A Dallas police officer is facing faces criminal charges after being accused of assaulting his girlfriend and preventing her from calling 911.
Senior Cpl. James Andrews, 31, faces one count of misdemeanor assault and interference with making an emergency call. Both are punishable by up to a year in jail.
He has been released from the Dallas County Jail on bail totaling $2,500.
Initially, police were called out on a report of a domestic disturbance at the couple’s home. Wednesday.
According to the arrest report, the officer’s girlfriend told police that she and Andrews were arguing over money. The woman claims Andrews pinned her on a bed, preventing her from getting up and calling police. She said he followed by pinning her against a wall and caused her to fall.
As she tried to dial 911, she said, he grabbed her phone and smashed it against a mantel. She left the apartment and went to a neighbor’s apartment and called 911. The arrest report indicates that she suffered bruises.
Andrews joined the Dallas Police Department in 1997.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Harris County Deputy Paul Briones Convicted of Sexual Assault of Child
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| Harris County Deputy Paul Briones |
A former Harris County sheriff's deputy has been convicted of sexually assaulting a child.
On Wednesday, a jury found Deputy Paul Briones guilty on two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14. He is now waiting to be sentenced.
Briones is still facing separate charges of indecency with a child and having an improper relationship with an inmate in jail. He has not yet been tried on those charges.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Victim Injured in Unreasonable Raid By Houston Police Officers: Jury Says City Has To Pay
Houston, Texas
The city of Houston has been ordered to pay $17,000 to a man who was injured during a police raid on a downtown nightclub.
Donald Boyd and his civil rights attorney, Randall Kallinen, held a news conference Monday on the steps of City Hall. They called the verdict a victory and said they hope that it leads to changes in the Houston Police Department.
Boyd and Kallinen said they feel vindicated and praised a federal judge and jury's decision to hold Houston liable for violating people's rights against unreasonable seizures.
On May 17, 2008, Boyd was working at The Pink Monkey, a legally operated after-hours downtown nightclub, when it was raided by Houston police.
The lawsuit alleged that police unfairly targeted minority clubs in an effort to shut them down.
Boyd said he was slammed to the ground and injured. The disabled college student suffers from lupus and walks with a cane and leg brace after suffering a stroke prior to the incident.
The city of Houston has been ordered to pay $17,000 to a man who was injured during a police raid on a downtown nightclub.
Donald Boyd and his civil rights attorney, Randall Kallinen, held a news conference Monday on the steps of City Hall. They called the verdict a victory and said they hope that it leads to changes in the Houston Police Department.
Boyd and Kallinen said they feel vindicated and praised a federal judge and jury's decision to hold Houston liable for violating people's rights against unreasonable seizures.
On May 17, 2008, Boyd was working at The Pink Monkey, a legally operated after-hours downtown nightclub, when it was raided by Houston police.
The lawsuit alleged that police unfairly targeted minority clubs in an effort to shut them down.
Boyd said he was slammed to the ground and injured. The disabled college student suffers from lupus and walks with a cane and leg brace after suffering a stroke prior to the incident.
Friday, June 24, 2011
News Helicopter Video Catches Fort Worth Police Officer Punching Restrained Suspect
Fort Worth, Texas
Terry Glenn Sillers, 46, was recently arrested on Thursday following a traffic stop. As he was lying on the ground, restrained by three men, WFAA/Channel 8 helicopter captured video of the restrained man being punched at least twice by a Fort Worth police officer.
Sgt. Pedro Criado, Fort Worth police spokesman, declined to speak about the incident and referred questions to the Texas Department of Public Safety, which initiated the traffic chase.
Sillers was wanted for a parole violation and officers from the both the DPS and the Fort Worth Police Department located him on a motorcycle in a southeast Fort Worth residential neighborhood.
When officers tried to pull him over, Sillers attempted to flee but his motorcycle eventually locked and he was surrounded by officers. Once restrained, was when the punching incident occurred.
Terry Glenn Sillers, 46, was recently arrested on Thursday following a traffic stop. As he was lying on the ground, restrained by three men, WFAA/Channel 8 helicopter captured video of the restrained man being punched at least twice by a Fort Worth police officer.
Sgt. Pedro Criado, Fort Worth police spokesman, declined to speak about the incident and referred questions to the Texas Department of Public Safety, which initiated the traffic chase.
Sillers was wanted for a parole violation and officers from the both the DPS and the Fort Worth Police Department located him on a motorcycle in a southeast Fort Worth residential neighborhood.
When officers tried to pull him over, Sillers attempted to flee but his motorcycle eventually locked and he was surrounded by officers. Once restrained, was when the punching incident occurred.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Plano Police Officer Accused of Using Excessive Force Against Woman With Cerebral Palsy
Plano, Texas
A disabled woman is suing the city of Plano, saying a Plano police officer violated her civil rights when he used excessive force against her.
