It was just before 9 a.m. one day last July, and Noemi Martinez was on her way from one job interview to the next, running to catch a bus on Atlantic Boulevard in Jacksonville, Fla. Sprinklers from a nearby nursery were showering water onto the broken sidewalk in front of her, so Martinez walked out … Read more
In June of 2015, Reason reports, a man named Robert Jonathan Seacat shoplifted from a Denver area Walmart. He stole a shirt and two belts and then fled, first by car and then on foot, before breaking into a nearby home to hide inside. Seacat was known to have one gun on him, and officers … Read more
In 2013, homicide detectives in Miami were finally closing in on suspects in the robbery and killing of a manager at a cellphone store six years earlier. A break in the case had led them to a colleague: police officer Adrian Rodriguez. Rodriguez had been employed at the cellphone store before joining the Miami Police … Read more
CASSELBERRY, Fla. – A local police officer had a badge for barely six months before he was accused of pulling out a weapon, to show off. A woman complained to Casselberry police after she says one of their own waved his department-issued Taser around, and even caused it to spark. No one was hurt, but … Read more
ELMWOOD PLACE, Ohio – Jacob Goodwin began working as police officer in Newtown in 2010, only to resign in 2011 when told several disciplinary actions would soon result in his termination. Yet he went on to work for the Aberdeen Police Department, then landed in Elmwood Place, where he received several more complaints. One of … Read more
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Bernalillo County’s sheriff says his deputies will not wear body cameras because he can’t trust the media. He claims reporters would misconstrue the footage to unfairly criticize his officers. The American Civil Liberties Union was the first to sound off against the sheriff. On Tuesday, the New Mexico Foundation of Open Government … Read more
CLEVELAND, Ohio – A Cleveland police officer has been indicted on sexual battery and intimidation of a crime victim charges after authorities say she had sex with a 13-year-old boy several times in 2015, while she worked as teacher’s aid at an elementary school. Maria Velez, 24, is also charged with attempted tampering with evidence. … Read more
Georgia State Trooper Dale Roberts sued his own son under the state’s new “Grandparents Right” law in a bid to gain custody of his son’s daughter, WMAZ news reports. “U (sic) and that stupid wife of yours act like you’ll (sic) are some kind of street lawyers,” Trooper Roberts wrote to his son Brandon. “It … Read more
COACHELLA, Calif. – When Cesar Garcia pulled the letter out of his mailbox, he immediately recognized the name of the law firm on the envelope – Silver & Wright. Eighteen months ago, they had dragged him to court, called him a criminal, cost him thousands of dollars and made his life hell. What did they … Read more
Remember when civil rights advocates demanded accountability from police and wanted them to wear bodycams? Those bodycams cost police departments a good chunk of money. But now, a group called The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights avers that bodycams pose a “threat to civil rights.” They released a report titled, “The Illusion of … Read more
Jasmine Still, a 26-year-old woman with a newborn, spent 27 days in a Colorado jail after a judge approved her release on her own recognizance. Why? Still couldn’t pay the $55 “pre-trial services fee,” charged by El Paso County, so the county spent nearly $2,400 to keep her in jail, according to a lawsuit filed … Read more
An Amarillo police officer accused of sexually assaulting a 22-year-old woman while on-duty has been fired, police said in a news release. Officer Micah Meurer, initially placed on administrative leave, was terminated effective 9 p.m. Monday for “violations of internal rules, including acts which bring discredit to the officer and the department,” according to the … Read more