Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Officer Scott Harrison nicely coordinates his lies, joining Debi Wade in suggesting that Carol broke her own arm by flailing about in backseat of patrol car


Scott Harrison
Missouri deputy Debi Wade, who wrote the bogus Probable Cause Statement that caused my wife, Carol, to be arrested, essentially claims that Carol broke her own arm by flailing about in the back seat of a patrol car after being arrested and handcuffed. What about other officers who gave written statements about events during our unlawful eviction in September 2015? It looks like they copied off Wade's homework. In law-enforcement terms, that probably is known as "coordinating your lies."

First, let's consider the words of Officer Scott Harrison, who played an uber curious role in all of this. He was the one who supposedly contacted David Shuler, my lawyer/brother, and advised him that I had placed a 911 call threatening to shoot anyone who attempted to evict us. On the day we were evicted, Harrison was one of the first officers through the door and pointed an assault rifle at my head. He also was the officer who drove Carol to jail and then to Cox North Medical Center, where he received word that her arm was broken.

A few days after that, according to discovery documents turned over to Carol in her criminal case, four officers on the scene concocted a colossal batch of lies to suggest Carol broke her own arm and cover up the truth -- that an officer, apparently Lt. Christian Conrad, broke her arm. From Harrison's written statement:

Lt. Conrad retrieved my patrol unit keys, and then he drove my patrol unit to the driveway to the south of our location. Lt. Conrad and I helped Carol to her feet and then I escorted her to my patrol unit (#313). Carol was twisting and turning herself in a resistive manner as I walked her to my patrol unit. I told Carol to calm down and step into the patrol unit. Carol seated herself in the patrol unit and situated herself, before I closed the vehicle door.

I went back to the residence and collected some paperwork that I had left inside. As I exited the residence, I heard Carol yelling/screaming, and then noticed she was throwing herself against the backseat and cage of my patrol unit. She did this multiple times in the time it took me to walk back to the vehicle and open the back passenger door. I asked Carol if she was alright. Carol yelled at me to take off the handcuffs and stated that her wrists were hurting. I had Carol lean forward and I checked the handcuffs for comfort again. I was able to place a finger between the handcuffs and Carol's wrist.

I then transported Carol to the Greene County Jail. During the transport I advised Carol of her rights under Miranda and she stated she understood her rights. Carol was calm and had placed her head against the rear passenger side window during the drive to the Jail. Carol also appeared to be sleeping at one point during the transport. Once at the jail, Carol complained about her left arm hurting. Carol had a visible scrape to her lower lip, which she made no complaint about. Carol stated the pain was more in the middle of her arm, near the elbow. I advised jail staff to have a nurse from the Medical Division check out Carol. I photographed Carol's injury to her lower lip at 15:19 hours at the jail.

For the record, Carol categorically denies flailing about in the patrol car and says she couldn't have done that even if she had wanted to -- which she didn't. We will present evidence in upcoming posts that shows she is telling the truth.

As for Scott Harrison, his world soon would get a lot more complicated. He and his colleagues would find it necessary to build a web of lies in an effort to cover their butts:

A nurse arrived and looked at Carol's arm, and I took a photo of the arm where she stated it was hurting. I photographed Carol's left arm/elbow at 16:01 and 16:02 hours at the jail, which did not show any bruising but did sow some minor swelling. It wasn't until after that, that Carol began complaining of "severe" pain to her left arm and elbow. The jail nurse stated that Carol would need to be checked out at the hospital before she could be admitted as an inmate into the Greene County Jail. I notified Lt. Wade that Carol would need to be transported to Cox North Hospital for care. I placed handcuffs in front of Carol just prior to transport. She stated that she was in no pain from the handcuffs. I transported Carol to Cox North Hospital without incident. Upon arrival at Cox North ER, Carol was placed in room #8 and was then seen by Dr. J. [Jock] Porter, M.D. During our time waiting in the ER, the bruising became much more visible, so I photographed Carol's left [elbow] again, at 19:09. This photograph shows swelling and severe bruising to Carol's left arm in the elbow area.

After Carol's left arm and elbow were X-rayed, Dr. Porter advised that it was broken just above the elbow and would require surgery. Dr. Porter scheduled a Cox Ambulance to transport Carol to Cox South Hospital for the actual surgery. I notified Lt. Wade of the status update, and she then notified Capt. [Jeremy] Lynn of the situation. Lt. Wade called back and advised that Sheriff Arnott authorized Carol to be released from the PC charges for Assault on LEO 3rd degree and Interfering with a Legal Process, and that we would present the case to the Greene County Prosecuting Attorney for review. I notified hospital staff and Carol Shuler herself that was released from custody prior to her being transported by ambulance to Cox South Hospital for surgery. Carol remained calm the entire time we were at the jail and hospital.

