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“Another Nigger fried. No big deal.”
-- April 16, 2011, Statement by New York City Police Officer Michael Daragjati, boasting of his false arrest of another African-American male.
Top News Story!
NYPD Thievery!
First Posted: Jan 31, 2012 - Updated: 2:54 PM, PST, Feb. 2, 2012
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A 39-year-old cop has been busted for stealing two iPads, sources said Tuesday. Anthony Rivera was arrested Monday for grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and official misconduct, police said. A source said Rivera stole two iPads from an impounded vehicle. The NYPD's internal affairs bureau led the investigation. The arrest comes as the NYPD and its commissioner, Ray Kelly, are embroiled in other controversies. Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne has been in the hot seat for providing inaccurate information about the screening of an anti-Muslim film to trainees, while Kelly's son, "Good Day New York" co-host Greg Kelly, is being investigated for rape allegations.NYPD Beatdown!!
First Posted: Jan 31, 2012 - Updated: 1:54 PM, PST, Feb. 2, 2012
The NYPD is investigating several cops after a disturbing video emerged of them beating a drug suspect, police said. Cell phone camera footage captured cops pushing, kicking and striking Jateik Reed, 19, with a baton as he lay on a sidewalk in University Heights around 1:45 p.m. Thursday. One of the cops also appears to threaten the person taping the arrest with pepper spray. The cell-phone footage was posted on YouTube over the weekend, prompting prosecutors and NYPD internal affairs investigators to open a probe, sources said.Investigators will determine if the cops' actions violated department policy or broke the law, a law enforcement source said. "The incident in the video is under investigation by the Bronx District Attorney and the NYPD," said a spokesman for Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson. An NYPD spokeswoman said that the officers had been placed on modified duty and that the incident is under investigation.
After his arrest, Reed was charged with assaulting a police officer, menacing, harassment and possession of cocaine and marijuana. He is being held at Rikers Island on $15,000 bail. Cops claim Reed resisted being handcuffed after they saw him trying to ditch the drugs, according to court records. One of the cops said Reed head-butted him in the cheek and punched him in the nose, causing injuries that required stitches at a local hospital, the records show. But a friend who witnessed Reed's arrest said he did nothing to warrant the beating- and will likely be permanently disfigured. "The police who did that were out of control," said the friend, who did not want to be named. "They just kept hitting him and hitting him for no reason. His entire face was black and blue and his eyes were sealed shut from being so swollen."
Reed's mother, teenage brother and a third relative were also arrested when they went to the 42nd Precinct station house to complain about the incident and allegedly scuffled with cops, records show. "I want answers!" Reed's mother, Schuan Reed, 40, said at the station house, records show. Her son, Jashawn Walker, 16, allegedly swung on cops trying to remove him from the station, leading to the arrests. Jateik Reed was also arrested Jan. 20 for stealing a cell phone from a woman on Webster Ave. in the Bronx, police said. He was charged with robbery, grand larceny, petit larceny and possession of stolen property in that case.
Gun Runner!
First Posted: 6:28 AM, EST, Jan 24, 2012 - Updated: 9:54 AM, PST, Jan 24, 2012
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (WCJB) - Prosecutors are describing a Prince George's County police detective accused of reselling guns seized from criminals as a "gun dealer on the street with a badge." The remarks were made Monday during opening statements in the trial of Juan Carter (pictured above, center) who was indicted in 2010 on 13 counts of theft and misconduct in office. The indictment stemmed from an internal investigation into the theft of several confiscated guns.
Carter was on a firearms task force run by the Maryland State Police, and authorities have said that at one point more than 20 guns taken by the task force were missing. The indictment against 13-year veteran Juan Diego Carter links him to 11 alleged thefts. One of the guns was later used to wound an off-duty fellow Prince George's County police officer in a September 2009 carjacking attempt. Another gun turned up in a Baltimore domestic violence investigation. Prince George's County police Chief Roberto Hylton says investigators believe Carter was reselling guns he had seized from criminals and at least nine guns remain missing.
