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BY: Jay Santos

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Cops arrested for:6/13/11

Norfolk officer arrest leads to larger investigation

June 13, 2011

VIRGINIA BEACH—

The arrest of a Norfolk police officer for drug charges is part of a larger investigation.

Court records show Beach detectives have charged Kristin Harris with a dozen felonies for distributing

anabolic steroids.

Police sources said Harris' arrest is part of a bigger and still ongoing investigation. News of the arrest

leaked earlier than Beach police had planned and court records show a magistrate concealed

On a bail worksheet under "place of employment," a magistrate wrote: "see detective." No mention that

Harris was a veteran Norfolk officer. On that same worksheet under the entry asking whether the

accused is on probation or parole, the magistrate checked "no", but then added underneath, "harassing

telephone calls." And under "prior criminal record," the magistrate wrote: "trespassing." There was no

explanation for those charges.

Harris has also spent time in Norfolk's Federal Court.

He has filed for bankruptcy twice. The first time before he was a Norfolk officer and the second time

while he was on the force. Federal records show second case was tossed out because he didn't pay the

fees.

A Norfolk police spokesman could not say whether officials knew about Harris' history, but he did say all

police recruits undergo a thorough background check.

Kristin Harris has resigned from the Norfolk police department. He also faces a marijuana charge now in

Virginia Beach and a prescription-drug charge. He is free on bail and is scheduled for arraignment

tomorrow morning.

http://www.wtkr.com/news/wtkr-norfolk-officer-arrested,0,1604187.story

http://www.crookedsapd.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=126

Walhalla, SC: narcotics officer's son arrested on drug charge

June 13, 2011

WALHALLA — A weekend traffic checkpoint by Seneca police officers landed the son of Oconee County’s

chief narcotics officer in jail on drug and weapons charges.

Kenneth Desmond Washington, 22, of 1152 Kilpatrick Raod, Seneca, was charged with possession of

drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia and carrying a concealed weapon following his arrest Saturday

night.

Washington is the son of Lt. Kenny Washington, who heads narcotics investigations for the Oconee

County Sheriff’s Office, according to investigators on the case.

Also charged in the same incident was Rachel Leigh Cunningham, 20, of 601 Quincy Road, Seneca. She

was charged with possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia, possession of alcohol by a minor and

having an open container.

The 2008 Ford SUV driven by Cunningham stopped at the traffic checkpoint near 12015 N. Radio Station

Road in Seneca about 10:45 p.m. Saturday, according to the report of Seneca police officer Joe Hamilton.

When Cunningham took her driver's license from her handbag the officer spotted an open bottle of brown

liquor in the bag and directed her over to the roadside for further investigation.

Hamilton reported detecting the smell of “raw marijuana” coming from the vehicle and ordered

Cunningham and Washington, sitting in the left rear passenger seat, to get out of the vehicle.

Hamilton reported a bulge in Washington’s pants that was consistent with the outline of a firearm.

Washington was handcuffed and searched, revealing a silver and black Smith & Wesson .40-caliber

semiautomatic pistol, fully loaded and with a round in the chamber.

A further search of Washington produced a marijuana cigarette, three Xanax tablets, a small digital scale

and a roll of money in small denominations.

The Seneca Police Department has not disclosed the amount of the money but a source close to the

investigation who wanted to remain unnamed pegged the money seized at about $1,500.

What was described as “a large bag” of marijuana, presumed to be Washington’s, was found in the back

of the patrol car that transported Washington to the Oconee County detention center.

A search of Cunningham turned up, besides the open liquor bottle, a bag containing an estimated two

grams of marijuana and a glass pipe containing marijuana residue.

Seneca Police Chief John Covington said Monday that his department is tracing ownership of the seized

.40-caliber pistol through the federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, which could take as long

as a week.

Washington has a prior arrest on a drug possession charge in Orangeburg County in October 2009. The

arrest reportedly occurred while Washington was a student at South Carolina State University.

Court records show that the 2009 charge was dismissed in August 2010 on the basis of pre-trial

intervention.

Both Cunningham and Washington were released from the Oconee County detention center Sunday on

personal recognizance bonds, $2,237.50 for Cunningham and $21,092.50 for Washington.

BY: Ray Chandler

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2011/jun/13/seneca-police-arrest-washington-traffic-checkpoint/

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Lansing, MI: officer cleared in larceny charges

June 13, 2011

A former Lansing police officer with a history of writing bad checks has been cleared of a larceny charge that

his attorney said was filed after a Grand Rapids restaurant refused to accept his check for $12.98.

