Recently in Police Misconduct Category

CMPD Police Officer Cleared of Assault Charges but Civil Liability Could Be Pending

March 8, 2012

Police Cruisers.pngCharlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Officer David Jones has been relieved of his duties as a police officer with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Jones has been in the news recently when he was charged with assault after he viciously beat up a man who hit his mother's car in a minor traffic accident.

Back in December, Jones's mother, was in her car stopped at a red light when a car driven by 38-year-old Richard McVicker. After the incident, Jones's mother called him to the scene. He was off duty at the time of the accident and when he arrived on the scene, Jones and McVicker got into an altercation. According to McVicker, he tried to talk to the elderly woman, but she refused to speak to him. Then, McVicker said Jones came out of nowhere and threw him to the ground and handcuffed him. At the time of McVicker's arrest, his mug shot revealed the extent of the beating he took from Jones.

CMPD suspended Jones for two weeks without pay and then the department recommended him for termination after an internal investigation. This was not the first time that Jones had been suspended. In fact, he had been previously suspended five different times.

After Jones was suspended because of the assault on McVicker, another individual came forward accusing Jones of beating him up. Thomas Huminik was accused of domestic assault by his wife in the parking lot of a bank. Jones responded to the scene and Huminik claimed that Jones threw him to the ground and punched him as he was exiting the bank. The prosecutor is looking into this case.

In McVicker's case, the prosecutor agreed to drop the misdemeanor assault charge and Jones voluntarily resigned his position with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department. In addition to quitting, Jones also turned over his Basic Law Enforcement Training Certification, which is required for him to be employed as a law enforcement officer anywhere.

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Internal Affairs Clears Cops in North Carolina Teen's Injuries

February 16, 2012

Police.jpgAccording to a recent report by WBTV, the police have been cleared of any wrongdoing for injuring teenager Tanisha Williams. Williams was taken into custody after she was arrested for shoplifting at a CitiTrends in west Charlotte. When Williams was placed in the back of the cruiser, she repeatedly beat her head against the window. She also wrapped a harness around her neck. As a result of her actions, Williams suffered severe brain damage and is now brain dead.

The Internal Affairs Division conducted an investigation into the conduct of the officers and concluded that they were not at fault. After the officers observed Williams banging her head against the window, they went to retrieve a restraining device from another police officer in the area. When the officers returned to the cruiser that Williams was in, she had stopped banging her head against the door and they did not need the restraining device. The report revealed that it only took Williams 13 seconds to wrap the harness around her neck. The officers did not see the harness at first because it was dark and because Williams' hair was obscuring the officer's view of the harness.
Officers asked Williams on several occasions if she was ok. Although she never responded, according to the officers she was still breathing when they asked her. When the officers discovered the harness, they immediately cut if off of her and Williams received appropriate medical attention. Williams is currently on life-support in the hospital and is receiving around-the-clock care.

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View and Print the Charlotte Injury Lawyers Blog Newsletter (Winter 2011)

January 13, 2011

In this issue we discuss how truck accident injury cases require an expert's guidance. We also talk about how dog owners can be sued for dog bite injuries. We discuss how using Botox as a pain reliever can be dangerous. We also discuss how a school may be liable for a boy's injuries during recess. Check out the newsletter for more information.

Click here to view and print the Charlotte Injury Lawyers Blog Newsletter for Summer 2010:

CHARLOTTE INJURY LAWYERS BLOG NEWSLETTER - WINTER 2011

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Huntersville Police Detective was Legally Drunk at time of Fatal Collision Outside of Charlotte, North Carolina

August 1, 2010

According to an article by the Charlotte Observer, an off duty Huntersville Police detective was legally drunk at the time she died in a one-car wreck. The detective died on July 5th when the car she was driving went off a road in Catawba County, North Carolina. Emergency workers found the detective in the early morning hours and she was not wearing a seat belt when the car crashed.

According to the North Carolina Medical Examiner's Office, the detective's blood alcohol level was .22 when the automobile wreck happened. This blood alcohol level is nearly three times the legal alcohol limit in North Carolina for driving a motor vehicle. Shortly before the crash which resulted in her death, the detective was involved in a minor car wreck and gave the other driver her Huntersville Police Department business card before driving off.