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News In Brief

Alabama: A former Tuscumbia police officer was sentenced to 20 years in prison on August 24, 2024, after pleading guilty to manslaughter in connection with a fatal pedestrian accident. The incident occurred in October 2022 when James “Jay” Keith Steward’s vehicle struck and killed 60-year-old Terry Hinton, according to WHNT. Steward was initially indicted on reckless murder charges but accepted a plea deal in August 2024. According to prosecutors, Steward, 35, was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs at the time of the accident and was driving on the wrong side of the road in a police vehicle. Steward’s bond was set at $300,000, and he was released three days after his arrest in March 2023. Steward turned himself in to the Colbert County Jail on the day of his sentencing.

California: The murder of a couple in Dublin by an ex-Alameda County sheriff’s deputy has brought a troubling fact to light: Dozens of deputies in the agency have received “unsuitable” results on the psychological exam required of prospective cops. On October 3, 2024, a jury found former deputy Devin Williams, 26, guilty of the first-degree murder of Maria and Benison Tran in 2022. KTVU learned shortly after the tragic double homicide that Williams failed his psychological exam but was able to join the force. Evidence showed that Williams was in a romantic relationship with Maria Tran before shooting the couple in their home with their teenage son present. To get in front of liability issues, former Sheriff Greg Ahern performed an audit of the psychological test results and learned that 47 deputies had been deemed “unsuitable” for police work and temporarily suspended them from their duties. Despite this troubling fact, no formal discipline or report occurred, and the news was not made public. Most of those deputies have since returned to their positions. William’s sentencing is scheduled for November 12, 2024. He faces a maximum of 50 years to life.

Georgia: An off-duty Atlanta police investigator was fatally shot early on October 4, 2024, after breaking into a home in Douglas County just blocks away from his own home. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said the homeowner acted in self-defense when he confronted the intruder inside the residence. The deceased investigator, identified as Aubree Horton, 32, had been with the Atlanta Police Department for nearly ten years and was recently awarded the “Investigator of the Year” award, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Horton was assigned to the department’s fugitive unit and had previously been recognized for his work on a high-profile homicide case out of Gwinnett County. Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting, including Horton’s motive for breaking into the home. Investigators learned that Horton appeared to be experiencing a mental health crisis or was under the influence of narcotics when he tried to break into the home at the St. Andrews Golf Club community. The Atlanta Police Department is cooperating with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in the ongoing investigation.

Indiana: A former Clark County sheriff and Republican operative was sentenced to 15 years in prison on October 14, 2024, as part of a plea deal. Jamey Noel, 53, pleaded guilty to 27 felony charges, including theft, money laundering, tax evasion, and obstruction of justice, stemming from his misuse of public funds. Four charges of ghost employment were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. The plea brought an end to Noel’s criminal case, which was called the largest in agency history by state police. Noel faces millions in restitution and fines and could spend up to 10 years behind bars. The Indiana Capital Chronicle reported that the Noel family spent millions of taxpayer dollars on cars, planes, vacations, clothing and luxury purchases. He also fathered a child out of wedlock with a former city council member and was using public funds to pay child support of $2,500 per month. Noel expressed remorse for his actions, at times tearing up during the court proceedings, but also emphasized his family’s innocence. He began serving his sentence immediately after the sentencing and could be eligible for early release with good behavior. In addition to the criminal charges, Noel also faces several civil lawsuits seeking to recover the funds he misappropriated.

Massachusetts: A former Dartmouth police officer was sentenced to 10 to 15 years in state prison on October 3, 2024, according to South Coast Today. A jury convicted Shawn Souza, 42, of child rape and indecent assault and battery of a person 14 or older. Souza was arrested in April 2019 and had been a member of the Dartmouth Police Department since 2008. The conviction came after a three-day jury trial in Fall River Superior Court. This was the second trial in the case, as a previous trial ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury. Evidence presented in court proved that Souza raped the first victim on multiple occasions when she was between the ages of 6 and 8. He was also convicted of molesting the second victim, a 15-year-old girl. Both victims testified and provided victim impact statements during the sentencing hearing. Judge Susan Sullivan ultimately sided with the defense when she sentenced Souza, with ten years being the mandatory minimum for someone convicted of child rape. Dartmouth Police Chief Brian P. Levesque condemned Souza’s actions telling the public, “We take an oath to protect our citizens, not harm them—especially the most vulnerable.”

