Page 3
01/27/2006
- An Illinois State Police trooper demanded that a young couple he
found stopped along Interstate 94 strip as an impromptu punishment for
several minor offenses, including underage drinking, the man and woman
testified Wednesday.
Both
said Trooper Jeremy Dozier ordered them to take off all their clothes
and urinate in a roadside ditch last June 16 after he stopped his
unmarked squad behind their parked car on a darkened stretch of tollway
near Northbrook.
"He
told us we had to strip. He demanded we strip,'' said Maria Boyko, now
19, recounting how Dozier allegedly stood beside her open car door,
watching by flashlight as she removed her clothing.
Boyko
and her fiancee, 23-year-old Dimitry Baum, both testified they stripped
down to their underwear, but then sped away when the trooper stepped
back from their car.
Dozier,
32, was charged by Cook County authorities with a variety of offenses,
including official misconduct, bribery, intimidation and unlawful
restraint, after the couple called police on a cell phone to report the
alleged harassment.
Following
his arrest, Dozier also was charged in Lake County for allegedly
harassing motorists in two similar incidents in Antioch and Gurnee last
year. Judge Thomas Fecarotta, who is presiding over Dozier's Cook
County trial, has ruled prosecutors can tell jurors about those Lake
County arrests.
As
Dozier's trial opened in Rolling Meadows, his attorneys derided as ''a
pack of lies" the allegations made against him by Boyko, who works in a
suburban jewelry store, and Baum, a college student.
"Jeremy Dozier was a by-the-book officer,'' defense attorney Ralph Meczyk said. "The charges are nothing but a pack of lies."
He
accused the two, especially Baum, of concocting the run-in with Dozier
to cover up some illegal activity, possibly drug use. Dozier, a 10-year
State Police veteran, has been suspended since his arrest.
Baum
and Boyko both acknowledged they had been drinking at a nightclub in
Chicago before they stopped along the tollway so Boyko could urinate.
She
had returned to Baum's car when Dozier stopped behind them, then gave
them both Breathalyzer tests that indicated they had been drinking
alcohol. Dozier told the couple he wouldn't arrest them if they
suggested an informal, but embarrassing, punishment he could administer
on the spot, Baum and Boyko both testified.
Dozier rejected their requests for probation or community service work, both said, prompting Boyko to suggest something else.
"I
sarcastically said, "Do you want me to strip and run across the
highway?' " she testified. "He said, 'You don't have to run across the
highway.' ''
Jurors also heard a taped 911 call in which Baum pleaded for help while stopped along the tollway.
"The cop is making us take our clothes off. Please help us,'' a panicked-sounding Baum said during the call.
The dispatcher replied: "No cop . . . takes your clothes off.''
But during the call Baum gave the dispatcher the license number -- 1596 -- of the unmarked squad car assigned to Dozier.
After
speeding off, Baum agreed to meet a State Police trooper at the Lake
Forest oasis to give a statement. But he and Boyko sped away when the
state trooper who arrived was Dozier.
They drove to Baum's parents' house in Wauconda, then called police there.
============
12/12/2005 - An off-duty Springfield police officer who allegedly was
driving drunk was arrested after his car struck another, sending that
driver to the hospital late Saturday.
Officer
Daniel Weiss, 28, of the 2900 block of South Third Street failed field
sobriety and Breathalyzer tests following the crash, which took place
at 10:23 p.m. at Fourth Street and Stanford Avenue, according to the
Sangamon County Sheriff's Office.
Because the crash involved a city officer, county deputies were called to conduct the investigation.
Weiss
was eastbound on Stanford in a 2003 Chevrolet K1500 and was turning
south on Fourth when his car slid in snow and slush and clipped the
back of a 1997 Oldsmobile Bravada, according to a Springfield police
report.
The
Oldsmobile, driven by Amber Bell, 31, of the 3400 block of South
College Street, was facing north on Fourth and was the second car in
the turn lane to go west onto Stanford, police said.