Carter's defense attorney said his client did not steal the weapons and added that Carter's paperwork, along with others on the task force, was sometimes sloppy. Carter, who was suspended last year, remains free after posting a $200,000 bond.
The New Sheriff
In Town!
In Town!
January 27, 2012
Posted: Friday, Jan 20, 2012 - 6:50 AM PST - Updated: Saturday, Jan 21, 2012 - 3:14 PM PST
San Francisco, CA -- The wife of San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi strongly defended her husband during his arraignment Thursday on three charges stemming from a domestic violence incident involving the couple on New Year's Eve. Mirkarimi, 50, appeared in court Thursday afternoon and pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of domestic violence battery, child endangerment and dissuading a witness. He was ordered by San Francisco Superior Court Judge Susan Breall to stay away from his wife, Eliana Lopez and their 2-year-old son Theo throughout the court proceedings, despite an emotional statement by Lopez in support of her husband and against the order.She said Theo woke up at 5 a.m. Thursday to ask "Is daddy at home?" and said she promised that he would be home the next day. "The violence against me is I don't have my family together," Lopez said. "I'm not afraid of my husband at all." Mirkarimi removed his glasses to wipe away tears at times during Lopez's speech to the judge.
Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Aguilar-Tarchi had sought the stay away order and laid out much of the evidence in the case against Mirkarimi in support of it. Aguilar-Tarchi cited a video that a neighbor took of Lopez, who went to the neighbor's home the day after the alleged incident. The neighbor, since identified as Ivory Madison, reported the incident to police on Jan. 4, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed by police last Friday. Breall ultimately sided with prosecutors and issued the stay away order, saying although Lopez is "quite charming" and "says her husband is a good person," she said, "I have to go by this affidavit."
Before Breall issued her order, Mirkarimi's attorney Bob Waggener acknowledged that Mirkarimi left the bruise on Lopez's arm during the argument but said "it's really on the lower tiers" of domestic violence. Waggener said the couple has since reunited and should be allowed to work through their problems.
At the end of the hearing, Mirkarimi was ordered to return to court on Monday to set a date for trial. Because the case is a misdemeanor, the trial has to begin within 45 days. Mirkarimi did not speak during the hearing and declined to speak to reporters outside the courtroom after the hearing.
Tuesday, January 18, 2012
San Francisco, CA -- San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón obtained an emergency protective order from a judge last week barring San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi from having any contact with his wife or son. Mirkarimi, 50, is awaiting arraignment Thursday on misdemeanor charges of domestic violence battery, child endangerment and dissuading a witness, stemming from an incident that began after the couple left their Western Addition home for a New Year's Eve meal. Theo is the couple's 2-year-old son. Mirkarimi is accused of child endangerment because the boy was present when he allegedly bruised his wife. Mirkarimi has denied the allegations. Through his lawyer, Sheriff Mirkarimi has also turned down several requests to talk to police.
Mirkarimi's wife said in a videotaped account of his alleged New Year's Eve attack against her that he had manhandled her on an earlier occasion last year, and that the former city supervisor had warned her he could gain custody of their young son because he was "very powerful," court documents show. A key piece of evidence in the case is a Jan. 1 videotape taken of Mirkarimi's wife, Eliana Lopez, by a neighbor, Ivory Madison. On it, Lopez is crying and points to a bruise on her right bicep where she said Mirkarimi grabbed her during the confrontation the day before, according to an arrest warrant affidavit prepared by police Inspector Richard Daniele of the domestic violence unit. "This happened yesterday," Lopez says on the video, according to the affidavit. "Two times in 2011, and this is the second time this is happening."
In a Jan. 11 follow-up interview with district attorney's investigators, Madison said Lopez came to her home New Year's Day, burst into tears and gave a "free-flowing narrative" of the confrontation the previous day, Inspector Daniele wrote in the arrest warrant affidavit. Lopez told her that she, Mirkarimi and their son had been driving to lunch when she asked Mirkarimi if she could visit her family in Venezuela after his Jan. 8 inauguration as sheriff, Madison said.
