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Post by Critique on Feb 2, 2007 3:19:35 GMT -5
Feb 1, 2007 A mother lost her only child when he was thrown from a car after a high-speed chase and then run over by police. NewsChannel 5 obtained a copy of the police car video at the center of a multi-million dollar lawsuit. Last January, Paxton Farris, 17, and three friends were cruising in a pick-up truck and stopped at a garage. A suspicious neighbor called 911. When police arrived, Scott Gooden who was driving the truck took off. He led Spring Hill Police on a chase that ended with the death of Farris and Chelsea Chappell, 14. Farris was thrown from the truck, and his body was run over by police. His family filed a $2 million civil lawsuit against Gooden and the Spring Hill Police. "[There are] unanswered questions concerning this incident -- what caused it to happen, who caused it to happen, and who may ultimately may be responsible for the death of those two children," Dan Warlick, the Farris family attorney, said. Gooden was charged with vehicular homicide. A grand jury found the police did nothing wrong, but Warlick said the police video tells the story behind the lawsuit. "I'm seeking justice for my clients," he said. The video shows the following scene: With police in hot pursuit, the pick-up crashed off the road. Seconds later, as police rush to the scene, another squad car sped into the picture. The truck rolled and threw three teens before it stopped on the shoulder. Kelsey Newell landed several yards off the road. Chelsea Chappell was thrown 30 feet along the shoulder. Paxton Farris was thrown about 20 feet into a culvert. Moments later, a second patrol car swerved around the first into the culvert and ran directly over Farris. "There's no question that the police car ran over him," he said. In the video, an officer shined a flashlight on Farris and threw his arms in the air as another squad car sped through the scene and over Farris. Investigators said Farris was likely already dead. "I'm saying it's probable that he was alive. I have discussed this with people who are experts who will testify that he was alive at the time the police car hit him," Warlick said. The lawsuit calls the police reckless and negligent. Warlick said the kids committed no serious crime -- no burglary or shooting. They were just scared kids afraid to stop after curfew. Friday night, NewsChannel 5 will have an interview with Paxton Farris' mother about her search for answers. www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=6027304
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Post by Critique on Feb 2, 2007 3:19:35 GMT -5
Feb 1, 2007 A mother lost her only child when he was thrown from a car after a high-speed chase and then run over by police. NewsChannel 5 obtained a copy of the police car video at the center of a multi-million dollar lawsuit. Last January, Paxton Farris, 17, and three friends were cruising in a pick-up truck and stopped at a garage. A suspicious neighbor called 911. When police arrived, Scott Gooden who was driving the truck took off. He led Spring Hill Police on a chase that ended with the death of Farris and Chelsea Chappell, 14. Farris was thrown from the truck, and his body was run over by police. His family filed a $2 million civil lawsuit against Gooden and the Spring Hill Police. "[There are] unanswered questions concerning this incident -- what caused it to happen, who caused it to happen, and who may ultimately may be responsible for the death of those two children," Dan Warlick, the Farris family attorney, said. Gooden was charged with vehicular homicide. A grand jury found the police did nothing wrong, but Warlick said the police video tells the story behind the lawsuit. "I'm seeking justice for my clients," he said. The video shows the following scene: With police in hot pursuit, the pick-up crashed off the road. Seconds later, as police rush to the scene, another squad car sped into the picture. The truck rolled and threw three teens before it stopped on the shoulder. Kelsey Newell landed several yards off the road. Chelsea Chappell was thrown 30 feet along the shoulder. Paxton Farris was thrown about 20 feet into a culvert. Moments later, a second patrol car swerved around the first into the culvert and ran directly over Farris. "There's no question that the police car ran over him," he said. In the video, an officer shined a flashlight on Farris and threw his arms in the air as another squad car sped through the scene and over Farris. Investigators said Farris was likely already dead. "I'm saying it's probable that he was alive. I have discussed this with people who are experts who will testify that he was alive at the time the police car hit him," Warlick said. The lawsuit calls the police reckless and negligent. Warlick said the kids committed no serious crime -- no burglary or shooting. They were just scared kids afraid to stop after curfew. Friday night, NewsChannel 5 will have an interview with Paxton Farris' mother about her search for answers. www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=6027304
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Post by Critique on Jan 8, 2007 4:14:42 GMT -5
Jan. 06, 2007 Associated Press PHILADELPHIA - A 20-year-old man fatally shot by city police responding to gunfire early on New Year's Day was not armed, authorities said. Inspector William Colarulo said investigators determined an officer fired twice when he saw Bryan Jones reaching for his waistband shortly after midnight Jan. 1. No weapon was found, said Colarulo, commander of police Internal Affairs, which is investigating the shooting. Police have said gunmen on the porch of a home in the city's Overbrook section fired on officers responding to a report of gunfire. The officers returned fire, putting about 10 bullet holes in the porch roof facades and walls of two homes, police said. Police said nine guns were eventually recovered from a porch roof and a house near the scene. A 19-year-old man and four juveniles were arrested. According to Jones' family, he and his 13-year-old nephew were running away when an officer shouted at him to stop and fired. Bryan Jones and the teen ran from one of the houses that police had fired upon and were running down an alley when he was shot, the family said. "They told us he's been shot three times in the head," said Chris Jones, the victim's brother. "He did not have a gun, he did not have anything." Police department regulations bar officers from firing at a "fleeing individual who presents no threat of imminent death or serious physical injury to themselves or another person present." A police report stated that the unidentified officer who shot Jones saw a man with a gun in the alley, but that he got away just before the officer saw Jones, Colarulo said. Five officers who fired their weapons have been placed on administrative duty while the internal affairs investigation continues. Barry Ginsburg, a lawyer retained by Jones' family, said he was considering filing a civil-rights lawsuit, but was awaiting Jones' medical records and the results of an autopsy report. Last year, city police killed 20 civilians, the most in more than 25 years. The city also recorded 406 homicides in 2006, the highest total since 1997. www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/16399842.htm
