From the BLINCO's article:
"Another reason for the case's notoriety stems from Thomas' allegation that the man who initially confronted him poked him in the shoulder and directed two racial slurs at him, the "N" word and "boy."
The third reason stems from the fact that two of the officers caught up in the case but not charged by Raleigh police -- Sgt. Mark Gottlieb and Officer Richard Clayton -- have participated in the Duke University lacrosse rape case investigation. Three Blue Devil athletes have been indicted in that case.
Critics of the department's handling of that case theorize that the involvement of Gottlieb and Clayton in the Blinco's case might undercut the lacrosse prosecution.
Further fueling the speculation has been the fact that Thomas told one media outlet, ABC News, that the first man to confront him on July 20 was BALD.
Among the six current and former officers who've been named in connection with the Blinco's case, Gottlieb comes the closest to fitting that description......"
http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-765891.html
http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-765891.html
Blinco's probe 7-10 days from being completed
By Ray Gronberg, The Herald-Sun
August 31, 2006 9:32 pm
DURHAM -- The Durham Police Department's internal investigation into an alleged assault involving several off-duty officers outside a Raleigh sports bar should be complete "in the next week to 10 days, if not sooner," City Manager Patrick Baker said this week.
Baker added that he hasn't ruled out asking the City Council for permission to release a report on the investigation. State law would normally require that the internal affairs report be kept secret, but Baker and the City Council can waive the confidentiality requirement if they think doing so is necessary to maintain public confidence in city government.
The decision on a waiver will come after Baker studies the Internal Affairs Unit's report on the July 20 incident at Blinco's Sports Restaurant and Bar, 6711 Glenwood Ave.
"I'll wait until I've had a chance to look at the report to determine if the circumstances of this case justify us using that exception to make a disclosure," Baker said. "Having not seen a report, I'm not in position to say whether we'll do it or not."
Two City Council members, however, said they believe officials will have to release at least some of the investigation's findings. A cook at Blinco's has alleged that several men -- current or former members of the Durham Police Department -- surrounded and assaulted him after an exchange of racial slurs. The cook is black, and most of the officers who were there are white.
"In a case like this, where potentially the honor of our Police Department has been challenged, [disclosure is] a good idea," Councilman Eugene Brown said Thursday.
Councilman Thomas Stith agreed.
"The incident clearly has the potential to erode public confidence, and I would support some release of information so we can address the serious charges that have been made," Stith said. "There are certainly standards and policies within our Police Department that, if violated, we'd need to address."
Stith added that he'd want to know, before deciding on a waiver, whether the report might compromise "investigative tactics or internal affairs procedures." If it doesn't, "the easiest thing may be to release the whole report," he said.
A third councilman asked about the case Thursday, Mike Woodard, was more cautious and said he'd likely support Baker's recommendation, whatever it may be.
"If in his opinion it should be released, I'll listen to that, and if in his opinion it shouldn't be released, I'll listen to that," Woodard said.
The Blinco's case has attracted attention for three reasons, starting with the fact that a Raleigh Police Department criminal investigation led authorities in that city to charge two Durham officers, Gary P. Lee, 38, and Scott C. Tanner, 33, with one count each of simple assault.
The misdemeanor warrants allege that Lee took a swing at the cook, Rene Dennis Thomas, and that Tanner kicked the alleged victim in the head after he fell to the ground.
Another reason for the case's notoriety stems from Thomas' allegation that the man who initially confronted him poked him in the shoulder and directed two racial slurs at him, the "N" word and "boy."
The third reason stems from the fact that two of the officers caught up in the case but not charged by Raleigh police -- Sgt. Mark Gottlieb and Officer Richard Clayton -- have participated in the Duke University lacrosse rape case investigation. Three Blue Devil athletes have been indicted in that case.
Critics of the department's handling of that case theorize that the involvement of Gottlieb and Clayton in the Blinco's case might undercut the lacrosse prosecution.
Further fueling the speculation has been the fact that Thomas told one media outlet, ABC News, that the first man to confront him on July 20 was bald.
Among the six current and former officers who've been named in connection with the Blinco's case, Gottlieb comes the closest to fitting that description, though all six have close-cropped hair, and several have receding hair lines.
The other two men who've been named are James Griffin, a current Durham Police Department officer who's black, and James Kennedy, a white former officer who left the department late in 2005. Also potentially involved is another former officer -- a recent departure, perhaps the honoree at a going-away party that prompted officers to gather at Blinco's -- who hasn't been publicly identified.
Thomas has declined to discuss the particulars of the case with The Herald-Sun, and in brief interviews with the paper hasn't offered any recollections of what happened or descriptions of his alleged assailants. But when asked about last month's arrests of Lee and Tanner, he did tell the paper he didn't think police had "the right guys."
When asked whether Gottlieb was the man who initially confronted the cook, Baker said, "I'm not aware that that's the case, but I'm sure that that'll be part of the internal affairs investigation."
Gottlieb and Kennedy are known to have consulted attorneys at a Durham law firm, Clayton Myrick McClanahan & Coulter. Officers involved in internal affairs investigation have the right to counsel, as do criminal defendants.
A lawyer at the firm, Allen Mason, declined to comment Thursday when asked who the unidentified former officer was, and when asked whether Gottlieb was the man who initially confronted the cook. The Herald-Sun could not reach the firm's senior partner, Jerry Clayton, who is not related to Officer Richard Clayton, for comment Thursday.
Mason did say that Lee -- who has also consulted lawyers at Clayton Myrick -- has since retained a Wake County lawyer. Lee and Tanner are due in court there Sept. 25.
URL for this article: http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-765891.html
http://www.newsobserver.com/1185/story/481323.html
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