Michigan: The New York Post reported that a Detroit police officer with 13 years of experience was fatally shot by his colleagues after he opened fire on them while attempting suicide by cop. The incident occurred on October 3, 2023, when two officers responded to a 911 call at the off-duty officer’s home. The suicidal officer, 45, who was wearing his uniform and armed with a high-powered rifle, began firing into the air before turning his weapon on the responding officers. He demanded that they kill him. The officers took cover behind their vehicle and returned fire, fatally wounding the suicidal officer. Both responding officers sustained injuries but were expected to recover. The suicidal officer had recently returned to full duty after taking time off for a serious, physical degenerative condition. While he had no previous mental health issues, the incident points to a growing mental health crisis in Detroit. The department has been grappling with a surge in mental health calls, responding to over 7,500 such calls in the first seven months of 2023. In response, the department has been working to reshape its Crisis Intervention Team to better handle these calls, not knowing it would be one of their own that needed that help.

New Hampshire: On October 16, 2024, a New Hampshire Supreme Court justice was indicted on felony charges for allegedly pressuring the governor to drop a criminal investigation into her husband, the director of the New Hampshire Port Authority. The justice, Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi, is accused of attempting to influence the governor and of obstructing a government administration. The Center Square reported that Republican Governor Chris Sununu called the charges against Hantz Marconi “incredibly serious” and praised the attorney general’s office for pursuing the investigation into the Marconis’ corruption. Mr. Marconi was also indicted on separate charges of witness tampering and falsifying evidence. Mrs. Marconi faces felony charges of attempted improper influence and criminal solicitation of improper influence. The former Republican leader in New Hampshire politics has been on administrative leave since July 2024 and vows to fight the charges, claiming she “did not violate any law or rule.” If convicted of the two felonies, the recused justice could be sentenced to a maximum of seven years in state prison and a fine of up to $4,000.00 for each charge.

New Mexico: A former sheriff of Catron County avoided jail time when he was sentenced to five years supervised probation and a restitution payment of nearly $40,000. Ian Fletcher pled no contest to 14 counts on October 7, 2024. KRQE reported that Fletcher embezzled federal money meant for wildfire recovery into his personal coffers. The money had been destined for relief efforts during the Buzzard Fire of 2018, which burned hundreds of acres in the Gila Wilderness. Bank records showed that during that time Fletcher was gambling online and at casinos. The wily sheriff, who was a 25-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, was also accused of claiming overtime pay he was not eligible for. Fletcher claimed hundreds of hours of overtime to supplement his salary, despite being the elected sheriff and not eligible for additional pay without legislative approval. The original charges included embezzlement, money laundering and misuse of public money. Prosecutors then added charges of tax evasion when they discovered he had not filed returns. Fletcher retired in 2021 after a Catron County employee reported irregularities in the county’s finances to the state attorney general’s office.

Ohio: For the second time in seven years, the city of Ashtabula has paid out a hefty sum to cover the actions of one of its cops, according to WKYC. Former officer and sniper Daniel Gillespie was sued for the wrongful death of David Ward, Jr., a 23-year-old old experiencing a mental health crisis when Gillespie fatally shot him. Despite Ward not posing an immediate threat, Gillespie shot him from 482 feet through the chest without warning in April 2022. A grand jury declined to indict Gillespie on criminal charges, but the city settled the lawsuit for $2.5 million. The family’s attorney argued that Gillespie’s actions were excessive and unnecessary because Ward was not posing a threat. The settlement in their case included two key additions to police policy, prioritizing de-escalation tactics and requiring officers to give a warning before using deadly force. In 2017, Gillespie was involved in another excessive force incident which the city settled for $6.5 million. After the second settlement, the Ashtabula’s insurance company refused to cover Gillespie, leading to his termination. Just one week after being fired, however, Gillespie was hired by the Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff William Niemi defended the decision, citing Gillespie’s clearance from a grand jury and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Oregon: The Portland City Council agreed to settle a lawsuit on October 9, 2024, for $500,000 stemming from a vicious attack by an escaped Portland Police Bureau (PPB) canine. KOIN reported that the initial lawsuit, filed against the City of Portland and retired K9 Unit Sgt. Jeffrey Dorn, alleged that Jason and Kristina Norris were walking along a public footpath when an off-duty police dog lunged at them, attacking and injuring both individuals. The lawsuit described the horrific attack in March 2021 and detailed the severe injuries sustained by the Norrises and the pain and suffering they endured. “Siggi” the K9 had escaped from his handler’s yard by chewing through a wooden fence. Deputy City Attorney Mike Porter told the city council that Dorn was an experienced K9 handler, who had housed five different police K9s in the same yard without incident. Portland Police Chief Bob Day acknowledged the error and accepted responsibility for the incident. He also expressed his sincere apology to the Norrises. Following the attack, PPB updated its policies regarding the housing and management of police K9s, including mandatory annual inspections of handlers’ yards and requiring K9s to be kenneled or on a leash when not under direct supervision. K9 Siggi was retired from PPB and “sent to a facility in Texas that rehabilitates and houses working dogs.”

