(AP) Baltimore, MD A prosecutor has dropped charges against three accused drug dealers after a Baltimore Circuit judge decided that jurors could hear that dozens of complaints had been filed against two police officers involved in the case.
Assistant State's Attorney Mia Beth Segall said she had no choice but to drop the case because the ruling essentially would have put the officers on trial.
Gary Payne, 43, Harold Richardson, 36, and Kenneth Richard, 37, each had faced six drug distribution and possession charges that could have put them in prison for up to 10 years without parole.
After two days of hearings last week, Baltimore Circuit Judge John Prevas ruled that defense attorneys could tell jurors that investigating officers Daniel Hersl and Frank Nellis had 46 internal affairs complaints filed between them.
While only one complaint for each had been sustained by the department, Prevas said the sheer number of accusations was worth noting.
"Misconduct, sometimes when it's frequent enough, it indicates a lack of desire to tell the truth," Prevas said at one of the hearings, after reviewing Hersl's internal affairs file.
Karen Hornig, a city solicitor who is chief legal counsel for the police department, said she was surprised the case was dropped.
"Unsubstantiated complaints should not shut down the prosecution of bad guys," Hornig said. "These officers could have explained to the jury the reality of being narcotics officers and that they receive a lot of spurious complaints from drug dealers."
The ruling is another blow to a police department dealing with several cases of misconduct by officers. A city grand jury report released this month says residents have come to distrust the department because officers have made thousands of arrests that don't result in criminal charges.
Two detectives on trial in federal court are accused of robbing drug addicts and pressuring dealers to split their profits with them. Yet, three officers have been charged with raping a woman inside a police station.
Richardson's defense attorney, Bradley MacFee, said he was so disturbed by the volume of complaints against Hersl and Nellis that he sent a letter to police Commissioner Leonard Hamm, asking him to audit his officers' personnel files.
"Recently publicized misconduct within the department has eroded public confidence and undermined your mission," MacFee wrote, adding that an audit of personnel files would "fortify the public trust."
Police spokesman Matt Jablow said that agency lawyers had read the letter but that he was unsure whether Hamm had.
The sustained complaint against Hersl involved an argument with a woman at a bar while he was off duty. He poured a beer on her head and threw a bottle that struck her face. Nellis' sustained complaint was for an incident in which he and two other plainclothes officers punched a man in the face, after which one of the officers hit him in the head with a departmental radio.
Prevas ruled that defense attorneys could cross-examine the officers about those complaints, in addition to mentioning how many others complaints had been filed, during the trial for Payne, Richardson and Richard.
The city solicitor's office could have appealed the ruling but chose not to. Hornig said the office views the ruling as "an anomaly." Also, an unsuccessful appeal could have set a precedent allowing defense attorneys to tell jurors about other police officers' unproven internal affairs complaints.
Bmore:crooked stick up cops
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Bmore:crooked stick up cops
Last edited by Qdawg on November 30th, 2006, 1:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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(AP) BALTIMORE, Md. The trial has begun in Baltimore for two city police detectives accused of extorting drugs from dealers then selling them.
Thirty-five-year-old Antonio Murray and his 36-year-old partner William King were arrested last May.
A federal prosecutor told jurors yesterday that two officers preyed upon the people they were sworn to protect. But defense attorneys say their clients committed no crimes, sought to protect their informants while taking aim at big-time drug dealers.
Murray and King are expected to testify in their own defense.
A man who was accused of serving as their informant and lookout has already pleaded guilty and is expected to testify against them.
Thirty-five-year-old Antonio Murray and his 36-year-old partner William King were arrested last May.
A federal prosecutor told jurors yesterday that two officers preyed upon the people they were sworn to protect. But defense attorneys say their clients committed no crimes, sought to protect their informants while taking aim at big-time drug dealers.
Murray and King are expected to testify in their own defense.
A man who was accused of serving as their informant and lookout has already pleaded guilty and is expected to testify against them.
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Ranking Corrections Officer Charged With Possessing Crack
BALTIMORE -- Police in Baltimore have lodged drug charges against a high-ranking state corrections officer.
Police and court records obtained by The Examiner showed Capt. Michael Kemp, 45, was arrested Friday after a traffic stop on Harford Road. He was charged with possession of crack cocaine and has been released on his own recognizance.
The police report said Kemp was pulled over for not wearing a seat belt and a search turned up two vials of crack.
Kemp works at the Maryland Reception, Diagnostic and Classification Center in Baltimore.
BALTIMORE -- Police in Baltimore have lodged drug charges against a high-ranking state corrections officer.
Police and court records obtained by The Examiner showed Capt. Michael Kemp, 45, was arrested Friday after a traffic stop on Harford Road. He was charged with possession of crack cocaine and has been released on his own recognizance.
The police report said Kemp was pulled over for not wearing a seat belt and a search turned up two vials of crack.
Kemp works at the Maryland Reception, Diagnostic and Classification Center in Baltimore.
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Officers Convicted In Corruption Case
BALTIMORE -- A federal jury has convicted two Baltimore police officers on all but one of 32 counts stemming from a corruption investigation.
Baltimore City police Officers William King, 36, and Antonio Murray, 35, were indicted on allegations that they used their police powers to detain drug dealers and rob them of drugs and cash.
According to court documents, the officers either sold the drugs or gave them to confidential informants.