During a bench trial last week in 61st District Court in Grand Rapids, the judge threw out the larceny by false

pretenses case, said attorney Nick Bostic, who is representing Jerry Blow. The case stemmed from a January

incident.

Bostic said Blow, 43, didn't commit a crime. The manager at the Peppino's pizzeria simply wouldn't accept the

check, he said.

The Grand Rapids police officer who ticketed Blow that night, according to Bostic, contacted Lansing police

before writing a misdemeanor citation.

Bostic added that the Lansing Police Department's internal affairs office contacted the Grand Rapids city

attorney's office after charges were filed, to let them know about charges Blow was facing in Eaton and

Ingham counties.

Blow was fired in February after a 14-year career with the department. He later pleaded no contest in Eaton

County District Court to two counts of false pretenses as well as one count of writing a bad check less than

$100 for incidents at three gas stations. As part of that plea deal, he paid about $1,100 in restitution to two

Ingham County businesses to which authorities said he passed bad checks.

In the Grand Rapids incident, Blow attempted to pay a $39.98 bill with his debit card. The card failed, and after

paying $27 in cash, Blow attempted to write a personal check for $12.98, Bostic said.

Bostic said he believes the department wanted to build a case against Blow in order to fire him, and was

compiling as much ammunition as possible to protect their position.

"The more criminal cases they have against him," Bostic said, "the easier it is (for department officials) to

defend themselves if he tries to hold them accountable."

Lansing police officials declined to comment Monday. Bostic said he is pursuing a case against the department

with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The Grand Rapids city attorney's office did not return a message seeking comment.

Bostic said that a few years ago, Blow challenged one of his supervisors for not properly supervising officers

Blow said were "disregarding the civil rights" of minorities they stopped or arrested.

A series of "petty write-ups and disciplines" were imposed on Blow in retaliation, Bostic said.

BY: Kevin Grasha

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/arti ... |FRONTPAGE

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St. Louis, MO: officer arrested; suspected of drunk driving

June 13, 2011

ST. LOUIS COUNTY • A St. Louis County police officer arrested one of his fellow officers on suspicion of

drunken driving and unlawful use of a weapon, according to police reports released Monday.

The records show police arrested the officer, 31, of St. Louis, shortly after 4 a.m. Wednesday. The

officer's car was stopped near Gravois Road and Philo Avenue in the Affton area, records say.

The officer was driving a tan four-door 2005 Pontiac G6 east on Gravois Road when Patrolman Douglas

Reiner, who was conducting speed enforcement, spotted the Pontiac going 57 mph in a 30 mph zone.

Police said the officer refused a breath test and field sobriety tests. Police seized the officer's loaded .380

caliber Ruger pistol from the Pontiac.

Police issued the officer citations for speeding and drunken driving and are seeking a charge of unlawful

use of a weapon for allegedly possessing a handgun while being intoxicated.

The officer was booked and released from the St. Louis County Jail.

Authorities say the arrested officer left his job with the St. Louis County Police Department after his

arrest.

The Post-Dispatch was not publishing the officer's identity Monday because he had not been formally

charged.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metr ... f6878.html

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Oakland, CA: Protestors file suit against OPD

June 13, 2011

OAKLAND, Calif. -- A class action lawsuit filed Monday alleges that the Oakland Police Department and

the Alameda County Sheriff's Office violated the rights of 150 people who were arrested after former

BART police officer Johannes Mehserle was sentenced last Nov. 5.

The suit, filed in federal court in Oakland, claims that Oakland police unconstitutionally and unlawfully

arrested the protesters without probable cause and sheriff's deputies caused them pain, discomfort,

embarrassment and humiliation by holding them for up to 24 hours with little access to restrooms or

food.

The lawsuit, filed by attorneys affiliated with the National Lawyers Guild, also alleges that deputies forced

some of those arrested to provide DNA samples even though the arrests were only based on the

allegation of participating in an unlawful assembly, which is a non-violent misdemeanor.

The suit seeks unspecified monetary damages for the protesters who were arrested as well as an

injunction that would force the Oakland Police Department to comply with its crowd control policies.

The lawsuit was filed only hours after Mesherle, 29, was released from the Los Angeles County Men's

Central Jail at about 12:30 a.m. today.

Mehserle shot and killed Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old Hayward man who was unarmed, after Mehserle and

other officers responded to reports that there was a fight on a train.

Mehserle admitted in a highly-publicized trial last year that he shot and killed Grant but claimed he had

meant to use his stun gun on Grant and fired his service gun by mistake.

Alameda County prosecutors sought to have Mehserle convicted of murder, but in a verdict on July 8

jurors only convicted him of the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter.