Lopez recounted how Mirkarimi began to "scream, 'F@%k you, f@%k you, you are trying to take Theo away from me!' " Madison said. Lopez said Mirkarimi had turned the car around and called off lunch, Madison said. Mirkarimi said "something to the effect that she didn't deserve to eat," Madison said.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
San Francisco, CA -- San Francisco's new sheriff was charged with beating his wife during an incident on New Year's Eve but denied the claims and said he will fight to prove his innocence. He could face up to a year in prison and up to three years of probation. Mirkarimi was booked at San Francisco County Jail and he was released on $35,000 bail. A police mugshot showed Mirkarimi with his eyes closed (pictured left). The sheriff was ordered to stay away from his home while police investigate other possible domestic violence incidents involving Mirkarimi and Ms Lopez. The sheriff, 50, vowed to remain in office while he fights the charges. He told reporters outside his office last Friday afternoon that he denies the allegations. "‘The charges are very unfounded. We will fight the charges. We are cooperating'."Controversy swirled around the investigation from the start. Days after the alleged dispute, Mirkarimi was sworn in as San Francisco sheriff, but a judge had declined to perform the ceremony to avoid a potential conflict if Mirkarimi were charged. Mirkarimi appeared at the ceremony with his wife and son. Asked about the incident, he called it a ‘private matter, a family matter.'
A neighbor reported that Mirkarimi grabbed and bruised his wife Eliana Lopez's arm during a heated argument at their home, according to a police affidavit. The injury was shown on a video recorded by the neighbor, and a text message conversation between Lopez and the neighbor included details of the incident, according to the affidavit requesting a search warrant to obtain the video camera and phone.
San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon said the basis for the child endangerment charge was that the couple's son saw the alleged incident occur. Mr. Gascon declined to explain the allegation that Mirkarimi influenced a witness. ‘While I do not relish having to bring charges against a San Francisco elected official, I have taken an oath to uphold the laws of the state of California,’ Gascon said. ‘Whether this was the elected sheriff or any other San Francisco resident, this type of behavior is inexcusable, criminal and will be prosecuted.’
Friday, January 13, 2012
SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi is expected to face three misdemeanor charges stemming from an investigation into accusations he physically abused his wife, Corrupt Justice™ has learned. The District Attorney's office plans to file charges of domestic violence battery, child endangerment and dissuading a witness, sources said. He could be arraigned as early as Tuesday. The charging decision by District Attorney George Gascón heightens the legal and political challenges faced by Mirkarimi, a major player in San Francisco's left-of-center circles. As sheriff, Mirkarimi (pictured below, left) oversees the city's jail system. The sheriff oversees a paramilitary organization of more than 800 sworn officers and a civilian staff of about 100. The department runs San Francisco's jails with an average daily inmate population of 2,200, provides City Hall and courtroom security, carries out court-ordered evictions and warrants, and aids San Francisco police in enforcement actions.
Police initiated an investigation after a neighbor of the couple contacted them on Jan. 4, 2012. The neighbor said Eliana Lopez contacted her on New Year's Day to report the alleged abuse: that Mirkarimi grabbed his wife's arm forcefully enough to cause bruising. The neighbor said she had a photo and video of the bruising and text messages from Lopez about the incident. Police, armed with a search warrant, seized the photo, video and texts as evidence. Mirkarimi, who served on the Board of Supervisors for seven years before becoming sheriff on Sunday, has denied wrongdoing; his attorney described the case as flimsy; and his wife, Eliana Lopez, has said it is not true that Mirkarimi bruised her during a fight on New Years Eve.A spokesman for Mirkarimi, who was sworn into office less than a week ago, said the sheriff plans to fight the charges and will not resign. "He's going to fight it. He and Eliana just believe there has been no incident of domestic violence," said Jim Stearns, Mirkarimi's spokesman. If he fights the charges, he opens himself and his family to public scrutiny in an open courtroom. If he pleads no contest or guilty, the sheriff would be admitting his culpability as a wife abuser in a city that prides itself as being at the forefront of combating domestic violence. If found guilty, Mirkarimi, a sworn peace officer, would be prohibited from carrying a firearm. He also would be required to attend domestic violence classes, pay a $400 fine and could be put on probation for up to three years or sent to jail for up to a year. Under state law, he would only be automatically removed from office if convicted of a felony.
