Post by Critique on Jan 10, 2007 15:42:02 GMT -5
Dec. 13, 2006
BY KEVIN HARTER
A 22-year-old Roberts woman told a Hudson city commission on Tuesday that she and her boyfriend were walking away from a bar fight in March when a Hudson police officer assaulted them.
Testimony began Tuesday in a Hudson Police and Fire Commission hearing to decide whether to fire Sgt. Robert D. Oehmke who has been accused of using excessive force.
Meredith Senich testified that the officer grabbed her by the hair, then slammed her against his squad car.
Several witnesses testified Tuesday, as did Oehmke's former boss who said he had to talk with Oehmke about his temper in the past.
There is "substantial evidence" to justify firing Oehmke, who has a history of using excessive force, said attorney Ryan J. Steffes, hired by the city to represent interim Police Chief Paul Larson at the hearing. Larson has recommended the 15-year veteran be fired.
Oehmke, who has been suspended with pay from his $59,000 job since April, is accused of using excessive force and filing a false report. He is expected to testify later in the hearing, which could last until Thursday.
The testimony of several witnesses will show that while Oehmke was placing Rodney Dale, of Roberts, under arrest there was little, if any, resistance, Steffes said in his opening remarks. And Oehmke was not justified in striking the handcuffed Dale or pulling Senich down by her hair, Steffes said.
The incident began after a fight broke out in Dick's Bar and Grill, Senich told the independent five-member commission. Her boyfriend and others had been forced out of the bar by staff, and the fights continued outside.
The couple was walking away when Oehmke arrived and singled them out, Senich said. The officer grabbed Dale by the throat, then assaulted Senich when she tried to intervene, she added. Oehmke did not ask for identification or for any information, she said.
"He pointed at Rodney and said, 'You come here.' … Then he dragged Rodney back to the car. I followed, asking why he was being arrested."
Dale also told Oehmke, "You have the wrong guy," she said. Oehmke "grabbed (Dale) by the throat and slammed him on the hood of the car."
Senich said she then called Oehmke a "crooked cop," and he reached back, grabbed the 95-pound woman by her shoulder-length hair and "slammed her onto of the hood of his car."
Senich's complaint prompted the investigation, former Hudson Police Chief Dick Trende testified. Trende retired in May.
Trende testified he had written a memo in 2003 on the use of excessive force after Oehmke had been accused of repeatedly striking a man whose hands were cuffed behind his back. The former chief said he also had spoken with Oehmke after the 2003 incident because of his "temper and propensity for using force."
Oehmke, who did not testify Tuesday, is expected to do so during the hearing that is scheduled to continue today. He is represented by Gordon McQuillen, a Madison-based attorney for the Wisconsin Professional Police Association. McQuillen did not make an opening statement Tuesday. If the commission fires Oehmke, he can appeal the decision to the St. Croix County Circuit Court.
www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/16225969.htm
BY KEVIN HARTER
A 22-year-old Roberts woman told a Hudson city commission on Tuesday that she and her boyfriend were walking away from a bar fight in March when a Hudson police officer assaulted them.
Testimony began Tuesday in a Hudson Police and Fire Commission hearing to decide whether to fire Sgt. Robert D. Oehmke who has been accused of using excessive force.
Meredith Senich testified that the officer grabbed her by the hair, then slammed her against his squad car.
Several witnesses testified Tuesday, as did Oehmke's former boss who said he had to talk with Oehmke about his temper in the past.
There is "substantial evidence" to justify firing Oehmke, who has a history of using excessive force, said attorney Ryan J. Steffes, hired by the city to represent interim Police Chief Paul Larson at the hearing. Larson has recommended the 15-year veteran be fired.
Oehmke, who has been suspended with pay from his $59,000 job since April, is accused of using excessive force and filing a false report. He is expected to testify later in the hearing, which could last until Thursday.
The testimony of several witnesses will show that while Oehmke was placing Rodney Dale, of Roberts, under arrest there was little, if any, resistance, Steffes said in his opening remarks. And Oehmke was not justified in striking the handcuffed Dale or pulling Senich down by her hair, Steffes said.
The incident began after a fight broke out in Dick's Bar and Grill, Senich told the independent five-member commission. Her boyfriend and others had been forced out of the bar by staff, and the fights continued outside.
The couple was walking away when Oehmke arrived and singled them out, Senich said. The officer grabbed Dale by the throat, then assaulted Senich when she tried to intervene, she added. Oehmke did not ask for identification or for any information, she said.
"He pointed at Rodney and said, 'You come here.' … Then he dragged Rodney back to the car. I followed, asking why he was being arrested."
Dale also told Oehmke, "You have the wrong guy," she said. Oehmke "grabbed (Dale) by the throat and slammed him on the hood of the car."
Senich said she then called Oehmke a "crooked cop," and he reached back, grabbed the 95-pound woman by her shoulder-length hair and "slammed her onto of the hood of his car."
Senich's complaint prompted the investigation, former Hudson Police Chief Dick Trende testified. Trende retired in May.
Trende testified he had written a memo in 2003 on the use of excessive force after Oehmke had been accused of repeatedly striking a man whose hands were cuffed behind his back. The former chief said he also had spoken with Oehmke after the 2003 incident because of his "temper and propensity for using force."
Oehmke, who did not testify Tuesday, is expected to do so during the hearing that is scheduled to continue today. He is represented by Gordon McQuillen, a Madison-based attorney for the Wisconsin Professional Police Association. McQuillen did not make an opening statement Tuesday. If the commission fires Oehmke, he can appeal the decision to the St. Croix County Circuit Court.
www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/16225969.htm