OIDV Project Of Michigan - Officer Involved Domestic Violence Project Of Michigan

Thursday, January 24, 2008

01242008 - Officer Christopher Clark - Sentenced - Niles PD

Also See:

Officer Christopher Clark charged with domestic violence [Jan 10, 2008]

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-christopher-clark-niles-police.html

Chris Clark, 36, a nine-year veteran of the Niles Police Department, was charged with domestic assault for an incident that occurred on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008. (Photo provided)

Friday, January 11, 2008

01102008 - Officer Christopher Clark - Niles PD

Chris Clark, 36, a nine-year veteran of the Niles Police Department, was charged with domestic assault for an incident that occurred on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008. (Photo provided)

Former Niles officer sentenced to probation for domestic assault
WSBT NEWS, Southbend Indiana
Story Created: Jan 24, 2008 at 4:34 PM EST
Story Updated: Jan 24, 2008 at 4:34 PM EST
http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/14267352.html

A former police officer will spend one year on probation for assaulting his wife.

A judge sentenced former Niles officer Chris Clark to that and 90 days on a tether. He'll also cover his wife's medical bills for minor injuries.

Clark pleaded no contest to domestic violence charges.

He resigned Monday after serving the department for nine years.

Niles officer resigns in wake of domestic assault charges
Tribune Staff Report
January 24, 2008
http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/14037862.html?m=y
NILES — A Niles police officer arrested earlier this month on a domestic assault charge has resigned his position. Niles City Administrator Terry Eull said Chris Clark, 36, a nine-year veteran of the department, submitted his resignation Monday. He offered no other details.

Clark had been suspended with pay after the alleged incident at his home Jan. 10.

Clark’s wife, Victoria, suffered what Michigan State Police in Niles described as minor injuries and was treated and released at Lakeland Community Hospital.

Clark was arraigned Jan. 11 in Berrien Trial Court and was released after posting a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

Another court appearance was scheduled for Thursday, a court spokeswoman said.

Niles officer resigns in wake of domestic assault charges
Story Created: Jan 23, 2008 at 11:24 AM EST
Updated: Jan 23, 2008 at 11:38 AM EST
http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/14037862.html

NILES — A Niles police officer arrested earlier this month on a domestic assault charge has resigned his position.

Niles City Administrator Terry Eull said Chris Clark, 36, a nine-year veteran of the department, submitted his resignation Monday. He offered no other details.

Clark had been suspended with pay after the alleged incident at his home Jan. 10.

Clark’s wife, Victoria, suffered what Michigan State Police in Niles described as minor injuries and was treated and released at Lakeland Community Hospital.

Clark was arraigned Jan. 11 in Berrien Trial Court and was released after posting a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

Another court appearance was scheduled for Thursday, a court spokeswoman said.

Former Niles police…

Posted: Wednesday, January 23, 2008 12:00 am
By DEBRA HAIGHT, H-P Correspondent
The Herald-Palladium
http://www.heraldpalladium.com/localnews/niles-former-niles-police/article_e62d0e0f-23db-5c20-8130-7123e3677e1a.html

NILES — Former Niles police officer Chris Clark was sentenced Wednesday to 90 days on tether for assaulting his wife earlier this month.

The department had suspended him after the incident. He resigned Monday, City Administrator Terry Eull said.

The sentencing occurred in Berrien County Trial Court after he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge.

Clark, 36, was arrested Jan. 10 after state police were called to his family's Airport Road home in Niles. He was charged with domestic violence against his wife, Victoria, and possession of a firearm while under the influence.The latter charge was dismissed Wednesday as part of a plea agreement, Assistant Prosecutor Kelly Travis said. She said Clark pleaded no contest because of his lack of memory of the incident due to his level of intoxication.

In addition to the tether, Clark must serve 12 months probation, pay $360 in supervision fees and $550 in fines and costs. He must pay up to $3,000 restitution to cover his wife's medical bills from the assault.

Travis said Clark must take a domestic violence inventory to see if any substance abuse or anger management treatment is needed. He was placed on a curfew, ordered to have no contact with his wife and son and possess no firearm.Travis said Judge Scott Schofield further ordered Clark to comply with all Family Court orders since he and his wife are in the process of divorce.

She said Schofield imposed the tether sentence because of the potential danger in the Jan. 10 incident with Clark's level of intoxication and his access to weapons.Travis said Clark's wife spoke in court before the sentencing. His wife said the situation had devastated her family and that Clark needs help for his alcohol problem.

