The Fairfax County Police

The Fairfax County Police
Sweeping it under the carpet for over fifty years

Monday, January 28, 2013

Officer arrested for child porn


Officer arrested for child porn

GLOUCESTER COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) - A police officer was arrested Thursday for child pornography and sending improper messages to a teen girl.
According to Sheriff D.W. Warren with the Gloucester County Sheriff's Office, a 17-year-old victim and her mother contacted authorities Jan. 14 regarding a text message the teen received from a man she had met online last year.
Warren said that man, 39-year-old John Andrew Steele, had been texting back and forth with the teen since they met online in December. The teen and her mother allege in a text message, Steele asked the teen to send him nude pictures of herself.
When authorities arrived to Steele's Virginia Beach home Wednesday evening, they found "digital evidence," and charged Steele with two counts of child pornography.
He was also charged on two counts of use of a communications device to solicit a minor for certain sexual offenses in relation to the text message sent to the Gloucester teen.
Steele is behind bars without bond.

Nora Springs cop charged in child endangerment case



Nora Springs cop charged in child endangerment case

CHARLES CITY — A Nora Springs cop has been charged with child endangerment, a Class D felony, according to Floyd County Attorney Normand Klemesrud. Jim Gray was arrested Friday. Klemesrud said Gray has already appeared before a magistrate. His bond has been set at $5,000.Klemesrud said he believes the alleged incident Gray has been charged for occurred in Nora Springs. He declined to give more details. 

Cop on trial for allegedly raping a 14-year-old runaway





Cop on trial for allegedly raping a 14-year-old runaway he found New Year's Day 2011

Darrin Nemelc, claims he simply took the girl to his apartment to use the bathroom. His trial has begun in Manhattan Supreme Court.
NYPD officer Darrin Nemelc exits courtroom of Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday after first day of trial where he is accused of raping a 14-year-old runaway.
Prosecutors say an ex-NYPD officer is an opportunistic sicko who preyed on a “highly vulnerable” 14-year-old runaway he lured to his apartment by pretending to care.
Darrin Nemelc, 45, took advantage of the Brooklyn girl he found sitting alone on a park bench in Washington Heights on New Year’s Day 2011, they said.
“He’s the ultimate evil human being,” the victim’s stepmother told the Daily News. “He needs to be hung by his gonads and shot to death.”
Nemelc, the married father of two girls, is charged with rape, sex abuse and child endangerment. He quit the NYPD in 1999 and is now a city transit worker.
Nemelc denies the charges and claims he took the girl to his apartment so she could use the bathroom.
“He is now being accused of something he did not do,” said defense attorney Kimberly Summers. “There’s going to be two very different sides of the story.”
The victim endured a rough childhood before she the alleged attack. She was only 9 when her alcoholic mother died in a freak drowning, leaving her with bouts of depression.
The girl ran away on Jan. 1, 2011, after her father came home drunk from a New Year’s celebration, Paul said. She got off the subway in Washington Heights, where Nemelc spotted her.
“Instead of helping her to safety, he took her to his apartment ... and sexually assaulted her,” Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Rena Paul told the jury on the first day of Nemelc’s Manhattan Supreme Court trial.
Paul told the jury the victim will testify that Nemelc sexually assaulted her in his bathtub and on his living room couch.
The prosecutor said medical evidence supports the charges.
“She felt he might harm her if she didn’t do what he said,” Paul said.
Paul said Nemelc woke the girl at 6 a.m. and sent her out into the cold alone. She rode the subway to Canal St., where she told an MTA employee she had been raped.
An emergency room doctor who took the rape kit testified the girl was given a cocktail of drugs at the hospital to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy.
After the trial closed for the day, the judge accommodated a defense request to let Nemelc slip out through the courtroom’s side door, which is normally reserved for court personnel and witnesses. The maneuver allowed him to dodge news photographers in the hallway.

Cop accused of threatening to shoot two young men he claimed started a snowball fight on his property.