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Post by Critique on Jan 8, 2007 4:14:42 GMT -5
Jan. 06, 2007 Associated Press PHILADELPHIA - A 20-year-old man fatally shot by city police responding to gunfire early on New Year's Day was not armed, authorities said. Inspector William Colarulo said investigators determined an officer fired twice when he saw Bryan Jones reaching for his waistband shortly after midnight Jan. 1. No weapon was found, said Colarulo, commander of police Internal Affairs, which is investigating the shooting. Police have said gunmen on the porch of a home in the city's Overbrook section fired on officers responding to a report of gunfire. The officers returned fire, putting about 10 bullet holes in the porch roof facades and walls of two homes, police said. Police said nine guns were eventually recovered from a porch roof and a house near the scene. A 19-year-old man and four juveniles were arrested. According to Jones' family, he and his 13-year-old nephew were running away when an officer shouted at him to stop and fired. Bryan Jones and the teen ran from one of the houses that police had fired upon and were running down an alley when he was shot, the family said. "They told us he's been shot three times in the head," said Chris Jones, the victim's brother. "He did not have a gun, he did not have anything." Police department regulations bar officers from firing at a "fleeing individual who presents no threat of imminent death or serious physical injury to themselves or another person present." A police report stated that the unidentified officer who shot Jones saw a man with a gun in the alley, but that he got away just before the officer saw Jones, Colarulo said. Five officers who fired their weapons have been placed on administrative duty while the internal affairs investigation continues. Barry Ginsburg, a lawyer retained by Jones' family, said he was considering filing a civil-rights lawsuit, but was awaiting Jones' medical records and the results of an autopsy report. Last year, city police killed 20 civilians, the most in more than 25 years. The city also recorded 406 homicides in 2006, the highest total since 1997. www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/16399842.htm
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Post by Critique on Dec 29, 2006 3:41:29 GMT -5
December 20, 2006 DETROIT, MICHIGAN - The Detroit police officer who shot and killed 16-year-old Brandon Moore at Detroit's Bel-Air Mall Nov. 26 is Officer Eugene J. Williams. A 35-year veteran of the force, Williams has killed two others during his tenure with the department, in 1971 and 1979. Informed sources have independently identified Williams, whose badge number is 4174, although the police department has refused to do so while an investigation proceeds. According to published articles and court records, Williams also shot and wounded his police officer wife in 1984 in a domestic dispute, and wrongfully knocked out four front teeth of an innocent 16-year-old Cody High School student in 1989. "I want to address Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings," said Moore's father John Henry Moore, Sr. "Why is this man still on the force, after doing all this damage to people's lives? If my son had shot him, he would be in jail or where he is now, deceased. Brandon was only starting his life, and he had a promising career, but this officer can still go home and take care of his family." Earlier reports indicated that the officer who shot the younger Moore was on administrative leave. However, Williams answered the phone Dec. 12 at the Traffic Enforcement Unit on Mt. Elliott, where he is assigned. He would not confirm that he is the officer involved, but he did not deny it. He would not discuss whether he worked on or off-duty at the National Wholesale Liquidators store. Moore was killed there after he and a group of friends were ejected from the store, got in a dispute with Williams, and then ran after the officer produced a gun. "No, we don't speak to people on the phone about things like this, according to department policy," said Williams. He declined a personal interview. Second Deputy Chief James Tate had not returned a call for comment about Williams before press time. Bobby Pidgeon, a media spokesman for National Wholesale Liquidators, said the chain was waiting for the results of the police investigation in the case. "We understand six young men attacked the off-duty officer," said Pidgeon. He hung up when asked whether the officer was working for the chain at the time. Desiree Stinson, a friend of the Moore family, said her children frequent the store and have seen Williams working there since Moore's killing. A former 911 operator, she said that police department employees are not allowed to moonlight on security jobs because such jobs represent a conflict of interest. The source who identified Williams said he did not have department permission to work at the store, which is required for any off-duty work. "I don't understand why he hasn't been charged," said Stinson. "If it had been one of us, we would have been under the jail. But they figure it's just another Black kid who's probably a hoodlum. Now they're finding out he was a good kid who had never been in trouble. Where is the outrage about a grown man shooting a kid in the back?" According to a Detroit Free Press article published in 1984, Williams, who was hired in 1970, was fired from the Detroit police force in 1971 after being involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident while under the influence of alcohol. After he appealed, the department reinstated him in 1974. On June 5, 1979, Williams shot and killed 31-year-old Glenn C. Grace while off-duty, during a neighborhood dispute on the southwest side, according to a lawsuit filed by the Grace family. Grace was an auto mechanic with four children. Both sides in the suit agreed that Grace and a friend, Lloyd Woolfolk, who was a Ford autoworker, had gone to the home of Carolyn Broadnax on Liebold, to confront her brother about an earlier ejection from a party. Both sides also agreed that Grace was armed and under the influence of alcohol. According to court documents, Williams provided one version of the killing. He said he was visiting Broadnax at the time and both were standing on her front porch when Grace shot at the house across the street. Grace then confronted the two on the porch, pulling out his gun and threatening to kill them. Williams shot Grace in the head and shoulder, killing him. In a different account of events, Woolfolk said the conversation he and Grace were having with Broadnax had taken a friendly turn, and that Grace never displayed or pulled his gun or threatened the two on the porch. He said Williams never identified himself as a police officer, instead crept behind Broadnax, and fired at Grace without warning. Due to legal technicalities, a judge refused to admit a plaintiff's witness list including Woolfolk, and the case appears to have been dismissed. A city attorney defended Williams in the case. On June 4, 1984, Williams shot his wife, Pamila Hatter Williams, in the side during a domestic dispute, according to the Detroit Free Press and court records involving