[UT] Imprisoned ex-cop Hartmann says he'll talk about missing Sheree Warren

...[Imprisoned ex-cop Cary] Hartmann has indicated he will talk to authorities about the Oct. 2, 1985, disappearance of girlfriend Sheree Warren of Roy... [Her mother] Mary Sorensen acknowledged, "I don't know if I've still accepted she's not coming home. You never learn to completely live with it. You can deal with death. It's finality. But this is a little more complex"...

Former Police Officer Admits To Rapes
KUTV
Oct 24, 2005
Cary Hartmann recently has admitted committing the four 1980s rapes for which he is in prison, and has indicated he will talk about the unsolved disappearance of his girlfriend, a pardons board official said. Hartmann has indicated he will talk to authorities about the Oct. 2, 1985, disappearance of girlfriend Sheree Warren of Roy, said Kent Jones, who was the hearing officer for Hartmann's parole hearing last month. The pardons board has since voted against a release date for Hartmann, 57, and instead set a 2010 rehearing date. "We think it's critical he tell us everything he's done in the past," Jones said. Jones said he confronted Hartmann with new information relating to Warren's disappearance, and, "He denied knowing anything about it." However, Hartmann indicated he would cooperate with authorities looking at the case again, Jones said. Shane Minor, an investigator with the Weber County attorney's office, said he will be meeting with Hartmann within the next two weeks. Hartmann was arrested in May 1987 on rape charges. He was a reserve Ogden police officer at the time the rapes were committed. At the Sept. 20 parole hearing in the prison's Gunnison facility, Hartmann admitted to the four rapes he was convicted of and one he was not charged with, Jones said. "For the first time, he's admitted to what he was prosecuted for," Jones said. "We were impressed, but not quite enough. We're interested in whether he's admitted to everything. It's difficult to say how much more he has to admit to." Jones said Hartmann also admitted to sexual abuse of his three ex-wives, and to making thousands of phone calls to women in which he pretended to conduct a survey about lingerie. Jones said that at Hartmann's first parole hearing in 1990, he still was denying guilt and still was receiving letters of support from church leaders and police officers. No one attended his latest parole hearing.

Mary and Ed Sorenson with a photo
of their daughter Sheree Warren

Holidays hurt when loved one is missing
Monday, December 29, 2003
By Laura Hancock
Deseret Morning News
[Excerpted] ...The Sorensens have their own theories of what happened to their daughter, usually believing she too was murdered. But Mary Sorensen acknowledged, "I don't know if I've still accepted she's not coming home. You never learn to completely live with it. You can deal with death. It's finality. But this is a little more complex," said Ed Sorensen. He and his wife are not concerned about justice, "we'd just like to know where she is." Warren was always on the go and friendly. She loved children, her parents said, and started holiday traditions with her son, who was a toddler when she disappeared. The family stuffed tiny presents into plastic balls and opened them on Christmas Day. Every day of not knowing the whereabouts of her daughter is a struggle for Mary Sorensen. At Christmastime, it's difficult because "there's always someone who says, 'What would it be like if she were here?' " she said...
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence (IPV) abuse law enforcement public safety fatality fatalities murder unsolved unresolved missing utah state]

[CT] The People say NO to hiring a chief with domestic violence background

FROM THE AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE:

CT NOW and
Bridgeport First Candlelight Vigil
27 October 2005
6:30 PM
City Hall Annex, 999 Broad Street Bridgeport, CT
The City of Bridgeport is in the process of hiring a permanent police chief. Its Acting Police Chief, Anthony Armeno, has a record of domestic violence perpetration. CT NOW has been working hand-in-hand with Bridgeport First, a grassroots community organization, to prevent anyone with a history of domestic violence from becoming permanent chief of police. The effect on victims would be potentially devastating to know that the chief himself has a record of domestic violence perpetration as they picked up the phone to call 911.

I have met with Mayor Fabrizi to convey how strongly we feel that anyone who assumes the position of chief of police must not only be educated about, and sensitive to, the issue of domestic violence, but have an impeccable personal history in this regard.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Please show your support for victims and advocates by joining in this very important community event. Help us send a message that Connecticut will not tolerate domestic violence in Bridgeport or any other community in this state! [Source]

[FL] Orange County Deputy Terry and his children found dead

Orange Circuit Judge Bob Wattles said he awarded temporary custody of the children last month to Paul Terry, 45, after he filed a domestic-violence complaint against his wife. Wattles called the marital dispute "a he-said, she-said thing" but decided in favor of the father...