The entire crime ring surfaced when the two officers were mentioned by name in the now infamous "Stop Snitching" DVD.
BALTIMORE -- A federal jury has convicted two Baltimore police officers on all but one of 32 counts stemming from a corruption investigation.
Baltimore City police Officers William King, 36, and Antonio Murray, 35, were indicted on allegations that they used their police powers to detain drug dealers and rob them of drugs and cash.
According to court documents, the officers either sold the drugs or gave them to confidential informants.
The entire crime ring surfaced when the two officers were mentioned by name in the now infamous "Stop Snitching" DVD.
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Tire-Swap Investigation Involves Police Sergeant
Case Involves Tires, Rims On Car Seized By Police
BALTIMORE -- Baltimore police are investigating one of their own amid an alleged tire swap.
WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team lead investigative reporter Jayne Miller reported the case involves a car seized by police during a shooting investigation.
Miller said the tires and rims in question cost nearly $2,000. Police have confirmed to the 11 News I-Team that an active internal investigation centers on a sergeant who is a member of the Northeastern District's Flex squad, a specialized crime unit.
Police seized the car, a Cadillac, as evidence in the January shootout at a northeast Baltimore store, during which the storeowner and two teenagers were shot and wounded.
The 11 News I-Team has learned that the internal investigation centers on an allegation that while the car was stored at the Northeastern District for evidence processing, a police sergeant swapped the tires and rims on his personal vehicle for the tires and rims on the car being held.
Sources said the investigation includes the allegation that the sergeant got a retail store to produce a phony receipt to make it appear he had purchased the tires and rims legitimately.
The owner of the car told 11 News she noticed her tires and rims had been switched when she picked up the car from the city impound lot three weeks ago.
The woman told 11 News she immediately reported it to city police. She said internal affairs detectives have interviewed her this week.
Charges have not yet been filed in this investigation.
Case Involves Tires, Rims On Car Seized By Police
BALTIMORE -- Baltimore police are investigating one of their own amid an alleged tire swap.
WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team lead investigative reporter Jayne Miller reported the case involves a car seized by police during a shooting investigation.
Miller said the tires and rims in question cost nearly $2,000. Police have confirmed to the 11 News I-Team that an active internal investigation centers on a sergeant who is a member of the Northeastern District's Flex squad, a specialized crime unit.
Police seized the car, a Cadillac, as evidence in the January shootout at a northeast Baltimore store, during which the storeowner and two teenagers were shot and wounded.
The 11 News I-Team has learned that the internal investigation centers on an allegation that while the car was stored at the Northeastern District for evidence processing, a police sergeant swapped the tires and rims on his personal vehicle for the tires and rims on the car being held.
Sources said the investigation includes the allegation that the sergeant got a retail store to produce a phony receipt to make it appear he had purchased the tires and rims legitimately.
The owner of the car told 11 News she noticed her tires and rims had been switched when she picked up the car from the city impound lot three weeks ago.
The woman told 11 News she immediately reported it to city police. She said internal affairs detectives have interviewed her this week.
Charges have not yet been filed in this investigation.
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Corrupt City Officer Gets Over 315 Years In Prison
Jun 16, 2006 3:52 pm US/Eastern
A corrupt Baltimore police detective who robbed drug dealers and sold their cocaine, heroin and marijuana in a conspiracy with another detective received what amounts to a life sentence on Friday.
William King, 35, was convicted in April of 13 counts of possession of firearms in crimes of violence or drug trafficking. He also was convicted of seven robberies and seven counts of possession with intent to distribute heroin and other charges. Antonio Murray, who was on the force with King, was convicted as part of the conspiracy.
"These corrupt police officers betrayed the community and the many honest, hardworking police officers who risk their lives on the streets of Baltimore every day, by using their law enforcement power to rob and to deal drugs," Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein said.
The long prison sentence resulted from a federal law that calls for consecutive sentences when a person uses a handgun in a crime such as robbery. By law, U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz had to impose a sentence of more than 315 years.
Edward Smith, King's attorney, said he would appeal, calling the sentence "draconian" and pointing out that even the judge found it inappropriate.
Smith said a 25-year sentence would have been adequate.
"It's absolutely wrong in terms of what justice is supposed to be about, just totally draconian, just a totally bad result," Smith said.
King and Murray became well-known on the streets for their drug shakedowns. Both men were mentioned in "Stop Snitching," a DVD which circulated on Baltimore's streets warning people not to talk to police about drug activity. In the video, they were said to be part of the "game of narcotics."
They were plainclothes officers who detained drug dealers in their vehicles or on the street. The officers, who joined the force in 1992, worked in the department's housing authority unit. They were accused of taking whatever drugs and cash drug dealers carried before letting them go without filing any charges.
Prosecutors said that the men robbed drug dealers from August 2004 until May 2005.
The police department's internal affairs division started investigating the two officers after receiving tips from people on the street.
When investigators from the FBI and the police department learned of each other's investigation, they began to work together on the case.
Murray is scheduled to be sentenced June 23 by Motz.
Jun 16, 2006 3:52 pm US/Eastern
A corrupt Baltimore police detective who robbed drug dealers and sold their cocaine, heroin and marijuana in a conspiracy with another detective received what amounts to a life sentence on Friday.
