04082006 - Officer Ronell Weatherspoon - CSC - Buena Vista PD

APRIL 08, 2006: BUENA VISTA POLICE OFFICER RONELL WEATHERSPOON SEXUALLY ASSAULTED HIS FRIENDS FIFTEEN YEAR-OLD BABYSITTER. WEATHERSPOON WAS CHARGED WITH ASSAULT WITH ATTEMPT TO COMMIT SEXUAL PENETRATION; THIRD-DEGREE CRIMINAL SEXUAL CONDUCT; FOURTH-DEGREE CRIMINAL SEXUAL CONDUCT; AND FURNISHING ALCOHOL TO A MINOR. RONELL. 

IN A PLEA AGREEMENT, RONELL PLEADED GUILTY TO ASSAULT WITH INTENT TO COMMIT SEXUAL PENETRATION AND FOURTH-DEGREE CRIMINAL SEXUAL CONDUCT. THE OTHER CHARGES WERE DROPPED.

AT WEATHERSPOON'S AUGUST 02, 2007 SENTENCING, HE WAS SENTENCED TO AT LEAST ONE YEAR IN JAIL WITH UP TO TEN YEARS IN PRISON.

HOWEVER, WEATHERSPOON WAS OUT OF JAIL WITHIN A FEW MONTHS, AS HE WAS REARRESTED IN NOVEMBER 2007 FOR A PAROLE VIOLATION AND FOR A WARRANT FOR AN ALLEGED CAR JACKING.


ALSO SEE:
November 07, 2007: Former Officer Ronell Weatherspoon, Buena Vista PD.

Parole violation [CSC offenses].
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/11/former-officer-ronell-weatherspoon.html






November 07, 2007: Former Officer Ronell Weatherspoon, Buena Vista PD
Felony warrant for an alleged car jacking.
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/11/former-officer-ronell-weatherspoon_07.html




 
 
 


 

 

Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards

Commission Meeting Minutes
November 8, 2007
Southwest District Public Safety Building
Detroit, Michigan

Page 7


Commission Revocations – The Commission was provided with a link to review the certified record and the “Proposal for Decisions” (PFD) from Administrative Law Judge Michael Zimmer from three hearings, held on the October 2, 2007. Mr. Furtaw presented the following cases recommending the Commission consider the proofs, finding of facts, and conclusions of law found in the “Proposals for Decision” issued by Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Michael Zimmer.

Ronell Weatherspoon – Mr. Weatherspoon was convicted of assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct. He entered a plea on July 31, 2007.A MOTION was made by Mr. Buczek and supported by Lt. Col. Yungfer to accept the Proposal for Decision of the Administrative Law Judge and revoke the law enforcement license of Mr. Ronell Weatherspoon.

A VOTE was taken. The MOTION carried.







Michigan Police Nab Naked Fugitive

Click On Detroit
November 07, 2007
http://www.officer.com/web/online/Most-Wanted-News/Michigan-Police-Nab-Naked-Fugitive/7

PONTIAC, Mich. -- A parol violator, trying to escape approaching officers, jumped naked from a residence on West Rundell Street near Baldwin Road and eluded police dogs before his final capture Tuesday, police said.

According to police, Kevin Demarco Weatherspoon fled the apartment as it was approached by officers from the Tri-County Sheriff's Parole Absconder Unit.

Weatherspoon had violated his parole stemming from an assault conviction.

He also has a felony warrant against him from the Auburn Hills Police Department for an alleged carjacking.

After Weatherspoon's initial escape, police said, the 26-year-old nude fugitive eventually eluded police dogs who were tracking him in the surrounding streets.

Weatherspoon was eventually arrested in the first block of Hudson Street. By the time cops put the cuffs on him, Weatherspoon had found some clothes.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Former Police Officer gets jail time

The Bay City Times
August 02, 2007
http://www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1186067762175740.xml&coll=4

BUENA VISTA, MICHIGAN – A former Buena Vista Township police officer will spend at least a year in jail after pleading guilty to sexual assault charges involving a 15-year-old girl.

Ronell Weatherspoon 40, was sentenced by Bay County Circuit Judge William J. Caprathe on Monday to 19 months to 10 years for assault with attempt to commit sexual penetration and 13 to 24 months for fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Weatherspoon pleaded no contest to those charges in exchange for dismissal of a third-degree criminal sexual conduct charge and a charge of furnishing alcohol to a minor.

