Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, December 2, 1993                   TAG: 9312020154
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

OFFICER ACQUITTED OF ASSAULT

Judge Philip Trompeter, who heard the case in Roanoke Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, convicted the teen-ager of cursing Officer A.P. Forbes and of attempting to impede police.

The charges stemmed from an incident the night of Nov. 3, when the 17-year-old was taken into custody on a curfew violation after an adult with whom he was riding was arrested.

Bill Cleaveland, a Roanoke attorney who represented Forbes, said the 17-year-old cursed Forbes repeatedly and "was just running his mouth for a solid hour."

Forbes finally grabbed the handcuffed youth by the lapels and pushed him into a sitting position at the Police Department. "He had to use some physical force to put him under control," Cleaveland said.

Robert Szathmary, who represented the 17-year-old, said his client remembered the incident differently.

The teen-ager freely admitted that he cursed Forbes. He said the officer "lost it" after a particularly degrading comment and began to choke him.

However, an independent witness testified that he did not see Forbes choke the youth.

Cleaveland said he was not aware of any internal police investigation of the incident.

The teen-ager, who is not being identified because of his age, will be sentenced later.