Thursday, January 20, 2011
Arlington Officer With History of Complaints Arrested on Sexual Assault charges
Arlington, Texas
An Arlington Police officer who was already on paid leave and facing criminal charges is in trouble once again.
Tibor Kovacs is now in the Dallas County Jail on sexual assault charges. He is also accused of threatening the officers who arrested him.
The 42-year-old Arlington police officer was arrested Wednesday on an aggravated sexual assault charge. The SWAT team brought him in because officers said they were concerned about his extensive weapons background and military training.
Since 2004, the Arlington officer has had 21 complaints filed against him, including one made last October for "unbecoming conduct." A woman he pulled over claimed he made sexual advances towards her, and he was placed on leave due to the complaint.
He was later suspended without pay for another stop in which supervisors said he arrested the wrong man.
Now, he's accused of choking and sexually assaulting a woman. Kovacs also faces two other charges for reportedly threatening the officers who made the arrest.
Source
Austin Police Officer Suspended for Lying and Neglecting Duties in Suicide Case
Austin, Texas
An Austin police officer has been suspended indefinitely after police say he did not check on the welfare of a suicidal man who fatally shot himself in September, according to a police report.
According to the report by Chief Art Acevedo, Officer Keith McCook was negligent in his duties and lied about an incident Sept. 17. Acevedo took the action after an Internal Affairs investigation that included an interview and review hearing with McCook.
McCook, who has been on the force eight years, could not be reached for comment. He will appeal the ruling, union President Sgt. Wayne Vincent said.
According to the report, which does not include the names of the victim nor the streets in which the incidents took place, McCook was dispatched to a home about 7:20 p.m. Sept. 17 to assist in a complaint. McCook spoke to a woman who was concerned about her husband’s well-being and left a few minutes later without writing a report, the report said.
A few minutes later, the woman again called 911 about her husband, who was at a different location, the report said.
McCook then called the communications supervisor to have two units removed from the call and to have it assigned to him, the report said. McCook called the woman, who said that her husband had guns in his home and was thinking about hurting himself, the report said. Instead of checking on the man or writing a report, McCook went on lunch break about 8 p.m., the report said.
A dispatcher became concerned for the man and notified the watch commander, who had McCook’s corporal order him to return to the home, the report said. McCook returned but did not investigate and did not contact his supervisor nor request a mental health officer, the report said.
The man was found the following evening in his backyard with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, the report said.
Source
An Austin police officer has been suspended indefinitely after police say he did not check on the welfare of a suicidal man who fatally shot himself in September, according to a police report.
According to the report by Chief Art Acevedo, Officer Keith McCook was negligent in his duties and lied about an incident Sept. 17. Acevedo took the action after an Internal Affairs investigation that included an interview and review hearing with McCook.
McCook, who has been on the force eight years, could not be reached for comment. He will appeal the ruling, union President Sgt. Wayne Vincent said.
According to the report, which does not include the names of the victim nor the streets in which the incidents took place, McCook was dispatched to a home about 7:20 p.m. Sept. 17 to assist in a complaint. McCook spoke to a woman who was concerned about her husband’s well-being and left a few minutes later without writing a report, the report said.
A few minutes later, the woman again called 911 about her husband, who was at a different location, the report said.
McCook then called the communications supervisor to have two units removed from the call and to have it assigned to him, the report said. McCook called the woman, who said that her husband had guns in his home and was thinking about hurting himself, the report said. Instead of checking on the man or writing a report, McCook went on lunch break about 8 p.m., the report said.
A dispatcher became concerned for the man and notified the watch commander, who had McCook’s corporal order him to return to the home, the report said. McCook returned but did not investigate and did not contact his supervisor nor request a mental health officer, the report said.
The man was found the following evening in his backyard with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, the report said.
Source
Houston Police Officer Indicted on Multiple Sexual Assault Charges
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| HPD Officer Abraham Joseph |
A Houston police officer was arrested by fellow officers Thursday following his indictment for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman while in his police uniform, a charge that can land him in prison for life.
Prosecutors with the Harris County District Attorney’s Public Integrity Division presented their evidence to a grand jury Thursday afternoon, and felony indictments were returned against Abraham Joseph, 27, on charges of aggravated sexual assault.