High-profile victims' advocates who work in the field of domestic violence rallied in front of City Hall on Thursday demanding that Mirkarimi take a leave from office until the case is resolved and that he resign if he's charged and found guilty.
City law gives Mayor Ed Lee the authority to charge Mirkarimi with official misconduct and temporarily suspend him from office - a move that eventually could lead to Mirkarimi's permanent expulsion. During a temporary suspension, the sheriff's department would be run by a caretaker appointed by the mayor. The likely pick for the interim post would be Undersheriff Jan Dempsey, a veteran of the department. Should Lee suspend Mirkarimi from office, the mayor would be required to immediately notify the city Ethics Commission and the Board of Supervisors and quickly produce written charges.
The Ethics Commission would hold a hearing at which Mirkarimi and his legal counsel could wage a defense. The commission then would make a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors on whether to sustain the charges, and the board would review the record of the hearing. It would take the support of at least nine of the 11 supervisors to take disciplinary action against Mirkarimi - up to and including stripping him from the office to which he was elected. The threshold for discipline would be "conduct that falls below the standard of decency, good faith and right action impliedly required of all public officers and including any violation of a specific conflict of interest of governmental ethics law."
Spring Chicken Flies!
PUBLISHED WED, JAN 11, 2012 05:38 PM - MODIFIED WED, JAN 14, 2012 02:03 PM PST
HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. — Long-time Holly Springs fire chief Cecil Parker has unexpectedly left his post here amid a state investigation into allegations of misconduct on his part. Parker, a 19-year Holly Springs employee, submitted his letter of resignation last Thursday, and his tenure ended Friday. Town Manager Carl Dean said Parker cited "personal reasons" for his departure. The chief resigned of his own volition, according to Dean. Town staff have refused to release Parker's letter of resignation, citing state personnel laws. Dean said yesterday he had heard no official word of the state's interest in Parker. "I know there are lots of rumors around," he said. "I've heard lots of different things, but I'm just dealing with the resignation and moving on." A State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman confirmed yesterday that the bureau began a probe of Parker's conduct in March 2010. Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby requested the investigation into "allegations of misconduct by Cecil Parker," Jennifer Canada said. Canada declined to describe the nature of the allegations against Parker or further details of the ongoing investigation, citing bureau protocol. "Generally, we're very limited in what we can say," she said. Willoughby's office did not respond before press time to a request for comment.
Parker, 48, joined the town staff in 1992, when he left the Wake County Sheriff's Office to become Holly Springs' first police officer, according to former councilman Parrish Womble. The de-facto police chief became the "chief of public safety" in 1995, then the fire chief in 2006. Parker's final salary was $99,984; it was unclear whether he was qualified for a pension. He oversaw 36 employees in his role as fire chief.
Sucker Punched!
Posted: 1/11/12 02:12 PM ET - Updated: 1/11/12 04:50 PM PT
Bellflower, CA -- A passenger on a bus recorded a Los Angeles cop punching a woman in the face who apparently hadn't been violent while the camera rolled. Jermaine Green, the man who taped the Monday night incident in Bellflower, told media sources that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy who struck the woman threatened to arrest him if he didn't hand over his camera phone.The woman brought a stroller laden with pillows on to the bus and Green described her as having "special needs." Two deputies allegedly boarded the bus at the next stop and confronted the lady, who began cursing at them, according to Green's retelling. His video begins with the woman standing in the aisle and cursing repeatedly. One of the deputies, a woman, grabs her arm. The audio is unclear, but the woman appears to try to walk past the deputies. The male deputy, who had been holding her wrists, cocks his right arm and throws a right-handed punch that knocks the woman off balance.