Bell complained of neck and back pain and was treated at Memorial Medical Center.
Bell,
who describes herself as an advocate against drunken driving, said
Sunday she hopes authorities follow through with the case. "I know we
all make mistakes, but he could have killed somebody," she said.
Sheriff's officials said the DUI investigation is being handled no differently than if it involved another citizen.
Weiss also was ticketed for driving too fast for conditions.
He was sworn into the department in February.
============
08/26/2005 - Charges against a Chicago Lawn (8th) District police
officer were announced Aug. 17 at a press conference that included
Police Supt. Philip Cline and Cook County State’s Attorney Richard
Devine.
Police officer Alexandra Martinez, an 11-year veteran
on the force, was charged with two counts of felony official misconduct
and one count of battery in an incident that took place April 11 at the
JC Penney store inside Ford City Mall, 7601 S. Cicero Ave.
Martinez
was allegedly caught on the store’s surveillance cameras roughhousing a
14-year-old girl, Michelle Hutchison, who was accused of shoplifting.
The
video reportedly shows Hutchison seated at a desk across from Martinez
and her partner. Martinez then stands up and hits the girl in the face.
Hutchison is handcuffed, with the help of the partner, and Martinez
pulls her by her hair and into her seat.
Martinez hit Hutchison
in the head a number of other times, as well. Hutchison claims she had
a bloody nose and a headache from the incident.
“There is zero tolerance for behavior of this type,” said Chicago Police spokesperson Pat Camden.
The
surveillance video was turned over to supervisors at the district
station by store officials. The station then turned the tape over to
the Office of Professional Standards, which launched the investigation.
Hutchison did not file a formal complaint with the OPS after the incident.
The
tape was analyzed, the officers were identified, Hutchison was located
and the information was forwarded to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s
Office for charges.
Martinez is in the process of being fired.
Her
partner has been taken off of street patrol pending an investigation
into whether he failed to notify supervisors of the incident.
An
Albany Park officer has also been charged in an unrelated but similar
incident that took place in June at a Target store. That officer’s
charges are less severe.
Official misconduct charges are punishable by up to five years in prison.
“This is one officer out of 13,500 that was accused of committing official misconduct,” Camden said.
=========
08/11/2005 -
East Peoria - When former East Peoria police officer Ronald Beeney said
he would work again someday as a police officer, his former boss called
it a "figment of his imagination."
But
in the Sangamon County village of Thayer, population 735, Beeney is
getting a second chance at a law enforcement career as a part-time
patrol officer.
The
Village Board on Monday approved hiring Beeney and paying him $7.50 an
hour, according to Thayer Police Chief Dave Campbell, the village's
only full-time officer.
The move stunned East Peoria Police Chief Ed Papis.
"I
would say surprised is putting it mildly," Papis said Tuesday, adding
that no one from Thayer contacted him about Beeney. "I will just leave
it at that."
Beeney,
38, was an 11-year officer with the East Peoria Police Department when,
on Sept. 26, 2003, during a police raid at 100 Ridge Lane, he was
arrested along with his former girlfriend, Julie Harris.
Harris and Beeney were charged with multiple drug-related offenses
after agents with the Multi-County Narcotics Enforcement Group (MEG)
found, inside the house, nearly 30 grams of cocaine, crack pipes, large
amounts of marijuana, several tablets of Ecstasy and hallucinogenic
psilocybin mushrooms.
On
June 22, a Tazewell County jury found Beeney not guilty on three counts
of possessing a controlled substance, one count of possessing it with
the intent to deliver and one count of possessing marijuana.
Harris, a former East Peoria auxiliary officer, is scheduled for trial Dec. 5.
Thayer
Village President Brian Wood said the Village Board was aware of
Beeney's past, but they felt confident about their future relationship
with him.
********
08/08/2005 - CHICAGO --
A Chicago Police officer accused of kicking a man in the Cabrini-Green
public housing complex and then lying to investigators has received a
15-month suspension, but is working on the force again, officials said
Monday.