Endicott cop remains suspended after alleged threats
ENDICOTT — A village cop remains suspended with pay, one month after allegedly threatening to shoot two young men he claimed started a snowball fight on his property.
After allegedly making the threats, John L. Vanek, 52, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of second-degree menacing. On Jan. 9, he pleaded not guilty in Town of Union Court.
Vanek, who served as the police department’s canine officer, is paid a $63,000 annual salary. The police department expects to submit an internal review of the incident to the village board of trustees, Chief Michael Cox said this week.
Until that report is reviewed and the criminal case resolved, the village is reluctant to take action beyond leaving Vanek on temporary suspension, said David Baker, Endicott deputy mayor.
“I don’t think he is getting special treatment, we’re just being cautious,” Baker said.
Vanek had been driving through Endwell on Dec. 26, looking for youths who ran through his backyard and started a snowball fight with another teenager, when he stopped two young men walking home on Pheasant Lane.
Vanek, who was off-duty, brandished a police baton and asked if the males, ages 17 and 20, were the ones who were going through his and other people’s backyards, according to police documents.
“Chill out, dog,” the 17-year-old told him, the report states.
“I am not your dog, I am a cop and I will beat your face in,” Vanek responded, according to a statement the 20-year-old gave police. “If I catch you (expletive) again, I will shoot you and sick my dogs on you.”
Court documents don’t mention whether Vanek was carrying a firearm during the incident. In his statement to police, the 20-year-old said Vanek appeared to be in a “shaking rage.”
Before Vanek sped away in his vehicle, he caught the young men looking at his license plate number, court papers said.
He pulled alongside them again and said: “Vanek, Endicott P.D., go ahead and report me,” according to the 20-year-old’s statement to police.
After the incident, Vanek, a 28-year veteran of the police department, called the sheriff's office and reported the youths had trespassed in his backyard.
But the two people Vanek is accused of threatening weren’t involved in the snowball fight, nor had they been in his backyard, according to sheriff’s deputies.
Vanek is due back in court in April. His defense lawyer, Michael Garzo, of Binghamton, didn’t return requests for comment.

Cop accused of kidnapping two 15-year-olds....mentally unstable cops



Baltimore Man Awarded $500,000 Settlement For Police Misconduct

BALTIMORE (WJZ)— The office of attorney Dwight A. Petit confirms a half-million dollar settlement involving a Baltimore City police offer accused of kidnapping two Baltimore teens.
Detective Tyrone Francis was found guilty of misconduct in May 2011. He and another officer are accused of kidnapping two 15-year-olds in a police van in 2009 and dropping one off in East Baltimore and one in Howard County.
Michael Johnson was one of those teens. He alleges he was dropped off in Howard County without shoes.
In a settlement, Johnson was awarded $500,000
Testimony Continues in Fresno Police Brutality Trial
Tough questions. Chris Coleman tried to answer. He was in the hot seat all day.
He's accused of using excessive force on Rolando Celdon and falsifying reports back in 2005.
One of the main questions asked, why did he lie in his initial police report? In the report, Coleman said he shot at Celdon with a "less-than-lethal" shotgun because Celdon picked up a stick and bottle.
It turns out, Celdon never did.
Coleman said he "didn't know what he was thinking" when he wrote it, and that was just his "draft report." He said, "At that time, I wanted to get something in to prevent from getting in even more trouble." He claims he wrote the report a day later, and was worried because had already been reprimanded for turning reports in late.
He deleted the false information in his final report.
Coleman also explained what happened during the incident with Celdon. He says he shot at Celdon with a "less than lethal" shotgun four to six times. He said Celdon refused to put his hands over his head, even though he told him to about a dozen times.
Prosecutors were quick to fire back at that claim. They pointed out in Coleman's previous testimony, he said he didn't remember what caused him to shoot Celdon. Coleman also denied ever trying to hit Celdon with a car. He said he couldn't be certain if Celdon was armed or not, and his primary concern was to protect officer Sean Plymale, who was injured and near Celdon.
The trial will continue Tuesday morning. The other accused officers, Paul van Dalen, Michael Manfredi, and Sean Plymale are also expected to take the stand.
If convicted, the officers could face up to 20 years in prison.

Cop used a stun gun on his stepson for bringing home an unsatisfactory report card.


From Police Misconduct:

Mesa, Arizona: An officer lost his job because he used a stun gun on his stepson for bringing home an unsatisfactory report card. http://ow.ly/h5ZLC


Mentally unstable cops...you pay for, do something about it.


Thursday, January 24, 2013

Cop charged with sexual assault, battery with the intent to commit sexual assault, and abuse, neglect or endangerment of a child.