Since Clark said he couldn't remember the incident, the court at Victoria's request played the 911 dispatch tape so Clark could hear how the incident affected her and her son, Travis said.

The domestic violence charge carried a maximum 93-day jail term, while the maximum term of the firearm charge is 90 days in jail.

The police force remains at full strength even with Clark's departure, Eull said. Eull said an officer who had been sent to the county's drug enforcement team for a three-year assignment came back after only one year because of county budget cuts.

Niles officer arrested
By ERIKA PICKLES
Niles Daily Star
Tuesday, January 15, 2008 10:44 AM EST
http://www.nilesstar.com/articles/2008/01/15/news/ndnews1.txt
NILES - On Thursday, Jan. 10 around 10 p.m., Michigan State Police, Niles post, responded to a 911 call of a possible domestic dispute between a husband and wife.

Upon arrival, troopers arrested Niles City Police officer Chris Clark for domestic violence against his wife, Victoria, according to Lt. Michael Brown of the Michigan State Police.

Brown added that no weapons were used and that Clark, 36, was taken to the Berrien County Jail in St. Joseph, where he was lodged. Capt. James Merriman said Clark posted a $1,000 bond the next morning.Merriman said Clark, an eight-year veteran who joined the department in September 1999, has been suspended with pay, pending an internal investigation.

A case trial has been scheduled for Friday, according to the records department at the court house.

A Niles police…

Posted: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 12:00 am
By DEBRA HAIGHT, H-P Correspondent
The Herald-Palladium
http://www.heraldpalladium.com/localnews/niles-a-niles-police/article_eb050093-33cd-5458-bbcf-0f3994a0b4c0.html

NILES — A Niles police officer is on indefinite suspension with pay after being arrested last week for allegedly assaulting his wife.

City Administrator Terry Eull confirmed Monday that Patrolman Chris Clark was arrested last Thursday after police were called to his home on Airport Road. Eull said Clark has been on the Niles force about 10 years.

Eull said Niles city police originally responded to the call to the Clark home but soon turned over the matter to the Michigan State Police, who showed up on the scene a short time later.

He said Clark was lodged that night in the Berrien County Jail on a domestic violence charge. Eull said it was his understanding that Clark bonded out of jail Friday after posting $1,000 bond. He said he didn't know if Clark has been arraigned yet or if any court dates had been set.

Eull said Clark's suspension is indefinite pending the resolution of the court case against him.

Niles police officer arrested for assaulting wife
Tribune Staff Report
WSBT NEWS, South Bend IN
Story Created: Jan 14, 2008 at 3:45 PM EST
Story Updated: Jan 14, 2008 at 3:54 PM EST
http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/13774477.html

NILES — A Niles city police officer has been suspended with pay after he allegedly assaulted his wife.

Chris Clark, 36, a nine-year veteran of the department, was charged with domestic assault in the wake of the Thursday night incident, said 1st Lt. Michael Brown, commander of Michigan State Police in Niles.

Booked at the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department in St. Joseph, Clark was arraigned the next day in Berrien County Trial Court and released on a $1,000 cash or surety bond. A case conference was set for Friday.

Brown said the victim of the alleged assault was Clark’s wife, Victoria. She suffered minor injuries and was released after treatment at Lakeland Community Hospital in Niles, he said.

Brown said no weapons were involved.

Chris Clark, 36, a nine-year veteran of the Niles Police Department, was charged with domestic assault for an incident that occurred on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008. (Photo provided)

01102008 - Officer Ken DeKleine - PPO Violation - Holland PD

On January 10, 2008, Officer Kenneth DeKleine violated the PPO again [and for the last time]. During the night, he gained access to Lori's house through the garage....He climbed up into the attic....Then he laid in wait until their two children left for school in the morning.... Officer DeKleine then crept out of the attic and strangled / murdered Lori...

COP'S WIFE LORI DEKLEINE TERRIFIED [CHANNEL 8]

OFFICER DEKLEINE CHARGED FOR KILLING WIFE LORI [CHANNEL 8 NEWS]

Officer Ken DeKleine [Holland PD]: MURDER OF LORI DEKLEINE [January 10, 2008]

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-ken-dekleine-holland-police.html

Transcript released for DeKleine arrest warrant
Posted by 58th Judicial District Court
The Grand Rapids Press
January 14, 2008 15:37PM
http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/01/transcript_released_for_deklei.html

The following is a transcript of Lt. Mark Bennett, of the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department, seeking an arrest warrant on Saturday for Kenneth DeKleine.