William King, 35, was convicted in April of 13 counts of possession of firearms in crimes of violence or drug trafficking. He also was convicted of seven robberies and seven counts of possession with intent to distribute heroin and other charges. Antonio Murray, who was on the force with King, was convicted as part of the conspiracy.
"These corrupt police officers betrayed the community and the many honest, hardworking police officers who risk their lives on the streets of Baltimore every day, by using their law enforcement power to rob and to deal drugs," Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein said.
The long prison sentence resulted from a federal law that calls for consecutive sentences when a person uses a handgun in a crime such as robbery. By law, U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz had to impose a sentence of more than 315 years.
Edward Smith, King's attorney, said he would appeal, calling the sentence "draconian" and pointing out that even the judge found it inappropriate.
Smith said a 25-year sentence would have been adequate.
"It's absolutely wrong in terms of what justice is supposed to be about, just totally draconian, just a totally bad result," Smith said.
King and Murray became well-known on the streets for their drug shakedowns. Both men were mentioned in "Stop Snitching," a DVD which circulated on Baltimore's streets warning people not to talk to police about drug activity. In the video, they were said to be part of the "game of narcotics."
They were plainclothes officers who detained drug dealers in their vehicles or on the street. The officers, who joined the force in 1992, worked in the department's housing authority unit. They were accused of taking whatever drugs and cash drug dealers carried before letting them go without filing any charges.
Prosecutors said that the men robbed drug dealers from August 2004 until May 2005.
The police department's internal affairs division started investigating the two officers after receiving tips from people on the street.
When investigators from the FBI and the police department learned of each other's investigation, they began to work together on the case.
Murray is scheduled to be sentenced June 23 by Motz.
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Officer resigns, will avoid prison time in bribery case
BALTIMORE - A former Baltimore police officer won't have to serve prison time for his guilty plea in a bribery case.
Thirty-five-year-old Walter Jackson-Hill was charged with demanding money from a drug suspect last year in exchange for failing to appear at the man's trial. Under his plea agreement this week, Jackson-Hill resigned from the police department.
He was given a three-year suspended sentence and was ordered to serve three years probation.
According to his attorney, Jackson-Hill plans to inform the department about other officers who have taken bribes. However, that assistance is NOT a condition of his plea deal.
Jackson-Hill lives in York, Pennsylvania.
BALTIMORE - A former Baltimore police officer won't have to serve prison time for his guilty plea in a bribery case.
Thirty-five-year-old Walter Jackson-Hill was charged with demanding money from a drug suspect last year in exchange for failing to appear at the man's trial. Under his plea agreement this week, Jackson-Hill resigned from the police department.
He was given a three-year suspended sentence and was ordered to serve three years probation.
According to his attorney, Jackson-Hill plans to inform the department about other officers who have taken bribes. However, that assistance is NOT a condition of his plea deal.
Jackson-Hill lives in York, Pennsylvania.
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Baltimore officer charged in Pa. with identity theft
Wednesday August 02, 2006
BALTIMORE (AP) A Baltimore police officer has been suspended after she was arrested at a suburban Philadelphia mall on five counts of identity theft.
Quandra Johnson, a three-year veteran, allegedly attempted to use a fraudulent American Express card to purchase a $1,000 gift certificate at a courtesy counter at the King of Prussia Mall on Saturday, police said.
Mall security contacted Upper Merion police that a group of women were buying multiple American Express gift certificates in similar denominations, a common tip-off of identity theft.
Johnson was charged with two counts of access-device fraud, two counts of theft by deception, five counts of identity theft, receiving stolen property and forgery.
The officer's police powers were suspended pending an internal investigation, police spokeswoman Nicole Monroe said.
Three women with Johnson were not charged.
Wednesday August 02, 2006
BALTIMORE (AP) A Baltimore police officer has been suspended after she was arrested at a suburban Philadelphia mall on five counts of identity theft.
Quandra Johnson, a three-year veteran, allegedly attempted to use a fraudulent American Express card to purchase a $1,000 gift certificate at a courtesy counter at the King of Prussia Mall on Saturday, police said.
Mall security contacted Upper Merion police that a group of women were buying multiple American Express gift certificates in similar denominations, a common tip-off of identity theft.
Johnson was charged with two counts of access-device fraud, two counts of theft by deception, five counts of identity theft, receiving stolen property and forgery.
The officer's police powers were suspended pending an internal investigation, police spokeswoman Nicole Monroe said.
Three women with Johnson were not charged.
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[quote="Qdawg"]Tire-Swap Investigation Involves Police Sergeant
Case Involves Tires, Rims On Car Seized By Police
BALTIMORE -- Baltimore police are investigating one of their own amid an alleged tire swap.
WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team lead investigative reporter Jayne Miller reported the case involves a car seized by police during a shooting investigation.
Miller said the tires and rims in question cost nearly $2,000. Police have confirmed to the 11 News I-Team that an active internal investigation centers on a sergeant who is a member of the Northeastern District's Flex squad, a specialized crime unit.
Police seized the car, a Cadillac, as evidence in the January shootout at a northeast Baltimore store, during which the storeowner and two teenagers were shot and wounded.
The 11 News I-Team has learned that the internal investigation centers on an allegation that while the car was stored at the Northeastern District for evidence processing, a police sergeant swapped the tires and rims on his personal vehicle for the tires and rims on the car being held.
