[SC] DUI charges dropped for Officer Simmons - who crashed his cruiser & was fired after fight with his girlfriend

...Investigators said Simmons had gotten into a fight with his girlfriend and then hit a tree in his police car. After his arrest, Simmons was fired from his job as a police officer...

I have no idea what kind of "fight" he had.

DUI CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST FORMER POLICE OFFICER
wyff4
April 29, 2009

ANDERSON, S.C. -- A DUI case against a former Pickens Police officer was dropped on Wednesday.

Former Officer Irving "Rocky" Simmons appeared in court in Anderson for his trial on a drunken driving charge from 2007.

Simmons was arrested on Dec. 31, 2007 after an accident.

Investigators said Simmons had gotten into a fight with his girlfriend and then hit a tree in his police car.

After his arrest, Simmons was fired from his job as a police officer.

The state trooper who had cited Simmons for DUI did not appear in court on Wednesday, leading the judge to drop the charges in the case.

[CO] Denver KEPT suicidal & shooting Officer Kachina McAlexander - and GUESS WHAT!

...According to the Denver Post, McAlexander faced weapons charges in 2006 after firing at a television and at the walls of her home in Adams County. Like last week's incident, McAlexander was reportedly suicidal at the time...

There are more ways to help someone than put them back on the job. Maybe every state should have a special division for retraining resigned officers and helping them find a less stressful, unarmed new job.

ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST POLICE WOMAN WHO FIRED AT OFFICERS
But aggravated assault charges remain.
Rapid City Journal
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
A Denver woman who shot at Custer sheriff's deputies and a state Highway Patrol officer who were checking on her well-being will not face attempted murder charges. Kachina McAlexander, 31, a 10-year veteran of the Denver Police Department, still faces three charges of aggravated assault against law enforcement, a felony carrying a steeper penalty... McAlexander was originally charged with three counts of attempted second-degree murder and the alternate counts of aggravated assault against law enforcement after an incident at a Custer motel in late March. The attempted murder charges were eliminated at a hearing this week before 7th Circuit Magistrate Judge Mark Marshall. Officers were summoned to the hotel after learning that McAlexander could be suicidal. When they arrived, McAlexander allegedly fired shots at the officers... [Custer County State's Attorney Tracey] Kelley said McAlexander has committed a crime and must be held accountable. McAlexander's next court appearance is a June 4 arraignment on aggravated assault charges. She remains free on a $50,000 bond. [Full article here]

EARLIER ARTICLES: PSYCHOLOGIST CLEARS DENVER OFFICER TO LEAVE JAIL
9NEWS
posted by: Jeffrey Wolf written by: Kyle Clark
Apr 1, 2009
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - A Denver Police officer accused of shooting at other officers during a suicidal episode is not dangerous, according to a psychologist. Thirty-one-year-old Officer Kachina McAlexander of Aurora, a 10-year Denver Police veteran, is on unpaid leave from her job... charged with three counts of attempted second-degree murder and three alternate counts of aggravated assault. Authorities say Highway Patrol Trooper Todd Albertson and Custer County deputies Frank Kistler and Derek Booker found McAlexander with a gun in her hand and she fired several times at them. No one was hit... The psychologist, Dr. Dewey Ertz, "did not believe she was an imminent danger to herself or others," said state's attorney Tracey Kelley. If McAlexander posts bond, said Kelley, she must sign extradition papers ensuring she can be brought back to South Dakota for trial. The conditions of the bond also require McAlexander to maintain contact with mental health professionals and avoid alcohol and weapons... According to the Denver Post, McAlexander faced weapons charges in 2006 after firing at a television and at the walls of her home in Adams County. Like last week's incident, McAlexander was reportedly suicidal at the time. A judge acquitted McAlexander of the charges and an appeal by prosecutors was not successful. A spokesperson for the Adams County District Attorney would not provide information on the case to 9NEWS saying the case information is sealed. Denver Police are processing a request by 9NEWS to review McAlexander's disciplinary file... According to the affidavit, McAlexander told investigators she realized the men outside her hotel room were law enforcement officers before she started shooting... In addition to her police work, McAlexander, who lives in Aurora, sells real estate in the Denver metro area. Sterling Real Estate Group managing broker Rich Klapt said McAlexander has worked for the company as an independent contractor for several years. [Full article here]

