[NY] Officer Montanaro's domestic case will be dropped if he's good

Previous entry:
Walden Officer Montanaro's wife taken to hospital after domestic assault - A Walden police officer, his wife and mother were all charged with assault Saturday after a domestic dispute turned violent... No one was seriously injured but Jamie Montanaro was taken to the hospital...

Officer getting paid again after judge reviews case
Record Online
Meghan E. Murphy
July 18, 2008
WALDEN — Officer Bobby Montanaro is again getting a paycheck from the Walden Police Department after a judge lifted a protection order against him. Montanaro, his estranged wife, Jamie, and mother, Deborah Robb, were all charged with assault in a fight outside Jamie’s home in January. Since that time, the village’s then-youth officer was on unpaid leave pending the resolution of his court case. On July 10, an Orange County Family Court judge decided the case against Montanaro would be dropped in a year if he stays out of trouble. Chief Jeffry Holmes said his department is following protocol and doing its own investigation to determine whether Montanaro will return to active duty.

[FL] Chief Adderley's wife Eleanor taunted him: Where's your gun?

...ON THE NIGHT OF JULY 8, ELEANOR ADDERLEY SENT A TEXT MESSAGE TO HER HUSBAND ASKING WHERE HIS GUN WAS MINUTES BEFORE SHOOTING AT HIM... IN THE DAYS FOLLOWING THE SHOOTING, THE CHARGES DREW CRITICISM FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT ADDERLY GOT SPECIAL TREATMENT. FINKELSTEIN SAID ANYONE ELSE WOULD HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER...

PROBE CENTERS ON TEXT MESSAGES TO LAUDERDALE CHIEF
Plantation police are investigating text messages the Fort Lauderdale police chief's wife sent moments before she shot at him.
BY ANI MARTINEZ armartinez@MiamiHerald.com
Posted on Thu, Jul. 17, 2008
A week after the Fort Lauderdale police chief's wife used his gun to shoot at him three times, details remain unclear about what led to the shooting. Plantation detectives are reviewing 62 text messages from police Chief Frank Adderley's cellphone that will "possibly show the knowledge and intent of the suspect involved in the incident," according to a warrant released Wednesday. On the night of July 8, Eleanor Adderley sent a text message to her husband asking where his gun was minutes before shooting at him, the search warrant said. "[Plantation police or the state attorney] could be reevaluating the case," said Howard Finkelstein, Broward's public defender. "They are either looking for evidence that supports the position [she intended] to kill him or they are looking for evidence to support the belief that she didn't intend to kill him." In a sworn statement, Frank Adderely told police he noticed his firearm, a 9mm Baretta, was missing after reading his wife's text message. Moments later, Eleanor Adderley "suddenly pointed and discharged a handgun impacting the bed inches from where the victim was lying in bed," the warrant said. Adderley ran outside the couple's Plantation home. His wife followed him to the porch, where she discharged a second round. He ran to a neighbor's house as she shot at him again... Eleanor Adderley, 45, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and firing into a dwelling. The following day at a bond hearing, attorneys presented a sworn affidavit from Frank Adderley requesting his wife be released. The warrant said the phone was "possibly used as a communication device preceding the incident, during the incident and following the incident for the suspect to communicate with the victim as well as others"... The couple were in an argument over "personal marital matters," the warrant said... Eleanor Adderly later told police she was only trying to "scare him by shooting the bed and down at the ground" and that "she did not intend to cause any injury." Her lawyers later said Eleanor Adderley suffers from "medical issues... In the days following the shooting, the charges drew criticism from the community that Adderly got special treatment. Finkelstein said anyone else would have been charged with attempted murder... [Full article here]

[VA] Recently Retired cop Striker: "I am a pillar of this community"

J.D. STRIKER CALLED THE FELONY CHARGE A "SMOKESCREEN." "I AM A PILLAR OF THIS COMMUNITY," HE SAID... "MY WIFE NEEDS ME," STRIKER TOLD THE COURT, CRYING. "I NEED TO BE WITH MY CHILDREN.