their 1987 divorce. Her right leg was at least temporarily paralyzed as a result. His wife was also a police officer who had been preparing to return to work along with 125 others called back from lay-off. Williams was suspended with pay, but it is unclear whether he was ever charged in the incident. His wife said she used a pair of scissors to cut up William's police uniform and never intended to harm him. Williams said she lunged at him with the scissors. His divorce records claimed it was a knife. Williams sued his wife for divorce in 1987, and expelled her from their Rosedale Park home. Wayne County Register of Deeds records show that she quit claimed the home to him in 2004, and that there have been several tax liens on the property, including an IRS attachment of nearly $40,000. A contact number for Hatter Williams was unavailable. In 1989, 16-year-old Robert Valentine was walking down the halls of Cody High School in Detroit, when Williams and his partner accosted him, according to a lawsuit filed by Antonia Walker. The officers mistakenly thought Valentine had been involved in the incident for which they had been summoned to the school. A school investigation later said he was not connected. "Officer Eugene Williams took him, flung him head and face first against a wall, where plaintiff struck his face, mouth and head . . . breaking off four front teeth with the impact," says the suit. "Then he fell to the ground and was struck by the officers again without reason or provocation." The suit said Valentine was suspended but later readmitted after an investigation showed he had nothing to do with the original incident. The suit was dismissed after a settlement for an undisclosed amount. For years, the Detroit Police Department has allegedly been developing a computerized system to monitor officers like Williams, who have had repeated incidents involving possible brutality. The U.S. Justice Department monitor has also required that such a system be instituted. The most recent report available, however, indicates that the system is not operational. HISTORY OF VIOLENCE Eugene J. Williams: - Fired from force in 1971 after a fatal hit-and-run accident while under the influence of alcohol. Reinstated 1974. - Shot and killed 31-year-old Glenn C. Grace while off-duty, during a neighborhood dispute, June 5, 1979. - Shot wife, Pamila Hatter Williams, in the side during a domestic dispute, June 4, 1984. - Flung Cody student Robert Valentine against a wall, where he struck his face, mouth and head . . . breaking off four front teeth, 1989 - Killed 16-year-old Brandon Moore at Detroit's Bel-Air Mall Nov. 26, 2006. www.blackpressusa.com/news/Article.asp?SID=3&Title=National+News&NewsID=11716
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Post by Critique on Dec 29, 2006 3:41:29 GMT -5
December 20, 2006 DETROIT, MICHIGAN - The Detroit police officer who shot and killed 16-year-old Brandon Moore at Detroit's Bel-Air Mall Nov. 26 is Officer Eugene J. Williams. A 35-year veteran of the force, Williams has killed two others during his tenure with the department, in 1971 and 1979. Informed sources have independently identified Williams, whose badge number is 4174, although the police department has refused to do so while an investigation proceeds. According to published articles and court records, Williams also shot and wounded his police officer wife in 1984 in a domestic dispute, and wrongfully knocked out four front teeth of an innocent 16-year-old Cody High School student in 1989. "I want to address Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings," said Moore's father John Henry Moore, Sr. "Why is this man still on the force, after doing all this damage to people's lives? If my son had shot him, he would be in jail or where he is now, deceased. Brandon was only starting his life, and he had a promising career, but this officer can still go home and take care of his family." Earlier reports indicated that the officer who shot the younger Moore was on administrative leave. However, Williams answered the phone Dec. 12 at the Traffic Enforcement Unit on Mt. Elliott, where he is assigned. He would not confirm that he is the officer involved, but he did not deny it. He would not discuss whether he worked on or off-duty at the National Wholesale Liquidators store. Moore was killed there after he and a group of friends were ejected from the store, got in a dispute with Williams, and then ran after the officer produced a gun. "No, we don't speak to people on the phone about things like this, according to department policy," said Williams. He declined a personal interview. Second Deputy Chief James Tate had not returned a call for comment about Williams before press time. Bobby Pidgeon, a media spokesman for National Wholesale Liquidators, said the chain was waiting for the results of the police investigation in the case. "We understand six young men attacked the off-duty officer," said Pidgeon. He hung up when asked whether the officer was working for the chain at the time. Desiree Stinson, a friend of the Moore family, said her children frequent the store and have seen Williams working there since Moore's killing. A former 911 operator, she said that police department employees are not allowed to moonlight on security jobs because such jobs represent a conflict of interest. The source who identified Williams said he did not have department permission to work at the store, which is required for any off-duty work. "I don't understand why he hasn't been charged," said Stinson. "If it had been one of us, we would have been under the jail. But they figure it's just another Black kid who's probably a hoodlum. Now they're finding out he was a good kid who had never been in trouble. Where is the outrage about a grown man shooting a kid in the back?" According to a Detroit Free Press article published in 1984, Williams, who was hired in 1970, was fired from the Detroit police force in 1971 after being involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident while under the influence of alcohol. After he appealed, the department reinstated him in 1974. On June 5, 1979, Williams shot and killed 31-year-old Glenn C. Grace while off-duty, during a neighborhood dispute on the southwest side, according to a lawsuit filed by the Grace family. Grace was an auto mechanic with four children. Both sides in the suit agreed that Grace and a friend, Lloyd Woolfolk, who was a Ford autoworker, had gone to the home of Carolyn Broadnax on Liebold, to confront her brother about an earlier ejection from a party. Both sides also agreed that Grace was armed and under the influence of alcohol. According to court documents, Williams provided one version of the killing. He said he was visiting Broadnax at the time and both were standing on her front porch when Grace shot at the house across the street. Grace then confronted the two on the porch, pulling out his gun and threatening to kill them. Williams shot Grace in the head and shoulder, killing him. In a different account of events, Woolfolk said the conversation he and Grace were having with Broadnax had taken a friendly turn, and that Grace never displayed or pulled his gun or threatened the two on the porch. He said Williams never identified himself as a police officer, instead crept