YPD officers disciplined for attempted drunk driving cover-up
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Discipline is being handed down to four Youngstown police officers for helping a relative of one of those officers avoid a drunk driving charge.
Police Lt. John Kelty has been permanently demoted to patrolman and suspended for five days without pay after an internal affairs investigation turned up evidence of dishonesty, conduct unbecoming an officer, neglect of duty, and violating standards for police supervisors.
According to the investigation, Kelty, as well as officers Thomas Wisener and Assad Chaibi all played a part in eliminating an OVI charge filed against the brother of Lt. Gerard Slattery.
The investigation stems from a November traffic stop involving 54-year-old Joseph Slattery.
Officer Wisener admitted that he did not formally charge Slattery with OVI, even after issuing him a citation for the violation. Wisener claims that he was ordered by Lt. Kelty to only charge Slattery with a red light and open container violation.
Investigators say that Wisener also wrote an erroneous police report about the incident.
As a result, Wisener is being suspended for 15 days without pay for dishonesty, conduct unbecoming an officer, failure of good behavior, filing false reports, and failing to properly process property and evidence.
Officer Assad Chaibi told investigators that he threw the paperwork associated with the arrest into a bin containing documents headed for the shredder. Chaibi says that Lt. Kelty failed to answer him when he asked Kelty what he wanted him to do with the documents. The paperwork was not shredded, but recovered by Internal Affairs.
Officer Chaibi will lose four hours of accumulated time for failing to properly process property and evidence in the case.
The investigation found that when Lt. Slattery received a call from his brother about the OVI arrest, the Lieutenant told internal affairs investigators he first called the police chief and was told to calm down and not to do anything. Slattery then says he called the officer in charge at the time, Lt. Kelty to complain about officer Wisener filing the charges.
Lt. Slattery later picked up his brother's vehicle from the tow yard and took it home without paying the towed car fee.
Lt. Slattery is being suspended for ten days without pay for conduct unbecoming an officer, failure of good behavior, abuse of position, and violating standards set for supervisors.
The five day suspension for Kelty begins on December 29. His reduction in rank to patrolman begins on January 3.
Internal Affairs Investigator, Lt. Brian Butler has recommended some changes as a result of his investigation, including charging Joseph Slattery with OVI and presenting documents recovered in the case to the prosecutor.
Lt. Butler also recommends that Lt. Slattery should be ordered to pay Shultz towing $131.65 cents to cover the cost of the towing fee which had been waived for him.
Other recommendations are designed to prevent a similar incident from occurring again, including placement of a camera to document blood alcohol content testing at the police station.
Butler also says that towing companies need to be notified that any vehicle released must be requested in writing by an authorized representative from the police department.
Lt. Butler also recommends that the chief should order that all blood alcohol content printouts should be kept and documented by the administering officer, whether or not charges are filed.