...Warren Deputy Brad Pugh was seen on Tuesday night carrying an arm-load of long guns from the cedar-sided residence near Chester Gap that Striker shares with his wife and three other children... Striker was a Front Royal police officer for 25 years before retiring about a year ago...

SPECIAL PROSECUTOR TO BE SOUGHT IN GUN CASE
Former police officer retired after 25 years on Front Royal force
Northern Virginia Daily
By Ben Orcutt
July 18, 2008
FRONT ROYAL — A special prosecutor will be requested in a case involving a retired town police officer accused of firing a pistol at his son. James Douglas "J.D." Striker, 51, of 4437 Remount Road, Front Royal, is charged with feloniously discharging a firearm within a dwelling on Tuesday, as well as misdemeanors of reckless handling of a firearm and brandishing a firearm. A complaint form on file in Warren County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, completed by Sheriff's Office investigator L.M. Nelson, states that a witness reported that Striker shot at his 29-year-old son, Brian Striker. On Wednesday, Striker appeared before Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Judge Ronald L. Napier for a bond hearing. Despite argument from Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Nicholas L. Manthos that Striker be held without bond, or that it otherwise be a high bond, Napier set bond at $15,000 secured. A Warren County jailer said Striker posted bond within about an hour of his court appearance... Striker was a Front Royal police officer for 25 years before retiring about a year ago... John Striker. In his tearful plea during his bond hearing, J.D. Striker told the court that his wife, Cathy Sue Striker, 49, and children needed him. He also told the court that he did not point a .25-caliber semi-automatic pistol at his son, Brian, or his son's fiancée, Mary Brennan, who Manthos said have stated that J.D. Striker shot through a screen from a bedroom window in their direction... Arriving on scene, Nelson goes on to say in the complaint form that when she interviewed J.D. Striker, he told her that he shot through a window screen in his master bedroom "to scare his son into not beating on his mother's vehicle's window"... Mrs. Striker also was at the residence, but did not wish to comment... [Full article here]

EARLIER INFO:

FORMER FRONT ROYAL OFFICER CHARGED IN SHOOTING INCIDENT
Northern Virginia Daily
By Ben Orcutt
July 16, 2008
...Warren Deputy Brad Pugh was seen on Tuesday night carrying an arm-load of long guns from the cedar-sided residence near Chester Gap that Striker shares with his wife and three other children. A former candidate for sheriff, Striker retired from the Front Royal Police Department within the last few years. He also gained notoriety during the 2003 race won by Sheriff Daniel T. McEathron when Striker claimed that he could have information on the 1983 slaying of Front Royal Police Sgt. Dennis Smedley in 1983... If convicted, J.D. Striker faces a two- to 10-year prison sentence on the felony charge and up to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine on each of the misdemeanors. [Full article here]

EX-OFFICER ACCUSED IN SHOOTING
Northern Virginia Daily
By Ben Orcutt
July 17, 2008
...Despite argument from Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Nicholas L. Manthos that Striker continue to be held without bond due to the nature of the charges, Napier set bond at $15,000 secured. A Warren County jailer said Striker posted bond within about an hour of his court appearance. Before providing the court with a summation of the evidence, Manthos said that Commonwealth's Attorney Brian M. Madden was reviewing the case and that the office may choose to have a special prosecutor appointed. Napier scheduled a preliminary hearing for 10:15 a.m. on Aug. 21. In his evidentiary summary, Manthos said Striker and his wife, Cathy Sue Striker, 49, had been arguing most of the day on Tuesday. Manthos said Mrs. Striker left the residence, saying that she was not coming back, and then locked herself in her van. The Strikers' oldest son, Brian Striker, 29, who lives in the basement of the home with his fiancee, Mary Brennan, and two children, was concerned about his mother's mental state, Manthos said. Brian Striker banged on a window of his mother's van in an attempt to get her to come out, Manthos added. J.D. Striker observed what was happening from his bedroom window and retrieved a .25-caliber semi-automatic pistol, Manthos said. Manthos said Striker claims to have fired a shot up in the air through a bedroom window. Manthos said Brian Striker and Brennan's version of events is that J.D. Striker fired the pistol through a screen in their direction. Manthos said he was concerned about the volatility of J.D. Striker's actions. J.D. Striker told the court that it appeared to him that his son was trying to break the glass out of Mrs. Striker's van. J.D. Striker said he never pointed the gun at anyone...
J.D. STRIKER CALLED THE FELONY CHARGE A "SMOKESCREEN." "I AM A PILLAR OF THIS COMMUNITY," HE SAID... "MY WIFE NEEDS ME," STRIKER TOLD THE COURT, CRYING. "I NEED TO BE WITH MY CHILDREN"...

