldn't be counted when she died in May 2009... Short, a nurse who lived with Parker until they were arrested, was also charged with two felonies: neglect of a child with great bodily harm, and failure to report child abuse within the home... Asked to describe Kaedyn's nature, Short said the toddler was sweet and loving and liked to be held... She didn't want to leave her children with Parker after arguing on the night of March 29, 2009, when she went to work at 7 p.m. at Highlands Regional Medical Center. She unsuccessfully called at least three potential babysitters... Parker didn't want to go to hospital, and Short had to insist... Finally, Parker drove Short and Kaedyn to Highlands Regional, and Short screamed for help. "They got her into the ER and started working on her," Short's voice choked. Afterward, did Short ask Parker what happened? "He had two versions of that," Short said. Kaedyn fell over a pile of laundry and hit her head. She held her breath until she stopped breathing. And then a third version, that Kaedyn fell from the top of a bunk bed, and a fourth, that she stumbled on the carpet and hit her head on the laptop... "There was a lot of bleeding," Houchin said. "The brain was swelling. She had at least two strokes. The brain is in an enclosed container, and it was compressing the brain stem." Surgeons had to remove a portion of the skull plate and a portion of the baby's brain. Eventually, Kaedyn was moved to a hospice. She never regained consciousness, and Short decided after six weeks to disconnect life support. Parker could not explain why Kaedyn had so many skull fractures, blackened "raccoon eyes" and significant chest bruises, Houchin contended... [Full article here]

PARKER TRIAL: DOCTORS DESCRIBE TODDLER'S MEDICAL CONDITION
Highlands Today
By Pallavi Agarwal
Published: September 13, 2012
[Excerpts] Two physicians who treated 20-month-old Kaedyn Short for severe brain injuries in March 2009 testified Thursday that she was unresponsive and very close to brain death when they attended to her... The 11-woman, three-man jury heard testimony from three medical practitioners involved in the case... "The prognosis after the surgery was very poor. Three-quarters of her brain was dead and she was likely to be vegetative." [Full article here]

PARKER TRIAL: DOCTOR SAYS KAEDYN'S INJURY NOT FROM FALL
NewsSun.com
By Samantha Gholar
Sunday, September 16, 2012
[Excerpts] A handful of witnesses took the stand Friday during the third day of former Avon Park police officer James Parker's murder trial including two medical doctors and a local detective... "Doctor, in regard to the fractures in the skull, was there more than one?"  [Assistant State Attorney Steve]Houchin asked. "It was a comminuted fracture. In other words there were multiple pieces of the fracture. It was a multiple fragment fracture," [Pediatric radiologist Ronald] Glass said. Glass stated that the fractures all appeared to have occurred around the same time due to the manner of the swelling. Glass also stated that the fractures were all acute fractures, meaning the injuries were from a one-time occurrence, not multiple or repeated stress of the bone. "In your opinion, are these the type of fracture that a small child will get if they simply fall on the floor?" Houchin asked. "No," Glass replied. "What about fall and hit their head on a laptop computer?" "No." "What about falling off a bunk bed? "No." "And why not?" asked Houchin. "Skull fractures are rare. Children play and fall all of the time. It's very rare that you see fractures," Glass stated... [Full article here]

PARKER TRIAL: DOCTOR SAYS KAEDYN'S INJURY NOT FROM FALL
NewsSun.com
By Samantha Gholar
Sunday, September 16, 2012
[Excerpts] A handful of witnesses took the stand Friday during the third day of former Avon Park police officer James Parker's murder trial including two medical doctors and a local detective. Assistant State Attorney Steve Houchin opened the floodgates on the graphic details of the death investigation of 20-month-old Kaedyn Short, which began on March 28, 2009. Short was the daughter of Parker's live-in girlfriend at the time, Jennifer Short... Parker, 36, is now being tried for first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse... According to Parker's deposition taken the morning after the incident, Kaedyn was a "clumsy kid"... [Kaedyn] Short was taken to Highlands Regional Medical Center and was quickly flown to All Children's' Hospital in St. Petersburg due to multiple skull fractures and brain injuries... Three exhibits, two audio and one video, were presented to the jury, which is made up of three men and 11 women. The first audio was an unofficial recording of [Highlands County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Unit Detective Tyrone] Tyson's discussion with Parker during the early hours of March 29, 2009... Throughout the recording, Parker stated that Kaedyn fell down numerous times after being woken up to have her diaper changed... [Full article here]