behind Broadnax, and fired at Grace without warning. Due to legal technicalities, a judge refused to admit a plaintiff's witness list including Woolfolk, and the case appears to have been dismissed. A city attorney defended Williams in the case. On June 4, 1984, Williams shot his wife, Pamila Hatter Williams, in the side during a domestic dispute, according to the Detroit Free Press and court records involving their 1987 divorce. Her right leg was at least temporarily paralyzed as a result. His wife was also a police officer who had been preparing to return to work along with 125 others called back from lay-off. Williams was suspended with pay, but it is unclear whether he was ever charged in the incident. His wife said she used a pair of scissors to cut up William's police uniform and never intended to harm him. Williams said she lunged at him with the scissors. His divorce records claimed it was a knife. Williams sued his wife for divorce in 1987, and expelled her from their Rosedale Park home. Wayne County Register of Deeds records show that she quit claimed the home to him in 2004, and that there have been several tax liens on the property, including an IRS attachment of nearly $40,000. A contact number for Hatter Williams was unavailable. In 1989, 16-year-old Robert Valentine was walking down the halls of Cody High School in Detroit, when Williams and his partner accosted him, according to a lawsuit filed by Antonia Walker. The officers mistakenly thought Valentine had been involved in the incident for which they had been summoned to the school. A school investigation later said he was not connected. "Officer Eugene Williams took him, flung him head and face first against a wall, where plaintiff struck his face, mouth and head . . . breaking off four front teeth with the impact," says the suit. "Then he fell to the ground and was struck by the officers again without reason or provocation." The suit said Valentine was suspended but later readmitted after an investigation showed he had nothing to do with the original incident. The suit was dismissed after a settlement for an undisclosed amount. For years, the Detroit Police Department has allegedly been developing a computerized system to monitor officers like Williams, who have had repeated incidents involving possible brutality. The U.S. Justice Department monitor has also required that such a system be instituted. The most recent report available, however, indicates that the system is not operational. HISTORY OF VIOLENCE Eugene J. Williams: - Fired from force in 1971 after a fatal hit-and-run accident while under the influence of alcohol. Reinstated 1974. - Shot and killed 31-year-old Glenn C. Grace while off-duty, during a neighborhood dispute, June 5, 1979. - Shot wife, Pamila Hatter Williams, in the side during a domestic dispute, June 4, 1984. - Flung Cody student Robert Valentine against a wall, where he struck his face, mouth and head . . . breaking off four front teeth, 1989 - Killed 16-year-old Brandon Moore at Detroit's Bel-Air Mall Nov. 26, 2006. www.blackpressusa.com/news/Article.asp?SID=3&Title=National+News&NewsID=11716
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Post by Critique on Jan 19, 2007 3:55:51 GMT -5
Jan 17, 2007 (AP) Fargo, N.D. The assistant federal security director for screening at this city's airport has been charged with drunken driving in Minnesota. Jon Carlisle Holman, of Glyndon, Minn., is facing two counts of third-degree driving while intoxicated charges in Clay County District Court. Holman, a former Fargo police lieutenant, was arrested early Saturday morning in Dilworth, Minn. Police said Holman failed several field sobriety tests and blew a .22 on a breathalyzer. The legal limit in Minnesota is .08. Holman has been released after posting a $3,000 bond. Holman said Tuesday that he found "it very difficult to comment about something like this at this time pending the resolution of this in court." His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 26. wcco.com/local/local_story_017101758.html
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Post by Critique on Jan 19, 2007 3:55:51 GMT -5
Jan 17, 2007 (AP) Fargo, N.D. The assistant federal security director for screening at this city's airport has been charged with drunken driving in Minnesota. Jon Carlisle Holman, of Glyndon, Minn., is facing two counts of third-degree driving while intoxicated charges in Clay County District Court. Holman, a former Fargo police lieutenant, was arrested early Saturday morning in Dilworth, Minn. Police said Holman failed several field sobriety tests and blew a .22 on a breathalyzer. The legal limit in Minnesota is .08. Holman has been released after posting a $3,000 bond. Holman said Tuesday that he found "it very difficult to comment about something like this at this time pending the resolution of this in court." His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 26. wcco.com/local/local_story_017101758.html
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Post by Critique on Jan 26, 2007 1:48:37 GMT -5
01/24/2007 By CINDY SCHARR MEDIA COURTHOUSE -- A former county deputy sheriff was sentenced Tuesday to six to 23 months in prison for possessing child pornography on his home computer. Joseph Swett, 43, of the 600 block of Taylor Drive, Lower Chichester, pleaded guilty on Oct. 16 to three counts of sexual abuse of children and unlawful use of a communications facility. In addition to the jail time, Judge Joseph Cronin, who accepted the plea, also sentenced Swett to 48 months probation under the supervision of the county’s Adult Probation and Parole Sexual Offenders Unit following his release from prison. Assistant District Attorney Joseph Brielmann said Swett violated his position as a county sheriff and breached the public’s trust by downloading photos and videos depicting sex acts involving infants and children. Authorities seized Swett’s home computer during a June 1, 2005, search. It was sent to the state Attorney General’s forensic unit for further analysis, which led to the filing of the charges against him. Brielmann said investigators found 46 videos and pictures on one hard drive on Swett’s personal computer, and 26 additional pictures and videos on another hard drive. The pictures were stored, Brielmann noted, on a file entitled "Joe’s share file," and were accessible to investigators. Swett’s attorney, C. Scott Shields, said his client never disseminated the pictures and maintained that a third party had access to Swett’s hard drive. "He stands before you a broken man," Shields told Cronin. "He’s a sinner and takes full responsibility for what he’s done." Brielmann said the contention that someone else put the images and videos on Swett’s computer was "ridiculous." "This wasn’t an accident that they ended up on his computer," Brielmann said. "He continues to deny responsibility for his actions." Brielmann said Swett’s psychosexual evaluation found that he had pedophilia "interests," but did not classify him as a pedophile. The psychiatrist who conducted the evaluation also noted that she had received "unofficial" information that allegations had been made against Swett when he served in the county’s juvenile detention center, Brielmann said. No criminal charges were ever filed against Swett. Shields called that information "garbage." Swett is also subject to registering as a Megan’s Law offender for 10 years. He is barred from having any unsupervised contact with minors and is not permitted to obtain employment where he would have contact with children. His home computer will also be subject to periodic inspection by court officers to ensure he is not accessing child-related sites, both legal and illegal. Cronin also ordered Swett to forfeit three rifles and a handgun to the commonwealth. The weapons will be turned over to a federally licensed gun dealer for sale, the proceeds of which will be turned over to Swett through his attorney. Cronin did not send Swett directly to jail, but allowed him to remain free on bail until Jan. 29, to allow him to make arrangements for a caregiver for his ailing mother. www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17742524&BRD=1675&PAG=461&dept_id=18178&rfi=6