Napier ordered that J.D. Striker have no contact with Brian Striker or Brennan, that he not possess firearms and that he not leave the state. Napier asked J.D. Striker how he would avoid contact with Brian Striker after learning they reside at the same house. "We don't really mingle," J.D. Striker said...
"SOMETIMES PEOPLE MAKE PERSONAL MISTAKES IN THEIR LIVES FOR A LONG TIME BEFORE THEY FINALLY GET HELP FOR THEIR PROBLEMS," [Warren County Sheriff's Office investigator L.M.] Nelson said following the proceeding. [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities suicide virgina state politics]

[MI] Kim is entitled to walk the earth in no fear of Officer Steele

Trial set for police officer charged with torturing ex-girlfriend
Observer
BY TIFFANY L. PARKS
July 17, 2008
The jury trial for the suspended Detroit police officer accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend has been set for Aug. 13. Gary Allen Steele, 42, has been detained on a $5 million bond since the March 4 incident. Steele allegedly hit Kimberly Ann Golematis with a baseball bat before firing a gun near her head... The trial will take place before Judge Ulysses W. Boykin in Wayne County Circuit Court. [Full article here]

EARLIER INFO:

On March 5, 2008 Canton Police Department obtained a 7 count felony warrant against Officer Steele charging him with:

• Torture
• Assault with Intent to Commit Murder
• Assault with Intent to do Great Bodily Harm less than Murder
• Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Felonious Assault)
• Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Felonious Assault)
• Weapons-Firearms-Discharge in or at a building
• Weapons-Felony Firearm

Judge refuses to drop charges in torture case
The Observer
TIFFANY L. PARKS tlparks@hometownlife.com
April 13, 2008
As his ex-girlfriend testified about the day he allegedly assaulted her with a baseball bat and fired a gun near her head, Gary Allen Steele sat with his arms crossed and shook his head. "Pow. Pow. Pow," Kimberly Ann Golematis said from the witness stand Friday morning at 35th District Court when describing the moment Steele pulled out his revolver and fired the weapon. Looking directly at Steele, a suspended Detroit police officer, Golematis held her right hand like a gun and testified that he told her, "I will (expletive) kill you"... Judge Ronald W. Lowe denied the request to lower Steele's $5 million bond.
"Until this shakes out, (Golematis) is entitled to walk the Earth in no fear of him,"
he said, adding that he fears for the Canton woman's safety because she's the main thing standing between Steele and his freedom... "I was not an angel by any means," she said. "I wasn't gift wrapping his stuff." With their interaction already tense, Golematis said Steele became violent when he was preparing to leave and she mentioned his Santa Claus statue that was in her garage. "I said don't forget Santa," she said, adding that he then told her to keep it. Upon saying that she didn't want it, Golematis kicked the item and said Steele responded by "freaking out." He supposedly hit her left leg with a baseball bat and then began choking her. When she fell to the ground, Golematis said she landed on the steps in the garage that led to her kitchen. "Gary Steele got on top of me and straddled me with his weight," she said, adding that he began choking her again and made several references to his former police partner, Brian Vieau, who committed suicide after killing his estranged wife, Tracy Vieau, in February 2007. "He said 'Now I know why Brian did what he did.'" Golematis said Steele fired three shots into the garage steps near the left side of her head.
After placing the gun inside her mouth and to her head, Golematis said Steele appeared to "snap" back to reality when she told him that he was hurting her. "He said 'I love you. I just love you so much. I would do anything for us.'"
Golematis testified, adding that Steele began stroking her hair and saying he should go into the home's basement to see if anything was damaged by the gunshots... Steele's attorney, David Lee, questioned her reluctance to stay in her township home due to the gunshot holes and suggested that a gun had previously been fired in her home. Golematis denied owning a gun and said there were no other gunshot holes at her residence... Julie Cook, Golematis' friend of 10 years, testified that the alleged attack is "pretty much all that (Golematis) talks about." Cook said Golematis is afraid of retaliation from other police officers and lives in a state of paranoia... "He's a good person who made a really bad choice," Golematis said... [Full article here]

