Dreamer
Regular Member
imported post
For some reason the original thread in the "General Discussion" area was closed. But I recently found a new article concerning the on-going investigation and pending lawsuit by the victim, and I though I'd post a link to the article and video...
Remember those U.Md. students John J. McKenna and Benjamin C. Donat that were set upon by riot gear-clad police and beaten on March 3? If not, let me refresh your memory:
http://video.foxnews.com/v/4148815/cops-beating-student-caught-on-camera
Well, it turns out that the Price George's County police dropped all the charges against McKenna and Donat, when it became known that another student has recorded the entire incident on their cell phone, and the video was posted on YouTube.
It also turns out that the officer who filed the report (but was NOT on the scene, or involved in the incident) falsified the report, made up charges, and coached the involved officers in their depositions. He has been put on leave. His name is Officer Sean McAleavey. Four other police (the ones that were actually involved in the beating) have also been placed on leave, pending the investigation, but PG County has not released their names.
But wait, it gets better...
It turns out that McKenna's grandfather was retired MD district Court judge, and has a LONG career in the MD judicial system as a defense attorney, and is not willing to just back down and go away after the false charges were dropped against his grandson. They have filed suit against PG County, in which they subpoena'd the U.Md. campus security camera videos of this incident. U.Md. delivered 31 DVDs with over 60 hours of video to them.
But interestingly enough, there were 90 minutes of video missing--and they were from the ONLY camera on campus that had a view of the area where the beating occurred, and were from the time when it occurred. (Shades of Nixon's missing 18 minutes...)
But wait, it gets even better...
The university police lieutenant in charge of copying the videos, Joanne Ardovini, is married to John Ardovini, one of the officers on horseback who was involved in the beating and filing the original report.
http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/...-seek-inquiry-of-campus-video-in-beating-case
(be sure to click on the video that accompanies this article...)
Here is an extended interview with McKenna's grandfather:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fOg-eOwTug
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCr5affLXvY&feature=related
So what does ANY of this have to do with OC, you may ask?
Had some quick-witted person with a cellphone camera not made a video recording of this incident, I think it's a pretty safe assumption that John J. McKenna and Benjamin C. Donat would probably be in jail, or at the very least would be facing serious charges of assaulting a police officer and more.
It was because this video surfaces that these two students were cleared, because without this video, it was the word of two college boys against the entire PG County police department. And the fact that they even tried to delete the campus security camera recordings of the beating just shows that they will go to ANY length to maintain the "wall of silence".
These two college kids could just as easily be an OCer. It's going to be your word against theirs. And we all know how often the cruiser cameras just happen to be "malfunctioning" or "not activated" in these sorts of encounters.
We need to audio- and/or video record ALL encounters we may have. Because if we should be in a situation where the LEO in question has less-than-honorable intentions, there is a PROVEN record of falsification, destruction of evidence, and intimidation on the part of LEA's.
And remember, this happened to a rich white kid who's grandfather was a prominent judge. Had McKenna's family not been WWW (wealthy, white, and well-connected), and this independent video had never come out, the outcome of this event would have been VERY different.
Never put on your OC firearm without at least a voice recorder in your pocket, because in a court, your word as a victim means ABSOLUTELY nothing against a LEO's, but a recording can't be denied...
I'm actually sort of surprised that the MD AG hasn't brought charges against the person who took this video under MD's "wiretapping" laws. Perhaps the fact that the victim is a rich white kid with a Judge for a grandfather, AND the fact that the FBI has started a Federal Civil Rights Violation investigation against PG County might be why the videographer is getting a pass on this one.
For some reason the original thread in the "General Discussion" area was closed. But I recently found a new article concerning the on-going investigation and pending lawsuit by the victim, and I though I'd post a link to the article and video...
Remember those U.Md. students John J. McKenna and Benjamin C. Donat that were set upon by riot gear-clad police and beaten on March 3? If not, let me refresh your memory:
http://video.foxnews.com/v/4148815/cops-beating-student-caught-on-camera
Well, it turns out that the Price George's County police dropped all the charges against McKenna and Donat, when it became known that another student has recorded the entire incident on their cell phone, and the video was posted on YouTube.
It also turns out that the officer who filed the report (but was NOT on the scene, or involved in the incident) falsified the report, made up charges, and coached the involved officers in their depositions. He has been put on leave. His name is Officer Sean McAleavey. Four other police (the ones that were actually involved in the beating) have also been placed on leave, pending the investigation, but PG County has not released their names.
But wait, it gets better...
It turns out that McKenna's grandfather was retired MD district Court judge, and has a LONG career in the MD judicial system as a defense attorney, and is not willing to just back down and go away after the false charges were dropped against his grandson. They have filed suit against PG County, in which they subpoena'd the U.Md. campus security camera videos of this incident. U.Md. delivered 31 DVDs with over 60 hours of video to them.
But interestingly enough, there were 90 minutes of video missing--and they were from the ONLY camera on campus that had a view of the area where the beating occurred, and were from the time when it occurred. (Shades of Nixon's missing 18 minutes...)
But wait, it gets even better...
The university police lieutenant in charge of copying the videos, Joanne Ardovini, is married to John Ardovini, one of the officers on horseback who was involved in the beating and filing the original report.
http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/...-seek-inquiry-of-campus-video-in-beating-case
(be sure to click on the video that accompanies this article...)
Here is an extended interview with McKenna's grandfather:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fOg-eOwTug
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCr5affLXvY&feature=related
So what does ANY of this have to do with OC, you may ask?
Had some quick-witted person with a cellphone camera not made a video recording of this incident, I think it's a pretty safe assumption that John J. McKenna and Benjamin C. Donat would probably be in jail, or at the very least would be facing serious charges of assaulting a police officer and more.
It was because this video surfaces that these two students were cleared, because without this video, it was the word of two college boys against the entire PG County police department. And the fact that they even tried to delete the campus security camera recordings of the beating just shows that they will go to ANY length to maintain the "wall of silence".
These two college kids could just as easily be an OCer. It's going to be your word against theirs. And we all know how often the cruiser cameras just happen to be "malfunctioning" or "not activated" in these sorts of encounters.
We need to audio- and/or video record ALL encounters we may have. Because if we should be in a situation where the LEO in question has less-than-honorable intentions, there is a PROVEN record of falsification, destruction of evidence, and intimidation on the part of LEA's.
And remember, this happened to a rich white kid who's grandfather was a prominent judge. Had McKenna's family not been WWW (wealthy, white, and well-connected), and this independent video had never come out, the outcome of this event would have been VERY different.
Never put on your OC firearm without at least a voice recorder in your pocket, because in a court, your word as a victim means ABSOLUTELY nothing against a LEO's, but a recording can't be denied...
I'm actually sort of surprised that the MD AG hasn't brought charges against the person who took this video under MD's "wiretapping" laws. Perhaps the fact that the victim is a rich white kid with a Judge for a grandfather, AND the fact that the FBI has started a Federal Civil Rights Violation investigation against PG County might be why the videographer is getting a pass on this one.