Sources said the investigation includes the allegation that the sergeant got a retail store to produce a phony receipt to make it appear he had purchased the tires and rims legitimately.
The owner of the car told 11 News she noticed her tires and rims had been switched when she picked up the car from the city impound lot three weeks ago.
The woman told 11 News she immediately reported it to city police. She said internal affairs detectives have interviewed her this week.
Charges have not yet been filed in this investigation.[/quote]
City police officer pleads guilty to theft
Originally published August 5, 2006
A Baltimore police officer pleaded guilty yesterday to stealing four custom rims and tires valued at $1,800 from a 2000 Cadillac DeVille that had been stored at the Northeastern District police station in January.
City prosecutors said the officer put the stolen rims and tires on his own 1999 Cadillac.
The officer, Che Christopher Jackson, 35, received probation before judgment, meaning his record will be cleared if he meets all the conditions of his three-year probation.
As a condition of his guilty plea in Circuit Court, Jackson resigned from the police force.
Circuit Judge Alfred Nance ordered Jackson to pay restitution to the victim for the cost of reinstalling the rims and tires and to contribute $1,500 to the Police Athletic League. Prosecutors said they objected to Jackson receiving probation before judgment.
Prosecutors said that Jackson removed four 20-inch Rox Fossill rims and four Wanli tires from a car that had been seized by police as part of an investigation into a shooting. The rims and tires were removed while the car was in storage, and were found on Jackson's car by investigators.
Case Involves Tires, Rims On Car Seized By Police
BALTIMORE -- Baltimore police are investigating one of their own amid an alleged tire swap.
WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team lead investigative reporter Jayne Miller reported the case involves a car seized by police during a shooting investigation.
Miller said the tires and rims in question cost nearly $2,000. Police have confirmed to the 11 News I-Team that an active internal investigation centers on a sergeant who is a member of the Northeastern District's Flex squad, a specialized crime unit.
Police seized the car, a Cadillac, as evidence in the January shootout at a northeast Baltimore store, during which the storeowner and two teenagers were shot and wounded.
The 11 News I-Team has learned that the internal investigation centers on an allegation that while the car was stored at the Northeastern District for evidence processing, a police sergeant swapped the tires and rims on his personal vehicle for the tires and rims on the car being held.
Sources said the investigation includes the allegation that the sergeant got a retail store to produce a phony receipt to make it appear he had purchased the tires and rims legitimately.
The owner of the car told 11 News she noticed her tires and rims had been switched when she picked up the car from the city impound lot three weeks ago.
The woman told 11 News she immediately reported it to city police. She said internal affairs detectives have interviewed her this week.
Charges have not yet been filed in this investigation.[/quote]
City police officer pleads guilty to theft
Originally published August 5, 2006
A Baltimore police officer pleaded guilty yesterday to stealing four custom rims and tires valued at $1,800 from a 2000 Cadillac DeVille that had been stored at the Northeastern District police station in January.
City prosecutors said the officer put the stolen rims and tires on his own 1999 Cadillac.
The officer, Che Christopher Jackson, 35, received probation before judgment, meaning his record will be cleared if he meets all the conditions of his three-year probation.
As a condition of his guilty plea in Circuit Court, Jackson resigned from the police force.
Circuit Judge Alfred Nance ordered Jackson to pay restitution to the victim for the cost of reinstalling the rims and tires and to contribute $1,500 to the Police Athletic League. Prosecutors said they objected to Jackson receiving probation before judgment.
Prosecutors said that Jackson removed four 20-inch Rox Fossill rims and four Wanli tires from a car that had been seized by police as part of an investigation into a shooting. The rims and tires were removed while the car was in storage, and were found on Jackson's car by investigators.
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Man says his car sold by police after false arrest for car theft
BALTIMORE - Keith Spence wants his Cadillac back.
Spence claims he was falsely accused of stealing his own car after he was stopped by police, who sold the vehicle at auction before he could appear in court to clear his name.
"I tried to tell them it was my car, but they wouldn't listen," the Baltimore man said.
Police spokesman Matt Jablow said the department is investigating the incident.
"We're looking into the circumstances surrounding why the car was sold," Jablow said.
Spence, 28, said police pulled him over in February because the 1993 red Cadillac Eldorado coupe had a cracked rear window. Spence said he and his two passengers were then dragged from the car and arrested by four officers who said the car was stolen.
"I was listening to the radio from the back seat of the police car. It said a gray Cadillac sedan was stolen; mine is a red coupe. I guess the officer must have been color blind," Spence told The Baltimore Examiner.
In June, Spence represented himself in court, providing the title and the testimony of the car's previous owner. By then it was too late, however; the car had been sold at auction two months earlier.
"I owned the car - I knew it wasn't stolen," he said.
Spence's attorney, Roland Brown, said he is preparing to sue the city.
"Not only did the police violate my client's constitutional rights by selling his car before the trial, but the case demonstrates that young black males in this city are blindly targeted by the Baltimore City police," Brown said.
The case also raises questions about why a vehicle thought to be stolen would be sold instead of returned to its owner.
Spence said all he wants is the Cadillac he bought with a tax refund.
"I loved that car."
BALTIMORE - Keith Spence wants his Cadillac back.
Spence claims he was falsely accused of stealing his own car after he was stopped by police, who sold the vehicle at auction before he could appear in court to clear his name.
