New Port Richey officer arrested on new drug charges
SPRING HILL — New Port Richey police officer charged earlier
this year with a slew of drug charges was arrested again Thursday after
deputies say they found him driving under the influence and carrying marijuana.
At 1:36 a.m. Thursday, a Hernando County sheriff's deputy
stopped John Nohejl, 35, near Cortez Boulevard and Commercial Way, noting that
his tag light was out. When Nohejl got out of his silver Kia, the deputy
noticed his eyes were bloodshot, he shook while he stood and "he kept
snorting his nose, as if he was having problems," a sheriff's report
states.
Nohejl, 35, failed field sobriety tests, though a
Breathalyzer test showed no alcohol in his system, the report said. The deputy
found 0.01 grams of marijuana on the car's passenger-side floorboard.
Nohejl refused to submit to a urine test at the jail, the
report states. He was booked on charges of driving under the influence and
possession of under 20 grams of marijuana. He did not have bail set because he
was already out of jail on bail.
On Jan. 17, reports state, Nohejl was pulled over and evaded
Hernando deputies for a city block before he was finally stopped. Deputies
found a hydrocodone tablet on the driver-side floorboard. They also found a bag
of 27 tablets on the side of the road where he had tossed it, according to a
news release.
After that arrest, authorities searched Nohejl's Spring Hill
house and found bags, pipes, scales and a trace of cocaine.
Nohejl was suspended from the New Port Richey police
department last April after he was found neglecting duties and sleeping on the
job. Then he was investigated again in November, and authorities determined
Nohejl had obtained hundreds of pills of oxycodone, OxyContin and diazepam and
showed up to work at least one time under the influence, the investigation
report states.
When asked about the pills, the report states, Nohejl
falsely told other officers that he needed the pills after hurting his back in
an on-the-job fall. He also passed drug tests using clean urine from other
people. He was fired from New Port Richey police on Feb. 12 after 13 years on
the force.
Part-time police officer in Pittsburgh suburb of Whitaker accused of perjury, other offenses
WHITAKER, Pennsylvania — A part-time police officer in a
town outside Pittsburgh faces perjury and other charges for allegedly lying
about a drug investigation.
The Allegheny County district attorney's office says
Whitaker police Officer William Davis Jr. was arraigned Thursday.
The arrest affidavit says Davis made several false or
misleading statements about a July 2012 search of a home and related
developments in the case.
Davis also awaits trial for a traffic stop last year in
which he allegedly used a gun to break the vehicle's window. He allegedly
threatened to arrest the driver unless she paid for damage to the weapon.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the 35-year-old Davis is
suspended without pay. An attorney representing him could not immediately be
reached for comment.
Hearing
postponed for suspended Dearborn Heights police officer
DEARBORN HEIGHTS — A hearing for a police officer suspended
for allegedly trying to influence a case was postponed.
Ed Garcia was put on administrative leave a few weeks ago,
and the department’s investigation is ongoing. Police Chief Lee Gavin, who on
April 4 declined to say why Garcia was put on leave, was unavailable for
comment Thursday about the postponement.
Sources have told the Press & Guide that Garcia
allegedly approached the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office about influencing the
outcome of a felony drug case involving an acquaintance.
Spokeswoman Maria Miller said Wednesday the Prosecutor’s
Office had no comment.
Each police department in the county submits warrant
requests to the Prosecutor’s Office, which decides if warrants will be issued
and the cases pursued. If the office decides to prosecute a case, it works with
the respective department as the case goes through the judicial system.
Garcia, 45, works in the patrol division. Warrant requests
generally come from a department’s bureaus like investigations or traffic.
He was also suspended by the department in October 2009 for
allegedly failing to follow procedures during a case of suspected child abuse
that summer. The Prosecutor’s Office announced in early 2010 that there wasn’t
enough evidence to prosecute him.
Garcia was fired in December 2009, but filed a grievance
through the Dearborn Heights Police Officers’ Association. An arbitrator ruled
he should get his job back with his seniority and previous pay rate, but
without back pay. He returned to the force in November 2010.
According to the arbitrator’s report, the corporal responded
to a call of suspected child abuse in July 2009. He said he was sent by a
dispatcher; the department said he responded on his own. The arbitrator found
that Garcia didn’t tell his superiors he was friends with the man suspected of
child abuse.
Garcia, well known in the community as “Officer Ed,” joined
the department in 1988 and served as a Drug Abuse Resistance Education officer
for 10 years. He also has been a Dearborn Heights Ski Club chaperone and
coached football in the Crestwood School District.
He is treasurer of the Crestwood district’s Board of
Education. He has served since 2004, when he was elected as a write-in
candidate, and his current term ends in 2016.