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| NEWS > 14 July 2007 |
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Police Accused of Protecting T
Eighteen times in two years, Bolingbrook police were called to fellow officer Drew Peterson's home because of trouble between husband and wife. But Peterson's wife could never get authorities to arrest him. In fact, she was the only one ever charged.
Now residents of this Chicago suburb are wondering whether police were protecting one of their own — and whether they bear some responsibility for what happened next.
Peterson's wife at the time of the domestic disturbance calls, Kathleen Savio, was found dead in 2004 under mysterious circumstances. And now his current wife, ... Read more
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 Article sourced from
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Newsday - Long Island,NY,USA
14 July 2007
This article appeared in the above title/site.
To view it in its entirity click this link.
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Deptford police officer acquit
Deptford patrolman accused of choking and beating a 19-year-old Philadelphia man during a traffic stop in 2006 has been acquitted of all charges.
Patrolman John Gillespie, 35, had been facing 15 years behind bars on charges of official misconduct, aggravated assault and simple assault charges stemming from the incident last Feb 2.
"It's all over," said a sobbing Gillespie Friday after the verdict was read. "I told you the truth would come out."
Joseph Rao, who was not in the courtroom when the verdict was read, told jurors that he was handcuffed in the back of the police car when he cursed at Gillespie and another patrolman, Timothy Parks.
According to Rao, Gillespie dove into the back of the vehicle, shouting "You got something to say?" Then, Rao said, Gillespie choked him, and Rao kicked the officer in self defense.
Gillespie testified that Rao was kicking the interior of the cruiser and threatening to escape by smashing the windows so the officer put his hand on Rao's chest and pushed him back.
The incident was captured on video by a dashboard camera in another officer's car. The video was watched repeatedly by jurors, but it did not clearly show what happened and was used by both sides in arguing their case.
Two other Deptford officers are facing charges in the case. Parks is charged with participating in the alleged attack and officer Brian Green is accused of lying to investigators.
The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement that "law enforcement officers in this county should adhere to a standard of conduct, which certainly wasn't followed in this case."
Rao, now 20, was treated for minor injuries and charged with aggravated assault against the officers; those charges were dropped after an investigation.
Gillespie's future as a police officer is uncertain. He has been suspended without pay since the incident. Deptford Police Chief John Marolt said the department will decide whether or not to reinstate the four-year veteran.
However, Marolt said he was offended by what he saw on the video of the incident, saying it was the first time in nearly three decades with the department that he had witnesses excessive force by its officers.
Rao is still pursuing a $1 million civil suit against the Gloucester County township.
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