On Nov. 5, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Robert Perry sentenced Mehserle to two years.

Mehserle was released from custody today because he was given credit for time he served in jail before

and after his conviction.

A rally was held in downtown Oakland that evening, after which some demonstrators marched toward the

Fruitvale BART station.

Michael Flynn of the San Francisco chapter of the National Lawyers Guild said at a news conference in

downtown Oakland today that Oakland police funneled the protesters to the 1700 block of Sixth Avenue

but then refused to give them an opportunity to leave and ultimately arrested them.

Daniel Spalding said he was among those who were arrested even though he identified himself as an

observer for the National Lawyers Guild.

The suit says there was no probable cause or legal basis to arrest the protesters and none of the

plaintiffs in the case was ever charged with a crime.

Rachel Jackson of the Coalition for Justice for Oscar Grant said she believes Oakland police created "an

atmosphere of intimidation" before and during the protest to discourage people from participating in the

demonstration.

Oakland City Attorney spokesman Alex Katz said he could not comment on the lawsuit because his office

had not yet seen it.

Alameda County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. J.D. Nelson said once those who were arrested were taken to

Glenn Dyer Jail in Oakland they were placed in holding areas with bathroom facilities and given bag

lunches.

However, Nelson admitted, "I'm sure it was inconvenient" for those who were arrested because of the

crowded conditions.

Nelson said that because of funding cutbacks the Sheriff's Department did not have the number of staff

members it would have liked to deal with the large number of people who were arrested.

http://www.ktvu.com/news/28222538/detail.html

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Hattiesburg, MS: officer appeals demotion/pay cut

June 13, 2011

A Hattiesburg police officer appealed a demotion and pay cut to the Hattiesburg Civil Service Commission

Monday.

Patrolman Matthew Nunnally, a former sergeant, argued the penalty HPD administration gave him may

have been racially motivated and his punishment was too severe.

He added the reduction of several pay grades was in violation of the department's internal rules.

Nunnally was demoted and received a pay cut following an incident where he damaged a wall in his

office on Jan. 5.

He said after receiving a letter informing him of a six-day suspension and six-month probation associated

with an earlier insubordination and incompetence charge, he slammed a rolling chair on the floor in an

act of "venting."

Nunnally said the chair slipped out of his grasp and punched a 5- to 6-inch hole in the wall. He said he

repaired the hole before any disciplinary action was taken against him.

A disciplinary hearing for the hole in the wall incident added an extra 15-day suspension and another 12

months of probation to Nunnally's earlier punishment.

During the Civil Service Commission hearing, Nunnally also said black and white officers are disciplined

differently.

In a list presented to the commission, Nunnally claimed black officers:

# Have been seen returning city-owned lawn equipment and using city-owned ATV for personal use

without disciplinary action.

# Have told wanted persons when a warrant was to be served.

# Been accused of making narcotics transactions.

He also alleged Capt. Jamie Hooker, who was indicted March 21 on felony embezzlement charges, has

not yet been disciplined by the police department.

Hooker, who is black, was arrested in October in association with a stolen television after an internal and

external investigation of the department.

Nunnally claimed Hooker is still drawing a paycheck although he is on administrative leave.

In a telephone conversation following the hearing, Hattiesburg Police Chief Frazier Bolton said Nunnally's

allegations of racial bias are unfounded and Hooker is using accrued vacation time to draw a paycheck.

"I've been chief of police four times," Bolton said. "And if there's anything like that in your background,

it'll surface."That's a bunch of malarkey, and it's a scapegoat for him to get out of his charges. "He said

Nunnally has displayed a pattern of disciplinary problems, which were discussed during the hearing.

Nunnally also called several officers as witnesses to support his claims, including Eric Hatten, a white

patrolman.

"I don't want to use the words 'discriminated against,' but I'll use the word 'biased,'" Hatten said during

the hearing.

He added he has seen white officers disciplined more sternly than black officers, and noted infractions by

black officers sometimes aren't even investigated.

"You have some guys who do minor things and you'd think they'd taken a shot at the president or

something," Hatten said.

Maj. Hardy Sims also testified, saying Nunnally's punishment for breaking his office wall was so stiff

because he reacted with a temper in front of younger, impressionable officers.

Sims also denied any racial discrimination in the department or in disciplinary hearings, many of which he

chairs.

"I take pride in the fact that I try to be fair," he said.

The commission will decide whether Nunnally's punishment was fair before their next meeting on June

22.

BY: Jesse Bass

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20110614/NEWS01/106140317

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The Blue LieCrooked Cops

BY: Jay Santos

www.crookedpd.comwww.crookedsapd.com/forum

More to Come...