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An autopsy was scheduled for Saturday afternoon, and more information is expected to be released after that examination is complete.

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Where does Sch’dy find such bad cops?

    Re Feb. 14 editorial, “Schenectady’s Keystone Kops ride again”: Well, they’re at it again! I have a question — aren’t rookies trained by the police, or do they just pick them out of a lineup?
    It seems that these rookies, yes, two of them, didn’t do one thing right! They didn’t have a microphone on, they didn’t have a video working, they didn’t do a Breathalyzer test because they didn’t have one! Then, to top it all off, they drove the guy home, with no citation where four hours later he was drunk as a skunk!
    Now if that were you or me, well everything would have been working even the Keystone rookies, and we’d be cooling our heels in the jail right now.
    Hey, maybe I should be a rookie — I couldn’t do anything worse than they did.
    This tops it. They said he wasn’t weaving back and forth while driving so why was he issued a citation for crossing the solid line?

    FRANCES PAYETTE
    Altamont

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Man charged
with torturing,
injuring puppy
    SCHENECTADY — A city man attacked a pitbull puppy in November, causing it to cry so loud neighbors could hear it down the street, authorities said.
    Kareese A. Frazier, 28, of Becker Street, was charged Friday with one count of torturing and injuring animals, a misdemeanor.
    Frazier is accused of repeatedly punching a small brindle pitbull puppy in the head and neck, causing the puppy to scream in pain Nov. 16 on Shannon Street, according to papers filed in court.
    Frazier also allegedly kicked the puppy numerous times, threw it down and shook it by the neck.
    The puppy screamed in pain loud enough for neighbors at two addresses to take notice and call police, according to papers.
City man charged with felony assault
    SCHENECTADY — A city resident faces a felony, accused of stabbing a man in the arm.
    Neville Goldson, 23, of Chrisler Avenue, was charged Friday with one count of second-degree assault, a felony.
    Goldson is accused of stabbing the 27-year-old man at a Chrisler Avenue address just after 4 a.m. Friday. The man suffered stab wounds to his left bicep and was treated at Ellis Hospital, according to papers filed in court.
Woman charged in assault at school
    SCHENECTADY — A city woman faces a felony, accused of assaulting another woman at Schenectady High School, authorities said.
    Stephanie Zabala, 20, of Crane Street, was charged Thursday with one count of second-degree assault, a felony. She is accused of tackling a 20-year-old woman in the main hallway, causing the victim to suffer an ankle injury, according to papers filed in court.
    Zabala, who was not a student, is also charged with criminal trespass, a misdemeanor, for allegedly refusing orders to leave, according to papers.
Man charged with stealing BMW rims
    SCHENECTADY — An Albany man stands accused of possessing 10 stolen wheel rims valued at more than $6,000.
    John Waterson, 38, of Elmhurst Avenue, Albany, was charged this week with one count of third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, a felony.
    Waterson is accused of selling 10 BMW rims and tires for $300 at a Schenectady shop. The rims and tires were valued at $6,200, according to papers filed in court.
City man accused of violating order
    SCHENECTADY — A city man faces charges, accused of violating an order of protection by pushing a woman to the ground, authorities said.
    Bradley C. Rozowicz, 21, of Olean Street, was charged Thursday with one count of first-degree criminal contempt, a felony.
    Rozowicz is accused of violating an order of protection Wednesday on Michigan Avenue by pushing the woman to the ground, according to papers filed in court.
    Rozowicz also faces a misdemeanor count of fourth-degree criminal mischief, accused of ripping a piece of clothing in the process.
Man accused of
damaging property
    SCHENECTADY — A smashed front door and other items have a city man facing a felony, authorities said.
    Nicholas Pantoni, 21, of Jay Street, was charged Wednesday with third-degree criminal mischief, a felony.
    Pantoni is accused of damaging the items around 11 p.m. Wednesday on Jay Street, according to papers. He also faces a misdemeanor assault count, accused of punching an individual in the face.

