'M
EM, 9OYS.
DRIVING DRUNK, GETTING THROWN
IN JAIL - EVEN BEING CONVICTED
OF MISDEMEANORS - HAMILTON
COUNTY DEPUTIES HAVE DONE ALL
OF THAT AND NOT BEEN
SUSPENDED.
9 ON YOUR SIDE I-TEAM CHIEF
INVESTIGATOR CRAIG CHEATHAM
UNCOVERS HOW DEPUTIES ARE
DISCIPLINED WHEN THEY BREAK
THE LAW.
8:35 WHENEVER
YOU'RE READY YOU MAY BEGIN.
COUNT YOUR FIRST STEP OUT AS
ONE.It was one of Samuel
Hickey's biggest tests.
tests.
10:40 YOU CAN STOP Police
reports show Hickey - Hamilton
County Sheriff's Office
enforcement officer - ran a
red light, hit a car in an
intersection and kept driving.
He was arrested for OVI.
17:37 SORRY. HEY PARTNER.
LET THE FIRST PERSON WITH SIN
THROW STONES. I'LL GET YOU OUT
OF HERE AS QUICK AS I CAN.
This was 2015 - Hickey pleaded
No Contest to OVI. Sheriff Jim
Neil did not suspend him.
17:47 NOBODY'S HURTHickey
is one of 5 Hamilton County
Sheriff's Deputies who have
been charged with OVI since
Sheriff Neil took office in
2013. One of them was
suspended. Four received
written reprimands. Three
current deputies have been
arrested twice for OVI.(SOT)
(RUNS=:03)Corrections Sergeant
Justin Hunt was arrested just
a few weeks ago on his 2nd OVI
charge during the last 3
years. His citation shows he
was also going 78 miles an
hour - 23 over the speed limit.
(SOT) (RUNS=:03)Hunt pleaded
not guilty. The Sheriff's
Office declined to reveal if
he has been disciplined.
Corrections officer Walter
Brown and Enforcement Officer
Donald Fore have been charged
twice with OVI. Both were
convicted of OVI for their 2nd
arrest. Sheriff Neil did not
suspend them. In 2015,
following Fore's OVI
conviction, parking lot
surveillance cameras
videotaped him at the
Sheriff's Office in Anderson
Township. Records show he was
intoxicated, pulled up a
parking space bumper, cursed
and chest bumped a higher
ranking officer. After being
ordered to leave - he returned
and punched two walls inside
the building. An internal
affairs investigation found
Fore's actions "could have
supported a criminal charge."
Fore wasn't charged. The
Sheriff suspended him, and
Fore received treatment for
alcohol addiction. Last fall,
Fore's supervisors said "his
improvement....has been
remarkable." (SOT)
3:57:34 IT'S SURPRISING THAT
YOU FOUND SO MANY CASES OF
EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE VIOLATED
THE LAW, ESPECIALLY INVOLVING
ALCOHOL.Jeff Witte is a 35
year law enforcement veteran,
a retired Woodlawn police
chief, and a volunteer for
Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Witte says when police are
arrested for drunk driving,
they should be suspended. (SOT)
4:27:51 THIS IS VERY
CONCERNING TO ME...The I-Team
showed Witte sheriff's records
that reveal corrections
officer Kenneth Payne drove to
work intoxicated twice in
2015. Payne was suspended for
3 days the 2nd incident,
placed on administrative leave
and received treatment for
alcoholism. After that,
records show Payne failed to
report for work, and blamed a
relapse for it. A supervisor
called Payne a "huge
liability" adding that "it may
be in the best interest of the
Department to terminate his
employment." Instead, the
sheriff gave Payne a 3 day
paper suspension. Seven months
later, records show Payne was
intoxicated at work for a 3rd
time, and was suspended for 10
days. (SOT)4:27:27 IT WAS
DIFFICULT TO GO THROUGH AND
LOOK AT THIS....A year ago, at
Froggy's in Monroe, Deputy
Bobby Colwell told police that
he was intoxicated, disorderly
and had 2 knives - and that
they should arrested him. One
officer told Colwell an arrest
would hurt Colwell's law
enforcement career as a
Hamilton County Deputy, but
according to the police
report, Colwell said "It's
Hamilton County. I won't get
fired." Colwell was arrested,
booked into the Butler County
jail, and pleaded guilty to
disorderly conduct. The
Sheriff did not suspend him.
(SOT) christine cole17:21
SO, THAT ABOUT SUMS IT ALL UP,
I THINKChristine Cole - a
nationally recognized criminal
justice researcher and
consultant - reviewed
Sheriff's Office disciplinary
records provided by the I-Team.(SOT)
(SOT)17:36 IT SENDS A
MESSAGE THAT YOU CAN DO
ANYTHING YOU WANT AND NOTHING
BAD WILL HAPPEN....During the
last 2 months - the I-Team
made 6 attempts to get an
interview with Sheriff Neil,
providing specific cases, and
even questions. He declined,
and issued a brief statement -
saying "HE TAKES DISCPLINE
SERIOUSLY AND BELIEVES THE
SHERIFF'S OFFICE REACHES THE
APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF
DISCIPLINE."(SOT WITH SHERIFF)
6:59:43 WHY WON'T YOU SIT
DOWN AND TALK TO US ABOUT THE
WAY YOU DISCIPLINE OFFICERS? I
PROVIDED YOU WITH A COMMENT.
On Monday, we made one more
attempt to interview the
sheriff after he met with the
Hamilton County Commission.
(SOT)7:00:00 SHERIFF, YOU
HAVE 2 OFFICERS WHO WERE
CHARGED WITH OVI, TWICE, BUT
YOU REFUSED TO SUSPEND THEM.
WHY? YOU'VE BEEN PROVIDED WITH
A COMMENT.We followed Sheriff
Neil down 5 flights of
stairs....(SOT)"I PROVIDED YOU
WITH A COMMENT...".....and out
the door.(SOT)7:01:42
SHERIFF, WHY DON'T YOU SIT
DOWN, AND TALK TO US ABOUT
THESE DECISIONS THAT YOU'VE
MADE, WHY YOU MADE THEM, AND
WHY YOU THINK THIS WAS IN THE
BEST INTEREST OF NOT ONLY THE
SHERIFF'S OFFICE, BUT ALSO
PEOPLE IN HAMILTON COUNTY? WHY
WON'T YOU DO THAT? I PROVIDED
YOU WITH A COMMENT ON THE
MATTER.(SOT) christine cole
18:57 IT'S REALLY HARD FOR
THE COMMUNITY TO TRUST THE
POLICE IF THE POLICE CAN'T
EVEN TRUST THE SYSTEM IN WHICH
THEY WORK....TO BE CONSISTENT
AND JUST AND HAVE
INTEGRITY...AND IT SEEMS TO ME
THAT THERE'S A LACK OF THAT IN
THIS AGENCY(SOT)"I PROVIDED
YOU WITH A COMMENT."But
Sheriff Neil was consistent
with his response to our
questions...(SOT)"I PROVIDED
YOU WITH A COMMENT."....the
same answer 16 times in a row.
(SOT)7:03:06 SHERIFF, ARE
YOU GOING TO SAY ANYTHING
TODAY OTHER THAN YOU PROVIDED
ME WITH A COMMENT? I DID. I
PROVIDED YOU WITH A COMMENT.
(SOT)
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