Weatherspoon, of Saginaw, was charged after the father of a 15-year-old Saginaw girl called police in May 2006 after learning that his daughter had sex with Weatherspoon while she and a friend babysat in a Williams Township trailer park for a friend’s children.

The girl said she’d met Weatherspoon through the 26-year-old woman whose children she babysat. That woman said she’d warned Weatherspoon to ‘’stay away” from the girl because she was only 15.

The girl said Weatherspoon showed up at the trailer with an 18-pack of beer on April 8, 2006, then later ran out and bought a fifth of vodka. The girl said she and her friend were performing ”lap dances” for each other and for Weatherspoon, and she was intoxicated and agreed to have sex with him.

Defense Attorney James Piazza argued prior to sentencing that ”this is a case where alcohol has clouded everyone’s judgment.”

He asked the judge to order no jail time. ”It may not be advisable to place him in a prison setting,” Piazza told the judge. "Further, it may not even be advisable to put him in a jail setting.”

Weatherspoon is no longer employed by Buena Vista, having resigned ”following the outcome of an internal investigation on an unrelated matter,” according to a statement made by a detective from that department.

The case was investigated by Bay County Sheriff’s Office detectives John Ruterbusch and Christopher Mausolf.

Caprathe also ordered Weatherspoon to undergo alcohol counseling.

04012006 - Officer Ronald Dupuis - Taser Trial - Hamtramck PD

OFFICER RONALD DUPUIS' [Former Ecorse Police Officer; Former Southgate Police Officer; Former Highland Park Police Officer; AND Former Hamtramck Police Officer; Current Highland Police Department]


SCROLL DOWN TO BOTTOM OF PAGE FOR DUPUIS' HISTORY.

Also See:

Southgate police officer Ronald Dupuis accused of stalking a woman while on duty. Before Dupuis could be fired, he quit the department. Criminal charges were not filed against Dupuis

[March 16, 1999]

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/1999/03/officer-ronald-dupis-southgate-pd.html

The Trial
Posted on April 1, 2006 by Hillary
The Hamtramck Star
http://www.hamtramckstar.com/the_trial/

On Friday, Steve and I attended the “Taser Trial” at City Hall. First, I must say the renovation of the 31st District Court is beautiful; a classic courtroom with wood accents and vintage furniture. The seats for the public were at one time pews in a Catholic church with kneelers and hymnals.

Family and friends of Dupuis packed into the pews on the right with a few college students attending for a class. We sat on the left with Graham’s family and friends, and numerous visiting Hamtramck PD officers. A cameraman from FOX2 also sat in the back briefly.

The jury consisted of 4 men and 3 women. Three of the men were non-white, possibly Middle Eastern or Southeast Asian. Mr. Hammoud, the attorney sent by the prosecutor’s office, is an ESL speaker, Arabic possibly being his first language. The investigating officer, Sgt. Bielecki, was seated next to the prosecutor. A Mr. Sullivan represented Dupuis.

Graham testified first. She has been employed by the HPD 8 years. She said that on that day, she was driving, and Dupuis asked her to stop at a gas station for a drink. She drove to a gas station, but past the first entrance “messing with him”. He grabbed the wheel for a second, and then stopped. She told him to “calm down”, and he pulled out his taser, removed the cartridge, removed the safety, and “cranked it once”. She was intimidated by the crackling and said, “I know you’re not going to tase me.” Dupuis jabbed towards her twice with the taser off, and then jabbed her thigh and “cranked it again”. She went straight to the station, made a report, and offered to show the marks to Lt. Mathias. She did not seek medical attention.

On cross examination, Graham agreed that she wrote 2 reports about the incident, one immediately after, and another more detailed report later. That day, they stopped at a bank and a jewelry store immediately before. She admitted that Dupuis may have bought her a gift while vacationing in Hawaii, though she didn’t remember receiving a call from him after she had been in an auto accident. Graham received training on tasers, but did not accept a shock herself as some officers did. She was positive the trigger was pulled twice, and was told by someone that the firing data matched. She tried to withdraw her complaint a couple hours after filing it, but her request was not honored.

