Posted on 07/17/2013 2:00:56 PM PDT by Altariel
SAN MARCOS, Texas -- A police officer in San Marcos is in jail after arresting a pedestrian whom police say didn’t break the law.
Corporal James Angelo Palermo, 40, conducted a traffic stop on May 29 during his midnight shift patrol near 126 S. Guadalupe Street.
According to the arrest affidavit, Palermo stopped a Toyota Prius shortly after 1:00 a.m. for driving the wrong way on a one-way street and began questioning the driver.
A pedestrian walking by was called over by Palermo and asked why she was walking by his traffic stop. He then asked for the woman’s identification.
When the woman insisted she had done nothing wrong Palermo slammed her against the Prius; then onto the concrete driveway near his patrol car.
Palermo arrested the woman for obstruction. After his supervisors reviewed his report and talked to the pedestrian she was released.
Upon further investigation supervisors found the woman had lost two teeth and suffered a concussion during the illegal arrest.
Palermo was arrested for aggravated assault by a public servant. The woman is currently being treated for her injuries and could require further surgery, according to the affidavit.
The department issued the following statement:
"Cpl. James Palermo of the San Marcos Police Department was arrested Tuesday, July 16 and charged with aggravated assault with serious bodily injury by a public servant, a first degree felony, in connection with an incident that occurred May 29 in which a woman suffered serious injuries during an arrest. Police Chief Howard Williams ordered an internal investigation on May 30.
Employed by the SMPD since 2000, Palermo has been on paid administrative leave since June 10 while the San Marcos Police Department conducted the investigation. The arrest was reviewed by the Hays County District Attorney’s Office and by a prosecutor with the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
Palermo was booked in the Hays County Law Enforcement Center Tuesday afternoon and awaits magistration."
Well, it looks like some are even willing to defend a government employee assaulting an innocent, law-abiding woman.
Do you suppose they’ll keep him on “paid administrative leave” until his actual trial?
Wonder if they’d even defend an officer pointing a gun at a gas station attendant?
http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_23674364/off-duty-tucson-cop-accused-pointing-gun-at
(AP article)
Her bio:
http://lexyalphaintro.wordpress.com/about/
College kid, committed Christian. Police and public schools seem to enjoy imprisoning children for any perceived slight.
Being a cop doesn’t even rank in the top 10 (ten) most dangerous jobs in America. So whats your problem?
What should happen is
The department mails a written apology, admitting that the cop’s actions were criminal. The woman sues the department for 52 million. She gets to visit the cop in jail and kick him in the ba11$ twice. Then spit in his face.
Why are you so quick to side with the cop here. His own supervisors released the woman immediately upon finding out what happened, his own department investigated his conduct, and his own department arrested him for aggravated assault.
Really? That's your defense of the cop's actions?
Many years ago, my car's battery died during a snowstorm. I was parked in a big-city parking lot at the time. So I walked up to a cop to ask him where the nearest garage was.
Under your theory, I'm lucky I didn't get a beating for approaching the officer.
Yep...walk by a traffic stop. IT makes you want to sneak up on the cop with a concealed weapon and assault his fist with your face. Good thing she wasn’t walking her poodle. She clearly weighs about 120 pounds to the porkers 180-200. Sorry, I don’t accept knocking her teeth out as an excuse for this one...
I used to know a retired Georgia Highway Patrolman. I once asked him about exactly that kind of thing. He said he didn’t believe in acting that way but some would club you pretty fast if you didn’t say yes sir and no sir.
I remember one night we were returning from Gainesville to Troy and traveling in state cars. One of the drivers made a pretty obvious violation and a Georgia Highway Patrolman stopped him. Our head coach was riding in another car and he got out and asked the cop what was going on.
The cop glanced at him and said “get back in that car”. Our coach who often had a big mouth, said yessir and got back in the car. We all laughed and the patrolman did not give us a ticket, probably because it was a state car.
I’m not siding with anyone..read my post. I asked why are most here already blaming the cop. we don’t know what the circumstances were..
Hey, you don’t know what kind of gas station that was. That attendant could have had a gun in the cash register. You have no idea how dangerous it is for drunk cops to shop at 3 AM.
(ducking and running)
The cop is blamed because he committed physical assault. The woman did not commit assault.
First story was in San Marcos, on a part of the street that is just outside the campus (I went to university there). Well lit, well traveled, students constantly walking to/from campus to get a Manske roll or something.
SPD officer back then were pretty good guys, mostly students themselves.
Now this story from Temple PD. Wow. I used to be a police officer there and that incident is weird and not at all like when I was there. We were too busy with real troublemakers and didn’t get involved in that sort of stuff. Has the chief lost control?
Times are changing. . .
Those gas station attendants; making drunk officers act out their “I’m robbing a gas station” fantasies.
Shame on them.
</ sarc >
With a multi-million $$ settlement in few months I would smile too.
She could then afford the best dentist in Texas.
The city should pay for her injuries, and the officer should have to pay a very tidy sum, also.
Then they should have a very formal ceremony in a controlled environment in which she (or a member of her family) punches out the tooth of his child.
He would ABSOLUTELY understand that, and learn from it.
There was a difference in power between the two, and he abused that.
Same thing.
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