Yuba County SWAT team's alleged hazing probed/Grand jury reportedly will interview deputies

SFG ^ | March 5, /04 | Jaxon Van Derbeken

[farmfriend]

Yuba County SWAT team's alleged hazing probed

Grand jury reportedly will interview deputies

The Santa Clara County grand jury is investigating an incident in which members of a Yuba County sheriff's SWAT team allegedly tried to sexually assault one of their colleagues in a Morgan Hill motel room as part of a hazing ritual, sources said Thursday.

The alleged victim, Deputy Chad Ellis, filed a claim against Yuba County this week alleging that a lieutenant, three sergeants and three deputies were involved in the incident Sept. 24, 2003.

The Yuba County contingent was in Morgan Hill for the "Best in the West" SWAT team invitational competition. Ellis, who has been on the department two years, said his colleagues surprised him in his motel room, bound him with duct tape, punched and kicked him and pulled down his pants to sexually assault him with a pole.

The other SWAT team members stopped only when he suffered a torn muscle in his shoulder and screamed, said the claim, filed by attorney Joe O'Sullivan.

Sources said several Yuba County sheriff's deputies, including Ellis, have been called to testify before the Santa Clara County grand jury.

Karyn Sinunu, an assistant district attorney in Santa Clara County, said prosecutors had been investigating the case for some time, but she would not confirm that it was before a grand jury.

"We're taking this claim seriously, and we are fully investigating it,'' she said.

The attorney for the SWAT officers, Steve Welty, said Ellis' allegation that his colleagues had tried to sexually assault him was untrue.'

The incident was not a hazing, Welty said. "All that it was was a wrestling match -- it was horseplay. Unfortunately, Mr. Ellis injured his shoulder. It wasn't done intentionally.''

Ellis alleges in the claim that the other SWAT team members told him he was going to be sexually assaulted and showed him photos of an earlier such hazing. He took his concerns to Yuba County sheriff's Lt. Sean Smith, who told him not to worry, the claim says.

"Lt. Smith laughed and said he would protect Deputy Ellis," the claim against Yuba County says. "Lt. Smith was at the motel on Sept. 24, 2003, and allowed the attempted sexual assault to proceed.''

O'Sullivan said only the injury Ellis suffered and his subsequent screams stopped the plan from being carried out.

"They were pulling his pants down, they had already duct taped his ankles, they had deputies on both sides, they were attempting to put him in arm locks and he was biting them,'' O'Sullivan said. "That's when they pulled his arm out of its socket.

O'Sullivan said that none of the sheriff's deputies or supervisors involved has been disciplined. Ellis is on administrative leave.

"My guy should be back at work," O'Sullivan said. "They should all be suspended or terminated.

"There was a culture there that was bizarre,'' O'Sullivan said. "It would be shocking if it was anyone. It's particular shocking when it's police officers."

Yuba County Sheriff Karen Black said Thursday that she was awaiting any decision by Santa Clara County authorities before she acts.

She said she had brought in an outside investigator to look into the case. That probe has been completed, she said, declining to elaborate on the findings.

"None of the people thus far have been put on administrative leave,'' Black said. "I believe that no member of the public, no member of this department is in any danger, from any of these people. If I did, I can assure everyone that I would have relieved active duty.''

Black said she had recruited Ellis herself, and called the entire incident "extremely unfortunate. ... I feel dreadful about what has happened to him. This is just dreadful. It's only word I can think of.''

[farmfriend]

Sacramento Area ping list.

[joesnuffy]

full article

The Santa Clara County grand jury is investigating an incident in which members of a Yuba County sheriff's SWAT team allegedly tried to sexually assault one of their colleagues in a Morgan Hill motel room as part of a hazing ritual, sources said Thursday.

The alleged victim, Deputy Chad Ellis, filed a claim against Yuba County this week alleging that a lieutenant, three sergeants and three deputies were involved in the incident Sept. 24, 2003.

The Yuba County contingent was in Morgan Hill for the "Best in the West" SWAT team invitational competition. Ellis, who has been on the department two years, said his colleagues surprised him in his motel room, bound him with duct tape, punched and kicked him and pulled down his pants to sexually assault him with a pole.

The other SWAT team members stopped only when he suffered a torn muscle in his shoulder and screamed, said the claim, filed by attorney Joe O'Sullivan.

Sources said several Yuba County sheriff's deputies, including Ellis, have been called to testify before the Santa Clara County grand jury.

Karyn Sinunu, an assistant district attorney in Santa Clara County, said prosecutors had been investigating the case for some time, but she would not confirm that it was before a grand jury.

"We're taking this claim seriously, and we are fully investigating it,'' she said.

The attorney for the SWAT officers, Steve Welty, said Ellis' allegation that his colleagues had tried to sexually assault him was untrue.'

[eno_]

SWAT teams should be disbanded as an illegal militarization of policing.