"I tried to tell them it was my car, but they wouldn't listen," the Baltimore man said.
Police spokesman Matt Jablow said the department is investigating the incident.
"We're looking into the circumstances surrounding why the car was sold," Jablow said.
Spence, 28, said police pulled him over in February because the 1993 red Cadillac Eldorado coupe had a cracked rear window. Spence said he and his two passengers were then dragged from the car and arrested by four officers who said the car was stolen.
"I was listening to the radio from the back seat of the police car. It said a gray Cadillac sedan was stolen; mine is a red coupe. I guess the officer must have been color blind," Spence told The Baltimore Examiner.
In June, Spence represented himself in court, providing the title and the testimony of the car's previous owner. By then it was too late, however; the car had been sold at auction two months earlier.
"I owned the car - I knew it wasn't stolen," he said.
Spence's attorney, Roland Brown, said he is preparing to sue the city.
"Not only did the police violate my client's constitutional rights by selling his car before the trial, but the case demonstrates that young black males in this city are blindly targeted by the Baltimore City police," Brown said.
The case also raises questions about why a vehicle thought to be stolen would be sold instead of returned to its owner.
Spence said all he wants is the Cadillac he bought with a tax refund.
"I loved that car."
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Tape Raises Accusations Of Police Brutality
(WJZ) BALTIMORE Baltimore Police are defending themselves from accusations of police brutality. The controversy centers on the August 26th arrest of a man in what police call a drug infested area of Pennsylavania Avenue.
The arrest was captured on amateur video and shows a handcuffed man, 53 year old Glen Curry, being shoved to the ground and then pulled along the pavement by a Baltimore police officer. The video was obtained by WJZ's partner the Baltimore Examiner.
Curry was arrested and charged with possession of heroin, trespassing and resisting arrest. But Curry says even after he was cuffed, an officer assaulted him. "He punched me in my jaw twice," said. "I think it was so rapid and so vicious that i was kind of shocked."
"This is a criminal assault case against this police officer," said Templeton. "He punched my client. He threw him to the ground. after he threw him to the ground he grabbed his leg and pulled him.
Curry's defense attorney Granville Templeton questions the police statement of probable cause in which the officer swears under penalty that Curry "was quickly placed in cuffs without further incident."
"That's the operative phrase in the statement of probable cause," said Templeton. "It's said 'without further incident' and the tape clearly shows that something else occurred. Something did happen after he was handcuffed."
Baltimore police dispute that Curry was punched.
"This was not a case of police brutality," said police spokesman Det. Donnie Moses. "We never struck the suspect. We never stomped the suspect. We simply pushed the suspect to the ground and sat him up. Unfortunately, a lot of people will say we weren't gentle enough, but this is not a gentle job."
Moses said a police mugshot of Curry taken later that day does not show any signs of trauma to Curry's face or jaw.
He said Curry has a lengthy criminal rap sheet and that the officer found heroin in Curry's front left pocket.
"When the officer threw him to the ground, the narcotics that was in his pocket fell to the ground," said Moses. The video clearly shows the officer picking it up and then pulling him by the feet only to sit the suspect back up. at no time did the officer punch the suspect."
But Curry disagrees and he's glad the arrest was caught on camera.
"Other wise no one would believe me," said curry. "it would just be the police officer against unfortunately another black man in a drug infested neighborhood."
Curry's attorney said he plans on writing a letter to the Justice Department calling for a federal criminal investigation into this case.
(WJZ) BALTIMORE Baltimore Police are defending themselves from accusations of police brutality. The controversy centers on the August 26th arrest of a man in what police call a drug infested area of Pennsylavania Avenue.
The arrest was captured on amateur video and shows a handcuffed man, 53 year old Glen Curry, being shoved to the ground and then pulled along the pavement by a Baltimore police officer. The video was obtained by WJZ's partner the Baltimore Examiner.
Curry was arrested and charged with possession of heroin, trespassing and resisting arrest. But Curry says even after he was cuffed, an officer assaulted him. "He punched me in my jaw twice," said. "I think it was so rapid and so vicious that i was kind of shocked."
"This is a criminal assault case against this police officer," said Templeton. "He punched my client. He threw him to the ground. after he threw him to the ground he grabbed his leg and pulled him.
Curry's defense attorney Granville Templeton questions the police statement of probable cause in which the officer swears under penalty that Curry "was quickly placed in cuffs without further incident."
"That's the operative phrase in the statement of probable cause," said Templeton. "It's said 'without further incident' and the tape clearly shows that something else occurred. Something did happen after he was handcuffed."
Baltimore police dispute that Curry was punched.
"This was not a case of police brutality," said police spokesman Det. Donnie Moses. "We never struck the suspect. We never stomped the suspect. We simply pushed the suspect to the ground and sat him up. Unfortunately, a lot of people will say we weren't gentle enough, but this is not a gentle job."
Moses said a police mugshot of Curry taken later that day does not show any signs of trauma to Curry's face or jaw.
He said Curry has a lengthy criminal rap sheet and that the officer found heroin in Curry's front left pocket.
"When the officer threw him to the ground, the narcotics that was in his pocket fell to the ground," said Moses. The video clearly shows the officer picking it up and then pulling him by the feet only to sit the suspect back up. at no time did the officer punch the suspect."