Joseph was relieved of duty after allegations of the alleged assaults came to light earlier this month, prosecutors said. District Attorney Pat Lykos applauded HPD for promptly investigating accusations against one of their own officers.
"This man was a police officer who violated the public’s trust and dishonored his badge. He used his status as a public servant to sexually assault women,’’ Lykos said. "HPD Chief Charles McClelland has been extremely cooperative in this investigation, and we will continue to work together to ensure that the citizens of Houston and Harris County can trust and rely on the men and women in uniform."
Source
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Lubbock Police Officer Charged With Sexual Assault and Indecency With Child
Lubbock, Texas
Jason Hignight, 32, resigned as a Lubbock police officer shortly before detectives arrested him Tuesday evening. Hignight is charged with two counts of sexual assault of a child and one count of indecency with a child.
According to the police reports, Hignight's underage family members, ages 16 and 12, were interviewed by police about the allegations after the mother of the girls brought them to the police department.
According to an arrest warrant, Hignight's wife walked in him exposing himself with one of the victims. The 16-year-old victim told police that the sexual assaults have been going on for three years.
That same victim said in the warrant Hignight had been "feeling on her, they have had sex, and she has given him oral sex." She advised it occurred when Hignight was off of work on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
In the warrant, the 16-year-old described one incident where "she had her head under a blanket and was giving him [Hignight] oral sex." She said a 12-year-old family member saw this incident. She told police it occurred repeatedly in many locations around Lubbock, including their current residence.
Source
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Brownsville Police Sergeant on Paid Leave While Under Investigation
Brownsville, Texas
Police sergeant Jimmy Manrrique has been on paid leave since Thursday while the department proceeds with an administrative investigation, Brownsville Police Chief Carlos Garcia said.
Garcia did not release the reason for the investigation nor did he give any details, stating that it was a personnel matter.
“Once the results of the investigations are in, and depending on (the) results, we might be at liberty to divulge more information depending on what the law states,” Garcia said.
While several rumors are circulating about Manrrique’s leave, reliable information was not available.
Source
Police sergeant Jimmy Manrrique has been on paid leave since Thursday while the department proceeds with an administrative investigation, Brownsville Police Chief Carlos Garcia said.
Garcia did not release the reason for the investigation nor did he give any details, stating that it was a personnel matter.
“Once the results of the investigations are in, and depending on (the) results, we might be at liberty to divulge more information depending on what the law states,” Garcia said.
While several rumors are circulating about Manrrique’s leave, reliable information was not available.
Source
San Antonio Cop Cuts Plea Deal for Sexually Assaulting Transgendered Person in His Custody
Former San Antonio Police Officer Craig Nash was sentenced Tuesday to one year in jail for official oppression, the maximum sentence for the Class A misdemeanor.
Nash, 39, had initially been charged with sexual assault by a police officer, accused of raping a transgendered person in his custody while on duty, but prosecutors agreed to the misdemeanor charge as part of a plea agreement.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Nash picked up the victim near Guadalupe and Zarzamora streets early Feb. 25 and drove her to an undisclosed location. There, he handcuffed her in the back of a patrol car and forced her to engage in multiple sex acts with him, police said.
The victim picked Nash out of a photo lineup, and authorities used a global positioning system to confirm that Nash's vehicle was in the area at the time of the incident.
Source
Beaumont Police Officer Receives Probation for Official Oppression Conviction
Beaumont, Texas
A Beaumont police officer convicted of official oppression in a 2007 traffic stop was sentenced today to 90 days of probation.
James Cody Guedry was convicted by a jury in December. He had stunned unarmed passenger Derrick Newman twice with a Taser in an Aug. 24, 2007, traffic stop on a South End street.
Guedry could have received up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.
His attorney, Mitch Adams, asked Judge John Stevens to sentence Guedry to only a $1 fine.
Former officer David Todd Burke, who was also found guilty of official oppression in September for repeatedly striking Newman with a baton during the same traffic stop, was sentenced to one year's probation. Burke, who is no longer employed with Beaumont police, is appealing his case.
The jury verdict "clearly states that the degree of force used against Newman in the particular circumstances of this case was unnecessary and constituted unlawful mistreatment."
Source
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