Lt. Mathias, a 40-year veteran (possibly misheard “14 years”) of the HPD, testified that Graham came into the station and made an excited utterance that she couldn’t work with Dupuis anymore because he “dry stunned her”. He said it was improper for Dupuis to pull the taser. He did not confiscate the taser, and had to retrieve it from another officer Dupuis passed it onto in order to preserve it as evidence. Mathias said he sent Graham and Dupuis home. He did not look at Graham’s thigh because he felt it would have been inappropriate.

On cross examination, Mathias was asked about Graham’s testimony that she finished her shift, and he conceded that may have been true, and Dupuis also may have worked at a desk the rest of the night. Dupuis was not arrested, a warrant was not requested, nor was his statement taken that night. Mathias said he called an off-duty detective in “within the hour”, but it was actually over 2 hours. Mathias was asked if police officers have a “different sense of humor”, and if he had ever said something to the effect that he could “trump up charges”. He agreed he had, but felt the quote was taken out of context.

Detective Crachiola, HPD officer 11 years, testified that she took the photos of Graham’s thigh. She is not trained as an evidence technician and no scale was shown. She described the marks as 2 circles, approximately an inch apart, less then 1/8th inch across. She had never seen a taser injury before, and agreed there were no lines between the marks or swelling.

Lt. Sarafino, HPD officer for 20 years, testified that he downloaded the data from the taser, and printed a report on November 30. The report showed the weapon was fired on November 3, at 15:24 hours, once for 1 second. Sarafino believed the report would show two entries if the weapon were fired twice. The defense attorney asked if information had been downloaded when Officer Nolan was tased, but it was ruled inadmissible.

Officer Aiello, HPD officer the last 11 years, trains Hamtramck officers on taser use and gave a demonstration (later seen on FOX2 news). The attorney for the prosecution claimed to be afraid of the tasers, and gingerly moved them from his table to the witness stand. Aiello testified that taking the cartridge out of a taser is like removing the magazine from a gun. A drive stun only affects the local area. It is protocol to perform a function test at the beginning of each shift. Tasers fire for 5 seconds when the trigger is pulled. Turning the safety on during the 5 second period is the only way to stop it, which is common practice when performing a function test.

Sgt. Bielecki, HPD officer for 24 years, testified that he wrote the warrant request to the prosecutors office, and asked for the video and taser report in the course of his investigation. When asked why he didn’t get the report or video sooner, he said downloading was “not immediately urgent” and the video shows outside of the car and has no sound. He was assigned to this case by Chief Doyle. The investigation was not referred to Michigan State Police, nor were they consulted, which was also Doyle’s decision. He was asked if he saw any problem with the discrepancies between his report and the report from the taser, he said he didn’t. The defense attorney said Bielecki led the prosecutor’s office to believe the taser was fired twice when he didn’t have the report yet, and asked if he felt he had a responsibility to present exculpatory evidence. Bielecki said he had sent a report to the prosecutor’s office “by mistake”. A warrant was issued on December 2.

The prosecution rested. The defense moved for a mistrial on the grounds that improper statements were made and hearsay introduced. His motion was denied.

The first witness for the defense was the president of Michigan Taser. He explained that a “drive stun” effects the localized area between the probes. If the trigger is pulled twice during the 5-second firing time, only one is recorded. Turning on the safety is the only way to cause a 1-second firing. While cross examining this witness, the attorney for the prosecution was holding a taser very comfortably; so comfortable that he used his own leg to illustrate his questions. He also referred to the probes as “arrows”, and continually talked about the probes until the defense objected on the grounds that they were irrelevant.

The expert said the printed report was correct assuming the software, computer, and taser were working properly, and other than printing a report, there is no way to tell when a taser had been fired. He recommends a function test before every shift. He still instructs courses, though not for Taser International, and was not paid for his appearance in court. He said injuries vary depending on the duration of contact, and can include swelling or blisters.

Ronald Dupuis testified that there are many practical jokers at the police department. That day, Graham was working a double shift. They stopped at a bank, and a jewelry store, and then he asked if she would stop at a gas station so he could buy something to drink. She told him he would have to wait until lunch. Lunch wouldn’t be for another 4 hours, so he didn’t believe her. On the way there, she slowed down to tease him more. They were joking back and forth, when he realized his vest had opened his holster, and it reminded him to perform a function test. He tested the taser, and said something like, “I don’t want to accidentally tase you when I collapse from dehydration.” He pointed it at her a couple times while it was off. She said, “You can get something to drink after I put some paper on this,” and started to return to the station. He thought she was joking. Practical jokes are common at the police department, like hiding equipment in the freezer.