FAMILY: DENVER OFFICER INNOCENT OF ATTEMPTED MURDER 9news
posted by: Jeffrey Wolf written by: Kyle Clark
Apr 4, 2009
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Kachina McAlexander has posted bond and left a South Dakota jail where she was being held after a shootout with local deputies. Authorities say McAlexander, a 10-year Denver Police veteran, shot at other officers who came to a motel in Custer on March 24 responding to a report that McAlexander might be suicidal. McAlexander's family offered their first public comments in the form of a telephone answering machine message Friday. "She's doing pretty good. She's in good spirits," McAlexander's mother says on the recording. "She wanted me to just let you guys know that she is innocent and she will get through and don't worry"... [Full article here]

[GA] Recently resigned Sheriff's Investigator Cannon arrested on stalking sheriff's dept. ex-wife, and other charges

...HE RESIGNED IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR. "HE RESIGNED AFTER AN INTERNAL AFFAIRS INVESTIGATION INTO A HARASSMENT COMPLAINT FILED BY HIS EX-WIFE [WHO ALSO WORKED AT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE]... CANNON IS NO STRANGER TO MEDIA ATTENTION. IN 2000, CANNON'S KILLING OF A NEIGHBOR'S DOG WHILE EMPLOYED AS A GAINESVILLE POLICE OFFICER DREW NATIONAL ATTENTION...

FORMER POLICE OFFICER ACCUSED OF STALKING
By Matt Aiken
April 29, 2009
[Excerpts] A former Dawson County Sheriff's Office deputy found himself on the opposite end of the law last Friday afternoon when he was arrested in Murrayville on charges of aggravated stalking, computer invasion of privacy and impersonation of an officer. Kenneth Cannon, 40, reportedly acted as though he was a Georgia State Patrol trooper last month, and violated a temporary protection order in the process, when he allegedly attempted to run a computer check on his ex-wife's tag number... Prior to his arrest, local deputies had received several unconfirmed reports throughout the month of March that Cannon had attempted to contact his ex-wife, a Lumpkin County resident, on several occasions despite a court-issued protective order. Last Friday, Cannon's arrest caused a minor stir in Murrayville as Lanier Elementary School was placed on lock-down while the apprehension occurred in the nearby parking lot... [Full article here]
FORMER SHERIFF'S INVESTIGATOR FACES STALKING RELATED CHARGES
Dawson Advertiser
by Matt Aiken
April 28, 2009
[Excerpts] ...Cannon is a former United States Marine and a veteran law enforcement official who worked at the Dawson County Sheriff's Office from January 2006 until he resigned in February of this year. "He resigned after an internal affairs investigation into a harassment complaint filed by his ex-wife [who also worked at the sheriff's office], said Dawson County Sheriff's Lt. Tony Wooten. "At the time she was still his wife," Wooten added. "They were going through a divorce. She still works here." "He was an investigator in the end [of his employment with the Dawson County Sheriff's Office]," Wooten said. "He started in the jail, worked his way through patrol and into investigations"... [Full article here]

FORMER LAWMAN CHARGED WITH STALKING EX-WIFE
Dawson News
By Michele Hester Michele@dawsonnews.com
April 29, 2009
A former Dawson County sheriff's investigator remained in custody Tuesday, four days after he was arrested on charges of stalking his ex-wife. Kenneth Cannon, who resigned from the department in February, was being held without bond in Lumpkin County Jail pending a first appearance hearing in Magistrate Court... All three charges are felonies... "He called the Banks County Communications Center to run her tag number from his cell phone from a location in Lumpkin County"... The investigation began after his wife, who had begun divorce proceedings, filed a workplace harassment complaint against him... While on paid administrative leave, Cannon continued to make attempts to contact the woman at work, violating the protective order she had against him... Cannon is no stranger to media attention. In 2000, Cannon's killing of a neighbor's dog while employed as a Gainesville police officer drew national attention. According to court records, Cannon shot a neighbor's German shepherd with an assault rifle 10 days after the dog attacked one of his children. A jury later acquitted him on a charge of cruelty to animals... [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence law enforcement cop-on-cop georgia]

[PA] Detective Muhammad beat and pistol-whipped his bride-to-be

...WHEN AUTHORITIES ARRIVED, THEY FOUND A WOMAN WHO APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN SLAPPED, PUNCHED, AND HIT WITH A HANDGUN... MUHAMMAD STRUCK HIS FIANCEE IN THE FACE WITH A HANDGUN REPEATEDLY...

