03242005 - Officer Joanne Buiwitt-Shafer - Sentenced - Ann Arbor PD

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Officer Joanne Buiwitt-Shafer arrested for domestic violence

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2004/11/officer-joanne-buiwitt-shafter-ann.html

Fired officer placed on probation for domestic assault
Kalamazoo County jury finds her guilty of attacking boyfriend
Saturday, March 26, 2005
BY AMALIE NASH
http://www.mlive.com/news/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1111835463181820.xml

A fired Ann Arbor police officer has been placed on 12 months probation by a Kalamazoo County judge for aggravated domestic assault in the criminal case that led to her termination.

Joanne Buiwitt-Shafer, 39, was also ordered to pay a fine and court costs of $795 after being convicted by a jury Thursday of assaulting her boyfriend following a confrontation at a bar in Vicksburg, near Kalamazoo. The 17-year veteran officer was fired from the Ann Arbor Police Department following an internal investigation into the Nov. 14 incident.

A related charge of larceny less than $200 against Buiwitt-Shafer was dropped earlier after the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor's Office determined that charge didn't fit the case. She was accused in that charge of taking the cell phone from the boyfriend that she was convicted of beating.

According to police reports of the incident, Buiwitt-Shafer and a 48-year-old man identified as her boyfriend were at the Hide-Away Bar when he became upset with her and left. He told police she found him, tried to get him into her car and then began punching and kicking him while dragging him toward the car, the reports said.

Buiwitt-Shafer said Friday that she is appealing the verdict. She told The News in January that the police reports contained inaccurate information, but declined to comment further about the decision or her testimony in court.

A witness told police that he was across the railroad tracks from the parking lot and saw a person lying on the ground and someone above that person kicking and punching him, reports said. The witness said he yelled at them to stop fighting, then ran to Buiwitt-Shafer's car, grabbed the keys to prevent her from leaving before police arrived, and went to a nearby party store to call 911, reports said.

Reports said that Buiwitt-Shafer yelled that the witness who was holding her keys had gotten into her car and stolen the keys and her purse. The witness was handcuffed for a short time and placed in a police cruiser after Buiwitt-Shafer accused him of stealing her purse, reports said.

Authorities said in January that they believed the witness had not taken Buiwitt-Shafer's purse, and that she made the claims to divert attention from the assault.

Kalamazoo County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Carrie Klein said Buiwitt-Shafer admitted on the stand that she lied when she said the witness had taken her purse.

"This case says something important about domestic violence - that it does not matter who you are or what your occupation is, domestic violence is not appropriate," Klein said.

Ann Arbor Police Chief Daniel Oates called the incident a sad chapter in the department's history and said the department took swift action.

"We hold our officers to a very high standard in their on- and off-duty conduct," Oates said. "This incident showed she was not worthy of being a member of our department."

Aggravated domestic violence, which requires a serious or aggravated injury less than great bodily harm, is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.

03222005 - C.O. David Dorland - Antrim County SD

Ex-corrections officer sentenced to prison
Week in review :ANTRIM
September 25, 2005
http://archives.record-eagle.com/2005/sep/25week.htm

BELLAIRE - A former Antrim County corrections officer who confessed to having sexual contact with up to nine female jail inmates will himself experience years behind bars.

David R. Dorland was sentenced to three years and four months to five years in prison Monday. Thirteenth Circuit Judge Thomas Power exceeded state sentencing guidelines, which he said "do not adequately address the abuse of authority that occurred here."

Dorland, 44, of Torch Lake Township, pleaded guilty to attempted criminal sexual conduct in the second degree, and two counts of gross indecency. Conditions of Dorland's plea agreement included that he resign as an Antrim corrections officer, where he had been suspended without pay; that he register with the state as a sex offender; and that he give a full disclosure to the Michigan State Police of his inappropriate actions with inmates, county prosecutor Charles Koop said.











Former Antrim County officer will go to prison
David Dorland had sexual contact with inmates
September 20, 2005
Record-Eagle staff writer
http://static.record-eagle.com/2005/sep/20dorland.htm

BELLAIRE - A former Antrim County corrections officer who confessed to having sexual contact with up to nine female jail inmates will himself experience years behind bars.

David R. Dorland was sentenced to three years and four months to five years in prison Monday. Thirteenth Circuit Judge Thomas Power exceeded state sentencing guidelines, which he said "do not adequately address the abuse of authority that occurred here."

Dorland took advantage of a position of trust, victimizing women, damaging the reputation of the sheriff's department and corrupting morale inside the jail, Power said.

"When I send somebody to jail, I certainly don't send them for the purpose of being molested. This is very distressing," Power said.