In 2003, home video showed Chicago Police officers
dragging four men from a van and kicking them as residents watched. The
video was shot from the upper floor of a Cabrini-Green building.
In
suspending Officer Joseph Groh, the Police Board found he had lied to
investigators that he was more than 40 feet from the van when Rondell
Freeman was punched and kicked. He served the suspension from March
2004 to May 31.
Another
officer, Bryan Vander Mey, faces criminal charges of official
misconduct and battery in the beating of Freeman. The Police Board has
not ruled on his case. Police Supt. Phil Cline had asked the board to
fire Groh and Vander Mey.
The Police Board also has fired
Officers Ernest Hutchinson and Rodney Carringer. They were convicted
last year of home invasion, armed violence and other charges for
robbing residents of $8,000 in a West Side apartment in 1998. The board
had to wait for the results of the criminal cases before taking action,
a spokesman said.
Meanwhile, a 2002 Police Board decision to
fire another officer, Linda Cohran, was recently upheld by a state
appeals court. Cohran had challenged the board's decision, which came
after she was arrested for shoplifting at a Menard's store in 2001. She
claimed depression led to her crime. Though the Police Board called for
her termination, a Cook County judge reversed that, calling instead for
a suspension. But Friday, the appellate court said Cohran had a
"disrespect for the law" that would "undermine public confidence" in
police.
*************
08/08/2005 - Ashland, Ky.- Ashland's police chief has suspended nine of
his patrolmen as the department investigates allegations the officers
engaged in sexual activity with a woman while on duty.
Chief
Tom Kelley called the investigation a ''non-criminal, internal
administrative investigation.'' The department has 48 sworn officers.
''I'm concerned, yes,'' Kelley said. ''Usually, in these situations, you're dealing with one individual.''
Kelley declined to give specifics on the investigation, citing restrictions of an ongoing personnel matter.
The officers were placed on paid suspension on Monday.
An
attorney for the woman said she told detectives on July 26 that
officers had sex with her at least seven times while on duty. The
attorney, Michael Curtis, did not release the woman's name.
Curtis
said the woman is white and in her early 20s. He said his client gave
him an ''80- to 90-page'' statement detailing the alleged encounters
with the officers.
Also, she has passed a polygraph exam to test her claims for false statements, Curtis said.
Curtis
said the woman would wait until the police investigation is complete
before deciding whether to take any legal action, such as a lawsuit. He
said he also wants to determine whether his client was acting out of
submission to authority.
''We're concerned about violation of civil rights here,'' Curtis said.
If
the investigation reveals evidence of wrongdoing, Kelley said he would
make a recommendation to the mayor and city commissioners, who would
then conduct a personnel hearing.
''The
important thing we can say is this is not a criminal (investigation),''
Kelley said. ''If they're exonerated, they're exonerated . ... With the
hearing, these things will come out.''
******************
08/04/2005 - Illinois - Former-Lincoln Police Cpl. Diana Short
allegedly has conspired with her 24-year-old daughter to manufacture
methamphetamine in an effort to raise $7,500 to bond out of jail.
Logan
County State's Attorney Tim Huyett said today that he has charged Short
and her daughter, Brianna D. Strohl of the 100 block of Grand Avenue,
on charges of conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, a Class X
felony.
Huyett
said officer Short - who faces more than eight felony and two
misdemeanor charges for allegedly growing and planning to sell
marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms spores with her husband John
Short - now is charged with four additional courts ranging from Class X
to Class II felonies.
He
said his office learned from inmates at the Logan County Safety Complex
that Diana was "apparently attempting to solicit various individuals to
manufacture methamphetamine for the purpose of selling it in order to
raise money for her bond."
After
corroborating Short's plans, Huyett began to record Diana's phone
calls, Huyett said. He said no privacy interests were invaded because a
pre-recorded warning before each call states calls are subject to
monitoring.