Texas: A former Houston narcotics officer was sentenced to 60 years in prison on October 8, 2024, for the deaths of a couple killed during a 2019 “no-knock” raid he initiated under false pretenses. Reason magazine wrote that Gerald Goines, a 34-year police veteran with Houston Police Department (HPD), fabricated evidence to obtain the raid warrant by falsely claiming Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas were heroin dealers. This deadly raid resulted in a hail of gunfire that left both Tuttle and Nicholas dead, and four officers injured, including Goines, who was shot in the face by Nicholas. During the ensuing investigation, Goines’ lies were exposed and led to his conviction for felony murder based on tampering with government records. The conviction marks the first time a Houston officer has been held criminally accountable for a murder committed while in uniform. The case sparked a broader investigation into Goines’ misconduct, with over 30 wrongful convictions tied to his fabrications already overturned. Prosecutors emphasized that Goines’ actions reflect a deeper problem within the HPD’s narcotics division, which failed to stop his misconduct despite repeated patterns of abuse. His conviction notwithstanding, Goines will still collect his police pension, having retired before disciplinary action was taken.

Virginia: On September 24, 2024, a Virginia Beach lawyer pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and possession with intent to distribute marijuana, according to the American Bar Association Journal. Matthew Taylor Morris, 38, has also been temporarily suspended from practicing law after the plea, pending a hearing to determine if his license should be further suspended or revoked. Morris, a former prosecutor in Portsmouth, Virginia, admitted to allowing co-conspirators to store large amounts of marijuana and cash proceeds at his law office. The street value of the marijuana was estimated between $800,000 and $1.6 million. In exchange, Morris received rent payments, THC products, and a handgun. Morris advised one of his co-conspirators how to mail marijuana products to his law office, telling him to wrap the marijuana products securely in Saran Wrap and mix them in with souvenirs. Morris also said, “[w]rite legal mail on there somewhere too,” reasoning that this would “make it privileged and the cops would have a hell of a time getting a warrant to get around that privilege.” The charges against Morris stem from a conspiracy that allegedly took place between 2021 and 2022. He joined the commonwealth attorney’s office in Portsmouth three months after the conspiracy ended. Morris is scheduled to be sentenced in January 2025 and faces up to ten years in prison.

Wisconsin: A St. Francis school resource officer was arrested on September 24, 2024, and charged with voyeurism after allegedly recording a female student without her knowledge. Dimitri A. Kamolov, a 31-year veteran of the St. Francis Police Department, was placed on administrative leave without pay following the incident,according to WTMJ in Milwaukee. The incident occurred when Kamolov asked a student to try on some shirts he had brought back from Brazil. When the student began trying on the shirts, she noticed Kamolov’s cellphone recording her and immediately reported the incident to the school principal. Kamolov was subsequently arrested and charged with invading privacy by using a surveillance device and attempting to capture an intimate representation of a minor. The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation is handling the case. The St. Francis Police Department had initiated proceedings to terminate Kamolov’s employment in the final week of September. The formerly well-regarded school resource officer faces up to six-and-a-half years if convicted.

Wyoming: A constitutional rights lawsuit against a Casper, Wyoming police officer and the city resulted in a $155,000 settlement in the first weeks of October 2024. The WyoFile reported that officer Michael Quirin was accused of forcing a 120-pound, 5’3” woman to the ground and kneeling on her neck during an arrest in her home. The plaintiff, Adrianah “Nana” Rodriguez, was awarded $130,000 in public funds for the judgment against the officer, and an additional $25,000 was awarded to her from the city. The incident occurred in January 2020 when Quirin and another officer responded to a noise complaint. Upon entering the apartment, Quirin became agitated because Rodriguez took too long to answer the door, and he could smell marijuana. He ordered a sleeping man out of bed and then asked everyone present for identification. Rodriguez provided hers but was subsequently pinned to the ground by Quirin, despite her protests that she was not resisting. On the body camera footage, other officers can be heard telling Quirin to calm down. The settlement in Rodriguez’s case is just one of many similar cases against the Casper Police Department in recent years. The problem reaches beyond Casper though. Between 2019 and 2023, nearly $3.4 million was paid out in settlements related to police misconduct in Wyoming.  

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