The arguing continues as the woman is restrained on a seat. The tape cuts out after more deputies board the bus.
A spokesman for the sheriff's office told LA Weekly that the police accosted the woman, because they'd received a report that said she "almost attacked an elderly man." The woman, whose name was not given, has previous arrests, including charges of assaulting a police officer, the spokesman said. He added she had acted aggressively towards the deputies. The spokesman's statement said the woman had "mental challenges."
Officials from Internal Affairs and the Office of Independent Review will investigate.
DEA Dirty Laundry!
Posted: January 9, 2012 - Updated: Wed. 04:32 p.m. PST, January 11, 2012
MEXICO CITY – Mexico's government allowed a group of undercover U.S. anti-drug agents and their Colombian informant to launder millions in cash for a powerful Mexican drug trafficker and his Colombian cocaine supplier, according to documents made public Monday. A Mexican magazine published portions of documents that describe how Drug Enforcement Administration agents, a Colombian trafficker-turned-informant and Mexican federal police officers in 2007 infiltrated the Beltran Leyva drug cartel and a cell of money launderers for Colombia's Valle del Norte cartel in Mexico. The group of officials conducted at least 15 wire transfers to banks in the United States, Canada and China and smuggled and laundered about $2.5 million in the United States. They lost track of much of that money.In his testimony, the DEA agent in charge of the operation says DEA agents posing as pilots flew at least one shipment of cocaine from Ecuador to Madrid through a Dallas airport.
The documents are part of an extradition order against Harold Mauricio Poveda-Ortega, a Colombian arrested in Mexico in 2010 on charges of supplying cocaine to Arturo Beltran Leyva. A year earlier, Beltran Leyva was killed in a shootout with Mexican marines in the city of Cuernavaca, south of Mexico City. Beltran Leyva was once a top lieutenant for the Sinaloa drug cartel, led by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. But he split from the cartel shortly after his brother was arrested in 2008, setting off a bloody battle between the former allies. The documents show Mexico approved Poveda-Ortega's extradition to the United States in May, but neither Mexican nor U.S. authorities would confirm whether he has been extradited. U.S. and Mexican officials did not respond to requests for comment. The documents offer rare glimpses into the way U.S. anti-drug agents are operating in Mexico, an often sensitive subject in a country touchy about national sovereignty.
(A haul of about $206 million is seen with confiscated weapons after the money was found stashed in closets, suitcases, and drawers in a house in an upscale neighborhood of Mexico City (March 15, 2007).) On one occasion, the informant who began working for the DEA in 2003 after a drug arrest, met with the girlfriend of a Colombian drug trafficker in Dallas and offered to move cocaine for their group around the world for $1,000 per kilo. In a follow-up meeting, the informant introduced the woman to a DEA agent posing as a pilot. The woman is identified as the girlfriend of Horley Rengifo Pareja, who was detained in 2007 accused of laundering money and drug trafficking. Another scene described the informant negotiating a deal to move a cocaine shipment from Ecuador to Spain and minutes later being taken to a house where he met with Arturo Beltran Leyva.Fractured cartels have led to an increase of drug violence in Mexico. According to several counts more than 45,000 people have been killed since late 2006, though the government stopped giving figures on drug war dead when the toll hit nearly 35,000 a year ago. On Monday, police in western Mexico found the bodies of 13 men at a gas station in the state of Michoacan. The bodies were dumped near a convenience store on the gas station lot in the town of Zitacuaro, said Michoacan state prosecutors spokesman Jonathan Arredondo. Arredondo said threatening messages were found with the bodies, but he wouldn't comment on their content or give any other details.
The western state is home base to The Knights Templar cartel, which like its predecessor, La Familia, is a pseudo-religious gang specializing in methamphetamine production, drug smuggling, extortion and other crimes.
Dope on the Rhine!
