Post by WaTcHeR on Sept 21, 2006 9:30:29 GMT -5
09.21.2006 - FALL RIVER - The same Bristol County sheriff's officer being investigated for allegedly taking money from a New Bedford home during a raid in May is back in hot water after police were called to a Pitman Street home last week where he was accused of entering without the legal authority to do so.
Sheriff's investigator Rathan Thorng and his colleagues, according to a police report penned by Fall River Police Officer Ronnie Dudney, allegedly pried open a door to a Pitman Street home late last Thursday night.
Police Lt. Jeffrey Cardoza said the home's female resident, her fiance and her 9-year-old daughter were sleeping at the time of the incident, and awakened to find three armed men dressed in civilian's clothing who said they were from the sheriff's office.
Thorng and his colleagues were looking for a man wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant for larceny, Cardoza explained. The larceny suspect, however, was not in the home, and turned himself in the next day.
The police report states the female tenant realized her apartment door was broken, at which time she asked for Thorng's identity. The police report says Thorng told the woman his name was "Frank."
Believing the sheriff's officers did not have the right to enter her home, the woman called Fall River Police to file a complaint.
Police Chief John M. Souza said one of his deputy chiefs contacted the sheriff's office to inform them of the situation, and were told the matter will be handled administratively by Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson.
The incident has apparently thrown a wrench into an already tense relationship between the city's police department and the sheriff's office.
Chief Souza said he was concerned about the news that a sheriff's investigator allegedly inappropriately entered a home, and said he hopes the sheriff's office will begin to inform local police department's of their presence in any municipality before "something terrible happens."
When contacted Tuesday night, Hodgson questioned the story and said he has heard a different version of events from his officers.
But Souza called the actions of Thorng and his colleague's wrong and said the incident could easily have led to tragedy. "They did not appear to have the right to enter that residence without knocking," Souza said. "There is no question that this is a dangerous practice.
"What if the residents were awoken a minute earlier and had access to a weapon? Everyone has a right to defend themselves in their home, especially when a young child is in the house."
Souza also said the residents could have called 911, which could have led to a "scary" standoff between his officers and armed men wearing civilian's clothing inside a home late at night.
"They were dead wrong in making that kind of an entry," Souza said. "It was a recipe for disaster, and it's not as if the case they were investigating was a major one.
"Thankfully no one was hurt, but damage appears to have been done to the woman's apartment door, and she may have some civil right to recoup funds for that."
Souza deemed the incident a "wake up call" for law enforcement officials throughout the county.
"If the sheriff's office wants to work cooperatively with police departments, then let's let each other know what's going on," Souza said. "What could have happened is scary to think about. What was done was wrong because case law specifically says you can't just barge into people's homes like that."
Contacted via cell phone Wednesday, Thorng refused comment on the incident.
Hodgson called Souza's statements "serious allegations." He conceded his office is probing the Pitman Street incident.
"If our officers or officers did wrong, then we will stand up and say it," Hodgson said. "But we're not at that point yet. My sense is that they did act appropriately."
Hodgson said Thorng and his colleague's have told his chief of law enforcement that the apartment door opened on its own when they knocked. He also said that his officers said they were wearing their badges.
Hodgson also questioned the motives of law enforcement officials who tipped The Herald News off to the story.
"If there's a problem, I would hope we would communicate with one another because these are very seriosu accusations," Hodgson said. "It's no secret that certain departments have a problem with us coming into their cities or towns. But there are thousands and thousands of outstanding warrants in our county that need to be served.
"We peform several warrant arrests each day, and we have not run into this kind of propblem in the past."
Although Hodgson said he has every reason to believe Thorng, he said his office is "researching the question of entry" to the apartment. "If we are in error, you can bet it's not going to happen again," Hodgson exclaimed. "We don't go for that kind of stuff here."
Hodgson also questioned why Fall River Police are not following up on the case on its own.
"If the police are not going to conduct an investigation into an illegal entry, than how believable is this story?" Hodgson asked. "This woman said she didn't know the man who we were looking for, but she was lying tto us and admitted it later. Maybe that's why it's not being fully pursued."
Last Thursday's contested entry into a home on Pitman Street comes on the heels of another incident involving Thorng, which resulted in his transfer from an elite federal gang task force to the sheriff's Warrant Apprehension Unit.
In that case, Thorng and some other members of the federal task force chased an alleged New Bedford gang member into a Whaling City home on May 25. At some point during the raid, an undetermined amount of cash was stolen. One police source said $500 was nabbed, but no official would confirm that specific amount when The Herald News broke the story in July.
Several law enforcement sources have also told The Herald News that Thorng was the only member of the task force who failed a lie detector test during the ongoing probe into the matter.
Although Thorng was fingered as the primary suspect in the apparent robbery, he has not yet been charged criminally.
The allegations against Thorng in regards to the New Bedford incident are being investigated by a state police lieutenant who told The Herald News Tuesday night that he could not comment on the status of the query.
But one high ranking police official informed The Herald News this week that state police investigators are close to wrapping up their probe, and are just waiting for an analysis of fingerprints to be completed.
Hodgson defended Thorng two months ago when the stolen money incident surfaced.
Hodgson challenged the lie detector test contention and many others, asserting there is no evidence his investigator committed any crime. "There were conflicting opinions on the polygraph. To say he failed is just not true," Hodgson told The Herald News in July. "I'm not a guy who tolerates this stuff at all, but I have no reason to believe he did something wrong.