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Post by Critique on Jan 26, 2007 1:48:37 GMT -5
01/24/2007 By CINDY SCHARR MEDIA COURTHOUSE -- A former county deputy sheriff was sentenced Tuesday to six to 23 months in prison for possessing child pornography on his home computer. Joseph Swett, 43, of the 600 block of Taylor Drive, Lower Chichester, pleaded guilty on Oct. 16 to three counts of sexual abuse of children and unlawful use of a communications facility. In addition to the jail time, Judge Joseph Cronin, who accepted the plea, also sentenced Swett to 48 months probation under the supervision of the county’s Adult Probation and Parole Sexual Offenders Unit following his release from prison. Assistant District Attorney Joseph Brielmann said Swett violated his position as a county sheriff and breached the public’s trust by downloading photos and videos depicting sex acts involving infants and children. Authorities seized Swett’s home computer during a June 1, 2005, search. It was sent to the state Attorney General’s forensic unit for further analysis, which led to the filing of the charges against him. Brielmann said investigators found 46 videos and pictures on one hard drive on Swett’s personal computer, and 26 additional pictures and videos on another hard drive. The pictures were stored, Brielmann noted, on a file entitled "Joe’s share file," and were accessible to investigators. Swett’s attorney, C. Scott Shields, said his client never disseminated the pictures and maintained that a third party had access to Swett’s hard drive. "He stands before you a broken man," Shields told Cronin. "He’s a sinner and takes full responsibility for what he’s done." Brielmann said the contention that someone else put the images and videos on Swett’s computer was "ridiculous." "This wasn’t an accident that they ended up on his computer," Brielmann said. "He continues to deny responsibility for his actions." Brielmann said Swett’s psychosexual evaluation found that he had pedophilia "interests," but did not classify him as a pedophile. The psychiatrist who conducted the evaluation also noted that she had received "unofficial" information that allegations had been made against Swett when he served in the county’s juvenile detention center, Brielmann said. No criminal charges were ever filed against Swett. Shields called that information "garbage." Swett is also subject to registering as a Megan’s Law offender for 10 years. He is barred from having any unsupervised contact with minors and is not permitted to obtain employment where he would have contact with children. His home computer will also be subject to periodic inspection by court officers to ensure he is not accessing child-related sites, both legal and illegal. Cronin also ordered Swett to forfeit three rifles and a handgun to the commonwealth. The weapons will be turned over to a federally licensed gun dealer for sale, the proceeds of which will be turned over to Swett through his attorney. Cronin did not send Swett directly to jail, but allowed him to remain free on bail until Jan. 29, to allow him to make arrangements for a caregiver for his ailing mother. www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17742524&BRD=1675&PAG=461&dept_id=18178&rfi=6
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Post by Critique on Jan 25, 2007 0:08:24 GMT -5
24 Jan 2007 MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – Federal authorities have indicted a 53 year old Arkansas corrections officer on child pornography charges. Federal agents arrested Bruce Leldon Chunn of Batesville at an East Memphis motel Saturday. Investigators say Chunn thought he was meeting a 14 year old girl and her 13 year old friend for sex. Chunn, whose online name is “lonewolf3606”, set up the meeting through an internet chat room, but the teenage girl he met was actually an undercover Memphis police officer. Chunn is charged with traveling across state lines for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct involving a person under 18 years of age. He is also charged with using a computer to persuade a minor to engage in sexual acts and with transporting and shipping child pornography via computer. Chunn faces up to 30 years in jail and a $250,000 fine on the sex charges and up to 20 years and $250,000 on the child pornography charges. www.myfoxmemphis.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=2160331&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1
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Post by Critique on Jan 25, 2007 0:08:24 GMT -5
24 Jan 2007 MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – Federal authorities have indicted a 53 year old Arkansas corrections officer on child pornography charges. Federal agents arrested Bruce Leldon Chunn of Batesville at an East Memphis motel Saturday. Investigators say Chunn thought he was meeting a 14 year old girl and her 13 year old friend for sex. Chunn, whose online name is “lonewolf3606”, set up the meeting through an internet chat room, but the teenage girl he met was actually an undercover Memphis police officer. Chunn is charged with traveling across state lines for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct involving a person under 18 years of age. He is also charged with using a computer to persuade a minor to engage in sexual acts and with transporting and shipping child pornography via computer. Chunn faces up to 30 years in jail and a $250,000 fine on the sex charges and up to 20 years and $250,000 on the child pornography charges. www.myfoxmemphis.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=2160331&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1
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Post by Critique on Jan 24, 2007 23:39:58 GMT -5
JANUARY 24, 2007 MEMPHIS, TN - A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging a Batesville man with various violations of federal criminal laws involving the distribution of child pornography and child exploitation. Bruce Leldon Chunn, 53, is charged with transporting and shipping child pornography in interstate commerce by means of a computer to persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity and traveling over state lines for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, according to the U.S. Attorney for Western Tennessee. The indictment resulted from investigations conducted by member agencies of the Memphis Crimes Against Children Task Force, specifically the FBI, Shelby Co. Sheriff's Dept., and Memphis Police Department. The indictment follows the filing of a criminal complaint and arrest of Chunn on Saturday, January 20. According to U.S. Attorney David Kustoff, Chunn is employed as an officer with the Arkansas Department of Corrections. www.kait8.com/Global/story.asp?S=5983295&nav=0jsh