Orange deputy, 2 kids found slain
He was to appear at hearing with estranged wife
Sun Sentinel
Anthony Colarossi acolarossi@orlandosentinel.com,
Pedro Ruz Gutierrez and Daphne Sashin
October 11 2005
[Excerpts] An Orange County deputy sheriff and his two young children were found dead in their Windermere-area home Monday, only hours after they failed to appear at a court hearing with the deputy's estranged wife. Neighbors and a Circuit Court judge handling the case identified the deputy as Paul Robert Terry, a 14-year Sheriff's Office veteran. The children -- 10-year-old Elyse and 8-year-old Ian -- were living with Terry, who recently separated from his wife Authorities released few details about the deaths and would not confirm the names of the victims. It was unclear late Monday whether it was a triple murder or a murder-suicide. "Needless to say it was a very tragic scene," said Sgt. Barbara Miller, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office. "Everybody is trying to find a reason why this happened." The gruesome scene was discovered after deputies went to the house on Butler Bay Court to check on the family about 4:30 p.m. When she was told of the deaths, the children's mother, Leigh Ann Terry, broke down in a neighbor's driveway. "She was hysterical"... Orange Circuit Judge Bob Wattles said he awarded temporary custody of the children last month to Paul Terry, 45, after he filed a domestic-violence complaint against his wife. Wattles called the marital dispute "a he-said, she-said thing" but decided in favor of the father... "He alleged that she hit him, and he was afraid for himself and his children," Wattles said Monday night. "I believe, in this case, I granted the initial injunction to him." Wattles said the mother had disputed Paul Terry's claims, but he gave the deputy temporary custody of the children and allowed them to remain in the family's home... "You always try to avoid this. It's just a really tough situation," said Wattles, who plans to attend the funerals and said he expects to cry with Leigh Ann Terry. "Nobody saw this coming," he said. "You never want to have this happen." A neighbor on Butler Bay Court described Paul Terry as a "control freak" who was obsessed with his children and acted like a cop even when he was off duty, around neighbors. "We don't talk to them because he was so screwy," said Carolyn Nichols, who lives next door to the Terrys' home. "This person was really not together. He frightened me." Nichols said Leigh Ann Terry had approached neighbors for shelter because she was afraid of her husband and his access to firearms. "She asked neighbors if she could stay with them," she said. "She was concerned he had a gun"... [Full article here]

[FL] Sandra Bee Wilson's complaints disappeared

Florida: Sandra Bee Wilson

There are no web memorials to Sandra Bee Wilson.
I could not even locate an obituary.
She was here.
Now she's not.

From July news in 2003: A Miami-Dade County police officer fatally shot his girlfriend and then himself, police said. North Miami Beach officers responded about 2:25 p.m. Sunday to a report of shots fired at the home of Sandra Bee Wilson, 42. They found Officer Leon Storr, 38, a 16-year veteran, dead. Wilson died at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Wilson had worked as a COUNTY POLICE RECORDS CLERK for 15 years... FAMILY MEMBERS TOLD WFOR-CBS 4 ON SUNDAY THAT WILSON HAD COMPLAINED TO HER SUPERVISORS THAT STORR WAS STALKING HER, ALTHOUGH THERE WAS NO SUCH PAPERWORK IN STORR'S FILE TO SUPPORT THE CLAIM...."A REVIEW OF ALL THE DOCUMENTS INDICATES NO TYPE OF COMPLAINTS AGAINST HIM FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE," SAID POLICE SPOKESMAN JUAN DELCASTILLO. "WE'VE TALKED TO CO-WORKERS, WHO INDICATED THE SAME. "IN FACT, THERE ARE STILL PHOTOGRAPHS OF HIM ON HER DESK."...

In my line of work, the saying goes: "If it's not documented, it never happened." But that's not true. 

UPDATE:

I thought I'd come back and say that when I point out that police say that there is no paperwork - that I don't believe them, unless they destroyed it or never took it seriously enough - because Leon was an officer - to write it down. Disappearing complaints and paperwork is common in officer-involved cases.

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence (IPV) abuse law enforcement public safety fatality fatalities murder suicide florida state coverup cover up stalking teflon]

[WA] To City Manager Ray Corpuz, "Did you try to contact Crystal Brame?

...Julie Ahrens, sister of Crystal Brame, said Corpuz's testimony made little sense. "He's the manager — why the hell does need anyone to tell him what do?" she said. "Isn't he the top dog?"...

From King5 Video, Attorney for Crystal's family, Paul Luvera, asks City Manager Ray Corpuz, "Did you try to contact Crystal Brame?..." His answer was - no.