But Curry disagrees and he's glad the arrest was caught on camera.
"Other wise no one would believe me," said curry. "it would just be the police officer against unfortunately another black man in a drug infested neighborhood."
Curry's attorney said he plans on writing a letter to the Justice Department calling for a federal criminal investigation into this case.
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City officer accused of insurance fraud resigns
Police investigation focused on alleged relationship with convicted drug dealer
By a Sun Reporter
Originally published November 30, 2006
A Baltimore police officer who had been accused of setting fire to her sports utility vehicle in an attempt to defraud her insurance company has resigned from the force, the department's chief spokesman said.
Terre N. Shields, 28, quit this week, spokesman Matt Jablow said, one month after city prosecutors dropped arson and fraud charges that had been filed against the 6-year veteran and her boyfriend, Rashad J. Brooks, 29. A prosecutor said on Oct. 30 that the cases were dismissed because of insufficient evidence.
However, police continued with an internal investigation that included looking into her relationship with Brooks, a convicted drug dealer in Baltimore County. Shields had been living in an apartment with Brooks and had run a convenience store with him -- an apparent violation of the police department's general orders about officers refraining from personal contact with people "of questionable character."
Shields had been a member of a specialized unit that worked in the Southeastern District until this summer, when it was disbanded amid allegations that members were drawing up inaccurate charging documents.
Police investigation focused on alleged relationship with convicted drug dealer
By a Sun Reporter
Originally published November 30, 2006
A Baltimore police officer who had been accused of setting fire to her sports utility vehicle in an attempt to defraud her insurance company has resigned from the force, the department's chief spokesman said.
Terre N. Shields, 28, quit this week, spokesman Matt Jablow said, one month after city prosecutors dropped arson and fraud charges that had been filed against the 6-year veteran and her boyfriend, Rashad J. Brooks, 29. A prosecutor said on Oct. 30 that the cases were dismissed because of insufficient evidence.
However, police continued with an internal investigation that included looking into her relationship with Brooks, a convicted drug dealer in Baltimore County. Shields had been living in an apartment with Brooks and had run a convenience store with him -- an apparent violation of the police department's general orders about officers refraining from personal contact with people "of questionable character."
Shields had been a member of a specialized unit that worked in the Southeastern District until this summer, when it was disbanded amid allegations that members were drawing up inaccurate charging documents.
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Flex squad officer has resigned
Member of Southwestern District had been suspended during gambling investigation
By Julie Bykowicz
Sun Reporter
Originally published December 9, 2006
Vicki Mengel, an officer who faced gambling charges and allegations of misconduct as a member of the disbanded Southwestern District flex squad, has resigned from the Baltimore Police Department.
Mengel, 36, a 10-year veteran of the force, quietly resigned two months ago, a Baltimore police spokesman confirmed yesterday. She had been suspended with pay since the gambling charges were lodged in November 2005. She was convicted in February in District Court of two misdemeanor gambling counts related to a poker game, but court records show the conviction was later modified to a finding of probation before judgment, meaning it can later be wiped from her record.
Attorney Clarke F. Ahlers, who represented Mengel in the gambling case, said Mengel's resignation was prompted by her doctor determining that repeated knee injuries rendered her no longer fit for duty. Ahlers said Mengel is awaiting a disability evaluation from city doctors later this month.
Ahlers said Mengel's decision to resign, as far as he knew, had nothing to do with the either the gambling case or misconduct allegations.
Earlier this year, Mengel's name surfaced in an internal investigation of the Southwestern flex squad, which was disbanded after three male officers were charged with rape. One officer is accused of having sex with a woman in exchange for her freedom, and the other two are accused of not intervening. A trial is scheduled for next week.
A police search warrant prompted by the rape case accused Mengel and another Southwestern flex squad officer of stealing cell phones from people arrested and "planting ... controlled dangerous substances on citizens in an effort to knowingly make false arrests." Detectives seized suspected heroin, cocaine, marijuana, seven cell phones and three walkie-talkies from the station house, according to the warrant return.
Mengel filed a defamation lawsuit against the officers who swore out that search warrant. A Baltimore Circuit Court judge dismissed the suit without a hearing, but Ahlers said a hearing might be scheduled in the state Court of Special Appeals.
Yesterday, Matt Jablow, a spokesman for the Police Department, said an internal investigation - now nearly one year old - into those and other accusations against the flex squad was continuing.
Member of Southwestern District had been suspended during gambling investigation
By Julie Bykowicz
Sun Reporter
Originally published December 9, 2006
Vicki Mengel, an officer who faced gambling charges and allegations of misconduct as a member of the disbanded Southwestern District flex squad, has resigned from the Baltimore Police Department.
Mengel, 36, a 10-year veteran of the force, quietly resigned two months ago, a Baltimore police spokesman confirmed yesterday. She had been suspended with pay since the gambling charges were lodged in November 2005. She was convicted in February in District Court of two misdemeanor gambling counts related to a poker game, but court records show the conviction was later modified to a finding of probation before judgment, meaning it can later be wiped from her record.
Attorney Clarke F. Ahlers, who represented Mengel in the gambling case, said Mengel's resignation was prompted by her doctor determining that repeated knee injuries rendered her no longer fit for duty. Ahlers said Mengel is awaiting a disability evaluation from city doctors later this month.
