Wednesday, January 19, 2005
A local story that caught my eye
Courtesy of the Rockford Register Star
ROCKFORD -- The Winnebago County state's attorney dropped a dozen pending felony drug cases after the resignation of a Rockford detective who was involved in what officials call "an unethical relationship" with a female informant.
The decision allows 12 suspected drug dealers, who were accused of pushing heroin, crack and marijuana, to walk without being taken to trial. And defense attorneys say the dismissals call into question 15 more felony and misdemeanor drug cases that could be open to post-conviction appeals.
The decision to dismiss the cases came two weeks after Rockford Metro Narcotics Detective Doug Palmer told department brass about his relationship and resigned.
Calling it a personnel matter, police officials aren't saying with what or whom Palmer was involved, but the former detective is not under investigation, and charges have not been filed against him.
"We don't believe that anything improper occurred, but there could be the appearance of impropriety," Winnebago County State's Attorney Paul Logli said.
"Basically, with input from the Rockford Police Department, and at the department's suggestion, these cases were dismissed."
Devastating to department
Logli said not all cases Palmer was involved with have been dismissed. Only cases that involved him and a particular contact were dismissed. Palmer was an 11-year police veteran who worked gangs and narcotics as a detective.
"From the time that this surfaced, we acted," Deputy Police Chief Dominic Iasparro said. "We are very uncomfortable with even the appearance of impropriety."
Iasparro said the dismissals were devastating to the department, and in particular the Metro Narcotics Unit, because many of the cases took weeks, if not months, to put together.
"It's not to say these people aren't dope dealers -- they are," Iasparro said. "If they continue to do that, we'll arrest them and they will be prosecuted."
Palmer did not return a call placed through his former union rep.
Four cases gone
Officially, only four cases have been dismissed: Lonnie Morris, accused of possession of 100 to 400 grams of heroin; Glenn Robertson, accused of possession of cocaine near school grounds; Adrian Scott, accused of possession of 300 to 500 grams of marijuana; and Victor Tilson, accused of possession of marijuana.
Logli said the other dismissals will occur when the suspects appear for their next court date. He added that he does not plan to refile charges on these cases.
"You could say they'd be dismissed with prejudice," Logli said.
Public Defender Karen Sorensen, whose office handled Tilson's case and started work on another until that suspect got a private attorney, said dismissing only pending cases might not go far enough.
Sorensen said she plans to vet the earlier cases involving Palmer and possibly file appeals.
ROCKFORD -- The Winnebago County state's attorney dropped a dozen pending felony drug cases after the resignation of a Rockford detective who was involved in what officials call "an unethical relationship" with a female informant.
The decision allows 12 suspected drug dealers, who were accused of pushing heroin, crack and marijuana, to walk without being taken to trial. And defense attorneys say the dismissals call into question 15 more felony and misdemeanor drug cases that could be open to post-conviction appeals.
The decision to dismiss the cases came two weeks after Rockford Metro Narcotics Detective Doug Palmer told department brass about his relationship and resigned.
Calling it a personnel matter, police officials aren't saying with what or whom Palmer was involved, but the former detective is not under investigation, and charges have not been filed against him.
"We don't believe that anything improper occurred, but there could be the appearance of impropriety," Winnebago County State's Attorney Paul Logli said.
"Basically, with input from the Rockford Police Department, and at the department's suggestion, these cases were dismissed."
Devastating to department
Logli said not all cases Palmer was involved with have been dismissed. Only cases that involved him and a particular contact were dismissed. Palmer was an 11-year police veteran who worked gangs and narcotics as a detective.
"From the time that this surfaced, we acted," Deputy Police Chief Dominic Iasparro said. "We are very uncomfortable with even the appearance of impropriety."
Iasparro said the dismissals were devastating to the department, and in particular the Metro Narcotics Unit, because many of the cases took weeks, if not months, to put together.
"It's not to say these people aren't dope dealers -- they are," Iasparro said. "If they continue to do that, we'll arrest them and they will be prosecuted."
Palmer did not return a call placed through his former union rep.
Four cases gone
Officially, only four cases have been dismissed: Lonnie Morris, accused of possession of 100 to 400 grams of heroin; Glenn Robertson, accused of possession of cocaine near school grounds; Adrian Scott, accused of possession of 300 to 500 grams of marijuana; and Victor Tilson, accused of possession of marijuana.
Logli said the other dismissals will occur when the suspects appear for their next court date. He added that he does not plan to refile charges on these cases.
"You could say they'd be dismissed with prejudice," Logli said.
Public Defender Karen Sorensen, whose office handled Tilson's case and started work on another until that suspect got a private attorney, said dismissing only pending cases might not go far enough.
Sorensen said she plans to vet the earlier cases involving Palmer and possibly file appeals.
Kicknit 1/19/2005