Corpuz: No one told me to investigate Brame
By DEBORAH FELDMAN / KING 5 News
September 27, 2005
TACOMA - Former Tacoma City Manager Ray Corpuz has broken his silence about what he did and did not know about his hand-picked Police Chief, David Brame. Brame killed his wife and himself in April of 2003... [Attorney for Crystal Brame's family Paul] Luvera asked: Was it ever brought to your attention that there was a culture of intimidation and fear, cliques, secrecy, favoritism and intimidation for career advancement within the Tacoma Police Department while you were city manager?" To which Corpuz answered, "I may have heard some of that. And I treated those as rumors." Corpuz' statements also raise new questions as to why neither he, nor anyone else was able to help Crystal Brame in the days leading up to her murder. He stated that he did not contact Crystal Brame, nor her family, nor anyone at the police department. [Full article [Full article here]

City manager talks about the way he handled Brame warnings
Court to review Brame records case
Seattle Times/ AP
September 27, 2005

TACOMA — Former City Manager Ray Corpuz revealed in a long-awaited deposition that city employees repeatedly warned him about Police Chief David Brame's erratic behavior, long before Brame fatally shot his wife and himself.

Corpuz said in the sworn deposition, conducted a week ago, that he hesitated to act on the warnings, which included references to Brame's death threats against his wife, Crystal, for various reasons.

In the deposition, which breaks more than two years of self-imposed silence, Corpuz said he was suspicious of complaints from anonymous sources, was skeptical of claims in divorce filings and feared overreacting to media reports, The News Tribune of Tacoma reported.

"I mean, I didn't have anything before me," Corpuz said in his sworn statement. "I had nobody recommending any actions or steps."

The deposition was part of a $12 million agreement that settles a wrongful-death suit against the city, filed by the family of Crystal Judson Brame. Part of the agreement stipulates that the Judson family attorneys can continue to conduct depositions of key parties in the scandal.

Although Corpuz was the only official with the power to place Brame on administrative leave, he did not do so. Assistant Police Chief Catherine Woodard asked Corpuz to put the chief on vacation because he was too distracted by his divorce to focus on work.

Two weeks before the shootings, Woodard read Corpuz the report of a 911 call from Crystal Brame, who said her husband had threatened to kill her. Two days later, Woodard hand-delivered an anonymous complaint to Corpuz from police officers. It referenced the 911 call. Woodard suggested an investigation. Corpuz decided against it.

In his testimony, Corpuz, fired by the City Council more than two years ago in the aftermath of the shootings, often said he could not remember details of the events surrounding the scandal. The phrase "I don't recall" appears 61 times in the transcript of his two-hour deposition.

He couldn't remember Woodard suggesting Brame be sent on vacation. He couldn't recall telling Woodard the city wouldn't investigate the anonymous complaint. Several times, Corpuz said that he expected someone on his staff would recommend some sort of action regarding Brame. He said he never received one.

"I would have expected my staff, my staff to again review the matter and bring some action or something for me to consider," he said. "We don't, you know, just react because it's in the newspaper," he testified. "I — If I did that, I wouldn't have lasted 13 and a half years with the City Council. So I mean, those things are reported. And there's always usually two sides to every issue. And you balance that by making sure you follow some due process. You don't, I don't think, overreact."

Julie Ahrens, sister of Crystal Brame, said Corpuz's testimony made little sense. "He's the manager — why the hell does need anyone to tell him what do?" she said. "Isn't he the top dog?"

David Ahrens, Crystal Brame's brother-in-law, told The News Tribune yesterday that a city employee rebuffed his efforts to file a complaint against Brame the day before the shootings. The allegation was revealed in the deposition of Corpuz, who said he wasn't aware of the complaint.

Ahrens said he still has notes on his computer of his conversation with a former city communications director. That employee, Dan Voelpel, who now works for The News Tribune, said he didn't recall the conversation with Ahrens or anyone related to Brame or his wife.

$75M lawusit is settled for $12M, some promises, & provisions

In the end, Tacoma Police Chief David Brame,
and his wife,

Crystal Judson,
who was trying to divorce him and achieve an abuse-free life for her and their children.

City, family settle Brame lawsuit
$12 million deal honors Crystal, protects public disclosure
The News Tribune
SEAN ROBINSON AND JASON HAGEY
September 13th, 2005
The money won’t bring Crystal Judson back. But a settlement agreement between her family and the City of Tacoma enshrines her name at a planned center devoted to assisting domestic violence victim. It ends the long-running wrongful-death suit stemming from the shootings of April 26, 2003, when Police Chief David Brame fatally shot his wife and himself. It also pays $12 million to the family, including the couple’s two orphaned children and their aunt and uncle. And finally, it ensures that fact-finding and public disclosure will continue. The City Council approved the settlement unanimously Tuesday, but it still requires a judge’s endorsement. The city will pay $1 million toward the settlement. Insurance will pick up the rest, city leaders said. Separately, city leaders have agreed to name a planned county-city domestic violence center after Crystal Judson. Judson was Crystal Brame’s maiden name. The justice center would include her name on a plaque, and her name would also be used on letterhead and Internet sites used by the center. “This is a good day for us in Tacoma,” said City Councilman Tom Stenger. “It’s a blessing.” Stenger publicly thanked the Judson family for staying true to their stated goal: the truth, and systematic changes within the City of Tacoma. Councilwoman Connie Ladenburg said the city’s work is not done. She promised to continue efforts to provide a safe environment for all victims of domestic violence. Added Mayor Bill Baarsma: “My feeling is this is a very fair settlement. The most important thing is it meets the needs of the Judson children, and it puts this tragic chapter behind us”... [Full article here]