Dupuis said he did not intend to touch Graham with the taser and had no reason to because they were friends. He called to tell her about extra shifts, and bought her a gift while he was on vacation. The prosecutor asked why Dupuis had said he accidentally tased Graham in a meeting with the prosecutor on November 15. Dupuis said he had started to doubt himself because he didn’t think Graham would lie. He denied grabbing the steering wheel.

During closing arguments, the prosecution tried to portray Dupuis as an abuser who was blaming his victim, and claimed the records were faulty. The defense said that tasers are designed to stop false accusations against police officers, and encouraged the jury to look at the physical evidence. He left them with the thought that if the marks on Graham’s leg were from a taser, it was not the taser in evidence.

Within an hour of deliberation, the jury returned a not guilty verdict.





Dupuis Not Guilty
Timeline and comments
Posted on March 31, 2006 by Steven
The Hamtramck Star
http://www.hamtramckstar.com/dupuis_not_guilty_timeline_and_comments/


11/03/05: Graham reports “taser incident” to superiors.

11/15/05: Case referred to prosecutor’s office.

11/16/05 anonymous comment: “the citizen reported that this poor excuse for a cop was fired this week.”

11/17/05 anonymous comment: “I am not assuming the worst. I am just stating that the tasering was no accident.”

11/18/05 anonymous comment: “I am aware that said officer is now denying it but now he knows he is not getting away with it. Once again, this is going to cost the city money. This officer has already cost the city too much.”

11/19/05 anonymous comment: “With the proper releases and in a controlled environment I would be happy to come over and “accidentally” taser you. You might find that you have an change of opinion towards “accidental” use of the taser.”

11/19/05 anonymous comment: “I agree with you that in a fair and just world the officer is assumed innocent until proven guilty, we do not live in a fair and just world.”

11/20/05 anonymous comment: “I have no problem in labeling this guy a bad cop, mainly because he is.”

11/30/05: Electronic records on Dupuis’ taser accessed”

12/02/05: Warrant was issued for Dupuis

12/08/05: Rob Cedar comments: “Hmmmm, maybe it wasn’t an “accidental tasering”, maybe the dismissal was justified, maybe it had nothing to do with Whittie.”

12/09/05: Rob Cedar comments: “Like I’ve said before I prefer- need to deal in facts and do not have the luxury of public speculation.”

12/09/05: Rob Cedar comments: “Think what you like, but my posting was to point out that it looked as though the tazering was not an accident, and was not a “trumped up charge” by as Julia would say, a corrupt police administration. If there is any satisfaction on my part its that the charges would indicate that maybe it was not a corrupt system -of which I have some responsibility for but simply a cowboy cop with questionable judgment. to say the least”






Dupuis Trial Friday
Posted on March 27, 2006 by Steven
http://www.hamtramckstar.com/ronald_dupuis_trial_friday/

Judge Keith Hunt from the 43rd District Court in will preside in Ronald Dupuis’ misdemeanor battery trial which is scheduled for Friday, March 31st at 8:30 AM in the 31st District Court, Hamtramck.

There was a huge amount of speculation about the specifics of this case and the outcome his highly anticpiated.

The Citizen reported on March 15th:

And there’s some critical facts working for Dupuis, such as the fact that his taser has a recording chip that says the taser was fired up for recharging for a mere one second prior to the alleged assault. That’s hardly proof of tasering his partner three times.

Which is very similar to our source who reported that Graham’s stroy was “physically impossible”.

—

Related Posts:

11/14/2005 Police officer uses a taser on his partner

12/12/2005 Dupuis pleads “not guilty” to tasering charge

1/20/2006 “Taser incident” update




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DUPUIS' LAW ENFORCEMENT EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:




OFFICER RONALD DUPUIS' [Former Ecorse Police Officer; Former Southgate Police Officer; Former Highland Park Police Officer; AND Former Hamtramck Police Officer; Current Highland Police Department]