He
said the "calls demonstrated that Diana was soliciting among others,
her own daughter ... to accumulate pseudoephedrine pills for the
purpose of manufacturing the meth.
"With
the assistance of a confidential informant, Diana was lead to believe
that a cook was in place and all that was needed was the pills," Huyett
said.
He
said that Short told Strohl during a call July 22 that she needed the
"little white things," meaning the pills, and advised her to buy only
two boxes from each store.
Sales
of medications containing pseudoephedrine are limited to two boxes per
person by Illinois law because of their known involvement in meth
production.
Five
days after Short's call, Strohl called her mother back, telling her
"mission accomplished," and told Short the location of the pills, which
were recovered by Illinois State Police, Huyett said.
An Illinois State trooper arrested Strohl at 4:35 p.m. Monday at a residence in Springfield.
Huyett said Strohl faces three felony counts ranging from the Class X conspiracy charge to a Class II felony.
Any
sentence imposed against Short stemming from the meth charges must be
served consecutive to any sentence imposed from the two earlier
indictments alleging manufacture of marijuana and the mushroom spores.
Short
faces a sentence of 12 to 60 years if she is convicted of the Class X
felony for allegedly shipping psilocybin spores across state lines to
grow the hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Short
and Strohl were to appear in court for arraignment shortly after noon
today. Short is being held in lieu of $25,000 bond, while Strohl is
being held in lieu of $10,000 bond.
************
08/04/2005
- A Maywood police officer was fired Monday for theft, official
misconduct and lying to superior officers, among other charges.
Arian
Wade was found guilty on eight of 11 charges brought forth by Police
Chief James Collier in front of the five-member Maywood Fire and Police
Commission.
The
guilty charges included inability to act as a police officer, theft,
official misconduct, insubordination, making false or untrue
statements, and conduct unbecoming of an officer.
Wade
was accused of having an unauthorized Fire Department radio at his home
and lying about it. He also allegedly reported a handgun stolen, sold
it to a Maywood police recruit, failed to properly notify officials
that the gun was in his possession and lied about it later to a
superior officer.
Wade
had been on paid administrative leave since January, when he was
charged with criminal drug conspiracy for allegedly giving classified
police information to drug dealers to prevent their arrest.
The charge is a Class X felony which carries a 12- to 15-year prison sentence, if convicted.
A
search warrant was executed on Wade's Maywood apartment and resulted in
the recovery of a police and fire band radio that was reported missing
from the Maywood Fire Department, where Wade's brother, Denard, was
once interim chief.
In
March, charges were filed by Collier with the Fire and Police
Commission, which is responsible for hiring and firing in both
departments.
At
Monday's hearing, both Collier's and Wade's attorneys made statements
to the commission asking for different sentences resulting from the
board's guilty verdict.
Collier's attorney, Everette Hill, argued that Wade be terminated.
**************
08/04/2005 - Two law enforcement officers in Marshall County, including
Wenona’s police chief, were indicted Monday on criminal charges and
could face prison sentences if convicted.
Wenona
police chief Michael Walters, 55, was indicted on one count of
intimidation, a Class 3 felony carrying a possible prison sentence of
2-5 years, for allegedly threatening Wenona City Council member Nancy
Salz.
Henry police officer Vincent P. Moore, 38,
of Henry was indicted on one count of official misconduct, a Class 3
felony carrying a possible prison sentence of 2-5 years, and one count
of obstructing justice, a Class 4 felony carrying a possible prison
sentence of 1-3 years in prison.
********************
08/04/2005 - Lacon - A Henry police officer who was just indicted on
multiple criminal charges has been suspended and apparently plans to
resign from the force, the city's police chief said Tuesday.
Officer
Vincent P. Moore, 38, faces felony charges of official misconduct and
obstructing justice for allegedly having a crime victim falsify a
written statement and then giving that statement to the county
prosecutor. He also is accused in two misdemeanor counts of giving
alcohol to minors, including the crime victim who allegedly falsified
her statement.