Dorland, 44, of Torch Lake Township, pleaded guilty to attempted criminal sexual conduct in the second degree, and two counts of gross indecency. Conditions of Dorland's plea agreement included that he resign as an Antrim corrections officer, where he had been suspended without pay; that he register with the state as a sex offender; and that he give a full disclosure to the Michigan State Police of his inappropriate actions with inmates, county prosecutor Charles Koop said.

Koop said Dorland granted favors to female inmates who consented to sex acts with him, such as making them jail trustees, giving them increased family visitation time, and gifts of cigarettes and soda pop.

Dorland's attorney, Joseph Aprea(*) of Traverse City, noted that each of Dorland's victims "indicated they willingly participated in this sexual conduct," and at least one of the situations was a "reciprocal romantic relationship" that continued after the inmate left the jail.

Koop, however, said a truly consensual relationship with the women was impossible, given Dorland's position of authority over them, and the inmates' reliance on their jailers for all necessities and privileges.

"Mr. Dorland used the county jail as his personal harem," Koop said. "He selected vulnerable women and exploited them."

Dorland sobbed as he apologized to Power and to one of the victims in attendance, who also wept. Dorland also apologized to members of the county sheriff's department and his fellow corrections officers, several of whom were present, grim-faced, in the courtroom."I let you down," Dorland said.

Clearing the RecordBecause of a reporter’s error, this story wrongly identified Dorland’s attorney. His attorney was James Aprea of Traverse City.








Jail guard pleads guilty to felony sex counts
Week in review: ANTRIM
August 21, 2005
http://archives.record-eagle.com/2005/aug/21week.htm

BELLAIRE - An Antrim County corrections officer pleaded guilty to three felony counts related to inappropriate sexual contact with jail inmates.

David R. Dorland, 44, of Torch Lake Township, pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of gross indecency and one count of attempted criminal sexual conduct in the second degree, each felonies punishable by up to five years in prison, county Prosecutor Charles Koop said.













Antrim Administration and County Services Committe
May 5, 2005

http://www.antrimcounty.org/minutes/admin-minutes-05-05-05.html

Minutes
7. Sheriff Department Grievance

Mr. Garwood and Sheriff Johnson briefed the Committee on the Grievance filed on behalf of Corrections Officer David Dorland.

The Committee met with Patrick Spidell, Business Agent, and Jim School, Chief Steward, for the Police Officers Association of Michigan (POAM). Mr. Spidell presented the Union’s position on the grievance.

After a caucus the Committee returned to the table with the Union representatives and informed them that the grievance will be denied. The Committee and the Union representative verbally agreed once the written denial was delivered to the Union an agreement would be made to extend the time periods for filing for arbitration until court action regarding officer Dorland has been concluded. Mr. Spidell will draft the agreement and send it to Mr. Garwood for review and finalization.









Antrim corrections officer arrested in connection with sex crimes
Traverse City Record-Eagle
March 22, 2005
http://archives.record-eagle.com/2005/mar/22cop.htm

BELLAIRE - An Antrim County corrections officer is in jail for alleged sexual contact with a female inmate.

David R. Dorland, a corrections officer with the Antrim Country Sheriff's Department since 2000, was arrested by state police Monday on a five-count warrant.

Dorland's arrest followed a two-month state police investigation, said Antrim County Prosecuting Attorney Charles Koop.

Dorland has been suspended since Jan. 18, said Antrim Sheriff Terry Johnson said.

"As soon as we found out we took action and began investigating immediately," Johnson said.

"We're totally embarrassed and humiliated over it."Koop said the allegations against Dorland emerged when another sheriff's department employee raised concerns to the sheriff about Dorland's behavior.

Johnson said he doesn't know of any other department employees who were involved in the alleged incidents.

The complaint includes three felony counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, one misdemeanor indecent exposure charge and one misdemeanor count of assault and battery involving touching without consent, Koop said.

Dorland, of Torch Lake Township, allegedly had sexual contact with a female inmate at the Antrim County Jail between November 2002 and January 2003 and had sexual contact with the same woman when she was a probationer during the fall of 2003.

Johnson said there are surveillance cameras in the jail but the recording system was not in place during the time in question.

"If there are other victims out there, we certainly want to know about it," Johnson said.

Dorland's arraignment was scheduled for today. Koop and Johnson would not comment on whether he had prior disciplinary problems with the department.

Anyone with additional information about the case should contact Michigan State Police Detective Sgt. Gwen White-Erickson at (231) 347-8102.









St. Clair County Jail:
Times Herald

Corrections officer Scott Andrews was charged with fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct for allegedly inappropriately touching two female inmates. Sanders was sentenced to six months in jail and three years probation for sexually abusing the inmates.

Scott Andrews, a second officer at St. Clair County Jail, was also under investigation regarding a charge of sexual misconduct for having inappropriate sexual contact with a female county jail inmate. Andrews pleaded guilty to a charge of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and was sentenced to three years probation. (Times Herald 03/01/05 ; 06/14/06; 06/21/05)