Winnemucca, Nevada: An officer has been who has been on administrative leave for six months was arrested following a lengthy investigation into his off-duty conduct. He was charged with sexual assault, battery with the intent to commit sexual assault, and abuse, neglect or endangerment of a child. He also faces two misdemeanor charges of domestic battery. http://ow.ly/h1xJe

A police officer has been sentenced to five years in prison


Update: Milford, Connecticut: A police officer has been sentenced to five years in prison for a high-speed crash that killed two teenagers. The officer was returning from a mutual aid call in another town when his cruiser struck a car turning in front him at about 94 mph. Authorities say the cruiser’s emergency lights and sirens were off at the time. http://ow.ly/h24f7

the girlfriend of a city teen fatally shot by police



Garfield, New Jersey: The girlfriend of a city teen fatally shot by police has filed a federal lawsuit claiming wrongful death. In it, she claims he was “viciously and unjustifiably shot” by officers from the city force and the Bergen County Police Department, according to court documents. ow.ly/gW9UP

Twin Rivers school district settles police misconduct lawsuit



Barely four months after five men filed a lawsuit accusing Twin Rivers Unified School District police officers of brutality and false arrest, the district has paid $650,000 to settle the matter.
In their suit, the plaintiffs claimed they were arrested on Sept. 17, 2010, in North Highlands for no reason and taken to the district police station, where one officer allegedly choked three of them. They were all eventually jailed, but the District Attorney's Office declined to file any charges against them.
The suit also accused the district's top managers of fostering a toxic climate within its police force, which has drawn widespread community criticism for its enforcement tactics and became the focus of a grand jury investigation.
The district did not respond Friday to a request for comment.
As part of the settlement, the arrests of the five men have been expunged from law enforcement data banks.
Former Officer Branche Smith, who was accused in the suit of choking three of the five young men who sued, settled separately and paid an additional sum to the plaintiffs. Since Smith had left the district before the settlement, his agreement is between private parties and not public by law.
His lawyer refused Friday to discuss its terms, including how much his client paid. "Mr. Smith's is a separate settlement and is confidential," said attorney William Briggs.
Smith, 38, is facing criminal misdemeanor charges of assault on detainees in connection with the incident. A trial is scheduled for March 12.
The lawsuit was built around the arrest and alleged police abuse of the five men almost 2 1/2 years ago.
Andrew Latshaw, then 21, was booked on suspicion of misdemeanor interfering with an officer, held for a day in the downtown jail and released. But the others – Latshaw's half-brothers Demonte Kelly, then 18, and Jovon Kelly, then 19; Austin Westfall, then 20, and Andres Gutierrez, then 18, who is a cousin of Latshaw and the Kelly brothers – were held four days after six-figure bail amounts were set because they were booked "on a slew of felony charges," the suit stated.
Shortly after 2 p.m. on the Friday of the arrests, according to the suit, Westfall, Gutierrez and the Kelly brothers were seated in a car parked in front of the North Highlands home where Latshaw, the Kelly brothers, and others lived. Officer Taras Chernyy drove by in a police cruiser, made a U-turn and stopped behind the car.
The officer later said he stopped because he "felt" the car's occupants "looking at me" and saw one of them "slouched down." He also said he thought they might be truants, despite the fact there was no school because teachers had non-class duties. It turned out that all five men were through with high school and none of them had ever attended a Twin Rivers school.
Jovon Kelly claimed Chernyy pulled out his baton, then drew his firearm for no apparent reason and put it in Kelly's face.
Chernyy then called for reinforcements and, with lights on and sirens wailing, cars from Twin Rivers and Sacramento police departments and the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department rolled onto the street and officers jumped out with guns drawn.
Latshaw, who had been sleeping in the house, was awakened by all the commotion, stepped out the front door and was arrested at gunpoint, the suit stated.
James Anwyl, an attorney for all the defendants except Smith, also did not return a call Friday seeking comment. But, according to the written plea agreement, the defendants "deny that they engaged in any unlawful conduct, or that they are responsible for any injuries or damages claimed by plaintiffs."
In addition to Smith and Chernyy, Officers Anthony Ruiz and Emily Kelly, who were at the scenes of the arrests or Smith's purported attack on the prisoners, were also named as defendants.
The suit alleged that the conduct of the officers grew out of a "failure to control subordinates with a history of misbehavior and failure to correct unconstitutional practices or conditions" on the part of several district officials. They include Frank Porter, former Twin Rivers superintendent; Christopher Breck, Twin Rivers police chief at the time who later was under investigation on misconduct allegations; Ziggy Robeson, who was Porter's deputy, and Chue Lor, a sergeant in the Police Department at the time. After more than a year on paid administrative leave, Breck left the district last month, resigning in exchange for a $36,500 buyout.
Even though the district itself was not named as a defendant, in accord with California law, it indemnified the defendants and agreed to pay the $650,000 out of its self-insurance funds, which are part of a pool financed and shared by several school districts. The district also paid the defense lawyers out of the funds.
The suit was filed Sept. 13 by attorney Stewart Katz. At first it appeared the matter was going to go the usual route of a hard-fought action.
Summons were served, there was a squabble over whether some defendants had been served, and a series of motions to dismiss were filed by defendants.
The defendants "expressed interest in settling right away, but their actions spoke otherwise," Katz said Monday. "We had a respected retired judge lined up to mediate, but (defense attorney) Anwyl blew that up."
Less than 60 days after the suit was filed, things took an abrupt turn when Nancy Sheehan, a highly regarded civil rights defense lawyer, joined Anwyl.
She asked U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez for an early settlement conference and it was scheduled Dec. 18, with U.S. Magistrate Judge Kendall J. Newman presiding.
Only Sheehan attended the conference on behalf of all defendants except Smith, who was represented by Briggs. An agreement was reached that day.
"She is obviously a very good lawyer and knows when a case is defensible and when it's not," Katz said.
Sheehan was out of the state and unavailable for comment.


