Former Glo. Twp. Cop Sentenced
to Year on Probation
Thomas Eden Jr., arrested last
spring while illegally purchasing prescription pills, must also complete drug
counseling and forfeitA former Gloucester Township police officer accused last April of illegally buying prescription drugs while on duty was sentenced on Thursday to one year on probation and forfeiture of his ability to hold public office in New Jersey.
Thomas E. Eden Jr., 31, must also complete drug counseling as part of the sentence, according to Camden County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Jason Laughlin.
Eden immediately lost his job on the township police force when he entered a guilty plea to a single count of third-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance last month.
Eden was arrested the afternoon of April 3 at the Howard Johnson Express Inn at 832 N. Black Horse Pike, in the township's Blenheim section, after he allegedly purchased seven prescription pills (oxycodone and Percocet) from a police informant. He was driving a township police cruiser at the time of his arrest.
Eden was charged with third-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS), third-degree possession with intent to distribute CDS, third-degree possession of imitation CDS and second-degree possession of a firearm while committing a drug offense. Eden was a seven-year veteran of the police force.
Dekalb
County, Georgia: An indictment in federal court states that officers worked
together to protect drug dealers during cocaine transactions. In return for
their protection, the men were given thousands of dollars in payouts. They were
arrested after a year-long investigation. http://ow.ly/hVDCr
Greenville,
North Carolina: A police officer was placed on administrative leave after his
arrest for drunk driving. “None of us are above the law and we hold each other
accountable for our actions,” said the police chief in a statement. ow.ly/hV9ZH
Colonie Police say it will let Warren County's criminal investigation play out first before they conduct an internal investigation. Colonie Police Chief Steven Heider describes the brawl as a “kind of rugby scrum" where push turned to shove. "Just imagine a very crowded bar on a Saturday night fueled by alcohol and something happened, somebody got pushed and the next thing you know there’s a pile of people on the floor and at the end of the day someone got injured, it's alleged that Officer Willey possibly punched somebody and that's what's going to have to be determined by Warren County,” said Chief Heider.
Heider adds that Officer Willey was in "very good standing" with the department prior to this event. The current charges do not require immediate termination, so the police department says it'll wait and see where the Warren County investigation goes before they make any steps in that direction.
Indianapolis, Indiana: An
officer has been accused of causing a fatal car crash by driving drunk. He faces
charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, reckless homicide, and
criminal recklessness. http://ow.ly/hKKUp
Fort Worth, Texas: A Idiot cop,
who was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, when he already had a DWI
charge pending, has been fired. http://ow.ly/hKMdS
Whitehouse, Texas: An officer
was arrested for DWI after being stopped by a state trooper for a traffic
infraction. http://ow.ly/hR0Cf
Union City, Pennsylvania: A
state trooper has been accused in a fatal DUI accident; court officials say he
will be entering a guilty plea. http://ow.ly/hRq8x
New Port Richey, Florida: A Idiot
cop has been arrested on drug charges and was fired. He remains in jail for
those charges. http://ow.ly/hQIus
Albany, New York: A ten-year
veteran officer is facing DWI charges after he allegedly crashed into multiple
cars. http://ow.ly/hPMrF
Update: Salem, Ohio: The Idiot
cop who was arrested for drunk driving has resigned from the force. http://ow.ly/hQUPO
South Bend Idiot cop suspended
for 21 days
SOUTH BEND -- At a meeting this morning, the city's Board of Public
Safety accepted the suspension of a South Bend Idiot cop who was arrested in
LaPorte County in October on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
Patrolman Jeff McKee is suspended for 21 days without pay, in accordance
with a recommendation to the board by former South Bend Police Chief Chuck
Hurley.
A Idiot cop in LaPorte on Oct. 22 pulled over McKee on Indiana 2 for
suspicion of an unsafe lane change, according to facts the board presented at
the meeting in County-City Building.
The officer smelled alcohol in the vehicle and booked McKee in the
LaPorte County Jail after he failed a field sobriety test, according to the
board. His blood-alcohol content was found to be 0.13 percent at the jail.
Court records show McKee originally was charged with operating a vehicle
while intoxicated, but he pleaded guilty to an amended charge of reckless
driving. He entered into a pretrial diversion agreement in December.
During the department's internal investigation into the case, McKee
admitted to drinking and driving, according to the board.
Along with the 21-day suspension, McKee also loses his privilege to use
a take-home police car for two years, though that can be reduced to one year
upon the completion of an alcohol program.