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Post by Critique on Jan 24, 2007 23:39:58 GMT -5
JANUARY 24, 2007 MEMPHIS, TN - A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging a Batesville man with various violations of federal criminal laws involving the distribution of child pornography and child exploitation. Bruce Leldon Chunn, 53, is charged with transporting and shipping child pornography in interstate commerce by means of a computer to persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity and traveling over state lines for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, according to the U.S. Attorney for Western Tennessee. The indictment resulted from investigations conducted by member agencies of the Memphis Crimes Against Children Task Force, specifically the FBI, Shelby Co. Sheriff's Dept., and Memphis Police Department. The indictment follows the filing of a criminal complaint and arrest of Chunn on Saturday, January 20. According to U.S. Attorney David Kustoff, Chunn is employed as an officer with the Arkansas Department of Corrections. www.kait8.com/Global/story.asp?S=5983295&nav=0jsh
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Post by Critique on Jan 21, 2007 2:44:39 GMT -5
SEGUIN, TEXAS — The former New Braunfels DARE officer arrested in August on child pornography charges pleaded guilty Friday to eight counts of possession of sexually explicit images of children. Under terms of a plea agreement between former police officer Justin Broussard and prosecutors with Attorney General Greg Abbott’s cyber crimes unit, 25th Judicial District Judge Dwight Peschel sentenced Broussard, 44, to six years in state prison on each of eight counts of possession of child pornography. As part of the plea and sentencing, which occurred in a pre-trial hearing late Friday morning in Seguin, Broussard will be required to permanently surrender his certification as a peace officer and to register as a sex offender. The sentences will be served concurrently, meaning Broussard, who has been held in Guadalupe County Jail since his Aug. 5 arrest, will first be eligible for parole in a little more than one year. It is illegal in the United States to possess sexually explicit images of children. In Texas, the offense is a third-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000. “Texans will not tolerate criminals who exploit our children,” Abbott said in a news release his office issued Friday. “The Cyber Crimes Unit will continue its aggressive crackdown on child pornographers and sexual predators who rob our children of their innocence. These dangerous predators will be brought to justice for their despicable crimes.” When state investigators went to local authorities in New Braunfels and Seguin, they received help in their investigation from the NBPD, the Comal County Sheriff’s Office, Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office and investigators and staff in the office of Guadalupe County District Attorney Vicki Pattillo. In his statement, Abbott praised Pattillo. “We are very grateful to FBI Special Agent in Charge Ralph Diaz, his office, and Guadalupe County District Attorney Vicki Pattillo for their tremendous assistance in this case,” Abbott said. “It is an honor to work side-by-side with local law enforcement as we strive toward a Texas that is safer for our children.” Pattillo said her office provided equipment, logistical and investigative support to the AG and the FBI. “Our officers worked with their officers,” Pattillo said. “It was a joint effort.” State and federal investigators ran the case and served the search warrant, Pattillo said. “They had the resources to pursue this case,” Pattillo said. “We’re very pleased for their help, and I think justice was done here in Guadalupe County today.” Broussard’s arrest at his Guadalupe County home rocked New Braunfels because the 11-year veteran officer had served for years as one of that city’s two Drug Abuse Resistance Education officers. Broussard and the other officer were removed from their DARE postings in 2002 and put back on patrol duty when New Braunfels Police Chief Russell Johnson shut the program down because he didn’t have enough officers to spare two to work in classrooms. The other officer left the department shortly afterward. The investigation that led to Broussard’s arrest began in July after his wife, Sherea Broussard found two DVDs containing child pornography in a home office, destroyed them and confronted her husband. According to affadavits filed in 25th Judicial District Court, Broussard told his wife he had been molested as a boy and that he would seek treatment. When he failed to do so, she contacted the FBI, which contacted Abbott’s fugitive unit. In the search of the Broussard family residence, state, federal and local officers seized computers, discs and videos. Bud Kirkendall, former district attorney and now 2nd 25th judicial district judge, set Broussard’s bail at $100,000. On the Monday following his Saturday arrest, Johnson personally went to the jail to fire Broussard. Johnson and New Braunfels Patrol Capt. John Villarreal worked to maintain a “business as usual” attitude at the police department, pointing out that none of the allegations pertained to Broussard’s work as a DARE officer or involved any New Braunfels students — and that the disgraced officer was not indicative of the caliber of officer or employee at the NBPD. Friday, Villarreal reiterated that. Like Pattillo, Villarreal said he believed justice was done in Seguin. “He was afforded due process, and I respect the sentence in Guadalupe County,” Villarreal said. “As disappointing as this may have been, it is not at all indicative of the rest of the members of this department. I think our record and our community support here in New Braunfels shows that.” Johnson fired Broussard within 72 hours of his arrest — without taking time, even, to tell his second-in-command that he was going to Seguin to do it. When he returned to New Braunfels, Johnson was blunt. “I fired the (officer),” Johnson told his captain, the editor and publisher of the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung and that newspaper’s police reporter. Saying the judicial system must run its course, Johnson said no more. Villarreal said he believed Johnson did the right thing — and did it decisively. “He was terminated by the chief himself in person at the jail,” Villarreal said. “In my opinion, that was the correct call. www.seguingazette.com/story.lasso?ewcd=
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Post by Critique on Jan 21, 2007 2:44:39 GMT -5