Ahlers said Mengel's decision to resign, as far as he knew, had nothing to do with the either the gambling case or misconduct allegations.
Earlier this year, Mengel's name surfaced in an internal investigation of the Southwestern flex squad, which was disbanded after three male officers were charged with rape. One officer is accused of having sex with a woman in exchange for her freedom, and the other two are accused of not intervening. A trial is scheduled for next week.
A police search warrant prompted by the rape case accused Mengel and another Southwestern flex squad officer of stealing cell phones from people arrested and "planting ... controlled dangerous substances on citizens in an effort to knowingly make false arrests." Detectives seized suspected heroin, cocaine, marijuana, seven cell phones and three walkie-talkies from the station house, according to the warrant return.
Mengel filed a defamation lawsuit against the officers who swore out that search warrant. A Baltimore Circuit Court judge dismissed the suit without a hearing, but Ahlers said a hearing might be scheduled in the state Court of Special Appeals.
Yesterday, Matt Jablow, a spokesman for the Police Department, said an internal investigation - now nearly one year old - into those and other accusations against the flex squad was continuing.
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Nine send notice of police suit
Plaintiffs complain over Southeast team's actions
By Julie Bykowicz
Sun reporter
Originally published December 16, 2006
Nine people have sent official notice to the city that they intend to file four lawsuits alleging that officers in a Baltimore police unit under investigation conducted baseless traffic stops and warrantless searches of homes.
The plaintiffs are the latest to complain about actions of a "Specialized Enforcement Team" that worked in Southeast Baltimore. City prosecutors began investigating the unit in the spring, and the Police Department reassigned the officers and began an internal probe this summer.
Under state law, a notice of claim is a necessary precursor to a civil suit. The four notices, two of which were sent yesterday, include accusations of improper car stops and home searches and describe SET officers pocketing money, planting drugs and engaging in reckless behavior. One man says officers made him lie face down on the double-yellow line of Pulaski Highway.
Matt Jablow, a police spokesman, would not comment on the specifics of the claim notices. A city lawyer could not be reached yesterday afternoon.
These notices follow one filed in September by Craig Kemp and his family, who say plainclothes SET officers searched their home without obtaining a warrant and stole $28,000.
"Everyone understands that police have a job to do," said Matthew E. Bennett, who along with Christie P. Needleman, represents plaintiffs in the five suits. "But this is conduct not different in degree, but different in kind. It's the same story repeated over and over again by different clients, none of whom have met each other."
The new notices allege traffic stops that, in three cases, spun into home searches:
• On Sept. 12 last year on Winner Avenue, SET officers stopped a vehicle driven by Colin Hines, 41, drew their guns and searched the vehicle. Some officers left and returned with a bag of marijuana, he says. One told him: "Who do you think the judge will believe, me or you?" he says.
Hines was arrested and held at Central Booking for several days, the notice says. While he was detained, he says, officers took his keys and searched his home.
Court records list Hines as a co-defendant in a drug case from that date. The charges against him were placed on the inactive docket in February, but the co-defendant pleaded guilty to drug possession with intent to distribute and was sentenced to time served.
• On Oct. 28 last year on Kirk Avenue, SET officers stopped a van occupied by David Bazemore, 27, and Stewart Brice, 22, pointed guns and searched the vehicle.
The officers also "broke through the door" of a residence near the stop and searched Thomas Franklin, 26, Jawan Roberts, 26, and Shahed Moody, 28, of Baltimore, according to the claim notice.
All five men were loaded into the van that had been pulled over, and an officer drove it "in an extremely reckless, dangerous, unlawful and improper manner through the streets," the claim notice says. Officers also searched the apartment of Franklin's mother, using his keys to enter, the claim notice says.
Charges against four of the men, for drug and gun possession, later were dropped by prosecutors or placed on the inactive docket. Moody was found not guilty at a trial in May.
• On March 19 this year, SET officers stopped a vehicle driven by Deric Ford, 24, put him in a police car and drove him to his home. There, the claim notice says, officers searched the residence and took money. Ford was charged two weeks later with gun and drug possession. Court records show prosecutors dropped the case in June.
• One afternoon this spring, SET officers pulled over a vehicle driven by Alden Bridges, 40, at Pulaski Highway and Highland Avenue. While searching his vehicle, the claim notice says, officers forced him to lie facedown on Pulaski "thereby endangering his life."
Bennett said the similarities in the stories his clients told him "raised a big red flag."
"We can't have a system where police stop people on a hunch and then give a post-hoc justification for the stop," he said.
Jablow said yesterday that the internal investigation is continuing. The probe centers on sworn court papers that contain fictional or embellished scenarios to justify arrests, according to local defense attorneys whose clients have participated in it.
As prosecutors were dropping charges lodged by the unit, they began interviewing the defendants about the behavior of the officers who arrested them. Some former defendants have taken - and passed - lie-detector tests after describing their encounters with the SET officers. Kemp took and passed a test, the results of which were reviewed by The Sun.
Margaret T. Burns, a spokeswoman for the Baltimore state's attorney's office, said prosecutors continue to assist in the police internal investigation.
The SET unit was made up of six officers and led by Sgt. William Harris. The sergeant and Officers Shakil Moss and Agustin Rodriguez have been suspended with pay, Jablow said. They are working administrative duties.
