The attorney argued that Trenton Police leave their officers unequipped far too often. I feel that although [the arrests] are a positive step toward change, its too little too late, she said. Man In Easter Bunny Suit Involved In Florida Brawl Wanted In New Jersey For Car Burglaries. All the charges against Felton were later dropped. U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Jersey, Two Trenton Police Officers Charged with Civil Rights Violations, Obstruction of Justice, U.S. Attorneys Office Reaches Settlement with Ocean County Nail Salon to End Disability Discrimination, Statement Of U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger, Former Hillsborough Township School District Official Admits To Paying Kickbacks For Illegal Overtime Payments, Two Trenton Police Officers Charged With Civil Rights Violations, Obstruction of Justice. In proceedings in the OAL and the appeals court, the judge found Villanuevas reporting on the incident was starkly different from parts of the incident caught on police security cameras. Trenton, NJ. Quaree Singletary engaged in a struggle with city cop Anthony Villanueva after Villanueva abruptly ended Singletary's phone call to relatives. Camden:856-757-5026 All Rights Reserved. The appropriate departmental administrative actions will be taken, he said. Attorney Robin Lord is seeing her client Chanzie Washington's claims of police brutality vindicated. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. The maximum fine for each of the charges is $250,000. Singletary, who also sued Villanueva and the department over his treatment that day, told the newspaper in a previous interview his eyes burned for like two, three days after he was maced. Ballarotto said his client is being unfairly vilified as a rogue cop, and he believes the ex-TPDer will get cleared. with assault on a police officer, which required that Q.S. She sounded indignant as she discussed her decades-long struggle to help clients who described being beaten up and abused by TPD officers. Trimboli & Prusinowski, LLC, attorneys for respondent City of Trenton . Scott Krasny, Inmans attorney, declined to comment. The man was eventually surrounded by the officers and complied when he was ordered to put his hands in the air, officials said. Villanueva is also charged with depriving a second man of his civil rights in a separate incident, and with obstruction related to that second incident. Inman, who is the son of Hamilton cop Daniel Inman, was later caught on bodycam bragging about the vicious assault saying that he beat the sh** out of Washington, then another officer pointed to his bodycam to cut him off. To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com. The Singletary incident was included in a federal civil rights case the U.S. Attorneys Office brought against Villanueva and Trenton police officer Drew Inman. TRENTON, N.J. Two Trenton police officers have been charged with civil rights and obstruction of justice charges for allegedly assaulting a man they were arresting, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today. Villanueva, who has since left the police department, is also charged with assaulting a prisoner in a separate incident. Ballarotto said his client cooperated with the feds and testified at an administrative law hearing. Both Inman and Villanueva were granted unsecured bail on Tuesday, meaning they can go home. Thats not what this was.. The man who the officers arrested is no longer in jail and his eluding and obstruction charges were later dropped. Body cam footage was released of two Trenton Police officers who are accused of assaulting a man while they were arresting him even though he complied with their demands. The former officer and his attorney, George Dougherty, then went to the state courts Appellate Division, which on Thursday sided with the OAL judges 40-page decision. Villanueva arrested Felton in March 2017 following a foot pursuit following a reported shooting. You dont want to come back here. The city of Trenton police officers, the majority of them, do not have any respect for the citizens, they just absolutely do not," Lord said. Villanuevas charges also related to his macing of a suspect in police lockup in 2017, according to the six-count indictment. On appeal from the New Jersey Civil Service . But they will be back in court Wednesday morning where both men are expected to plead not guilty and go to trial later this year. Both Villanueva and Inman were charged in April 2019 with aiding and abetting each other in depriving the civil rights of Chanzie Washington in April 2017. Thats his gun, his physical strength and his courage.. The man tells the officers, Stop hitting me in my face.". Its inbred in the academy. Body camera footage showed Villanueva tracking down, tackling and punching Felton in the head twice from behind following a foot chase in March 2017. The arrest of Inman happened a day after the city introduced new police director Sheilah Coley. Anthony Villanueva and Drew Inman are charged with assault in the 2017 arrest of Chanzie Washington. Washington ran from police during a traffic stop and when officers caught up with him at a fence, they ordered him to raise his arms and then climb over the fence, authorities allege. He was fired in June 2018. A Trenton police officer and a former colleague accused of assaulting a man they were arresting have pleaded not guilty to civil rights and obstruction of justice counts. While the man complied with further police demands, Villanueva punched him in the face and Inman tackled him to the ground, according to investigators. She Was Just Found in Puerto Rico, Chris Rock to Address Will Smith's Slap in First Stand-Up Since Last Year's Oscars, New Jersey Bill Seeks to Ban Sale of Baby Wipes. Michigan Department of Corrections via AP Law enforcement officials on Tuesday named Anthony Dwayne McRae, a 43-year-old resident of Lansing, Michigan, as the suspect in the overnight shooting at Michigan State University that took the lives of three students and wounded five others. 