ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, October 24, 1996 TAG: 9610240048
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-6 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: Associated Press
OF VIRGINIA'S 1,800 STATE TRO0PERS 12 have been brought up on charges this year.
State Police Superintendent M. Wayne Huggins said he's losing sleep over an unusually large number of his officers who have run afoul of the law this year.
A dozen state troopers and special agents have been charged with crimes since Jan. 1. The charges range from public drunkenness to stealing, and although at least half the cases appear unfounded, Huggins said he's still concerned.
``I don't know of anything that I'm personally involved with that I spend more time thinking about and talking about with other members of our staff than the issues of honesty and integrity,'' Huggins said last week.
``Maybe I'm in the wrong business to be the way I am, but I lose tons of sleep over these things. I do think that the number 12 is a high number and, looking back, I would tend to think it's somewhat of an aberration.''
The department has 1,800 officers statewide.
At the request of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, state police provided the names of officers charged with crimes this year, the types of offenses involved and the status of each case.
Among the cases:
* In late May, Trooper James A. Richmond, 30, was convicted of hit-and-run driving stemming from an incident in which he struck a truck stopped at a Richmond area traffic light and then drove off without stopping.
Richmond, who had been a trooper for 11/2 years, was driving his patrol car on personal business when the accident occurred, a violation of department policy.
* In September, Trooper Mark E. Brooks, 43, pleaded guilty to stealing a purse from a woman's car outside a Hanover County tavern. Authorities said Brooks, a 14-year veteran took the purse in an attempt to verify the identity and address of an exotic dancer with whom he wanted to have a relationship.
* Special Agent Annette Linda Roberts, 37, a 13-year veteran, was indicted in Henrico County in May on charges of stealing more than $2,900 in state funds. She is accused of working a part-time job at a grocery store while she said she was working as a drug investigator. Her trial is set for Thursday.
* Trooper P.O. Butler of Chesapeake was charged with assault and battery in Virginia Beach. Police said Butler's son-in-law filed charges against Butler and his daughter after Butler stepped between the couple during an argument. The charge against Butler is pending, but state authorities are convinced he's innocent.
* Trooper C.N. Turner of Culpeper was charged with assault and battery in a domestic case in Shenandoah County. The charge is pending.
Of the 12 cases, only one of the accused officers had less than five years of service, Huggins said. ``So you're looking at people who have been around for a while,'' he said.
He also said he has found no common denominator in the cases.
``If you had six incidents of the same thing happening, then I think we could probably say, `Yes, we're going to provide some special training in that area,''' Huggins said.
Huggins said his concern doesn't diminish if the trooper gets into trouble while off duty. ``Thomas Jefferson once said, `When you become a public servant, you become public property.' And we may not like that, but I think it's true.''
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