Posted: Mon. 11:33 a.m. PST, January 9, 2012 - Updated:
RHINE, Ga. -- A central Georgia police officer faces drug charges for allegedly dealing in prescription drugs. The Dodge County Sheriff's Office says Rhine Police Chief Kip Herman Cravey, 36 (pictured above, center) was arrested and booked in the county jail Thursday night. A news release says Cravey faces two charges of illegally distributing pills and trying to buy some. The release says Cravey furnished more than two dozen "Soma" pills to a person and tried to buy Roxicodone pills, also known as Oxycodone.
The sheriff's office says Cravey may face additional charges.
Cravey was booked into the county jail, but has been moved to another jail for safety reasons, the release says. No bond has been set.
Rhine, population about 400, is located in Dodge County.
Shots Fired!
Updated: Sat December 31, 2011 3:08 PM PST
An off-duty Riverside County sheriff's deputy accused of shooting a man in a Murrieta bar, was arraigned Friday (12/23) at 1:30 pm. 42-year-old Dayle William Long (pictured below, center) a 10-year veteran with the Riverside Sheriff's Department, is facing one count of murder. He allegedly shot 36-year-old Samuel Vanettes of Winchester at Spelly's Pub and Grille at 40675 Murrieta Hot Springs Road around 8 p.m. Wednesday, according to Murrieta Police. Vanettes was shot several times and died at the scene. When police arrived, they say Long identified himself to the officers "as an off-duty Riverside sheriff's deputy.''
Long was booked at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta on suspicion of murder and is being held on $1 million bail. If convicted as now charged long could face a sentence of 50 years to life in state prison.
Thurs. December 22, 2011 2:30 PM PST
Murrieta, CA -- An off-duty Riverside County sheriff's deputy who allegedly fatally shot a man in a Murrieta bar stopped after the shooting to reload and use his cellphone to report the incident, a family member of the dead man related Thursday. Dayle William Long, 42, then walked outside the bar Wednesday night and identified himself to arriving Murrieta police officers as a deputy, police said. He was questioned and booked on suspicion of murder early Thursday morning, according to a police report.
Long has worked for the Riverside County Sheriff's Department for 10 years and serves on its court services division, said Sgt. Joe Borja, a spokesman for the department. A Facebook account bearing Long's name lists him as a member of the department's Underwater Search and Recovery Team.
Long had just met the man he allegedly shot and killed -- Samuel Vallentes, 36, of Winchester -- said a relative of the victim who asked not to be named because police asked the family not to speak publicly. Vallentes, a cashier at a gasoline station, arrived at the crowded Spelly’s Pub and Grille on Murrieta Hot Springs Road for happy hour with his sister, her boyfriend and another friend, the family member said. Long had been sitting alone and drinking. Vallentes introduced himself and they began playing darts, said the relative, adding he received a first-hand account from the sister and boyfriend.
“They were getting along good,” said the family member. “When the cop started having more whiskey, he started getting belligerent. He was talking to somebody else. "He lifted his shirt up and showed his gun," the relative continued. "Sam was standing by the dart board. He said, 'You don’t want to do this; you’re a nice guy.' And he shot him. That’s what I’m told.” Then, as people were scrambling for cover, Long reloaded his gun and pulled out a cellphone, the family member said. “He was calling dispatch and telling them shots were fired, like he was a cop,” the relative said.
The shooting occurred less than an hour after the two men had met, the family member said. “He shot him three times. How could that happen?” the family member said. “How could a cop shoot [him]? I’m pro-cop; I just don’t understand it.”
Brutal Force:
Seattle Police!
Seattle Police!
Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2011 11:40am PST - Updated:
SEATTLE, WA — Seattle police have engaged in excessive force that violated federal law and the Constitution, the U.S. Justice Department said Friday. An investigation was launched last spring following the fatal shooting of a homeless, Native American woodcarver and other reported use of force used against minority suspects. The investigation was aimed at determining whether Seattle police have a "pattern or practice" of violating civil rights or discriminatory policing, and if so, what they should do to improve."Our findings should serve as a foundation to reform the police department and to help restore the community's confidence in fair, just and effective law enforcement. The problems within SPD have been present for many years and will take time to fix," said Thomas E. Perez, assistant attorney general for the civil rights division. The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington and 34 other community groups called for the inquiry after a Seattle officer shot and killed the woodcarver, John T. Williams, in 2010.