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They are charged with violating Washington's civil rights and falsifying police. In November 2017, Villanueva fired a can of chemical spray at Quaree Singletary inside a Trenton police holding cell while the cell door was closing, and then 24-year-old Singletary was inside. You're all set! These Valuable Pennies Are Worth Thousands, Pa. Woman Went Missing in 1992 and Declared Dead. provided by mercer county prosecutors office, Chanzie Washington's mugshot after being arrested April 9, 2017. Incidents like these erode the publics confidence in law enforcement, and make policing harder for everyone whose job it is to keep our communities safe., Civil Rights violations are of great concern, particularly when the allegations involve a member of law enforcement, FBI Newark Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie said. Trenton Police Officer Drew Inman and ex-officer Anthony Villanueva are accused of assaulting a man who was complying with their demands. DOCKET NO. In a rare interview with a former cop still facing criminal charges for alleged use of excessive force, NJ Advance Media spoke to Villanueva who said he stands by his actions and followed his training and New Jersey Attorney Generals guidelines on the use of force each time. Search the most comprehensive statewide database of police use of force in the U.S. The sound picks up after Washington is already on the ground in the first two videos. Video footage from inside police lockup showed the entire struggle, beginning in the phone room when Villanueva attempted to end a call Singletary was on with relatives after he was arrested and taken to headquarters on a warrant. Villanueva described it this way in a report after he said he told Singletary he needed to end the phone call: As I began to walk toward Singletary, he immediately began to tense up. In the footage below, the officers are heard yelling at Washington. The false records counts each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. 3/6/2023 6352640 villanueva gonz george 3/6/2023 6522314 wilson steven 3/7/2023 6548196 carrillo carlos 3/7/2023 6523835 davis rodney . In the Trenton case, city cops Villanueva and Inman were hit in a six-count indictment that charged civilrights deprivation and falsifying police records. Officer Anthony Villanueva sprays Quaree Singletary with mace during a lengthy struggle in TPD lockup. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. He was a good cop and still is a good cop., In a statement, U.S. attorney Craig Carpenito said cops have a difficult and dangerous, job but must perform their duties while respecting the civil rights of the people they are policing. The man was eventually surrounded by Trenton police officers and complied when he was ordered to put his hands in the air. "It's perfectly proper the way he handled himself," Villanueva's attorney, Jerome Ballarotto, said. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. That decision was then adopted by the states Civil Service Commission. One part of the video shows Inman punching the suspect before bragging to the person recording the video, saying, I beat the living sh*t he stops when the other officer points to his body camera. While Washington was complying, Villanueva punched him in the face. An official website of the United States government. I believe that if my client gets a fair hearing he wont be charged.. He was assisted that night by a police aide (the aide). 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Enter the name of a police department or an officer: Press to expand search. The charges carry up to 10 and 20 years in prison, respectively, and a maximum $250,000 fine if the cops are convicted, the feds said. They also took Officer Inman into custody at Trenton police headquarters. All the gun-toting drug dealers in Trenton are all gonna be happy tonight that Anthonys no longer a police officer, Ballarotto said. The videos showing a now-fired Trenton police officer punching and tackling a man with his hands up and pepper-spraying another man in a locked jail cell dont lie, but Anthony Villanueva contends they dont tell the whole story. The video shows a fence separated Washington from most of the officers, who had their guns trained on him. Racist Ex-University Of Kentucky 'Karen' Sophia Rosing Is Charged For Assaulting Black Student, Mississippi Cops Beat, Waterboarded Handcuffed Black Men, Shot 1 For Dating White Women': Lawyers. NBC10 obtained body cam footage of the incident.. Newark, NJ 07102, Newark:973-645-2700 The counts against both officers stem from a traffic stop on April 9, 2017, in Trenton. Investigators said he pepper sprayed a defendant while in a holding cell area of Trenton police headquarters. Sounds likeVillanueva was under the misconception that police solidarity may is the same if you are a person of color. The indictment also recounted Villanuevas Nov. 28, 2017 encounter with Quaree Singletary inside TPD headquarters. The whole scuffle was caught on surveillance cameras and the footage was released to The Trentonian. When that trust is violated, it makes it more difficult for our fellow police officers and federal agents to maintain the communitys confidence.. All say they were beaten up by Villanueva. Villanueva came up from Washingtons side and punched him in the face while Inman tackled him to the ground. And then you have the old regime supervising these people. |. Felton said in suit that he was beaten so badly during his arrest he suffered bleeding on the brain and other injuries. Officer Drew Inman and former city Officer Anthony Villanueva entered their pleas Wednesday during their arraignments in federal court. Villanueva was fired in June 2018 and was in the process of fighting to get his job back. Villanueva wore all black, his lean frame topped by a mop of curly jet black hair. Its inbred all over. Villanueva went back to headquarters to help process Washington.