MainStreet operating expenses prove too much, force Novi's Lazy Lizard out of business
The Observer
By Chris Jackett
July 10, 2008
MainStreet mainstay Lazy Lizard Cantina is no longer in business after a series of events left owner Kim Golematis on the wrong side of the locked door. The doors were locked May 16, three days after Dr. Hafeez Shaikh, a partner of the MainStreet Novi complex and manager of the Atrium of Novi, manually shut off the restaurant's gas... Shaikh also pointed out Golematis had dealt with some personal problems earlier this year when her ex-boyfriend and Detroit Police Officer Gary Steele attacked her at her Canton home March 4 after she broke off their relationship... "I'm bowing out gracefully. What's done is done. I'm OK with moving on. I don't like the way it ended... I wish them luck and I've moved on. The price we pay for peace... I just walked away from nine years of my life. I really don't have a plan right now, but that's OK because I'm home with my kids"... [Full article here]

[MS] Deputy Roberts is fired after dv assault. No charges mentioned.

Hinds deputy loses job after alleged assault
The Clarion-Ledger, (Jackson, MS)
Author: heather.civil@clarionledger.com, Heather Civil
By Heather Civil
heather.civil@clarionledger.com
July 18, 2008
A sergeant with the Hinds County Sheriff's Department has lost his job following allegations that he assaulted a dispatcher. In a brief telephone interview Thursday, Tricia Crotwell said that Sgt. Eddie Roberts had assaulted her. Roberts could not be reached for comment. Crotwell is the wife of Raymond Police Chief Jason Crotwell. The Sheriff's Department is not releasing information related to the allegation. However, Sheriff Malcolm McMillin confirmed that Roberts, who worked for the department for 22 years, had been fired. "It's a personnel matter," McMillin said when asked why Roberts' employment was terminated. The law does not compel public agencies such as the Sheriff's Department to release information related to personnel matters. The sheriff said Roberts was fired Wednesday. The Sheriff's Department conducted an internal investigation, which resulted in the firing of Sgt. Robinson, according to Chief Deputy Steve Pickett. Pickett would not discuss the matter further. To comment on this story, call Heather Civil at (601) 961-7067.

[NJ] Any excuse to think of slain Sgt's wife Barbara Vanaman is a good one

Millville police sergeant accused of killing wife appears in court
Press of Atlantic City, NJ
July 14, 2008

BRIDGETON - Robert Vanaman, a Millville police sergeant charged with murdering his wife, appeared in Superior Court on Monday nearly a month after a request by the defense for a change in trial venue was denied.

Judge Walter Marshall Jr. set the next hearing for Sept. 15 and indicated he could set a date for the final hearing before Vanaman's trial.

Attorneys for Vanaman, 39, asked that the upcoming trial be moved to Gloucester County because, they contended, Cumberland County's juror pool was tainted by the media coverage of the May 11, 2006, death.

The request was denied May 16.

According to police, Vanaman shot his wife, Barbara, twice in the chest with his service revolver. Vanaman's defense maintains that the shooting was done in self-defense and in response to his wife attacking him with a knife.