MAGISTRATE GLENN R. YOAS: It's January 12, 2008. A request for a felony warrant, Defendant Kenneth Dekleine, D-e-k-l-e-i-n-e, for open murder. Who's going to sign the complaint?

LIEUTENANT MARK BENNETT: I will, your honor.

THE MAGISTRATE: Okay. Raise your right hand. Do you swear the information in this complaint is the truth to the best of your knowledge?

LIEUTENANT BENNETT: I do. Well, your honor, on January 11, 2008, the sheriff's office was called to assist the Holland City Police Department at 229 Calvin Street, in Holland City on a death investigation, and the victim of that death was Lori, L-o-r-i, Dekleine. It was noted that her husband is an employee of the City of Holland Police Department. They requested our assistance in that matter.

Through the course of the death investigation, the victim was found in the basement of her home on Calvin with a nylon strap around her neck. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Subsequent medical examination confirmed that the death was that of a homicide, and the manner of death was strangulation, presumed by the apparatus around her neck.

Subsequently, several articles of evidence were located at the scene on Calvin Street. Several individuals were interviewed, and Kenneth Dekleine, the defendant in this case, was interviewed on multiple occasions.

The third occasion he was interviewed on, yesterday, the evening of the 11th. A substantial interview was done at that time, and under Miranda, Kenneth Dekleine confessed that he caused the injuries that resulted in the death of Mrs. Dekleine.

Ken had gained access to the home, somewhat prior to the homicide, a few hours prior to the homicide, and through that access, or after that access he had waited for Mrs. Dekleine to become alone in the residence after the children left; had contact with Mrs. Dekleine in the kitchen of the home on Calvin, and used a strap to affix the strap around her neck and chocked her to the point that she fell to the floor. While on the floor, he confirmed, by his own admission, that Mrs. Dekleine had died. He then placed Mrs. Dekleine in the basement of the home, attempted, and at least initially attempted to make the appearance of a suicide, and then left the residence.

The investigators found evidence at the scene that should, through subsequent investigation, confirm the presence of blood. That blood, we believe, is going to come back as being Kenneth Dekleine's blood, as he was injured in the altercation with Mrs. Dekleine. He claims that he was bitten on his lip by the victim, prior to the homicide, and this was substantiated by six sutures on Mr. Dekleine's lip that was noted during the investigation and subsequent interview of Mr. Dekleine.

Mr. Dekleine was lodged here at the Ottawa County Jail, subsequent to his interview and confession to the homicide.

THE MAGISTRATE: He confessed?

LIEUTENANT BENNETT: Yes, sir. d

THE MAGISTRATE: Okay. Probable cause has been established, and a warrant will issue. Sign the complaint. No bond will be set at this time. It will be delayed until Monday when he is arraigned.

Police: Holland officer confessed to killing wife
WOODTV
Posted: Jan 14, 2008 07:42 AM CST
Updated: Jan 14, 2008 05:02 PM CST
Ken DeKleine at his arraignment, Jan. 14, 2008
By EMILY ZANGARO
http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7619698

HOLLAND -- Officer Ken DeKleine confessed to killing his wife during the third interview with police, according to court documents.

DeKleine was arraigned on open murder charges in the 58th District Court Monday. DeKleine, who has been with the Holland Police for 13 years, was arrested Friday.

Two documents revealed a great deal: testimony used to get a warrant for Ken DeKleine and a personal protection order filed by his wife.

In the documents, police said they found Lori DeKleine, 43, in the basement with a nylon strap around her neck. During the interview with police, DeKleine said he went into their house several hours before she died and waited for the kids to leave. He then confronted her in the kitchen and put the strap around her neck.

She fell to the floor and he took her to the basement and tried to make it look like a suicide. One of their children called 9-1-1 Thursday night, and police discovered her body.

In their investigation, police found blood at the scene that was Ken DeKleine's.

DeKleine should not have been at the house since Lori filed a personal protection order against Ken.

The PPO showed the judge allowed Ken to still carry weapons, and the courts said he was trying to get the order terminated.

Late Tuesday afternoon, the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department sent a release to 24 Hour News 8 acknowledging violations of the PPO had been filed with the Holland Police Department. Those cases are now in the prosecutor's hands.

Holland Police Chief John Kruithof said there were no red flags with DeKleine.

"My job is to make sure that he can perform his job, and Ken did his job alright," he said. "Now, what he suppressed inside of him, yeah, I mean you can suppress something inside of you and I can be your best friend, but if you don't want me to know, I'm not going to know it."