Ofcr. Ian Birks resigns! Seattle PD Settles for $1.5 Million (4-29-11)
Video from Officer Ian Birk's patrol car showed Williams crossing the street holding a piece of wood and a small knife, and Birk exiting the vehicle to pursue him. Off camera, Birk quickly shouted three times for Williams to drop the knife, then fired five shots. The knife was found folded at the scene, but Birk later maintained Williams had threatened him. Birk resigned from the force but was not charged. A review board found the shooting unjustified.
Other incidents captured on surveillance or police-cruiser video include officers using an anti-Mexican epithet and stomping on a prone Latino man who was mistakenly thought to be a robbery suspect; an officer kicking a non-resisting black youth in a convenience store; and officers tackling and kicking a black man who showed up in a police evidence room to pick up belongings after he was mistakenly released from jail.
Attica:
Beatdown!
Beatdown!
Posted: 3:58 PM PST, Tue December 13, 2011 - Updated:
pictured above, center, Sean Warner
WARSAW, NY - Four Attica guards attacked and seriously injured a jewelry thief serving a two-to-four year sentence at the maximum-security prison in western New York, prosecutors said Tuesday. Inmate George Williams, 29, who was convicted of larceny for stealing jewelry from two Manhattan stores in 2008 and 2009, suffered broken bones and fractures in the Aug. 9 attack, state police said. Williams was moved to another prison near Buffalo and is still recovering from his injuries, which are not considered life-threatening, state police said. The four men — Keith Swack, 37, Sean Warner, 37, Matthew Raddemacher, 29, and Erik Hibsch, 28 — were arrested Tuesday and indicted on felony charges of gang assault, conspiracy and tampering with physical evidence. The indictment from a Wyoming County grand jury also charges Swack, of Corfu, Sgt. Warner, of Belfast, Raddemacher, of Wyoming, and Hibsch, of Gainesville with conspiracy, tampering with physical evidence, official misconduct and offering a false instrument for filing.
pictured above, center, Matthew RaddemacherAuthorities provided no further details on the circumstances of the attack. But Swack's attorney maintained the altercation occurred when the guards learned that Williams "may have had a blade and drugs in his cell." In the previous weeks, the attorney said, prison authorities had recovered "over 70 weapons — knives, shanks, razor blades — from inmates in searches of cells. And a lot of those weapons came from the same C Block where this inmate was." "When you go to work at a max like Attica, that's no day at the beach these days," he added. "When a jury hears the evidence, we are very confident it will do the right thing."
pictured above, center, Eric HibschThe guards appeared at an arraignment Tuesday along with their lawyers, and bail was set at $25,000 each. No pleas were entered. They were ordered back to court Feb. 7. The four also were charged with official misconduct, a misdemeanor. In addition, Warner was charged with a felony count of submitting false statements to the prison. Gang assault, the most serious charge, carries a sentence of five years to 25 years. The arrests came after a four-month investigation by the state Department of Corrections, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Inspector General's Office. "What everyone needs to remember as this case goes forward is that this is an indictment of four individuals and not an indictment on the noble profession of corrections officer," Wyoming County District Attorney Donald O'Geen said. "No one is above the law."
pictured above, center, Keith SwackIn September 1971, police fired more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition in six minutes in quelling a four-day inmate uprising at Attica. In all, 11 corrections officers and 32 inmates died. All but four were shot to death when state troopers retook the prison.
Read the indictment against the officers here.
Movie Intermission!
Living with Murder (2011)
Description: In this 40-minute documentary the Free Press goes beyond the statistics to tell the story of a city shaped by a culture of violence and indiscriminate 'street justice.' With a soundtrack by Detroit musician Nick Speed. (11/16/2011 Detroit Free Press)
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