SEGUIN, TEXAS — The former New Braunfels DARE officer arrested in August on child pornography charges pleaded guilty Friday to eight counts of possession of sexually explicit images of children. Under terms of a plea agreement between former police officer Justin Broussard and prosecutors with Attorney General Greg Abbott’s cyber crimes unit, 25th Judicial District Judge Dwight Peschel sentenced Broussard, 44, to six years in state prison on each of eight counts of possession of child pornography. As part of the plea and sentencing, which occurred in a pre-trial hearing late Friday morning in Seguin, Broussard will be required to permanently surrender his certification as a peace officer and to register as a sex offender. The sentences will be served concurrently, meaning Broussard, who has been held in Guadalupe County Jail since his Aug. 5 arrest, will first be eligible for parole in a little more than one year. It is illegal in the United States to possess sexually explicit images of children. In Texas, the offense is a third-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000. “Texans will not tolerate criminals who exploit our children,” Abbott said in a news release his office issued Friday. “The Cyber Crimes Unit will continue its aggressive crackdown on child pornographers and sexual predators who rob our children of their innocence. These dangerous predators will be brought to justice for their despicable crimes.” When state investigators went to local authorities in New Braunfels and Seguin, they received help in their investigation from the NBPD, the Comal County Sheriff’s Office, Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office and investigators and staff in the office of Guadalupe County District Attorney Vicki Pattillo. In his statement, Abbott praised Pattillo. “We are very grateful to FBI Special Agent in Charge Ralph Diaz, his office, and Guadalupe County District Attorney Vicki Pattillo for their tremendous assistance in this case,” Abbott said. “It is an honor to work side-by-side with local law enforcement as we strive toward a Texas that is safer for our children.” Pattillo said her office provided equipment, logistical and investigative support to the AG and the FBI. “Our officers worked with their officers,” Pattillo said. “It was a joint effort.” State and federal investigators ran the case and served the search warrant, Pattillo said. “They had the resources to pursue this case,” Pattillo said. “We’re very pleased for their help, and I think justice was done here in Guadalupe County today.” Broussard’s arrest at his Guadalupe County home rocked New Braunfels because the 11-year veteran officer had served for years as one of that city’s two Drug Abuse Resistance Education officers. Broussard and the other officer were removed from their DARE postings in 2002 and put back on patrol duty when New Braunfels Police Chief Russell Johnson shut the program down because he didn’t have enough officers to spare two to work in classrooms. The other officer left the department shortly afterward. The investigation that led to Broussard’s arrest began in July after his wife, Sherea Broussard found two DVDs containing child pornography in a home office, destroyed them and confronted her husband. According to affadavits filed in 25th Judicial District Court, Broussard told his wife he had been molested as a boy and that he would seek treatment. When he failed to do so, she contacted the FBI, which contacted Abbott’s fugitive unit. In the search of the Broussard family residence, state, federal and local officers seized computers, discs and videos. Bud Kirkendall, former district attorney and now 2nd 25th judicial district judge, set Broussard’s bail at $100,000. On the Monday following his Saturday arrest, Johnson personally went to the jail to fire Broussard. Johnson and New Braunfels Patrol Capt. John Villarreal worked to maintain a “business as usual” attitude at the police department, pointing out that none of the allegations pertained to Broussard’s work as a DARE officer or involved any New Braunfels students — and that the disgraced officer was not indicative of the caliber of officer or employee at the NBPD. Friday, Villarreal reiterated that. Like Pattillo, Villarreal said he believed justice was done in Seguin. “He was afforded due process, and I respect the sentence in Guadalupe County,” Villarreal said. “As disappointing as this may have been, it is not at all indicative of the rest of the members of this department. I think our record and our community support here in New Braunfels shows that.” Johnson fired Broussard within 72 hours of his arrest — without taking time, even, to tell his second-in-command that he was going to Seguin to do it. When he returned to New Braunfels, Johnson was blunt. “I fired the (officer),” Johnson told his captain, the editor and publisher of the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung and that newspaper’s police reporter. Saying the judicial system must run its course, Johnson said no more. Villarreal said he believed Johnson did the right thing — and did it decisively. “He was terminated by the chief himself in person at the jail,” Villarreal said. “In my opinion, that was the correct call. www.seguingazette.com/story.lasso?ewcd=
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Post by Critique on Jan 13, 2007 3:21:11 GMT -5
BENTONVILLE, Ark. A retired Arkansas State Police trooper has pleaded guilty in Bentonville to child porn charges and was sentenced to five years in prison. Sixty-year-old Joe Hutchens of Bella Vista, who is also a former bailiff, must additionally register as a sex offender. Hutchens told Circuit Judge Tom Keith that he felt -- quote -- "humbled, embarrassed and ashamed" -- of his actions. Hutchens retired in May 2004 after working 28 years as a state trooper. Most recently, Hutchens was the bailiff for Circuit Judge David Clinger in Benton County. Hutchens was caught by an F-B-I unit that targeted crimes against children. His wife and two daughters were present for yesterday's sentencing. www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=5924364
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Post by Critique on Jan 13, 2007 3:21:11 GMT -5
BENTONVILLE, Ark. A retired Arkansas State Police trooper has pleaded guilty in Bentonville to child porn charges and was sentenced to five years in prison. Sixty-year-old Joe Hutchens of Bella Vista, who is also a former bailiff, must additionally register as a sex offender. Hutchens told Circuit Judge Tom Keith that he felt -- quote -- "humbled, embarrassed and ashamed" -- of his actions. Hutchens retired in May 2004 after working 28 years as a state trooper. Most recently, Hutchens was the bailiff for Circuit Judge David Clinger in Benton County. Hutchens was caught by an F-B-I unit that targeted crimes against children. His wife and two daughters were present for yesterday's sentencing. www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=5924364
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Post by Critique on Dec 30, 2006 4:16:30 GMT -5
Charles R. Wise, a former Clark County sheriff's deputy accused of bringing a 14-year-old Arkansas girl to Kentucky for sex, pleaded not guilty to the charges in federal court in Lexington today.
Wise is charged with producing child pornography, receiving child pornography, interstate travel for illicit sexual conduct, transporting a minor for illegal activity, possession of child pornography and making false statements to a federal law enforcement agent.