"I've read every report involved in the incident filed by various agencies, and it's obvious to me that he did everything he was supposed to do. He followed all the procedures of such a raid."
www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17227139&BRD=1710&PAG=461&dept_id=99784&rfi=6
Sheriff's investigator Rathan Thorng and his colleagues, according to a police report penned by Fall River Police Officer Ronnie Dudney, allegedly pried open a door to a Pitman Street home late last Thursday night.
Police Lt. Jeffrey Cardoza said the home's female resident, her fiance and her 9-year-old daughter were sleeping at the time of the incident, and awakened to find three armed men dressed in civilian's clothing who said they were from the sheriff's office.
Thorng and his colleagues were looking for a man wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant for larceny, Cardoza explained. The larceny suspect, however, was not in the home, and turned himself in the next day.
The police report states the female tenant realized her apartment door was broken, at which time she asked for Thorng's identity. The police report says Thorng told the woman his name was "Frank."
Believing the sheriff's officers did not have the right to enter her home, the woman called Fall River Police to file a complaint.
Police Chief John M. Souza said one of his deputy chiefs contacted the sheriff's office to inform them of the situation, and were told the matter will be handled administratively by Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson.
The incident has apparently thrown a wrench into an already tense relationship between the city's police department and the sheriff's office.
Chief Souza said he was concerned about the news that a sheriff's investigator allegedly inappropriately entered a home, and said he hopes the sheriff's office will begin to inform local police department's of their presence in any municipality before "something terrible happens."
When contacted Tuesday night, Hodgson questioned the story and said he has heard a different version of events from his officers.
But Souza called the actions of Thorng and his colleague's wrong and said the incident could easily have led to tragedy. "They did not appear to have the right to enter that residence without knocking," Souza said. "There is no question that this is a dangerous practice.
"What if the residents were awoken a minute earlier and had access to a weapon? Everyone has a right to defend themselves in their home, especially when a young child is in the house."
Souza also said the residents could have called 911, which could have led to a "scary" standoff between his officers and armed men wearing civilian's clothing inside a home late at night.
"They were dead wrong in making that kind of an entry," Souza said. "It was a recipe for disaster, and it's not as if the case they were investigating was a major one.
"Thankfully no one was hurt, but damage appears to have been done to the woman's apartment door, and she may have some civil right to recoup funds for that."
Souza deemed the incident a "wake up call" for law enforcement officials throughout the county.
"If the sheriff's office wants to work cooperatively with police departments, then let's let each other know what's going on," Souza said. "What could have happened is scary to think about. What was done was wrong because case law specifically says you can't just barge into people's homes like that."
Contacted via cell phone Wednesday, Thorng refused comment on the incident.
Hodgson called Souza's statements "serious allegations." He conceded his office is probing the Pitman Street incident.
"If our officers or officers did wrong, then we will stand up and say it," Hodgson said. "But we're not at that point yet. My sense is that they did act appropriately."
Hodgson said Thorng and his colleague's have told his chief of law enforcement that the apartment door opened on its own when they knocked. He also said that his officers said they were wearing their badges.
Hodgson also questioned the motives of law enforcement officials who tipped The Herald News off to the story.
"If there's a problem, I would hope we would communicate with one another because these are very seriosu accusations," Hodgson said. "It's no secret that certain departments have a problem with us coming into their cities or towns. But there are thousands and thousands of outstanding warrants in our county that need to be served.
"We peform several warrant arrests each day, and we have not run into this kind of propblem in the past."
Although Hodgson said he has every reason to believe Thorng, he said his office is "researching the question of entry" to the apartment. "If we are in error, you can bet it's not going to happen again," Hodgson exclaimed. "We don't go for that kind of stuff here."
Hodgson also questioned why Fall River Police are not following up on the case on its own.
"If the police are not going to conduct an investigation into an illegal entry, than how believable is this story?" Hodgson asked. "This woman said she didn't know the man who we were looking for, but she was lying tto us and admitted it later. Maybe that's why it's not being fully pursued."
Last Thursday's contested entry into a home on Pitman Street comes on the heels of another incident involving Thorng, which resulted in his transfer from an elite federal gang task force to the sheriff's Warrant Apprehension Unit.
In that case, Thorng and some other members of the federal task force chased an alleged New Bedford gang member into a Whaling City home on May 25. At some point during the raid, an undetermined amount of cash was stolen. One police source said $500 was nabbed, but no official would confirm that specific amount when The Herald News broke the story in July.
Several law enforcement sources have also told The Herald News that Thorng was the only member of the task force who failed a lie detector test during the ongoing probe into the matter.
Although Thorng was fingered as the primary suspect in the apparent robbery, he has not yet been charged criminally.
The allegations against Thorng in regards to the New Bedford incident are being investigated by a state police lieutenant who told The Herald News Tuesday night that he could not comment on the status of the query.
But one high ranking police official informed The Herald News this week that state police investigators are close to wrapping up their probe, and are just waiting for an analysis of fingerprints to be completed.
Hodgson defended Thorng two months ago when the stolen money incident surfaced.
Hodgson challenged the lie detector test contention and many others, asserting there is no evidence his investigator committed any crime. "There were conflicting opinions on the polygraph. To say he failed is just not true," Hodgson told The Herald News in July. "I'm not a guy who tolerates this stuff at all, but I have no reason to believe he did something wrong.
"I've read every report involved in the incident filed by various agencies, and it's obvious to me that he did everything he was supposed to do. He followed all the procedures of such a raid."
www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17227139&BRD=1710&PAG=461&dept_id=99784&rfi=6