Tuesday, January 22, 2013

cop commits suicide after computer seized in child porn case



Glendale investigators said a retired Phoenix police sergeant killed himself after a computer from his home was seized during a child pornography investigation.

Glendale Sgt. Brent Coombs said AOL contacted Glendale police Jan. 9 with information that a computer from retired Phoenix Police Sgt. Don Casey Jr.'s home had accessed child pornographic images.

Detectives seized the computer from the home that morning. Casey was questioned, as were other adults in the house, Coombs said. However, there was not enough evidence to make an arrest.

"At that point, detectives did not have enough cause to arrest anybody," Coombs said.

"[It's] just that things were coming from that particular computer, so further investigation had to be done," he said.

Investigators began a forensic analysis on the computer and the hard drive. However, on Thursday the investigation took a tragic turn.

"Thursday afternoon about 1 p.m., our police department's dispatch center received a phone call from a person identifying himself as Don Casey," Coombs said.

During that call, Casey told dispatchers he was going to kill himself. Police rushed to the remote scene off New River Road and found Casey dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

"Unfortunately when we got there, we found an adult male on the ground, away from a vehicle," Coombs said.

Investigators said it could be days, if not weeks before it can be determined who accessed the child pornography from the home's computer.

A man who answered the door at Casey's home declined to comment. Casey retired from Phoenix police in 2005 after more than 20 years at the department.

 

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Mentally unstable cops: Calgary police officer re-arrested on child pornography charges


CALGARY — A retired police officer who was previously jailed for possession of child pornography is facing additional charges of child porn as well as sexual assault and criminal harassment.
The Calgary Police Service launched an investigation last January into allegations a woman in her 50s was being criminally harassed by her ex-boyfriend.
Police said the victim also alleged she had been sexually assaulted by the accused offender while the two were in a relationship.
Staff Sgt. Ryan Ayliffe of the domestic conflict unit confirmed the couple had been dating for a year and all the allegations stemmed from that period.
The sexual assault allegedly took place in one of their shared residences during their relationship, he said.
During the investigation, police received information that the suspect had accessed child pornography, he said.
Police arrested a man without incident Friday and executed a search warrant at his home in the Willow Park community.
Stephen Huggett, 58, who retired six years ago after 25 years with the Calgary Police Service, has been charged with one count each of sexual assault with a firearm, extortion, criminal harassment and possession of child pornography.
His first court appearance was scheduled for Monday.
Huggett no longer had any release prohibitions in place when the domestic conflict unit launched the investigation, Ayliffe said.
Ayliffe would not comment on whether the victim sustained physical harm or what type of firearm was used in the alleged sexual assault.
“Sexual assault with a firearm can potentially involve harm,” he said. “But at this point, the victim is doing as well as she could be given what she’s been through.”
Ayliffe said it’s unclear how much material was seized in the search, but added more charges could be laid as investigators continue to sift through the evidence.
Huggett was previously sentenced in 2009 to nine months in prison after a judge ruled the retired officer was collecting child porn for his own viewing.
Huggett argued in court he was collecting videos and images as part of a secret crusade to save the victims.
The judge didn’t buy it.
“Mr. Huggett was aware what he was participating in was a criminal offence. It took place over a long period of time,” said Judge Barbara Veldhuis in August 2009. “He had the child pornography, he kept it.
“There is absolutely no evidence he did anything of a legitimate nature with it. By that, I mean furthering any investigation within any police agencies, or turning the evidence over to a police agency on his retirement or at any point his investigation reached a dead end.”