Harrison's statement tells us that Sheriff Jim Arnott authorized that Carol be "released" from charges, not just released from jail to receive treatment at the hospital. That appears to mean any charges were dropped. So what did Carol do to cause the charges to be reinstated in fall 2016 and for her to be re-arrested on January 30, 2017? Nothing in the documents we've seen suggests she did anything. But she still faces criminal charges.

Next, we will examine the written statements of two more officers.


(To be continued)








14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cops are among the most dishonest people in the world, especially when they know they've screwed up.

Anonymous said...

"Once at the jail, Carol complained about her left arm hurting."


Gulp!

Anonymous said...

The cops probably had a big party -- maybe hired a stripper or two -- to get their "facts" straight.

Anonymous said...

If these statements from police can be proven false, that would be grounds to have the case against Carol dismissed. It also would be grounds for a civil rights complaint under Sec. 1983.

legalschnauzer said...

@9:08 --

Yes, we will be examining Missouri and federal law on that issue in an upcoming post.

Anonymous said...

This guy is dumb as a stump. He says he saw Carol throwing herself around in the patrol car, went to check on her, and still did not secure her with a seat belt and shoulder restraint. I don't believe his story for one second, but even if he's being truthful, he's admitting gross negligence. You can Google "prisoner transport seat belts" and find lots of lawsuits filed around the country over this very issue. A sheriff would have to be a total dolt to allow his officers to transport prisoners without a seat belt.

Anonymous said...

Harrison is the guy who claimed you made a 911 call. Seems he's not inclined to get his facts straight.

legalschnauzer said...

@10:13 --

Yes, Harrison is the 911 guy. Several of these officers, in their written statements, admit I didn't make a 911 call, so yes, credibility is shaky here. Will be addressing the 911 issue in upcoming post.

Anonymous said...

Chicago coppers accused of cover-up in Laquan McDonald case. Looks like Springfield, MO, coppers are headed down the same path . . .


http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/06/27/534596557/3-chicago-police-officers-accused-of-cover-up-in-killing-of-laquan-mcdonald

Anonymous said...

I'm pretty sure that it's impossible to break your own arm so badly that it would need trauma surgery. That's especially true when you have your hands handcuffed behind your back.

Anonymous said...

Aboard the Eliza Battle Admiral Tyron was giving a briefing on the disappearance of Lt McDonald.He asked Captain Marshall for his opinion of the events of May 3,1972. Captain Marshall replied that BENGAL 504 and Bengal 510, with The CO of VMA AW 224 and Captain Williams ,depart the Coral Sea at 1101. They head north west then due north to the target area. At 1140 BENGAL 514 with Lt McDonald and a unknown person depart the Coral Sea followed by Bengal 507 with Captains Wilson and Angus. At 1150 Bengal 504 is back at the Coral Sea. At 1156 Bengal 510 is at a location identified as Lat/Long 174860N1072958E heading south, east of the Coral Sea. Ms Chappelle interrupts the Captain saying, " Tell me Captain. Is your memory so great that you can remember these numbers after 45 years?" The Captain replied that he had a long memory. Mary Mac demanded that the Captain tell the truth or she would. The Captain replied that the truth was that Mary Mac had found a map ,that charts the course of BENGAL 504 and Bengal 510 ,on micro film at the Library of Congress. Admiral Tyron asked why no one noticed that Bengal 504 was the only aircraft of his mission to land. Captain Marshall explained that the statement of BENGAL 517 on micro film at the Library of Congress gives us a clue. BENGAL 517 was a A-6B anti radar aircraft. They would Patrol off the coast on single aircraft missions. BENGAL 517 said that he was on the same radio frequency [255.1] that Bengal 504 and BENGAL 510 were using during their mission. He was relaying radio messages between BENGAL 504 and BENGAL 510 because BENGAL 504 had a "weak" radio. BENGAL 517 says he then returned to the Coral Sea. The secret plan of the CO of Vma aw 224 was for BENGAL 517 to fall into formation with BENGAL 504 and return to the Coral Sea. BENGAL 510 would have enough time to fly to DA Nang and then land on the Coral Sea at the time Bengal 517's patrolling mission was scheduled to land.

Anonymous said...