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Woman charged in assault at school
    SCHENECTADY — A city woman faces a felony, accused of assaulting another woman at Schenectady High School, authorities said.
    Stephanie Zabala, 20, of Crane Street, was charged Thursday with one count of second-degree assault, a felony. She is accused of tackling a 20-year-old woman in the main hallway, causing the victim to suffer an ankle injury, according to papers filed in court.
    Zabala, who was not a student, is also charged with criminal trespass, a misdemeanor, for allegedly refusing orders to leave, according to papers.

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SCHENECTADY
$500K spent so far on idle officers
Cost of paying suspended cops grows by the day
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

    The city has passed the halfmillion-dollar mark in its pay to eight suspended police officers.
    Just more than $500,000 has been spent thus far to keep those officers out of work while they await disciplinary hearings. The figure has been growing by about $8,800 a week.
    “This is outrageous,” said Corporation Counsel L. John Van Norden. “But guess what? This is what the state Legislature has decided. If you want to change it, call Albany.”
    The city tried several quicker ways to discipline the officers, but the police union challenged those methods. The officers earned $300,000 during the legal delays, which ended last August with a decision by Supreme Court Judge Barry Kramer that forced the city to return to the old system of allowing arbitrators to determine discipline.
It has been a long, expensive road. “We are frustrated,” Van Norden said, adding that he’s asked all eight officers to simply resign. He said their response was, “What’s in it for me?” “So we are trying to work through the process we were told by the state and the courts to do,” Van Norden said.
    With the resignation today of Officer Kyle Hunter, that weekly cost to pay the suspended offi cers will drop to $7,700 per week.
    But that’s not the only expense that is growing rapidly.
    James Girvin, the private attorney who has been hired by the city to argue that each officer should be fired, is being paid $185 per hour. The city must pay for every hour spent researching and preparing for the four cases that have already been argued, as well as time spent preparing for the two cases that have not yet gone to a hearing. ..................>>>>.............>>>>.........................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....00904&AppName=1#

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SCHENECTADY
Cost of cops’ discipline nears $1M
City officials say legal maneuvers push up price
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

    The cost of trying to fire four city police officers could soon reach $1 million.
    The city already has spent $790,000, with one-third of that spent on attorneys to prosecute fi ve officers. And that’s before the city begins its effort to fire two others who face criminal charges.
    “There are other costs. Transcriptions [of the hearings] are very expensive,” Corporation Counsel L. John Van Norden said. “There may very well be appeals.”
    In all, he said, it’s likely the effort will hit the $1 million mark.
    The biggest new cost is the legal expenses for Girvin & Ferlazzo, the law firm that handled the prosecution.
    For the disciplinary hearings held last November and December, Girvin & Ferlazzo was paid $235,814, according to records released in response to a Freedom of Information request.
    Some of the hearings went on for more than a week, and all of them required extensive pre-hearing research by the law fi rm’s expert on municipal labor contract disputes, James Girvin.
    Hearings have been held for police offi - cers John Lewis, Darren Lawrence, Gregory Hafensteiner, Andrew Karaskiewicz and Sherri Barnes. Two others, officers Dwayne Johnson and Michael Brown, have cases pending in criminal court. The eighth of- ficer accused of misdeeds, Kyle Hunter, recently agreed to resign and plead guilty to a misdemeanor.
    Those officers have been paid roughly a total of $8,800 a week while they await their hearings. At this point, the total is $520,000.
    More than half of that — $300,000 — was spent while the city tried to find a quick and relatively inexpensive way to discipline them, but every option was rejected by the state and the courts. ................>>>>................>>>>..............http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00102&AppName=1

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Former Riverside Police Chief Charged With DUI
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (CBS) ―

Riverside's former police chief has been charged with drunken driving for crashing his city-owned car after leaving a club.

The Riverside County district attorney's office charged Russell Leach on Monday with misdemeanor driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. He faces up to six months in jail if convicted.

The 62-year-old Leach crashed a Chrysler into a fire hydrant on Feb. 8. Two tires were missing when Riverside police officers stopped him three miles away.