Principal testifies in police misconduct case



The principal of John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore took the stand to testify Thursday in the trial of the ex-Nassau County police commander accused of covering up a campus burglary for his friend.
Lorraine Poppe was one of five witnesses the jury heard from in the second day of arguments—but her testimony is pivotal for prosecutors trying to prove William Flanagan accepted bribes for helping nix the 2009 theft probe as a favor.
“We wanted to have Zachary arrested,” Poppe testified, referring to former student Zachary Parker, who pleaded guilty this year—after the alleged cover-up was exposed—to stealing more than $11,000 worth of electronics from the school.
The Merrick man is the son of Gary Parker, who Flanagan is accused of accepting Morton’s Steak House gift cards and other gifts from after the former second-deputy police commissioner allegedly saw to it the younger Parker dodged justice.
Judge Mark Cohen recessed the case before prosecutors could conclude direct examination, but Poppe is expected to be back in court Friday. Flanagan’s defense attorney, Bruce Barkett, is expected to question Poppe on an email she sent to her boss suggesting that the district hold off on pressing charges at one point.
But, before Poppe entered the courtroom, Barkett won a motion to bar the prosecution from questioning her about a harassment charge the principal filed against a private investigator the defense attorney hired in the case.
“I don’t want any of this to come up at trial,” Barkett told the court, saying that prosecutors are “trying to make me look bad.”
Poppe had filed the complaint after Barkett’s private investigator tracked her last month to an address where she’s being staying since being displaced by Superstorm Sandy, knocked on her door in the middle of the night and startled her awake before leaving a note for her to call Barkett, according to Assistant District Attorney Bernadette Ford.
“If they asked me ahead of time should they do this, I would have said ‘no,’” Barkett said, calling the move “inappropriate.”
Judge Cohen agreed to exclude the testimony on the grounds that there was “insufficient proof of sufficient probative value.”
Lothar Keller, a 24-year-old friend of Zach Parker’s, also testified Thursday that he turned over to police the stolen laptops and a projector that Parker had given him after Parker’s father called Keller and “said that I would be going down for the stolen stuff.”
Flanagan pleaded not guilty to misconduct, conspiracy and other charges in March 2012 along with former Chief of Patrol John Hunter and retired Det. Sgt. Alan Sharpe, whose cases were severed from the current one. Opening statements were Tuesday.


Friday, January 18, 2013

Three reports of sexual molestation-assault on kids by your local police


Update: Washington, DC: A District Court judge ordered a veteran police officer to remain jailed after a second woman came forward to say he had sexually assaulted her when she was a teenager singing in a church choir he directed. The judge called him a “danger” who targeted adolescent girls. The hearing was for a charge that he repeatedly sexually abused a girl, beginning when she was 11 years old and lasting nearly three years. http://ow.ly/gTX5B

New Milford, Connecticut: A former police officer who was fired in 2011 following an internal investigation of his conduct in an off-duty case has been allowed to retire and receive related payments from the town. He is said to have attempted to extort money from a teenager, and threatened him. He was sentenced to six months incarceration, suspended, and received a two year conditional discharge. http://ow.ly/gSaRN

Abbeville County,  South Carolina: A sheriff who was under scrutiny because of a sex tape was indicted by the State Grand Jury after being accused of taking kickbacks. http://ow.ly/gRtJK

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Wheeler, Wisconsin: A former police chief will spend 14 years in prison


            Wheeler, Wisconsin: A former police chief will spend 14 years in prison for committing numerous sex-related crimes. He was charged with 16 felony counts, half of which were the sexual assaults of children by those who work with youngsters. His other charges included child enticement, and exposing children to harmful materials. http://ow.ly/gNjnO

