Post by Shuftin on Jul 23, 2006 12:54:12 GMT -5
A Story County sheriff's deputy who escaped prosecution for allegedly assaulting his wife has resigned from the department.
Scott L. Madison of Ames has resigned from the Story County Sheriff's Office, where he had worked as a deputy since 1989. The resignation follows disciplinary action that stemmed from a domestic dispute last year that involved him and his wife. State authorities investigated and turned the matter over to the Iowa attorney general's office for prosecution.
State records indicate that Assistant Attorney General Patricia Houlihan concluded that Madison had assaulted his wife, but Houlihan declined to prosecute partly because Madison was a law enforcement officer who would have greater credibility with a jury than his wife.
In a letter to county officials, Houlihan wrote, "I firmly believe that Deputy Madison assaulted his wife." She went on to point out that the circumstances of the case were such that it would be "difficult to convince a jury" of his guilt.
A Story County Sheriff's Department's internal-affairs investigator who met with Houlihan wrote in his report that the assistant attorney general had explained to him that juries, in cases where "a police officer is the defendant, tend to believe the officer more than they do the victim." The internal-affairs report also says Houlihan indicated that "the best resolution for all parties in some cases was not to prosecute, even if it appeared that a criminal offense was committed."
After the criminal investigation was wrapped up, Sheriff Paul Fitzgerald fired Madison. A civil service commission subsequently changed the dismissal to a 60-day, unpaid suspension, after which Madison resigned. Madison's attorney, Daniel Gonnerman, said his client did not assault his wife.
Bob Brammer, spokesman for Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, declined to comment on the case or on Houlihan's letter to county officials. "I'm not even acknowledging such a letter," Brammer said.
The internal affairs records indicate that in 1998 Madison was given a written reprimand after he was involved in a fight in the lobby of an Urbandale hotel. Madison was alleged to be intoxicated at the time and, after the fight, to have accompanied friends to a hotel room in order to avoid an encounter with police scene.
Scott L. Madison of Ames has resigned from the Story County Sheriff's Office, where he had worked as a deputy since 1989. The resignation follows disciplinary action that stemmed from a domestic dispute last year that involved him and his wife. State authorities investigated and turned the matter over to the Iowa attorney general's office for prosecution.
State records indicate that Assistant Attorney General Patricia Houlihan concluded that Madison had assaulted his wife, but Houlihan declined to prosecute partly because Madison was a law enforcement officer who would have greater credibility with a jury than his wife.
In a letter to county officials, Houlihan wrote, "I firmly believe that Deputy Madison assaulted his wife." She went on to point out that the circumstances of the case were such that it would be "difficult to convince a jury" of his guilt.
A Story County Sheriff's Department's internal-affairs investigator who met with Houlihan wrote in his report that the assistant attorney general had explained to him that juries, in cases where "a police officer is the defendant, tend to believe the officer more than they do the victim." The internal-affairs report also says Houlihan indicated that "the best resolution for all parties in some cases was not to prosecute, even if it appeared that a criminal offense was committed."
After the criminal investigation was wrapped up, Sheriff Paul Fitzgerald fired Madison. A civil service commission subsequently changed the dismissal to a 60-day, unpaid suspension, after which Madison resigned. Madison's attorney, Daniel Gonnerman, said his client did not assault his wife.
Bob Brammer, spokesman for Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, declined to comment on the case or on Houlihan's letter to county officials. "I'm not even acknowledging such a letter," Brammer said.
The internal affairs records indicate that in 1998 Madison was given a written reprimand after he was involved in a fight in the lobby of an Urbandale hotel. Madison was alleged to be intoxicated at the time and, after the fight, to have accompanied friends to a hotel room in order to avoid an encounter with police scene.