The
charges were included in a four-count Marshall County grand jury
indictment that was handed down Monday afternoon and unsealed Tuesday
morning.
Officer
Moore was suspended last Friday pending the outcome of the criminal
investigation that culminated in his indictment, Henry Police Chief Ken
Todd said Tuesday.
"He
would be under suspension, pending resignation," said Todd, adding that
he has been told Moore plans to resign, but that hasn't occurred yet.
"If he chooses not to resign, he would be entitled to a hearing," Todd said.
Officer
Moore allegedly committed official misconduct by having a crime victim
falsify her written statement, and the separate offense of obstructing
justice occurred when Moore presented that statement to Marshall County
State's Attorney Paul Bauer even though he knew it was false, the
indictment alleges.
Official
misconduct, the more serious charge, can be punished by penalties
ranging from probation to five years in prison.
Neither
Bauer nor Todd would discuss the specifics of the case against
officer Moore. The criminal investigation was conducted by Illinois
State Police officers, as is common when allegations arise against
local police.
But
according to the indictment, the victim who falsified her statement was
one of two female minors to whom Moore gave alcohol. He gave it to her
June 3, the day before he had her falsify her statement, court
documents allege, while he gave the other minor alcohol on Aug. 28.
A
$10,000 warrant was issued on Moore early Tuesday. He voluntarily
appeared at the Marshall County Sheriff's Department, posted $1,000 in
cash and was ordered to appear in court Aug. 29. He declined to comment
on the charges when approached by a reporter outside the jail.
Officer
Moore, who previously worked in Galva, had been a full-time Henry
officer for about 18 months and had worked part time for a few months
before that, Todd said. He has been working as a swing-shift officer,
meaning he fills in on all three shifts when other officers are off,
the chief added.
With
Moore being suspended, "it puts an added stress on other officers" in
the small department, but the gaps will be filled, Todd said.
*************
07/26/2005 - The
lawyer for two brothers accusing suspended Marengo police Officer Scott
Crawford of using excessive force against them filed 10 subpoenas
within the last week digging for information on the officer’s past.
The
subpoenas request everything from Crawford’s college transcripts to his
job applications for three other police departments and reports of
other abuse claims filed against him.
Michael
T. Norris, the attorney for brothers Kevin and Brian Gaughan, is
seeking the information as he prepares to defend the Marengo men from
allegations they assaulted Crawford at a village festival last year and
then lied to state police about the incident.
The
Gaughans — Brian, 21, and Kevin, 18 — now say they are planning a
federal lawsuit against Crawford and the Marengo Police Department for
abuse they claim they suffered at the officer’s hands.
A state police inquiry into the Gaughans’ arrests cleared Crawford, 26, of wrongdoing.
But
a private investigator hired by the men’s family uncovered information
that Crawford had been the subject of two prior excessive force
investigations and that he resigned from the Waukegan force in 2003
after being videotaped striking a handcuffed man.
That
information prompted state police this month to take another look at
their initial investigation of the Gaughans’ complaints.
Last
month, Marengo police Chief Les Kottke suspended Crawford without pay
for three violations of department policy, including lying on his job
application. Next week, Kottke will ask the village’s police commission
to fire Crawford.
Many
of the documents Norris is seeking through the subpoenas stem from
Marengo’s hiring of Crawford and the police department’s subsequent
handling of his conduct.
Norris could not be reached for comment Monday.
Robert
Beaderstadt, criminal chief for the McHenry County State’s Attorney,
said Monday that Crawford’s past troubles should not be an issue in the
Gaughans’ case.
**************
07/20/2005 - Blue Island, IL - A
man who claimed he was beaten by a police officer in this south Chicago
suburb will receive $300,000 in a settlement from the city.
Hermenejildo
Munoz, 33, had claimed in a lawsuit that police stopped at his house
Oct. 11, 2001, and questioned his brother. When Munoz went outside to
see what was happening, he was thrown onto the trunk of a car by an
officer, according to the lawsuit. Munoz claimed he told the officer
he'd had recent back surgery and received another blow.