Lewiston, Idaho: A sheriff’s deputy has pleaded guilty


•           Lewiston, Idaho: A sheriff’s deputy has pleaded guilty to felony sexual battery for a sexual relationship he had with a 16-year-old girl. He was put on paid administrative leave when the charges were filed. ow.ly/gPYwa

Judge calls D.C. police officer charged with child sexual abuse a ‘danger’


A District Court judge Tuesday ordered a veteran D.C. police officer to remain jailed after a second woman came forward to say he had sexually assaulted her when she was a teenager singing in a church choir he directed.
During a preliminary hearing, D.C. Superior Court Judge Lynn Leibovitz called Wendel Palmer a “danger” who targeted adolescent girls. The hearing was for a charge that he repeatedly sexually abused a girl, beginning when she was 11 years old and lasting nearly three years.


Palmer will remain in jail until his trial in April.
The 22-year veteran of the Metropolitan Police Department was arrested last week and charged with one count of first-degree child sexual abuse. Detectives have said that Palmer directed the youth choir at his family’s church, Bethuel Temple Church of Christ Apostolic in Southeast Washington, when the alleged abuse occurred. The girl was a member of the choir. Authorities said Palmer allegedly assaulted the girl during Saturday choir rehearsals when other members of the children’s choir took breaks and left the church building.
Police learned of the alleged abuse when the mother of the girl, who is now 19, called a hotline in March 2012 to make a report, according to court documents. Detectives interviewed the woman days later.
During Tuesday’s hearing, detective Darryn Robinson testified that the woman told authorities she was “afraid” to say anything when she was a teenager because Palmer was a police officer. Palmer, according to authorities, gave her a ride in his squad car and often wore his uniform, belt and, at times, his service weapon, during the assaults.
Robinson also testified that while investigating the allegations, a second woman reported that Palmer sexually assaulted her. She was 13 at the time and a member of the youth choir, she told detectives.
The second woman told authorities that Palmer turned off the lights, which he said would help her “sing better.” It was then that he groped her, she told authorities.
No additional charges have been filed based on the new allegations; the second woman said the assault happened about 10 years ago.
Palmer, a father of nine, sat expressionless during the hearing. Nearly a dozen family members and church members were in the courtroom until Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah McClellan had about half of them removed because they are likely to be witnesses in the trial.
Palmer’s grandfather was the founder of the church. He died in 2010. Palmer’s brother now serves as pastor.
Harold Martin, Palmer’s attorney, argued that the first woman made the allegations out of anger and to get revenge against Palmer and the church. Robinson testified that the woman told authorities that her brother and one of Palmer’s sons had gotten into a fistfight at one time and that her brother had been kicked out of the choir. The woman and her family left the church after complaining about her brother’s treatment and feeling as though church officials “didn’t do anything” about the punishment, Robinson said.
Martin called Princess Knight, a former member of the youth choir and Palmer’s niece, to testify on his behalf. Knight, 27, said she never saw Palmer and the woman alone.
Leibovitz said Knight had no way of knowing when her uncle and the woman may have been alone. She said Palmer “abused” his position of authority as a police officer and as a choir director.
“He poses a danger to the universe of children of the church, especially the church that is operated by his family,” she said.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Retired cop commits suicide after computer seized in child porn case



GLENDALE, AZ (CBS5) -

Glendale investigators said a retired Phoenix police sergeant killed himself after a computer from his home was seized during a child pornography investigation.

Glendale Sgt. Brent Coombs said AOL contacted Glendale police Jan. 9 with information that a computer from retired Phoenix Police Sgt. Don Casey Jr.'s home had accessed child pornographic images.
Detectives seized the computer from the home that morning. Casey was questioned, as were other adults in the house, Coombs said. However, there was not enough evidence to make an arrest.
"At that point, detectives did not have enough cause to arrest anybody," Coombs said.

"[It's] just that things were coming from that particular computer, so further investigation had to be done," he said.

Investigators began a forensic analysis on the computer and the hard drive. However, on Thursday the investigation took a tragic turn.

"Thursday afternoon about 1 p.m., our police department's dispatch center received a phone call from a person identifying himself as Don Casey," Coombs said.

During that call, Casey told dispatchers he was going to kill himself. Police rushed to the remote scene off New River Road and found Casey dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

"Unfortunately when we got there, we found an adult male on the ground, away from a vehicle," Coombs said.