PARKER DEFENSE REFUTES CLAIMS SHORT'S INJURIES WERE NOT CAUSE BY FALL
NewsSun.com
By Samantha Gholar
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
[Excerpts] Defense attorney Howardene Garrett brought a couple of witnesses to the stand during James Parker's trial Tuesday morning that built up their theory about the cause of death of 20-month-old Kaedyn Short in 2009... Garrett introduced Dr. Edward Willey, a former medical examiner who currently works as a medical doctor and consultant. Willey testified that he did not agree with All Children's Hospital pathologist Dr. Hector Monforte's medical report, which was revealed to jurors on Friday... The doctor also disagreed with Dr. Ronald Glass's testimony Friday that Short's skull fractures were acute. Assistant State Attorney Steve Houchin cross examined Willey, asking for a number of clarifications to Willey's testimony... "You have not ever seen injuries such as this to a child's head from household falls?" Houchin asked. "I'm not sure I've seen anything as extensive as this from a household fall. But I have seen falls from upper bunks that are almost as severe," Willey said... Following Willey, the defense team brought Dr. William Lee to the stand. Lee is a professor of biomechanical engineering and medicine at University of South Florida. He works in a number of areas, and is an expert in injury biomechanics and accident reconstruction... Lee could not, however, give his opinion as to whether such a fall could cause such severe injuries to Short and cause death... [Full article here]

PARKER SENTENCED TO LIFE
Highlands Today
By Gary Pinnell
Published: September 20, 2012
[Excerpts] Jurors faced one inescapable conclusion in the trial of James Parker. The former Avon Park police officer, 36, was home with 22-month-old Kaedyn Short. Only his 5-year-old daughter and his girlfriend's 5-year-old daughter were present. And the toddler died of multiple head concussions... It took the jury six hours to determine Wednesday night that Parker was guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse. Parker was sentenced on the spot by retired Circuit Court Judge Dennis Maloney to life without parole on the murder charge, and 30 years to be served concurrently on the child abuse charge... The defense was unable to get around the X-rays of Kaedyn's skull, Houchin said Thursday. They showed multiple, separate fractures. One was so severe, it crushed the child's skull. "They were all on that night," Houchin said. She would not have survived any of the fractures shown in the X-rays if they had come days or weeks earlier. Parker's friend William Ward testified that Parker had once said "I beat the s--- out of you" to the little girl in Ward's presence. "He admitted he was there alone with her, and it wasn't an accident," Houchin said. "There were multiple blows." When Parker was called to the stand by the defense, he denied that he struck the girl, but ultimately, the jury believed the prosecutor's statements, evidence and witnesses... [Full article here]

