Police Officer Is Charged in Death of Immigrant

The New York Times ^ | 09/06/2007 | Lisa W. Foderaro

[abt87]

MOUNT KISCO, N.Y., Sept. 6 — A village police officer was charged on Thursday with second-degree manslaughter in the death of a homeless Guatemalan immigrant four months ago that had shaken this community of 10,000 people.

The officer, George Bubaris, also faces one count of unlawful imprisonment and two counts of official misconduct, according to an indictment unsealed in Westchester County.

In a news conference on Thursday, the Westchester district attorney, Janet DiFiore, refused to detail what investigators believe transpired between Officer Bubaris and Mr. Perez, other than to say that Officer Bubaris, “while on duty as a Mount Kisco police officer, restrained Rene Perez and exposed him to a risk of serious physical injury,” recklessly causing his death.

[abt87]

Personally, I think it looks like Bubaris did it, but I wasn’t there, and I would like to hear more evidence. It certainly was enough for a grand jury to hand down an indictment, and the DA isn’t a flaming lib (even though she’s pro-abortion and not in the Scalia mold of enforcing the law.)

[SatinDoll]

I’ve heard it said that a grand jury can convict a ham sandwich, the level for evidence is so low.

[abt87]

And this is why we have trials.

[thefactor]

close. the saying is that a grand jury will INDICT a ham sandwich. it is not hard to have charges brought. convicting is tough. but lawyers use indictments to force a plea bargain. but i don’t think so in this case.

[abt87]

I agree. And DiFiore is not like Nifong. I don’t think that she has a political agenda. So far, she’s managed to avoid the corruption and controversy that dogged Pirro. While DiFiore barely got elected in 2005 (remember, Westchester is fairly blue) she doesn’t seem in any trouble when she’s up in 2009.

[thefactor]

either they have real evidence, or this indictment is a face-saving technique and he’ll plead down. interesting...

[eldoradude]

When I lived in London in 1974, the son of a family friend slipped while climbing over a fence and fell abdomen first on a rock. He tore the mesentery and almost died. If his father hadn't taken him to the doctor 'just to be safe' he would have died.

It is possible for someone to have caused similar injuries by accident. I'm not sure that happened in this case though. Virtually impossible to get a straight story out of the media these days.

[abt87]

He’s being charged for manslaughter, which is when death is caused indirectly by the reckless actions of someone. I doubt that Bubaris had the intent to kill Perez, and the autopsy shows that the blow to his gut would ordinarily have not been enough to kill him. However, his alcohol-weakened immune system made even that blow(s) strong enough to kill him. He was also complaining about his stomach when he made the 911 call hours before.

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks for the background. I appreciate it. I would hope that wouldn’t imply she’s a blame the officer first person.

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks. I appreciate the report.

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks. Those seem to be some good the point comments. Very good.

[VR-21]

There are people much Much MUCH MUCH higher up who really deserve to be charged.

[jhroberts]

So what’s the problem? One less illegal alien bum in the world! One down, twenty million to go! As they used to say in the classic tv show Rawhide - Head em up and move em out!

[jhroberts]

From the article - “Perez, a Guatemalan immigrant, was a known alcoholic who had hundreds of run-ins with Mount Kisco and Bedford police. He had been arrested dozens of times in the village alone.” The police officer, if he did it, should be given a medal and a promotion. Is the term “Guatemalan immigrant” liberal code word for “illegal alien”?

[13Sisters76]

This is not clear- what did the PO do? Was he even there when the illegal died? If cops were arrested every time a homeless, drunk and stupid illegal died, we wouldn’t HAVE any police departments left. There aren’t enough cops for all the drunken illegals on ANY given night.

[panthermom]

The article does not tell you why the guy called 911. Is it possible that someone else beat him and the cop is being charged for not getting him medical treatment which resulted in his death? Maybe he was supposed to transport him to the hospital but instead dropped him off? The article is pretty vague considering they are charging a cop with manslaughter. Perhaps if all the facts were known it would not be all that sympathetic to the illegal.

[RDTF]

from article:

"The death of Mr. Perez, who was here illegally, upset the already fragile relations in this wealthy village in northern Westchester County, where professionals and owners of rambling horse farms coexist with day laborers and struggling families. About one-quarter of residents are Hispanic, most of them immigrants from Guatemala. The death of Mr. Perez followed at least two other suspicious and unsolved homicides of illegal immigrants in recent years. Santos Bojorguez, 33, was found strangled here in 2003, and Robert Martinez, 42, was killed the same way in 2004. "

[abt87]

Mount Kisco isn’t “wealthy” in the way Bedford and Chappaqua are. While Kisco has a number of fairly affluent areas (although not as wealthy as Chappaqua or Bedford), the other half of the town is filled with housing projects (which get periodic drug raids) and dilapidated slums that pack unsafe numbers of illegals and/or their families into small spaces. Periodically ICE or local authorities have targeted an apartment or two, but the illegal problem persists because people STILL hire them in the area. It’s still not as bad as Peekskill or Brewster (or Port Chester or Mamaroneck) but I would say the town ranks high as being a hotspot for illegals.

As a former resident, I can attest to the problem with illegals. Occasionally I would find their garbage littering the woods near my house (many of them are homeless and take the liberty of sleeping in Leonard Park and in small wooded areas on private property!)

[gubamyster]

ping