Posted on 12/08/2003 7:01:40 PM PST by Stew Padasso
State cop arrested in burglaries
By NICOLE WEISENSEE EGAN weisenn@phillynews.com
Pennsylvania State Trooper John Layne was a burglar with a mission, authorities say.
The on-duty trooper broke into five Chester County homes looking for drugs and was successful twice, taking off with prescription medication and, in one case, $160 in cash, court records show.
In his confession, Layne said he wanted the pain medication for himself but did not elaborate. He was charged with four counts of burglary, four of criminal trespass and one criminal attempt of burglary for crimes between Nov. 12 of this year and Wednesday. Officials are looking into whether he committed other unsolved burglaries in the area.
After a local cop alerted the state police to Layne's presence at a Nov. 20 burglary scene, the state police put him under surveillance. They caught him entering and exiting the home of a woman Wednesday afternoon while he was on duty. Layne, 31, was released on unsecured bail of $80,000, officials said.
A nine-year veteran of the force who lives in West Chester, Layne was suspended without pay with intent to dismiss, police said. He has worked in a staff support role at the Avondale barracks for the past year, said Trooper Leonard Becerra, a spokesman at the barracks. Prior to that he was on patrol for eight years, he said.
State Police Commissioner Jeffrey Miller applauded the troopers who caught one of their own.
"The arrest was a result of good police work by our personnel and a further example that we are dedicated to ensuring that we identify and arrest anyone who violates the law," Miller said.
Bruce Edwards, president of the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association, said he and other members "felt sick in the pit of their stomachs" when they heard about Layne's arrest.
"Ninety-nine percent of our members take a lot of pride in doing our job," he said yesterday. "The one thing we can be proud of is that the department acted swiftly and with a lot of skill in this investigation. It never makes you happy to have to arrest one of your own but, as you can see, our department has never shirked from that."
Last week, Miller released statistics showing that 107 troopers were charged with offenses ranging from disorderly conduct to aggravated assault from 1995 through Nov. 21, 2003. Fifty-nine of them are still on the job, including nine of the 34 who were convicted or pled guilty to misdemeanors or felonies and eight of the nine who pled guilty or were convicted of summary offenses.
Edwards said if Layne is convicted and tries to get his job back, he won't let it happen. "I have a grievance committee that has the right to reject grievances," he said. "It would deny his."
The department is already under scrutiny for the way it has handled sexual misconduct complaints against its members. Gov. Rendell hired Kroll Associates, an international security firm, to monitor the agency for the next year.
Layne's scam began unraveling on Nov. 20 after he ran into Police Sgt. Charles Wilmont, of West Fallowfield Township, Chester County. While Wilmont was talking to Layne, who was in a marked state police car, he got a burglary alarm call. Layne left without offering to help, court records show.
When Wilmont responded to the burglary call, he saw a boot print similar to the soles of boots worn by state cops on the front door, which had been kicked in. The next day, he contacted the Avondale barracks, where Layne was assigned.
MoodyBlu
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