THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 17, 1996 TAG: 9602170309
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Long : 103 lines
The City Council grilled Police Chief Ian M. Shipley Jr. for more than three hours Friday night, trying to determine whether anything improper had occurred in a department investigation that involved the son of a ranking officer charged with stealing from the vice mayor's home.
At the end, the council took no action, saying it had directed the city attorney to get more information first.
``Our city, our families, and our Police Department are all at stake here,'' said Mayor William E. Ward, as he closed the meeting. ``We are very concerned about this matter.''
In summary reports to the council delivered before the meeting, Shipley reportedly admitted there was a ``substandard investigation'' in both that case and another that involved the adult sons of prominent Chesapeake officials.
Five officers had been reprimanded for their roles in the investigations, but Shipley's reports on the matter discussed Friday night left many questions, according to a Chesapeake official.
The official saw the four reports given to council members. They included a report by Shipley on the matter to the city manager; the individual notices of charges against the five disciplined officers; the officers' responses, and a summary of the Police Department's internal investigation.
``There are a lot of holes here that need to be answered,'' the official said. ``To me, it doesn't do a whole lot.''
The emergency council session was called to examine questions over how police handled an investigation involving William Lawrence Spruill Jr., the 23-year-old son of Capt. William L. Spruill.
Capt. Spruill, a 25-year veteran of the force, serves as Chief Shipley's administrative aide. City officials confirmed Friday that Capt. Spruill received a written reprimand for his actions, but did not provide details of what he had done.
Capt. Spruill has declined to comment about the police investigation.
Spruill's son was arrested in November and charged with breaking and entering and grand larceny in the theft of a four-wheel-drive, all-terrain vehicle stolen from Vice Mayor Robert T. Nance's home in November 1994.
In his reports, Shipley said he received a call from Nance last August during which Nance said he was concerned that the investigation into the theft of his ATV was stalled.
Shipley wrote that he was not aware at the time that Nance, the council's public safety liaison to the Police Department, was the victim of any a crime.
Shipley also noted that Nance told him that he had been told by Virginia Beach officials that, because the son of a Chesapeake police officer was involved in his theft case, ``it was not going to move.''
Shipley reported that he then went to the commanding officer of the criminal investigation unit to get a report on the case and ``get it moving.''
At that same time, Shipley said, he discussed the case with the supervisor of internal affairs.
The internal investigation of the case was then opened, Shipley wrote. It concluded after two months and resulted in a 1,500-page report.
At the same time, Shipley said he contacted the FBI and asked them to ``see if any member of the Police Department was involved in any criminal wrongdoing.''
In early October last year, Shipley said officers from internal affairs briefed agents of the FBI about the case. Later, Shipley said, an FBI agent stated that he saw ``no indication of the jurisdiction for the FBI.''
Shipley said in the report that he tried to keep the criminal investigation separate from the internal investigation. He also told the council that he did not micro-manage the internal affairs investigation, although he admitted to being briefed ``quite often.''
The FBI has confirmed that the agency had opened an obstruction of justice investigation last October over statements made by a Chesapeake detective in one of the two theft cases in question, according to Bo McFarland, supervisory special agent for the FBI in Norfolk.
In that case, about $160,000 in motorcycles, ATVs and other merchandise was stolen from Givens Honda on Military Highway South in Chesapeake in October 1994. Both Chesapeake police and the FBI were brought into the case because it allegedly involved the interstate transfer of stolen property.
To avoid an appearance of conflict, Chesapeake Commonwealth's Attorney David L. Williams removed himself and his office from Spruill Jr.'s case in November.
Kenneth A. Phillips, an assistant commonwealth's attorney in Suffolk, is prosecuting the case, which is scheduled to go to trial in Chesapeake on Feb. 27.
Williams also removed himself from two other cases, both of which involved the sons of prominent Chesapeake citizens.
The November grand jury charged Alan Keith Butt, 27, of the 2500 block of Centerville Turnpike South, with buying, receiving and concealing stolen goods in connection with the purchase of an all-terrain vehicle allegedly taken from Givens Honda. He is the son of Chesapeake Councilman John W. Butt.
A later grand jury charged William Jeremy Brickhouse, 20, of the 700 block of Yorkshire Trail, with receiving stolen goods, also from Givens Honda. He is the son of Sheriff's Department Capt. William Brickhouse.
Phillips is also prosecuting these cases, but neither has a trial date. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Police chief Ian M. Shipley Jr., left, and Clarence Cuffee, acting
city manager , head for a closed meeting with council members
Friday.
by CNB