Previous entries:
[NJ] Millville Police Sgt. Vanaman charged with murdering wife, Barbara
[NJ] Police Sgt. Vanaman 's NEW excuse for killing wife Barbara ?
[NJ] Stopping wife-killer Officer Vanaman from claiming self-defense
[NJ] Slow-mo shuffle towards the murder-of- Barbara trial
[NJ] Wife-murder trial of (free as a bird) Sgt Vanaman could get delayed
[NJ] Millville Police Sgt. Vanaman denied venue change for his murder-of- Barbara trial

[IN] Coddling the good Officer Brooks, or - "To be violent is to be human"

...“Brooks will not be arrested. Anderson City Court Prosecutor Eric Saltzmann said a summons will be sent to his home, citing him... [Defense Atty. Williams] "What helps Linc when it comes to the department is his 10 years of clean conduct. He’s a good guy who’s very well thought of by the department and the community. He’s human...”

Previous entry:
[IN] Officer Brooks' ominous calls and visit result in no arrest
- ...[Officer] Brooks, who is dating Kumkoski’s ex-wife, took a protective order out against Kumkoski on March 24, but the details of why he took out the order weren’t immediately known late Monday... "I’m outside your house - you’re a (expletive)... You’ve ran your mouth long enough. Call the police, I don’t care. I’ll go to jail, just like you did”... In the internal investigation, police owe it to the citizens of Anderson to explore whether Brooks should have been charged immediately and to give a full explanation as to why he wasn’t...

Video from April '08 news - "Language may be offensive"

APD officer charged with misdemeanors
Prosecutor says Brooks tried to goad man into fight
theheraldbulletin.com
By Shawn McGrath
July 14, 2008
ANDERSON — Prosecutors charged a city police officer with a pair of misdemeanors Monday saying he tried to provoke another man into fighting several months ago. Prosecutor Thomas Broderick Jr. charged Anderson Police Officer Lincoln C. Brooks, 43, on Monday with public intoxication and disorderly conduct, both Class B misdemeanors, and provocation, a Class C infraction. The prosecutor claims Brooks tried to goad Mark A. Kumkoski into fighting him outside Kumkoski’s Home Avenue residence April 7. Brooks, a 10-year department veteran currently assigned to desk duty, declined comment Monday... Brooks’ attorney, Bryan Williams, said the officer realizes his mistake and wants to move on... Brooks will not be arrested. Anderson City Court Prosecutor Eric Saltzmann said a summons will be sent to his home, citing him to make an initial court appearance on Aug. 1. A Class B misdemeanor carries a maximum punishment of 180 days behind bars and a $1,000 fine. According to the probable cause affidavit filed with the charges: Kumkoski, 40, called police, after Brooks showed up at his home at about 4:45 a.m., banged on his door and tried goading him into a fight... Officers arrived at the scene and took Brooks into custody and then to the police station. Brooks wasn’t arrested that day. Instead, he was questioned and released... He admitted to drinking several beers before going to Kumkoski’s home, and “admitted that he intended to fight Kumkoski... (Brooks) stated that due to personal issues that he and Mr. Kumkoski had been having he decided to go to Kumkoski’s house to confront him and settle their differences.” Brooks, who makes $42,000 a year, was placed on paid administrative leave until returning June 19 to serve desk duty... Kumkoski previously told The Herald Bulletin that Brooks was dating his ex-wife... Sgt. William Casey, APD spokesman, said any discipline Brooks could face won’t be decided until the legal case has been adjudicated, likely in mid-September Williams said Brooks’ record with the department will likely minimize any discipline he receives. “I’m confident that they’ll not seek termination,” the attorney said, “but I won’t speculate beyond that. What helps Linc when it comes to the department is his 10 years of clean conduct. He’s a good guy who’s very well thought of by the department and the community. He’s human... Linc’s interest in getting this behind him is because he’s been on the department for 10 years without a write-up and now this hits him,” Williams said. “It’s caused him a lot of stress that not only he has embarrassed his family, but also the department.” [Full article here]