Brame case to cost Tacoma
Seattle Times
By Jennifer Sullivan
September 14, 2005
..."The family feels they have accomplished their goal, which was to achieve the truth," attorney Paul Luvera said. "They are also very proud of the fact that a family-justice center in their daughter's name has been called for under the agreement"... [Full article here]

Settlement of Brame suit proves unusual
The News Tribune
Karen Hucks karen.hucks@thenewstribune.com 253-597-8660
September 18th, 2005
...Some lawyers say that language in the settlement might allow future city councils to wiggle out of their responsibility over time and that some changes already were under way. But others say the city’s promises were quite a success for the family; it’s legal language that will keep the city paying attention. The agreement requires the city and police department to “make reasonable efforts” to improve the city Code of Ethics, obtain police accreditation, set up the Citizens Oversight Committee and a citizen advisory panel, heed an outside audit and establish policies for psychological screening of police recruits... Because the settlement has legal clout, if the family thought the city wasn’t following through, they could go back to court... Seattle personal injury lawyer Karen Koehler said one of the family’s biggest successes is changing public opinion about what the city and police force should do to prevent a situation like the Brame killings. “They’re not in a position to legislate or say, ‘If you fail to do this, 20 lashes,’” Koehler said. “But if the city doesn’t follow through with what they’ve said they’ll do, they (have to answer to) the citizens”... [Full article here]
[officer-involved domestic violence]

Tacoma's murder-suicide wrongful death lawsuit settlement agreement

THE AGREEMENT, ABBREVIATED

Full text is in Comments of this blog entry.

• Pay the family guardian of Police Chief David Brame & wife Crystal's children $12m
• Change facility "Tacoma-Pierce County Family Justice Center" name to "Crystal Judson Family Justice Center."
• Have the facility's full name on the outside and inside of the building
• Have the facility's full name on the letterhead, logos, graphics, stationary and seals
• Have plaque displayed prominently at or near the entrance to the facility, or within the lobby of the facility which will read: "The Family Justice Center is dedicated to the memory of Crystal Judson and other victims of domestic violence. Crystal Judson was fatally shot on April 26, 2003 by her estranged husband, the Chief of Police of Tacoma."
• If the facility gets a website provide for a dedicated page on the website to the memory of Crystal Judson.
• Mayor and The City Manager of the City of Tacoma will sign a letter to the plaintiffs which will state: On behalf of the City of Tacoma, we write this letter to express our deep regret to the family of Crystal Judson for her death. We are committed to actions, policies and changes which are aimed at preventing similar tragedies from occurring again.
• Continue King County cause number 04-2-00712-7KNT during which time any party may conduct depositions of such persons as they deem necessary
• Leave possibility of discovery open to depose others not yet listed.
• Depositions will be scheduled and conducted as expeditiously as possible.
• Any dispute arising during depositions will be resolved by Steve Scott.
• Tacoma will designate April 26 of each year as domestic violence awareness day.
• Tacoma will continue to support and advocate for passage of Senate Bill 6161, or its similar successors, until passage. The current City Manager and Mayor will continue to advocate in support of comparable federal legislation.
• City will continue to make reasonable efforts regarding review and improvement of its Code of Ethics.
• Tacoma Police Department will try to obtain accreditation.
• Tacoma will work on recommendations of the Citizens Oversight Committee.
• Tacoma will work on recommendations of the WASPC Citizen Advisory Panel.
• Tacoma will work on recommendations of the Carol Buracker & Associates Audit.
• Tacoma will work on psych evals for recruits and fitness for duty evals of police officers.
• Tacoma will give family back all personal pictures, video tapes and other personal items obtained from them.
• Lawsuit against Mayor William Baarsma will be dropped
• On completion of the depositions all claims among all remaining lawsuit parties will be free of being sued.
• City will make all discovery exchanged between the parties available for public inspection and copying, except medical, psychological, counseling or other treatment records of any individual, educational records, or other records to which an individual or group may have a right of privacy, or which a court may order not to be released.
• The City agrees to continue to work in good faith and make reasonable efforts to fulfill the terms and intent of these provisions.