[Clinging Bitterly]

Boys will be boys (I guess).

[Gigantor]

The police were just doing their job, following standard procedure. There is no record of any policeman ever violating a citizen (or S.W.A.T. teamate).












/sarcasm

[budwiesest]

Oh great, now they're probing a probing.

When much younger and dealing with a few of the area's 'finest', I can recall thinking to myself, "Who put a stick up this guy's b*tt".

[coloradan]

In case you were wondering what sorts of people like to be on SWAT teams.

[Travis McGee]

This sort of crap NEVER happened in SEAL Team, and I dare say SEALs are an even rougher crowd. Why didn't it happen? Because everybody needs to sleep sometime. Any SEAL I ever met would kill you for doing this. You'd wake up with a knive slitting your throat. And I'm not joking. Every SEAL knew this, from the git go. Do this kind of crap, you'll die. D-I-E, dead. Sure there was "hazing" especially around birthdays, but it was just tackling and getting tossed into a bay, ocean, dip tank etc. And while being tackled, you were totally permitted to swing with your fists and kick as hard as you could. No one was expected to just "take it." If you wanted to throw somebody into the diptank for their birthday, you had to be ready to take a black eye or a kick to the nuts before your "victim" was subdued by 9 or 10 buddies. And if you were getting married....it could get really rough and crude.

But actual sexual assault? Not in a million years. You'd be killed. Everybody understood this.

[Squantos]

I've actually seen some great SWAT troopers but most sadly are loser wannabes who couldn't and wouldn't hack it on the street or military. Appointed to greatness by kissing ass or in this case going a bit further. These guys shoving a stick up a new recruits butt are clearly turdburglers in training........At least they didn't make him eat team food !

Stay Safe !

[Criminal Number 18F]

But actual sexual assault? Not in a million years. You'd be killed.

Geez, Trav, sounds like you guys thought about it at least...! I have to say, in my crowd, I just don't think this would occur to anybody. The worst I heard of happening was guys refusing to talk to a newbie till he'd proven himself, and I only heard of one team doing this, and I thought it was pretty weird.

Now... don't get me wrong, bud. I'm not bagging on my web-flippered friends. (I have to say that. I live an easy walk from the water. And who knows what dwells in the deep?)

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[harpseal]

Roger on the actual sexual assault. You threw somebody in the dip tank or off the rocks at the beach well that was fine and you knew you would be going in yourself when your turn came up. BUD/S meant a time when one was going to be not getting much sleep and the harassment was complete especially during Hell Week but in the end there was/is never any sexual assault becuase you are correct such would be dealt with by death and only if one were lucky would that death be as simple as merely having one's throat cut while asleep.

[harpseal]

Actually I can not say anybody thought about it but a permanent injury or anything really serious from the "hazing" getting out of hand would have been dealt with by very very serious means.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

This sort of thing is total crap. I mean beating a guy's arm 'til it's bruised good or tossing them in a body of water or even holding them down and shaving an eyebrow off is one thing. If you get near a person's groin and they dont' have clothes cover said groin, you've crossed the line.

We even used a wooden mallet to hammer a guy's crotch a few times which is a little much for most people but the clothes stayed on.

On my first ship we had a case very much like this.

The Machinist Mates and Boiler Techs used to take grease guns and hold down the new guys and squirt grease into their drawers and drop metal shavings in there to make it even harder to clean out.

While not my idea of fun it was relatively harmless until some freak show decided to stick the grease gun hose into a guys ass and then start the grease flow.

Now you not only have an assault but Hazing was no longer allowed anywhere or anytime. Kinda of ruined the fun for everyone.

Any Navy guys can attest to the precarious situation I was in as a Sonar Tech fresh from boot camp (5'11" and 145lbs) living in the engineering depts. berthing space.

I got a lot of threats for greasing and salt water showers, etc., but nobody ever tried anything.

The ringleader down there was a big dude from the Bronx and for some reason he liked that I just told them all that they could do whatever they wanted and I couldn't stop them but I would exact a price and it wouldn't be putting them on report.

There's a lot to be said for not whining and just standing up for yourself. You get more respect that way.

A little hazing, while not going overboard, is actually good for bonding the group together.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

The good news is they can get a xfer to SF SWAT, get married and the move to Seattle where the Mayor will recognize their diversity.

[Travis McGee]

I heard of the greasegun, but if you put anything near a seal's rectum, you had better kill him, or leave the country and hide asap.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Yeah, my attitude was somebody was going to die during this endeavor, me or the greaser and I guess that came across in verbal and non verbal ways so I never faced a greasing in the 0 months or so I lived with the monkey mates as a boot camp twidget.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

0 months=10 months. That Julian calender always gives me trouble.

[Mr. Jeeves]

"All that it was was a wrestling match -- it was horseplay."

Saddam should have tried that line when they accused him of gassing the Kurds.