Michelle Lucille Spikin is suing the city of Plano and asking for $1 million in compensatory damages for an incident that took place in April 2009.
Spikin suffers with Cerebral Palsy. Court documents filed in the U.S. District Court in East Texas state provide details of a brain injury at birth, which left her with partial paralysis and some cognitive impairment.
The incident happened two years ago, when Spikin was following her boyfriend in a separate vehicle after they had a conflict. The boyfriend pulled into the Plano Police Department parking lot and started to make a complaint against Spikin. The documents say she left the parking lot to go home, but she was pursued by a Plano police officer with lights and sirens.
Spikin says she pulled over into a parking space and opened her door to speak to the officer. She drives a car with specialized gears near the driver's side of the vehicle, which she believes the officer would have been able to see as he approached.
Documentation of the account continues to say that the officer ordered Spikin to exit the vehicle, which she attempted with some difficulty. Spikin lost her balance and landed back in the front seat of the car, at which time the officer once again asked her to get out of the car.
The officer allegedly pulled her from the vehicle and detained her on the ground, partially facedown. Spikin says the force was enough to crack and break her glasses in the process. The officer handcuffed her and, using the handcuffs and the side of her pants, pulled her up to her feet.
Spikin says she fell on the way to the patrol vehicle, and a second officer came to assist the first officer in escorting her to the police vehicle. The entire incident, she says, resulted in "severe bruising, abrasions and cuts" over her arms, hands and body.
While Spikin was charged with "fleeing" once she was taken back to the Plano Police Department, the charges were later dismissed by the Collin County District Attorney.
In the lawsuit, Spikin claims she never posed a significant threat and that the officers used excessive force in their wrongful and unconstitutional seizure.
This week, the Plano City Council approved legal counsel for the Plano police officer involved. The costs will be covered by the city's Property/Liability Loss Fund.
Officials from Plano Police Department have not commented on the lawsuit.
A disabled woman is suing the city of Plano, saying a Plano police officer violated her civil rights when he used excessive force against her.
Michelle Lucille Spikin is suing the city of Plano and asking for $1 million in compensatory damages for an incident that took place in April 2009.
Spikin suffers with Cerebral Palsy. Court documents filed in the U.S. District Court in East Texas state provide details of a brain injury at birth, which left her with partial paralysis and some cognitive impairment.
The incident happened two years ago, when Spikin was following her boyfriend in a separate vehicle after they had a conflict. The boyfriend pulled into the Plano Police Department parking lot and started to make a complaint against Spikin. The documents say she left the parking lot to go home, but she was pursued by a Plano police officer with lights and sirens.
Spikin says she pulled over into a parking space and opened her door to speak to the officer. She drives a car with specialized gears near the driver's side of the vehicle, which she believes the officer would have been able to see as he approached.
Documentation of the account continues to say that the officer ordered Spikin to exit the vehicle, which she attempted with some difficulty. Spikin lost her balance and landed back in the front seat of the car, at which time the officer once again asked her to get out of the car.
The officer allegedly pulled her from the vehicle and detained her on the ground, partially facedown. Spikin says the force was enough to crack and break her glasses in the process. The officer handcuffed her and, using the handcuffs and the side of her pants, pulled her up to her feet.
Spikin says she fell on the way to the patrol vehicle, and a second officer came to assist the first officer in escorting her to the police vehicle. The entire incident, she says, resulted in "severe bruising, abrasions and cuts" over her arms, hands and body.
While Spikin was charged with "fleeing" once she was taken back to the Plano Police Department, the charges were later dismissed by the Collin County District Attorney.
In the lawsuit, Spikin claims she never posed a significant threat and that the officers used excessive force in their wrongful and unconstitutional seizure.
This week, the Plano City Council approved legal counsel for the Plano police officer involved. The costs will be covered by the city's Property/Liability Loss Fund.
Officials from Plano Police Department have not commented on the lawsuit.
Harris Co Precinct 4 Constables Accused of Excessive Force in Response To False Report
Harris County, Texas
Harris County constables are being accused of excessive force, following a home raid caused by a false report.
Brandwynne "Brandie" Prespentt had just completed work at 3 p.m. June 10 and decided to run some errands. Meanwhile, at home, her husband was being attacked by a dog assigned to a Precinct 4 constable's deputy. The attack on Travis Prespentt resulted in the need for 22 stitches.
What started the unusual series of events was a phone call to the constable’s office by a neighbor of the Prespentts. That neighbor, Tamara Denise Whiteside, phoned in a false report accusing Travis Prespentt of pistol-whipping and strangling his wife and dumping her in the back of his car.
Now Whiteside is in jail, Brandie Prespentt is alive and well, and the Prespentts are threatening to sue the constable's office for what they call an unprovoked attack.
"If my children hadn't been with my mother-in-law, what would have happened?" Brandie Prespentt asked. "And they never even apologized."