OFFICER ARRESTED FOR ASSAULTING FIANCEE
abclocal.go.com
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
A Philadelphia Police officer is charged in the alleged assault of his fiancee. On Tuesday night at around 10:00 p.m., Philadelphia Police were called to the 500 block of Waterview Lane for a report of a domestic dispute. When authorities arrived, they found a woman who appeared to have been slapped, punched, and hit with a handgun. She told police that her fiance was the one who beat her and then he fled the scene. The woman was transported to Frankford-Torresdale Hospital. The police were able to track down the fiance on I-95 in the area of Washington Avenue. The fiance is identified as Talib Muhammad. Muhammad is a 13-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Narcotics Unit. He was found in possession of two handguns. Muhammad was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, and possessing an instrument of crime in the alleged domestic assault. [LINK]

PHILLY COP CHARGED WITH BEATING FIANCEE
philly.com
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
A veteran Philadelphia police officer was arrested last night after he allegedly beat his fiance with a handgun during a domestic dispute. Police were called to Waterview Lane near Woodhaven Road in Northeast Philadelphia shortly after 10 p.m., when an argument between the cop, Talib Muhammad, and his 47-year-old fiancee turned violent, said police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore. Muhammad struck his fiancee in the face with a handgun repeatedly and then fled, Vanore said. The victim was treated at Frankford-Torresdale Hospital for a laceration over her left eye. Police eventually caught up with Muhammad, 44, on I-95 near Washington Avenue. He was carrying two handguns, although it was unclear if the weapons were police-issued. Vanore said Muhammad, a 13-year veteran assigned to the narcotics field unit, was charged with aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and possessing an instrument of crime. He will be suspended from the force for 30 days with the intent to dismiss, Vanore said. [LINK]

TALIB MUHAMMAD
DETECTIVE
http://www.phila.gov/phone/searchresult.asp?pn=22&txtSearch=vine

[NJ] Defense seeks 5 year sentence for ex Sgt. Vanaman's murder of wife Barbara

Defense wants 5 years for Vanaman
Vineland Daily Journal
By Joseph P. Smith
April 29, 2009
BRIDGETON -- Attorneys for Robert E. Vanaman are asking the former Millville police sergeant serve no more than five years in prison on a manslaughter charge for killing his wife three years ago. They also are seeking a consecutive probation term -- instead of up to another 18 months in prison -- for evidence tampering... Defense attorneys Joseph O'Neill and Charles Coant made their request in an April 20 letter brief to county Superior Court Judge Martin Herman. Herman will sentence Vanaman on Friday. He faces up to 11 1/2 years in prison under a March 30 plea deal in which the 40-year-old Millville resident admitted to shooting his wife, Barbara Vanaman, twice during a heated argument about their impending separation. He also told the court he used a broken knife to scratch himself in an attempt to make it look like the victim attacked him... [READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE]

Law enforcement blogs compiled by PoliceOne.com

http://www.policeone.com/law-enforcement-blogs

[NC] Deputy Brian Viercinski arrested for domestic violence

DEPUTY FIRED; CHARGED WITH CRIMINAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
fcunningham@wspa.com
By Fred Cunningham
Published: April 27, 2009

A Greenville County Sheriff’s Deputy was arrested on a criminal domestic violence charged and fired from his job after a Sunday night incident.

Deputy Brian Viercinski was terminated by Sheriff Steve Loftis after his office was notified of the arrest by Greenville Police according to the Sheriff’s Office.

We’re told the incident happened between the former deputy and his girlfriend at their home at 620 Halton Road. A Greenville Police report says Viercinski and the woman got into an argument and he tackled her into a couch as he tried to retrieve his cell phone and left the residence.

The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office says Viercinski was hired on January 12 of this year and was assigned to the Uniform Patrol Division. He was in the process of completing the field training program.