Aboard the Eliza Battle Captain Marshall was giving a briefing. He said that Bengal 507, 510 and 514 land at Da Nang. Captains Wilson and Angus in NL 507 and The CO of VMA AW 224 and a unknown person in NL 514 depart for the Philippines. Lt McDonald and Captain Williams are stranded in Da Nang with technical problems in BENGAL 510. Major Cathcarts tribute told us of two stranded pilots. Ms Chappelle wanted to know how the Captain knew the crew of each aircraft. The Captain responded that he thought like a man. Captains Wilson and Angus would call their wives when they reached El Toro. Their mission to retrieve A-6 155708 NL 500 was not a secret. The Navy could not "lose" their aircraft on May 3,1972 . The next opportunity to "Lose" them would come when VMA AW 533 got their A-6B aircraft back. On May 4,1972. A-6 NL 507 and NL 514 depart the Philippines and fly 3 and 1 half hours to Guam, refuel and fly 3 hours to Wake Island, refueled and flew 3 hours to Johnston Atoll. On May 5 they fly 2 hours to Hawaii, then with a inflight refueling, Fly 6 hours to El Toro. A-6 155708 NL 500 had been flown to EL Toro to save the pilots 12 hours of flight time. Captains Wilson and Angus arrive back in the Philippines on May 8,1972, At El Toro the CO of VMA aw 224 learns of the stranded pilots. He Orders Captains Wilson and Angus to join Lt McDonald and Captain Williams and catch a flight to Hong Kong to rejoin the Coral Sea during Port Call. Unknown to them was President Nixon's secret plan to mine Haiphong Harbour on May 9. The pilots of VMA AW 224 arrive in Hong Kong on May 9, 1972 dressed in flight suits. They are abducted.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

This guy is dumb as a stump. He says he saw Carol throwing herself around in the patrol car, went to check on her, and still did not secure her with a seat belt and shoulder restraint. I don't believe his story for one second, but even if he's being truthful, he's admitting gross negligence. You can Google "prisoner transport seat belts" and find lots of lawsuits filed around the country over this very issue. A sheriff would have to be a total dolt to allow his officers to transport prisoners without a seat belt.

June 28, 2017 at 9:21 AM


Well, you just never know.

Freddie Gray not the first to come out of Baltimore police van with serious injuries


Freddie Gray not the first to come out of Baltimore police van with serious injuries Doug Donovan and Mark Puente The Baltimore Sun

Baltimore police van rides sometimes end badly for some given 'rough rides.'

When a handcuffed Freddie Gray was placed in a Baltimore police van on April 12, he was talking and breathing. When the 25-year-old emerged, "he could not talk and he could not breathe," according to one police official, and he died a week later of a spinal injury.

But Gray is not the first person to come out of a Baltimore police wagon with serious injuries.

Relatives of Dondi Johnson Sr., who was left a paraplegic after a 2005 police van ride, won a $7.4 million verdict against police officers. A year earlier, Jeffrey Alston was awarded $39 million by a jury after he became paralyzed from the neck down as the result of a van ride. Others have also received payouts after filing lawsuits.

For some, such injuries have been inflicted by what is known as a "rough ride" — an "unsanctioned technique" in which police vans are driven to cause "injury or pain" to unbuckled, handcuffed detainees, former city police officer Charles J. Key testified as an expert five years ago in a lawsuit over Johnson's subsequent death.

As daily protests continue in the streets of Baltimore, authorities are trying to determine how Gray was injured, and their focus is on the 30-minute van ride that followed his arrest. "It's clear what happened, happened inside the van," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Monday at a news conference.


One earlier case:
Fractured neck, then death

The most sensational case in Baltimore involved Johnson, a 43-year-old plumber who was arrested for public urination. He was handcuffed and placed in a transport van in good health. He emerged a quadriplegic.

Before he died, he complained to his doctor that he was not buckled into his seat when the police van "made a sharp turn," sending him "face first" into the interior of the van, court records state. He was "violently thrown around the back of the vehicle as [police officers] drove in an aggressive fashion, taking turns so as to injure [Johnson] who was helplessly cuffed," the lawsuit stated.

Johnson, who suffered a fractured neck, died two weeks later of pneumonia caused by his paralysis. His family sued, and a jury agreed that three officers were negligent in the way they treated Johnson. The initial $7.4 million award, however, was eventually reduced to $219,000 by Maryland's Court of Special Appeals because state law caps such payouts.







legalschnauzer said...

@3:34 --

Thanks for sharing. Freddie Gray probably is the most famous prisoner/seat belt case in U.S. history. In Carol's case, she was seat-belted in, which is why the "flailing" stories these cops concocted is so much nonsense. Her arm was broken before she ever entered the patrol car.