Travis Prespentt was cleaning his porch before the raid. He noticed patrol cars downstairs, but he didn't think they had anything to do with him.
However, when he went inside for a beer, police knocked down his door and ordered him to put his hands up. Prespentt said he did as they said, but deputies still sicced a dog on him.
As the dog chewed on Prespentt's arm, he said, the officers demanded to know where "the female" was.
At one point his sister phoned the apartment. When officers answered, Prespentt's sister immediately called his wife and told her to call her husband. Again, police answered the phone.
After Brandie Prespentt explained who she was, an officer told her about the call they had gotten from her neighbor.
Assistant Chief Deputy Mark Herman said deputies had to go to the apartment because of the serious nature of the neighbor's call.
When the deputies arrived, they identified themselves and warned that they had a dog, Herman said.
"If we hadn't gone, it would have been negligent," he said. "These things happen."
By the time Brandie Prespentt made it home, she said, her husband was covered in blood. He was taken to a hospital, where he received stitches on his arm and treatment for minor scratches.
Travis Prespentt said one of the deputy constables continuously accused him of punching the dog while he was being attacked. He has denied striking the dog, protesting that he is an animal lover.
As for the neighbor who phoned in the false report, she was charged with giving a false report and failure to show identification.
Travis Prespentt has not been able to go to work for the past week, which has hampered his ability to provide for his family and pay their hospital bills, he said.
"They just went on a rumor, and I think that's uncalled-for," he said. "I've never experienced anything like this in my life."
Harris County constables are being accused of excessive force, following a home raid caused by a false report.
Brandwynne "Brandie" Prespentt had just completed work at 3 p.m. June 10 and decided to run some errands. Meanwhile, at home, her husband was being attacked by a dog assigned to a Precinct 4 constable's deputy. The attack on Travis Prespentt resulted in the need for 22 stitches.
What started the unusual series of events was a phone call to the constable’s office by a neighbor of the Prespentts. That neighbor, Tamara Denise Whiteside, phoned in a false report accusing Travis Prespentt of pistol-whipping and strangling his wife and dumping her in the back of his car.
Now Whiteside is in jail, Brandie Prespentt is alive and well, and the Prespentts are threatening to sue the constable's office for what they call an unprovoked attack.
"If my children hadn't been with my mother-in-law, what would have happened?" Brandie Prespentt asked. "And they never even apologized."
Travis Prespentt was cleaning his porch before the raid. He noticed patrol cars downstairs, but he didn't think they had anything to do with him.
However, when he went inside for a beer, police knocked down his door and ordered him to put his hands up. Prespentt said he did as they said, but deputies still sicced a dog on him.
As the dog chewed on Prespentt's arm, he said, the officers demanded to know where "the female" was.
At one point his sister phoned the apartment. When officers answered, Prespentt's sister immediately called his wife and told her to call her husband. Again, police answered the phone.
After Brandie Prespentt explained who she was, an officer told her about the call they had gotten from her neighbor.
Assistant Chief Deputy Mark Herman said deputies had to go to the apartment because of the serious nature of the neighbor's call.
When the deputies arrived, they identified themselves and warned that they had a dog, Herman said.
"If we hadn't gone, it would have been negligent," he said. "These things happen."
By the time Brandie Prespentt made it home, she said, her husband was covered in blood. He was taken to a hospital, where he received stitches on his arm and treatment for minor scratches.
Travis Prespentt said one of the deputy constables continuously accused him of punching the dog while he was being attacked. He has denied striking the dog, protesting that he is an animal lover.
As for the neighbor who phoned in the false report, she was charged with giving a false report and failure to show identification.
Travis Prespentt has not been able to go to work for the past week, which has hampered his ability to provide for his family and pay their hospital bills, he said.
"They just went on a rumor, and I think that's uncalled-for," he said. "I've never experienced anything like this in my life."
Monday, June 13, 2011
Smith County Deputy Arrested On Drunk Driving Charges and Suspended After Being Found Passed Out In SUV at intersection
Smith County Sheriff's Department will be conducting an internal investigation after a Deputy was arrested Friday night for driving while intoxicated.
Tyler Police found Deputy Albert Lee Hill, 47, passed out in his vehicle at an intersection, according to Smith County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Bobby Garmon.
According to Garmon, Hill and other Smith County Deputies had been out visiting a local club called Time Out earlier in the evening.
Garmon says in Hill's 23 years as a Smith County Deputy, he's never been in serious trouble.
However, Garmon does say that about six months ago, Hill was the passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over for a traffic stop. Jacksonville Police arrested the female driver of that vehicle because she had a misdemeanor warrant out for her arrest. Hill was not arrested during the incident.
Hill was released from the Smith County Jail on Saturday on a $500 bond.
Garmon says Hill was indefinitely suspended yesterday.
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