Post by WaTcHeR on May 25, 2006 14:19:47 GMT -5
05.25.2006 -
District Attorney Joe DeCecco said Sheboygan police have been exonerated of allegations by a black man who claimed officers made racial slurs toward him and used excessive force during his arrest in April 2005.
Isaac D. Thomas, the man who accused three officers of wrongdoing, pleaded no contest to a charge of lying about those allegations, DeCecco said Wednesday.
"I wanted him to admit that he was lying and that's what he did," DeCecco said of the plea. "He's conceded that the racial slur never occurred, that the undue force didn't occur."
But Thomas, 26, formerly of Sheboygan, said Wednesday his no-contest plea doesn't mean he lied about the incident.
"I have not and I won't concede to saying that I lied about the racial slur and the other allegations," Thomas said. "It's all true."
Police Chief David Kirk said Thomas' plea clears the three officers involved in the traffic stop of any wrongdoing, along with the Sheboygan Police Department.
"I believe … it exonerates our officers," Kirk said. "This (incident) never took place."
Thomas said DeCecco's and Kirk's comments are "ridiculous."
"I'm disturbed that the DA and the police chief would make statements saying that I lied when nothing in the plea deal admits any wrongdoing at all," Thomas said.
The incident occurred during a traffic stop early in the morning of April 19, 2005, on North Eighth Street.
Thomas claimed an officer called him a "f***ing n*****" before Thomas was struck four or five times with a baton during the stop for a making a U-turn and for illegal window tint on his car. Thomas was charged in May 2005 with resisting an officer for 2005 incident and was charged in July with filing a false complaint of police misconduct.
Thomas' attorney, William Kerner of Milwaukee, said Thomas pleaded no contest to the ordinance violation to resolve the matter.
"The realistic assessment of this is that both sides made significant concessions to resolve this with their reputations intact," Kerner said. "He has under this plea agreement been exonerated of any wrongdoing in an incident in which he was treated roughly."
Police wanted to see Thomas take his case to court, Kirk said.
"We were looking forward to having this matter heard in the courts so that the truth could be heard," Kirk said.
The officers involved in the April 2005 incident — Sgt. Brad Riddiough, Officer Jeffery Mares and Officer James Priebe — couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.
The plea agreement, reached May 11, called for the dismissal of the criminal misdemeanor charge of resisting an officer and a civil violation of filing a false report of police misconduct. The reduced charge of obstructing police, to which Thomas pleaded no contest, is an ordinance violation that carries a $181 fine.
DeCecco said authorities suspected from the beginning that Thomas lied because his own witnesses didn't hear any racial slur. Officers acted correctly in their dealings with Thomas, he said.
"They clearly followed their protocol in the use of force," DeCecco said.
Kirk said the department takes allegations of police misconduct seriously.
"When there's alleged wrongdoing, we will look into it and if it's true that my officers have been unprofessional or my employees are, we will hold them accountable," Kirk said. "Yet in like manner, we will investigate and address those who twist the facts or allege things that never occurred."
Last July, DeCecco had released a 17-page opinion indicating no racial slur had occurred during the traffic stop, and charged Thomas with filing a false report of police misconduct.
District Attorney Joe DeCecco said Sheboygan police have been exonerated of allegations by a black man who claimed officers made racial slurs toward him and used excessive force during his arrest in April 2005.
Isaac D. Thomas, the man who accused three officers of wrongdoing, pleaded no contest to a charge of lying about those allegations, DeCecco said Wednesday.
"I wanted him to admit that he was lying and that's what he did," DeCecco said of the plea. "He's conceded that the racial slur never occurred, that the undue force didn't occur."
But Thomas, 26, formerly of Sheboygan, said Wednesday his no-contest plea doesn't mean he lied about the incident.
"I have not and I won't concede to saying that I lied about the racial slur and the other allegations," Thomas said. "It's all true."
Police Chief David Kirk said Thomas' plea clears the three officers involved in the traffic stop of any wrongdoing, along with the Sheboygan Police Department.
"I believe … it exonerates our officers," Kirk said. "This (incident) never took place."
Thomas said DeCecco's and Kirk's comments are "ridiculous."
"I'm disturbed that the DA and the police chief would make statements saying that I lied when nothing in the plea deal admits any wrongdoing at all," Thomas said.
The incident occurred during a traffic stop early in the morning of April 19, 2005, on North Eighth Street.
Thomas claimed an officer called him a "f***ing n*****" before Thomas was struck four or five times with a baton during the stop for a making a U-turn and for illegal window tint on his car. Thomas was charged in May 2005 with resisting an officer for 2005 incident and was charged in July with filing a false complaint of police misconduct.
Thomas' attorney, William Kerner of Milwaukee, said Thomas pleaded no contest to the ordinance violation to resolve the matter.
"The realistic assessment of this is that both sides made significant concessions to resolve this with their reputations intact," Kerner said. "He has under this plea agreement been exonerated of any wrongdoing in an incident in which he was treated roughly."
Police wanted to see Thomas take his case to court, Kirk said.
"We were looking forward to having this matter heard in the courts so that the truth could be heard," Kirk said.
The officers involved in the April 2005 incident — Sgt. Brad Riddiough, Officer Jeffery Mares and Officer James Priebe — couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.
The plea agreement, reached May 11, called for the dismissal of the criminal misdemeanor charge of resisting an officer and a civil violation of filing a false report of police misconduct. The reduced charge of obstructing police, to which Thomas pleaded no contest, is an ordinance violation that carries a $181 fine.
DeCecco said authorities suspected from the beginning that Thomas lied because his own witnesses didn't hear any racial slur. Officers acted correctly in their dealings with Thomas, he said.
"They clearly followed their protocol in the use of force," DeCecco said.
Kirk said the department takes allegations of police misconduct seriously.
"When there's alleged wrongdoing, we will look into it and if it's true that my officers have been unprofessional or my employees are, we will hold them accountable," Kirk said. "Yet in like manner, we will investigate and address those who twist the facts or allege things that never occurred."
Last July, DeCecco had released a 17-page opinion indicating no racial slur had occurred during the traffic stop, and charged Thomas with filing a false report of police misconduct.