PARKER GUILTY OF BOTH CHARGES
NewsSun.com
By Samantha Gholar
Friday, September 21, 2012
[Excerpts] Former Avon Park police officer James Parker III was found guilty of first degree murder and aggravated child abuse on Wednesday. Parker was sentenced to 30 years on each count, the sentences to run concurrently. After five hours of deliberation, the jury decided that Parker's actions on March 28, 2009 caused the multiple skull fractures that resulted in the death of 20-month-old Kaedyn Short. Kaedyn died on May 27 of that year after being taken off life support. Before the jury got the case on Wednesday, Parker, 36, spoke to jurors and the full courtroom about his account of what happened to Kaedyn, the daughter of his former live-in girlfriend Jennifer Short. Parker had stated numerous times during interrogations and interviews that Kaedyn was a "clumsy" child. The night of the incident, Short left Parker alone with Kaedyn and the two other girls in their home... The couple had had an argument... "Mr. Parker, you think Kaedyn tripped and fell, but you didn't see that... And you didn't see the second fall? You didn't hear any glass breaking or anything like that?" "No, sir." "So Kaedyn was walking back to her bed, after you changed her diaper, and she fell down?" "Yes," Parker replied. "I heard a fall, but it wasn't a typical thump on the carpet. It was a fall where she might have hit something"... Houchin accused Parker of giving "varying accounts" of the incident. Other witnesses, including Jennifer Short and Highlands County Sheriff's Office detective Tyrone Tyson, also stated that Parker's account had different variables to it... Parker testified that he did not call an ambulance, 911 or take Kaedyn to the emergency room even though she was going limp and slipping into unconsciousness as he cradled her in the chair after exiting the bathroom with the toddler. "Had I seen something different I would have called 911. If I thought her condition was an emergency, I would have," Parker said. Jennifer Short arrived a few minutes after Parker called her home. According to Short's testimony Kaedyn was "unconscious, limp and pale." "She turned the lights on in the house when she (Jennifer) came in so she saw something differently than what I saw," Parker explained. "So you're telling us that you hadn't even turned the lights on to look at Kaedyn to see what her condition was?" Houchin asked. Parker stated that he sat with the child in his arms and examined her in the light from the television. "I didn't feel it was an emergency. I didn't feel it was anything out of the ordinary," Parker said... During his closing statement, Houchin said, "Kaedyn Short could not be here. She can not take the stand and tell you what Parker did to her that night. But she has spoken to you. She should have been the safest little girl in the world. Her mama was a nurse and her mama's boyfriend was a police officer. Nothing should have happened to that little girl." Garrett closed her case with these words: "Nothing will ever be the same for anyone. Even if your verdict is not guilty, his life will never be the same. It is a tragedy for everyone. We know that he loves and is proud of Kaedyn. He said that to your faces. The prosecution has brought drama to this courtroom. It is to distract you from looking at the law. I ask you to look at the evidence and what it proves and does not prove." Nearly 10 doctors and expert witnesses testified during the trial to give details, some gruesome and hard to interpret, of what they believed to have caused the injuries that lead to Kaedyn's death. Judge Dennis Maloney reminded the three-man, nine-woman jury to do their duty when making the verdict. Jennifer Short, 28, was indicted in June of 2009 for not reporting child abuse, and failure to secure medical services/ failure to protect a child from child abuse. Her trial is scheduled for later in the year. [Full article here]

PARKER'S ATTORNEYS ARE APPEALING: Former cop was convicted Wednesday in child’s death
Highlands Today
By Gary Pinnell
September 22, 2012
[Excerpts] The public defender's office is already preparing the paperwork for the appeal of James Parker III, convicted Wednesday in the murder of 22-month-old Kaedyn Short. Parker, 36, a former Avon Park police officer, was driven Friday morning to the Department of Corrections' Central Florida Reception Center in Orlando, said Major David Paeplow at Highlands County Jail. Parker's attorney, Howardene Garrett, said other attorneys in the 10th Circuit Public Defenders Office will handle the appeal... The three-judge appeals panel will decide if sufficient evidence existed to convict Parker, but it won't reweigh that evidence, Garrett said. Instead, appeals are based on judicial errors that may have occurred, which could win Parker a new trial. Parker was sentenced immediately after the trial to life without parole on the murder charge and 30 years on the child abuse charge... [Full article here]

FREEDOM EFFORTS RENEWED
Highlands Today
By Marc Valero
September 26, 2012
[Excerpts] The recent murder conviction of former Avon Park Police Officer James Parker has prompted a renewed effort to free Michael Diaz, who is serving five years in prison for battery on a law enforcement officer. League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Civil Rights Commissioner Victor Valdes told a gathering Monday afternoon that Parker accused Diaz of attacking him, which led to Diaz's five-year prison sentence. Parker's employment records show several problems against him, Valdes noted. "But the chief didn't pay attention to us," Valdez said. Just a few months later Parker killed a 20-month-old child... "We hope now that Sheriff (Susan) Benton and the state attorney will review the Diaz case in order to find what we are denouncing — police brutality against a Hispanic family"... An Avon Park Police report states that Parker, who was off duty, said that Diaz and his sister were involved in a domestic dispute. Parker attempted to intervene when Diaz struck him several times in back of the head. Diaz was sentenced Feb. 4, 2009, to five years in prison after pleading "no contest"... Parker was arrested March 29, 2009, after being charged with aggravated child abuse of the 20-month-old baby girl of his live-in girlfriend. After his arrest in 2009, Highlands Today checked Parker's personnel file, which showed he had five commendations as well as four disciplinary notices. On July 7, 2008, Parker was suspended without pay for two days when he was found to be incompetent or inefficient in the performance of his duties. There were problems reported regarding evidence collected on 19 different criminal cases dating back to April of 2008, a disciplinary notice stated. [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder conviction toddler children child abuse florida state politics false imprisonment framed coverup]

Fox In The Henhouse: A Study Of Police Officers Arrested For Crimes Associated With Domestic And/Or Family Violence

FOX IN THE HENHOUSE: A STUDY OF POLICE OFFICERS ARRESTED FOR CRIMES ASSOCIATED WITH DOMESTIC AND/OR FAMILY VIOLENCE; Philip Matthew Stinson, Sr. and John Liederbach, University of Pennsylvania - Criminal Justice Policy Review published online 28 August 2012 - Supported by Award No. 2011-IJ-CX-0024, awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U. S. Department of Justice [LINK]

[EXCERPTS]

On the afternoon of April 26, 2003 Tacoma (WA) Police Chief David Brame shot and killed his estranged wife Crystal and then himself in front of their two young children in the parking lot of a local strip-mall...