Investigators said it could be days, if not weeks before it can be determined who accessed the child pornography from the home's computer.

A man who answered the door at Casey's home declined to comment. Casey retired from Phoenix police in 2005 after more than 20 years at the department.

Update: Creve Coeur, Missouri: An officer has left his job in the wake of his arrest for allegedly beating, choking and kicking two high school students while off-duty. ow.ly/gJBH7

Corona, California: An officer has been accused of failing to tell her supervisors about the allegations that a 13-year-old boy was being physically and mentally abused by a pastor and two other men. ow.ly/gJCVw

 

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Incest

Elko, Nevada: Despite facing the possibility of life in prison, an officer pleaded guilty to incest and will avoid a public trial and additional charges.ow.ly/gFwwZ

child porn

  • Pennsville, New Jersey: An officer admitted to destroying a computer hard drive while he was under investigation. He was allegedly in possession of child pornography. The incident is punishable by 20 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. ow.ly/gFvgu
 
  • Elkton, Maryland: A state trooper was fired and charged for sexual solicitation of a minor for purposes of prostitution. ow.ly/gFmc8

Man charged with sexual assault was border agent


By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN, Associated Press | January 7, 2013 | Updated: January 7, 2013

MCALLEN, Texas (AP) — A Border Patrol agent is accused of sexually assaulting a girl for several years, beginning when she was 11 years old and before he was hired as a police officer for a South Texas school district, officials said Monday.
Jaime Ocanas, 33, is charged with continuous sexual assault of a minor. The alleged victim told Pharr police that the abuse occurred for about six years and started in 1998, when Ocanas was 19.
Ocanas worked for the police force at the McAllen Independent School District from December 2007 until he was fired Dec. 17, district spokesman Mark May said. May noted that Ocanas, like all district employees, underwent a background check before being hired. May said Ocanas was fired after the district learned of the sexual assault investigation.
Ocanas had previously worked as a U.S. Border Patrol agent, though the agency declined Monday to say when or for how long he was employed there. Border Patrol spokesman Henry Mendiola said Ocanas had worked at the agency's Rio Grande City station.
Reached at his McAllen home Monday by The Associated Press, Ocanas said, "I have no comment right now" and hung up. He was arrested Wednesday and released on bond the next day.
Court records indicate a woman told Pharr police in October that Ocanas had sexually assaulted her between November 1998 and November 2004, beginning when she was 11 years old.
The woman told police the assaults occurred in multiple locations, including a home in Pharr, and that Ocanas sometimes gave her alcohol beforehand, according to court records. The victim was between the ages of 11 and 16 when the alleged abuse occurred, according to court documents.

Stanley Police officer charged with sexual assault

 

A member of the Stanley Police department is facing one count of fourth-degree sexual assault.
The charge was filed Friday against Terry A. Karlen, 58, of 946 Emery St., Stanley. Online court records indicate the incident happened on June 16, 2012.
Fourth-degree sexual assault is a Class A misdemeanor offense.
Karlen is scheduled for an initial appearance in February 2013 in Chippewa County Circuit Court with Judge Steven R. Cray.

Wendel Palmer, D.C. officer, charged with sexually abusing 11-year-old girl

 

A D.C. police officer has been arrested and charged with sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl inside a Southeast D.C. church that his family runs.
Wendel Palmer
Police say Wendel Palmer, who joined the department in 1990 and is assigned to the Sixth District, was arrested Wednesday and charged with first-degree child sexual abuse.
The alleged abuse occurred when the accuser was a juvenile, almost 10 years ago. Prosecutors say the assaults continued for two years.
A judge ruled Thursday that Palmer must be held at least until his next court appearance, which is scheduled for next week.
Charging documents state Palmer led the youth choir group and that is how he allegedly found his victim.
The victim, who is now 19, says most of the abuse took place in the Bethuel Temple Church of Christ Apostolic. She says it started when she was 11, but also said it happened too many times to count.
Palmer would give the choir a break and send the other children away and tell her to stay behind. She says he would take her to the pastor's office where he sexually abused her.
The victim revealed the alleged assaults to her mother in March. An investigation led to the arrest and charging of the police officer.
No one at the church would address the charges specifically with ABC7, but some familiar with the church expressed disgust with what is alleged to have taken place.
No one was home when ABC7 knocked at Palmer's Fort Washington, Maryland home Thursday night.
Neighbors, some of whom have known Palmer and his family for a long time, say he has never appeared to be anything but a genuinely nice man.
"I can't imagine somebody like him doing what he's accused of," said neighbor Wilbert Moore. “I just can't imagine it."
Palmer has been placed on leave from the force with pay, pending the outcome of his case.