In the courtroom sat one couple, church friends of the DeKleine's.

Amy Elwood said, "He's a good man. He just did something really bad. It's not the person we knew."

"We can't understand how this could have happened," said Thomas Elwood. Elwood and DeKleine both served in the military. In 2005, DeKleine spent a year in Iraq training soldiers.

"I can't say whether the time over there contributed to this," he said. "You wonder, though, because it's got to be traumatic in Iraq for everybody."

Kruithof said DeKleine wasn't there on active duty. "Family issues between he and his wife grew that year," he told 24 Hour News 8. "From what I believe, I don't believe he was affected by his events in Iraq. He was affected by the events that his family situation was in when he got back."

Officer Ken DeKleine - Murdered ex-wife Lori - Holland PD [Jan 10, 2008]
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-ken-dekleine-holland-police.html

Officer Ken DeKleine - PPO violations & Abuse allegations

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-dekleine-ppo-violations.html

Officer Kenneth DeKleine: PPO violations ignored by Holland PD
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_10.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation :January 10, 2008
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_10.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: January 08, 2008
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: September 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/09/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: August 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/08/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: May 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/05/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, Breaking and entering complaint: January 27, 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine: Allegations he abused Lori
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_3364.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine: Allegations he used recording devices to stalk Lori
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_2294.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine: Allegations he raped Lori
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_31.html

Thursday, January 10, 2008

01102008 - Holland Police Officer Ken DeKleine - PPO violations & allegations of abuse

01102008 - Officer Ken DeKleine - Murder Of Ex-Wife Lori DeKleine

01102008 - Officer Ken DeKleine - PPO violations & allegations of abuse - Holland PD

07082008 - Officer Ken DeKleine - Trial For Murder Of Ex-Wife Lori Dekleine

08252008 - Officer Ken DeKleine - Sentencing Hearing - Murder Of Ex-Wife Lori DeKleine

08252008 - Officer Ken DeKleine - Sentenced - Murder Of Ex-Wife Lori Dekleine

Lori DeKleine: Murdered by her ex-husband Officer Kenneth DeKleine of the Holland Police Department, on January 10, 2008

After Lori DeKleine was murdered by her ex-husband, Officer Ken DeKleine, her family discovered that Officer DeKleine's abuse and violations of the personal protective order went ignored by the Holland PD ...And that Lori had been living in fear for her life during the year prior to her murder.

1] 01272007- BREAKING AND ENTERING COMPLAINT : Police claimed that it was a civil matter.

2] Allegations that Officer DeKleine had abused his ex-wife Lori so severely that she feared for her life. [January 31, 2007 Personal Protective Order].

Never investigated by Holland PD, where Lori's PPO was filed.

3] 01312007 - Allegations that Officer DeKleine placed recording devices in his ex-wife Lori's backpack, on her phone, and under clothing in her bedroom.
Never investigated by Holland PD, where Lori's PPO was filed.
At Officer DeKleine's trial [murder of Lori], officers testified that DeKleine had told them that he had placed a tape recorder in Lori's backpack [as she had alleged].

4] Allegations that Officer DeKleine had raped Lori while she was sleeping and on sleep medication in December 2006. [January 31, 2007 Personal Protective Order].
Never investigated by Holland PD, where Lori's PPO was filed.

5] May 2007 - Complaint filed with the Holland PD, that Officer DeKleine had violated the PPO.
Police investigated Lori DeKleine's report, but claimed that there was not sufficient evidence to file charges against Officer DeKleine.

6] August 2007 - Complaint filed with the Holland PD, that Officer DeKleine had violated the PPO.
Police investigated Lori DeKleine's report, but claimed that there was not sufficient evidence to file charges against Officer DeKleine.

7] September 2007 - Complaint filed with the Holland PD, that Officer DeKleine had violated the PPO.
Police investigated Lori DeKleine's report, but claimed that there was not sufficient evidence to file charges against Officer DeKleine.

8] January 08, 2008 - Violation of PPO: Officer DeKleine gained illegal access to his ex-wife's work computer at the church they both attended. DeKleine hacked into Lori's email account and forwarded her emails to his own email account [discovered by investigators of Lori's murder].

9] January 10, 2008 - Violation of PPO: Officer DeKleine broke into Lori's house the night before he murdered her. He laid in wait [in the attic of the garage] until morning and murdered her after their children left for school.

10] January 10, 2008: Officer Kenneth DeKleine murdered his ex-wife, Lori.