Three other officers named in some of the lawsuit notices, Kiam Preston, Nathan Roles and Chemene Washington, remain on active duty, Jablow said. The sixth officer, Terre Shields, resigned recently. She had faced arson and fraud charges unrelated to the SET unit and had a business and personal relationship with a convicted drug dealer. Prosecutors dropped the arson-fraud charges.
None of the disbanded unit's officers is allowed to testify in court cases, which has prompted prosecutors to drop more than 100 felony Circuit Court cases, most of them drug cases, Burns said. Countless other District Court cases have been dropped, she said.
Plaintiffs complain over Southeast team's actions
By Julie Bykowicz
Sun reporter
Originally published December 16, 2006
Nine people have sent official notice to the city that they intend to file four lawsuits alleging that officers in a Baltimore police unit under investigation conducted baseless traffic stops and warrantless searches of homes.
The plaintiffs are the latest to complain about actions of a "Specialized Enforcement Team" that worked in Southeast Baltimore. City prosecutors began investigating the unit in the spring, and the Police Department reassigned the officers and began an internal probe this summer.
Under state law, a notice of claim is a necessary precursor to a civil suit. The four notices, two of which were sent yesterday, include accusations of improper car stops and home searches and describe SET officers pocketing money, planting drugs and engaging in reckless behavior. One man says officers made him lie face down on the double-yellow line of Pulaski Highway.
Matt Jablow, a police spokesman, would not comment on the specifics of the claim notices. A city lawyer could not be reached yesterday afternoon.
These notices follow one filed in September by Craig Kemp and his family, who say plainclothes SET officers searched their home without obtaining a warrant and stole $28,000.
"Everyone understands that police have a job to do," said Matthew E. Bennett, who along with Christie P. Needleman, represents plaintiffs in the five suits. "But this is conduct not different in degree, but different in kind. It's the same story repeated over and over again by different clients, none of whom have met each other."
The new notices allege traffic stops that, in three cases, spun into home searches:
• On Sept. 12 last year on Winner Avenue, SET officers stopped a vehicle driven by Colin Hines, 41, drew their guns and searched the vehicle. Some officers left and returned with a bag of marijuana, he says. One told him: "Who do you think the judge will believe, me or you?" he says.
Hines was arrested and held at Central Booking for several days, the notice says. While he was detained, he says, officers took his keys and searched his home.
Court records list Hines as a co-defendant in a drug case from that date. The charges against him were placed on the inactive docket in February, but the co-defendant pleaded guilty to drug possession with intent to distribute and was sentenced to time served.
• On Oct. 28 last year on Kirk Avenue, SET officers stopped a van occupied by David Bazemore, 27, and Stewart Brice, 22, pointed guns and searched the vehicle.
The officers also "broke through the door" of a residence near the stop and searched Thomas Franklin, 26, Jawan Roberts, 26, and Shahed Moody, 28, of Baltimore, according to the claim notice.
All five men were loaded into the van that had been pulled over, and an officer drove it "in an extremely reckless, dangerous, unlawful and improper manner through the streets," the claim notice says. Officers also searched the apartment of Franklin's mother, using his keys to enter, the claim notice says.
Charges against four of the men, for drug and gun possession, later were dropped by prosecutors or placed on the inactive docket. Moody was found not guilty at a trial in May.
• On March 19 this year, SET officers stopped a vehicle driven by Deric Ford, 24, put him in a police car and drove him to his home. There, the claim notice says, officers searched the residence and took money. Ford was charged two weeks later with gun and drug possession. Court records show prosecutors dropped the case in June.
• One afternoon this spring, SET officers pulled over a vehicle driven by Alden Bridges, 40, at Pulaski Highway and Highland Avenue. While searching his vehicle, the claim notice says, officers forced him to lie facedown on Pulaski "thereby endangering his life."
Bennett said the similarities in the stories his clients told him "raised a big red flag."
"We can't have a system where police stop people on a hunch and then give a post-hoc justification for the stop," he said.
Jablow said yesterday that the internal investigation is continuing. The probe centers on sworn court papers that contain fictional or embellished scenarios to justify arrests, according to local defense attorneys whose clients have participated in it.
As prosecutors were dropping charges lodged by the unit, they began interviewing the defendants about the behavior of the officers who arrested them. Some former defendants have taken - and passed - lie-detector tests after describing their encounters with the SET officers. Kemp took and passed a test, the results of which were reviewed by The Sun.
Margaret T. Burns, a spokeswoman for the Baltimore state's attorney's office, said prosecutors continue to assist in the police internal investigation.
The SET unit was made up of six officers and led by Sgt. William Harris. The sergeant and Officers Shakil Moss and Agustin Rodriguez have been suspended with pay, Jablow said. They are working administrative duties.
Three other officers named in some of the lawsuit notices, Kiam Preston, Nathan Roles and Chemene Washington, remain on active duty, Jablow said. The sixth officer, Terre Shields, resigned recently. She had faced arson and fraud charges unrelated to the SET unit and had a business and personal relationship with a convicted drug dealer. Prosecutors dropped the arson-fraud charges.
None of the disbanded unit's officers is allowed to testify in court cases, which has prompted prosecutors to drop more than 100 felony Circuit Court cases, most of them drug cases, Burns said. Countless other District Court cases have been dropped, she said.