... There are no comprehensive statistics available on OIDV, and no government entity collects data on the criminal conviction of police officers for crimes associated with domestic and/or family violence...

... There have been a small number of studies based on data derived from self-administered officer surveys that estimate the prevalence of OIDV; but, the self-report method is limited by the tendency to provide socially desirable responses, as well as the interests of officers to maintain a “code of silence” to both protect their careers and keep episodes of violence within their families hidden from scrutiny. The purpose of the current study is to provide empirical data on OIDV cases. Our research identifies and describes incidents in which police were arrested for criminal offenses associated with an incident of family and/or domestic violence through a content analysis of published newspaper articles...

... More broadly, our aim is to provide information on actual OIDV cases to inform policies and further initiatives designed to mitigate the problem...

... The literature on OIDV is replete with anecdotes that underscore the occupationally derived etiology of violence within police families, but there have been very few empirical studies designed to estimate the prevalence of OIDV—all of them based on self-administered surveys of police and/or their spouses. Johnson (1991) reported that 40% of responding officers admitted that they had behaved violently toward their spouse at least once during the previous six months, and 20% of the spouses in a concurrent survey reported that their spouse had abused either them or their children in the previous six months. Neidig, Russell, and Seng (1992) and Neidig, Seng, and Russell (1992) reported that 41% of responding male officers admitted that at least one incident of physical aggression occurred in their marital relationship during the previous year, and 8% of those reported the occurrence of “severe” physical aggression including choking, strangling, and/or the use or threatened use of a knife or gun (Neidig, Russell, et al., 1992, p. 32). These studies reported significantly higher rates of domestic violence among officers who were currently divorced or separated from their spouses. Gershon (2000, 2009) reports much lower rates of self-reported physical abuse (less than 10%) among officers in the only study that utilizes police surveys to estimate the prevalence of OIDV since enactment of the Lautenberg Amendment (1996). Lonsway (2006) suggests that enactment of the amendment and associated penalties that would presumably end the career of any officer convicted of a domestic violence crime may exacerbate the tendency to underreport OIDV in self-report questionnaires...

... Data for the present study were collected as part of a larger study on police crime. The larger study was designed to locate cases in which sworn law enforcement officers had been arrested for any type of criminal offense(s). Data were derived from published news articles using the Google News search engine and its Google Alerts email update service. Automated daily queries of the Google News search engine can be performed with user-defined search terms previously entered into the Google Alerts application. The Google Alerts tool sends an automated email message that notifies the user whenever the daily search identifies news articles that match the designated search terms. The automated alert contains a link to the URL for the news article. The larger study on police crime identified 2,119 criminal cases that involved the arrest of 1,746 sworn officers during the period of January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2007. The arrested officers were employed by 1,047 nonfederal law enforcement agencies representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia...

... The criminal charge(s) in some cases of family and/or domestic violence identified in the larger study clearly did not correspond to the underlying nature of the criminal act(s) described in the news articles—a situation that suggests preferential charging decisions were made either as a professional courtesy and/or to protect the arrested officer from penalties associated with the Lautenberg Amendment (1996) that bars any person convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence from possessing a gun...

... The research team located and printed news articles after the Google Alerts tool sent an automated email message indicating that the daily news searches had identified an article(s) that matched one of 48 search terms. These articles were examined for relevancy and archived for subsequent coding and analyses. Each of the 2,119 criminal cases identified in the larger study were coded in terms of the (a) arrested officer, (b) each of the charged offenses, (c) employing agency, (d) victim characteristics and (e) organizational outcomes and criminal case dispositions...