Another child molestation by your local police...where the hell is the Justice Department?


Hampton County, South Carolina: A deputy was accused of sexually abusing a child while working as a school resource officer. He has been charged with two counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor and misconduct in office. ow.ly/gDEZk

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Jackson, Mississippi

Jackson, Mississippi: A state trooper has been arrested and charged with statutory rape. He is now on administrative leave without pay. http://ow.ly/gBJBZ

Fort Carson, Colorado


Fort Carson, Colorado: An officer accused of preying on more than a dozen young girls in the Colorado Springs area was arrested in on a warrant alleging similar offenses in his native Alabama. http://ow.ly/gBV0m

Fort Carson, Colorado


Fort Carson, Colorado: An officer accused of preying on more than a dozen young girls in the Colorado Springs area was arrested in on a warrant alleging similar offenses in his native Alabama. http://ow.ly/gBV0m

Monday, January 7, 2013

A former court officer charged in international child pornography crackdown ...

A former court officer charged in international child pornography crackdown ...
WXYZ
DETROIT, Mich (WXYZ) - Michael Wioskowski of Eastpointe is one of more than 240 people arrested and charged in connection with a child sexual exploitation and child pornography investigation called "Operation Sunflower." "It's disturbing, you never ...
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Ryan, OK Reserve Officer Charged with Engaging in Sexual Communication ...

Ryan, OK Reserve Officer Charged with Engaging in Sexual Communication ...
KFDX
A 42 year old former reserve officer for the Ryan, Oklahoma Police Department is out on a $20,000 bond after being charged with Engaging in Sexual Communication with a Minor by use of Technology. Robert Gutierrez Jr. is charged with sending explicit ...

National Police Misconduct NewsFeed Daily Recap 01-04-13


  • Creve Coeur, Missouri: An off-duty officer was arrested in connection with the aggravated battery of two high school students on school property. He allegedly beat them up for harassing his girlfriend’s son, and is now under paid administrative suspension while the investigation continues. ow.ly/gwjFf

National Police Misconduct NewsFeed Daily Recap 01-04-13


  • Sevier County, Utah: A highway patrol trooper was arrested and jailed on allegations he had sexually abused a young female relative over the last 8 years. He is on paid administrative leave, pending the investigation. ow.ly/gy8ed

  • Los Angeles, California: Two officers are under investigation for allegedly preying on women over a period of five years, luring them into an unmarked car and forcing them to perform sex acts, according to court records. Investigators had planned to confront the officers in a surprise operation, but were forced to accelerate those plans, when one of the women unexpectedly filed a lawsuit against the officers. Fearing the officers might destroy evidence, investigators rushed to sequester the officers and seize their computers and phones, police confirmed. ow.ly/gxMWI

  • Hurst, Texas: A police officer has been fired after being recorded on video threatening a teenager and using profane language. “You can’t help but be embarrassed — not only for the officers that work in our department, but for anybody in the law enforcement profession,” The Hurst Assistant Chief said. “You just expect when an officer shows up, they’re going to be in charge. You don’t want the foul language, anything that looks like it might be overreaction. You just want to be professional, calm and in control of the scene.” ow.ly/gxILV

Friday, January 4, 2013

Dartmouth officer charged in sex case resigns



SouthCoastToday.com
DARTMOUTH — A police officer charged in a bizarre sex case involving an adult family member has resigned, citing health and medical reasons. Police Chief Timothy M. Lee said Officer Robert Levinson's resignation was effective New Year's Day.
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The problem of mentally unstable cops




4 hours ago – The Nebraska Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of a former Scottsbluff police officer on child pornography charges.
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NBC 6 Miami-Dec 13, 2012
Davie Police Officer Arrested on Child Abuse Charges, Authorities Say ... Timothy Donohue was arrested on charges he struck his children, ...


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KOCO Oklahoma City-22 minutes ago
A reserve police officer for the city of Forest Park has been arrested following a cyber-sting operation by the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit at the Canadian ... Flowers said if Cox is convicted, the crimes could result in a ...