His trial is set to begin at 9 a.m. April 10.
Officials say Wise began com she admitted to him that she was 14. Wise was informed of the girl's age on several other occasions, but he continued communicating ...
Read the full article with a Free Trial at KeepMedia.
2006-12-21
CLARK COUNTY, KENTUCKY - A federal judge sentenced a Winchester locksmith Thursday to 30 years in prison for having a relationship with a 14-year-old Arkansas girl he met on the Internet and brought to Kentucky in January.
The sentence came after U.S. District Judge Karl Forester heard a tearful apology from Charles R. Wise, 38, and then an emotional plea for justice from the victim and her mother.
The victim, now 15, told the judge she has suffered mentally and physically from her relationship with Wise.
She fights through the mental anguish with frequent visits to psychologists and psychiatrists. But the physical aspect, she said, is something she cannot get over. Wise also gave her herpes, a reminder she said she would have for the rest of her life.
"My innocence was stolen," she told the judge. "Put him away."
In October, a federal jury convicted Wise, a former Clark County sheriff's deputy, on four charges: traveling out of state to have sex with a minor, transporting a minor across state lines for the purpose of having sex with her, lying to a federal officer and possessing child pornography.
Federal officials say Wise and the girl met on the Internet in October 2005, establishing a relationship that progressed quickly.
During the trial, the girl testified that Wise persuaded her to send him graphic photos of herself and encouraged her to engage in phone sex.
Wise traveled to Arkansas three times, according to testimony. On one of those trips, the two had oral sex at an Arkansas hotel. On the third trip, Wise brought the girl to Kentucky, and she stayed at a Mount Sterling motel. While there, the two had oral and anal sex, prosecutors say.
Wise testified that the girl told him she was 18. The girl, who also took the stand, said that she initially lied about her age but told Wise in November that she was 14. Wise also denied charges that the two had sex.
Police and FBI agents found the girl shortly after she left with Wise on Jan. 20, in large part because her mother had monitored her daughter's cell phone and Internet activities. After the girl's cell phone bill showed thousands of minutes of calls to a Winchester phone number, the mother called the phone number and asked Wise to leave the girl alone.
After Wise sent the girl two cell phones so they could continue to communicate, the mother found them and filed a complaint against Wise with Jonesboro, Ark., police. When her daughter went missing, she dismissed the initial assessment by Arkansas authorities that her daughter was a runaway and went to Jonesboro police with her suspicions that Wise was involved.
Before imposing his sentence, Forester said there was "no question for what she has suffered" both physically and mentally.
"Hopefully the mental aspect will resolve," he said, adding that "short of a medical miracle," the physical won't.
"This is one of the most serious offenses I've seen since I've sat on the bench," Forester said. "I think a long sentence is necessary."
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Post by Critique on Dec 30, 2006 4:16:30 GMT -5
Charles R. Wise, a former Clark County sheriff's deputy accused of bringing a 14-year-old Arkansas girl to Kentucky for sex, pleaded not guilty to the charges in federal court in Lexington today.
Wise is charged with producing child pornography, receiving child pornography, interstate travel for illicit sexual conduct, transporting a minor for illegal activity, possession of child pornography and making false statements to a federal law enforcement agent.
His trial is set to begin at 9 a.m. April 10.
Officials say Wise began com she admitted to him that she was 14. Wise was informed of the girl's age on several other occasions, but he continued communicating ...
Read the full article with a Free Trial at KeepMedia.
2006-12-21
CLARK COUNTY, KENTUCKY - A federal judge sentenced a Winchester locksmith Thursday to 30 years in prison for having a relationship with a 14-year-old Arkansas girl he met on the Internet and brought to Kentucky in January.
The sentence came after U.S. District Judge Karl Forester heard a tearful apology from Charles R. Wise, 38, and then an emotional plea for justice from the victim and her mother.
The victim, now 15, told the judge she has suffered mentally and physically from her relationship with Wise.
She fights through the mental anguish with frequent visits to psychologists and psychiatrists. But the physical aspect, she said, is something she cannot get over. Wise also gave her herpes, a reminder she said she would have for the rest of her life.
"My innocence was stolen," she told the judge. "Put him away."
In October, a federal jury convicted Wise, a former Clark County sheriff's deputy, on four charges: traveling out of state to have sex with a minor, transporting a minor across state lines for the purpose of having sex with her, lying to a federal officer and possessing child pornography.
Federal officials say Wise and the girl met on the Internet in October 2005, establishing a relationship that progressed quickly.
During the trial, the girl testified that Wise persuaded her to send him graphic photos of herself and encouraged her to engage in phone sex.
Wise traveled to Arkansas three times, according to testimony. On one of those trips, the two had oral sex at an Arkansas hotel. On the third trip, Wise brought the girl to Kentucky, and she stayed at a Mount Sterling motel. While there, the two had oral and anal sex, prosecutors say.
Wise testified that the girl told him she was 18. The girl, who also took the stand, said that she initially lied about her age but told Wise in November that she was 14. Wise also denied charges that the two had sex.
Police and FBI agents found the girl shortly after she left with Wise on Jan. 20, in large part because her mother had monitored her daughter's cell phone and Internet activities. After the girl's cell phone bill showed thousands of minutes of calls to a Winchester phone number, the mother called the phone number and asked Wise to leave the girl alone.
After Wise sent the girl two cell phones so they could continue to communicate, the mother found them and filed a complaint against Wise with Jonesboro, Ark., police. When her daughter went missing, she dismissed the initial assessment by Arkansas authorities that her daughter was a runaway and went to Jonesboro police with her suspicions that Wise was involved.
Before imposing his sentence, Forester said there was "no question for what she has suffered" both physically and mentally.
"Hopefully the mental aspect will resolve," he said, adding that "short of a medical miracle," the physical won't.
"This is one of the most serious offenses I've seen since I've sat on the bench," Forester said. "I think a long sentence is necessary."
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