... There are three primary limitations of these data. First, our research is limited by the content and quality of information provided on each case. The amount of information on each case varied, and data for some of the variables of interest were missing for some of the cases. Second, the data are limited to cases that involved an official arrest. We do not have any data on OIDV cases that did not come to the attention of police, nor do we have information on cases that did not result in an arrest. Finally, it should be recognized that these data are the result of a filtering process that includes the exercise of discretion by media sources in terms of both the types of stories covered and the nature of the content devoted to particular stories (Carlson, 2007)...

... The news searches identified 324 cases in which police were arrested for a criminal offense associated with an incident of OIDV. The cases involved the arrest of 281 officers employed by 226 law enforcement agencies. Some of the officers had multiple criminal cases (n = 43) and/or multiple victims (n = 24). There were 70 OIDV cases during 2005, 116 cases in 2006, and 138 cases in 2007. The percentage of total police crimes that were OIDV cases remained relatively stable from 2005 (17.2%) to 2007 (16%). The remainder of this section is organized in four parts...

... Officer involved domestic violence (OIDV) has emerged as an important issue for criminal justice scholars, practitioners, and citizens in the wake of the high-profile murder of police spouse Crystal Brame and the enactment of laws and policies designed to identify and punish violence in police families...

... OIDV victims are distinguished from other domestic violence victims because the abuser is among those expected to enforce domestic violence statutes; a “fox in the henhouse” problem described by Ammons (2005) in her essay on the topic and utilized in our title phrase to underscore the unique vulnerabilities of OIDV victims who have “nowhere to go, no way to escape, and very few people to protect them” (p. 30). The problem defies easy solutions, but Florida’s innovative Law Enforcement Families Partnership (LEFP) offers practical strategies to address some of the problems encountered by OIDV victims in their Model Policy on Officer-Involved Domestic Violence (2010; Oehme & Martin, 2011; Oehme et al., 2011). The policy advocates prevention through collaboration between police agencies and domestic violence advocacy organizations...

... In this study only 32% of convicted officers who had been charged with misdemeanor domestic assault are known to have lost their jobs as police officers. Of course, it is possible that news sources did not report other instances where officers were terminated or quit; but, many of the police convicted of misdemeanor domestic assault are known to be still employed as sworn law enforcement officers who routinely carry firearms daily even though doing so is a violation of the Lautenberg Amendment prohibition punishable by up to ten years in federal prison. Equally troubling is the fact that many of the officers identified in our study committed assault-related offenses but were never charged with a specific Lautenberg-qualifying offense. In numerous instances, officers received professional courtesies of very favorable plea bargains where they readily agreed to plead guilty to any offense that did not trigger the firearm prohibitions of the Lautenberg Amendment...

... This project was supported by Award No. 2011-IJ-CX-0024, awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U. S. Department of Justice...

[ND] Former officer McGlaughlin who murdered girlfriend Henrietta in '88 getting out early for good behavior

Henrietta Redleg was the mother 

of three young children 

when her life was stolen 

on May 26, 1988.

Former Bismarck Police Officer Guy McGlaughlin, who murdered his girlfriend Henrietta Redleg, will be released from prison about December of 2013. He will have served about 25 years of his 40 year sentence. Henrietta's brother says that McGlaughlin was angry because Henrietta had just ended her relationship with him. After McGlaughlin fatally shot Henrietta in the back with his service weapon he called work, told them what he had done, and was arrested. 

[red leg police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder north dakota state politics]

[CA] Retired Officer Pierini charged with domestic violence felonies

Opting to not post his photo here.

RETIRED OFFICER PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO THREATENING WIFE WITH GUN
San Mateo Daily Journal
September 06, 2012
[Excerpts] A retired police officer found with a loaded gun and 13 other firearms when South San Francisco police responded to reports he had threatened to kill his wife pleaded not guilty to several felonies including assault with a semi-automatic weapon. Leo Pierini, 55, is also charged with domestic violence, false imprisonment and making criminal threats... The woman told police after an argument he grabbed her hair and pushed her to the ground where he held the semi-automatic Ruger to her face and said "I could snap your neck" and "I could kill you right now"... A prosecution request to increase bail was denied. [LINK]

LEO PIERINI LINKEDIN EXCERPTS:
Instructor at San Francisco Regional Law Enforcement Academy... California Law Enforcement Columbia Association... San Francisco Regional Law Enforcement Academy... State Fugitive Team, Office of Correctional Safety... California Department of Corrections... Pacifica Police Officer... San Francisco Patrol Officer... [LINK]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal terroristic threats california state politics]