The
suit also claimed the police officer used racial slurs while roughing
up Munoz. Charles Romaker, an attorney for Munoz, said the suit filed
in federal court focused on excessive force.
"There were some words exchanged between the brother and the policeman," Romaker said. "That started the whole thing."
Blue
Island Mayor Donald Peloquin said the city chose to settle rather than
risk a more expensive jury judgment if the case went to court.
"Look at litigation in today's society," the mayor said. "Jury settlements ... they could be larger."
In
another case, Cook County prosecutors last month decided not to bring
charges against Blue Island police in the death of an elderly Mexican
immigrant despite a medical examiner's conclusion that when police
tackled the man it resulted in blood clots that killed him four days
later.
Since the
death last October of Antonio Manrique, 74, the city has been hit with
more than one dozen police brutality lawsuits.
************
07/16/2005
- Congressman Jesse Jackson Junior says he's "outraged and stunned" by
allegations that State Senator James Meeks was mistreated during a
traffic stop.
The
Reverend Meeks, who is black, says a white Chicago police sergeant
yelled obscenities at him and waved a gun in his face Wednesday night.
He claims he's a victim of racial profiling.
Jackson
says Meeks is a staple in the community who has worked to get rid of
drugs and liquor stores. He says if the police mistreated Meeks, they
can mistreat average citizens.
Jackson
and fellow U-S Representatives Bobby Rush and Danny Davis today asked
that the sergeant be removed from the streets until an independent
investigation is completed.
A Chicago police spokesman says the police officer remains on duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
**************
07/15/2005
- A police officer and member of Chicago's prominent Leak family has
been charged with murder for allegedly arranging a 2004 homicide for
insurance money, investigators said.
Edward Leak Jr., a 14-year
veteran of the Chicago Police Department assigned to the Central
District, is expected to appear for a bail hearing at the Criminal
Courts Building as early as Friday on charges of first-degree murder,
authorities said. Police spokesman David Bayless confirmed that Leak is
charged with murder.
"This is a case that, while it's
unfortunate, was investigated by the Police Department, and we did not
shy away from the fact that a police officer allegedly was involved,"
Bayless said.
Investigators said Leak, 42, is the nephew of
Spencer Leak, a former executive director of the Cook County Jail and
president of the Leak funeral homes.
Leak was arrested early Thursday, Bayless said.
Leak
was allegedly involved in the murder of Fred Hamilton, 35, of the 1300
block of East Hyde Park Boulevard, said state's attorney spokesman Tom
Stanton. Hamilton was a limousine driver for the Leak & Sons
Funeral Home on South Cottage Grove Avenue before he was gunned down in
February 2004.
Two men already have been charged in the case.
Alfred Marley, 44, of 7700 block of South Aberdeen Street, and John
Brown, 33, of the 1200 block of West 76th Street were charged last
year, according to court records.
Investigators now contend the
pair killed Hamilton as part of a scheme to collect on a $500,000 life
insurance policy allegedly taken out by Leak.
A lawyer for Leak could not immediately be reached for comment.
In prior hearings, prosecutors have alleged that Marley confessed he took part in the slaying for $1,500.
Prosecutors
have said the plan unfolded after Marley punctured a tire on Hamilton's
Jeep in the 7900 block of South Prairie Avenue.
Hamilton
approached his car, noticed the punctured tire and called a tow truck.
After the truck came, Brown ambushed Hamilton with a pistol,
prosecutors said in earlier hearings.
Hamilton was struck nine times, investigators said, after both men fired repeatedly
A
lawsuit was filed against State Farm in June on behalf of Hamilton's
son and his estate alleging that a State Farm Life Insurance Co. policy
"provided the motivation" for the murder of Hamilton.
A lawyer
for the estate explained that there was no reason for Leak to have a
policy on Hamilton. Leak had "no insurable interest" in Hamilton's
life, Frederick Barder said.
