Post by WaTcHeR on Jul 28, 2006 12:31:26 GMT -5
07.28.2006 - BALTIMORE - A former Baltimore police officer has received a 3-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to bribery and agreeing to repay the $400 he extorted from a suspect last September.
Officer Walter Jackson-Hill, 35, who admitted that he demanded money in return for not appearing at a suspect's trial, resigned from the police department on Thursday as part of the plea agreement. He could have received as much as 12 years in prison, prosecutors said.
His attorney said the former officer, a resident of York, Pa., plans to tell the department about other officers who have accepted bribes, although that was not part of the plea agreement.
"It's a process by which he's actually cleansing himself," attorney William R. Buie, III, said.
Jackson-Hill arrested Baltimore resident Lamar Hayes after finding him with marijuana during a routine traffic stop last September, according to a description of the incident read in court Thursday. Jackson-Hill told the suspect he would not appear in court in return for $400. Hayes then used Jackson-Hill's cell phone to call his girlfriend, and asked her to bring the money to the police officer. Jackson-Hill met with her at Druid Hill Park and accepted the bribe.
Later, Hayes told authorities about the bribe and cooperated with internal investigators to record conversations about the bribe and to videotape the payment of another $750 in marked bills.
Jackson-Hill did not speak in court, except to say that he understood the terms of the plea and the facts of his case. He referred all questions to his lawyer after the trial.
His attorney said he did not know why Jackson-Hill wanted the money.
"I will say this," Buie said. "They don't pay police officers enough money."
Jackson-Hill is seeking employment outside of law enforcement, his attorney said.
www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/politics/15145554.htm
Officer Walter Jackson-Hill, 35, who admitted that he demanded money in return for not appearing at a suspect's trial, resigned from the police department on Thursday as part of the plea agreement. He could have received as much as 12 years in prison, prosecutors said.
His attorney said the former officer, a resident of York, Pa., plans to tell the department about other officers who have accepted bribes, although that was not part of the plea agreement.
"It's a process by which he's actually cleansing himself," attorney William R. Buie, III, said.
Jackson-Hill arrested Baltimore resident Lamar Hayes after finding him with marijuana during a routine traffic stop last September, according to a description of the incident read in court Thursday. Jackson-Hill told the suspect he would not appear in court in return for $400. Hayes then used Jackson-Hill's cell phone to call his girlfriend, and asked her to bring the money to the police officer. Jackson-Hill met with her at Druid Hill Park and accepted the bribe.
Later, Hayes told authorities about the bribe and cooperated with internal investigators to record conversations about the bribe and to videotape the payment of another $750 in marked bills.
Jackson-Hill did not speak in court, except to say that he understood the terms of the plea and the facts of his case. He referred all questions to his lawyer after the trial.
His attorney said he did not know why Jackson-Hill wanted the money.
"I will say this," Buie said. "They don't pay police officers enough money."
Jackson-Hill is seeking employment outside of law enforcement, his attorney said.
www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/politics/15145554.htm