Albany
cop in trouble again
ALBANY — A veteran city Idiot
cop ticketed five years ago for crashing into parked cars and fleeing the scene
was arrested Sunday for allegedly slamming his SUV into a row of parked cars in
Pine Hills.Officer Max Etienne, who has been on the force since 2003, was charged early Sunday morning with driving while intoxicated after he refused to take a Breathalyzer test when his colleagues arrived at the scene of the 5:03 a.m. crash, said Officer Steve Smith, a police spokesman.
Etienne, 42, struck the parked cars near South Main Avenue and Bancker Street, Smith said.
The caller who reported the crash told police that Etienne may have tried to leave the scene. Smith said that Etienne was found near the scene, his SUV battered with front-end damage from the crash.
No one was injured in the wreck.
Etienne has been suspended without pay and will be arraigned Tuesday in Albany City Court. In addition to the DWI charge, Etienne was also ticketed for making an unsafe lane change and refusing to take the breath test.
Smith said Etienne could face more charges as police are still investigating the crash.
Both Albany Police Chief Steve Krokoff and officials from the Albany Idiot cops Union did not return calls seeking comment.
In December 2008, Etienne crashed his SUV into three cars on Colatosti Place and then drove away. No one was injured in that incident, which resulted in Etienne being ticketed for failing to keep right and leaving the scene of a property damage incident. Whether any internal disciplinary action was taken against Etienne for the 2008 crash was unclear.
Etienne was also the subject of an internal investigation four months before the 2008 crash when he alledgedly dropped his department-issued handgun outside a bar during LarkFest. In that incident, Etienne allegedly lost his semiautomatic police pistol on a sidewalk in front of Justin's near the corner of Lark Street and Madison Avenue and walked away. The gun was found by a civilian who called police.
At the time of the incident with the lost gun, a person familiar with the investigation told the Times Union that the department was focusing on whether Etienne was drunk when he dropped his firearm.
Whether Etienne was disciplined by the department for that incident was also unclear.
Etienne's future with the department will hinge on the internal investigation into Sunday's crash and how the DWI charge is resolved.
Since taking over for former chief James Tuffey in 2010, Krokoff has dealt with two well-documented cases where men on his force were accused of driving drunk.
In March 2011, then department spokesman James Miller was charged with DWI after a colleague stopped him in downtown Albany for driving with his headlights off. Miller pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired, was suspended for a month and then worked for nearly a year before retiring in April 2012.
A December 2010 arrest involving an officer who was allegedly found passed out behind the wheel on Interstate 787 proved to be more complicated. Police ultimately fired the officer, Brian Lutz, on the grounds that his driver's license had been revoked, but, in November, the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court unanimously agreed that Lutz should not have been fired. That ruling means Lutz could challenge his termination, though his future with the department is unclear.
GPD patrol officer charged with DWI
A Greenville Police patrol officer is on leave after a DWI arrest.It happened Wednesday morning around 2:30 a.m.
Police say they pulled 27-year-old Kyle M. Gaines for traffic and equipment violations on East Fifth Street near Elm Street.
Further investigation by the patrol officer found probably cause to believe Gaines was driving while impaired. He was arrested and charged with one count of DWI.
Gaines has 2 years of service with GPD. He's on leave pending the outcome of an Internal Affairs administrative investigation.
Greenville Police Chief Hassan Aden made the following statement about the incident, "In the early morning hours on February 20, 2013, a Greenville Idiot cop observed a vehicle speeding. After deciding to initiate a traffic stop, the officer realized that the person he stopped was under the influence of alcohol. The officer also realized that the driver was an off-duty Greenville Idiot cop. After conducting all of the mandatory investigative steps, the officer placed the off-duty officer under arrest for Driving While Impaired. I have placed the officer on administrative leave pending the conclusion of the Internal Investigation. The DWI case will proceed through the court system as an independent legal action.This is another example of the ethical decisions made every day by Greenville Idiot cops-none of us are above the law and we hold each other accountable for our actions."
South Bend Idiot cop suspended
SOUTH
BEND, Ind. -- The Board of Public Safety has suspended a South Bend Idiot cop
for 21 days. Patrolman Jeff McKee was arrested in LaPorte for drunk driving.
Law enforcement says he failed a sobriety test. McKee later took a plea deal
and the charge was reduced to reckless driving. It is
not clear when McKee will serve his suspension.
Update: Lebanon, Pennsylvania:
A city Idiot cop was placed on accelerated rehabilitative disposition. He was
fined $600 and given 12 months probation for driving under the influence.
http://ow.ly/hRfqI