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#1161193 - 03/18/10 06:41 PM
Another Bully With A Badge
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wanabe
Member
Registered: 03/29/07
Posts: 225
Loc: NY
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He'll probably plead it down, serve no jail time and be forced to retire.
Auburn cop suspended after arrest on bribery, misconduct and 12 other charges
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/03/auburn_cop_suspended_after_arr.html
Brian K. Hutchings, 48, of 72 Metcalf Drive, is accused of abusing his power to gain benefits for himself and an unidentified business owner. Hutchings is also charged with trying to coerce the business into forgiving money he owed them by intimidating the business and issuing false traffic tickets against its truck drivers.
On one occasion in May 2008, Hutchings sprayed pepper gas into a driver’s face and whacked him behind the knees with his police baton, law enforcement officials said at a news conference today.
“It’s always a sad day when a police officer is arrested … in the line of duty. We’re holding this news conference to reassure the public that no one is above the law and that the police will police its own and that they take this seriously,’’ Cayuga County District Attorney Jon Budelmann said.
The prosecutor said it took nearly two years to bring charges against Hutchings because witnesses were afraid of him because he is a police officer.
A grand jury indicted Hutchings on Wednesday and he was arraigned on the 14 charges at 8 p.m., according to Budelmann. The media were not notified. Hutchings was released on his recognizance by County Judge Thomas Leone
Hutchings faces up to seven years in prison on the most serious of the five felony charges in the indictment -- receiving a bribe in the third degree, Budelmann said. Hutchings was also indicted on felony charges of receiving reward for official misconduct and three counts of second-degree coercion.
The bribery charge alleges that Hutchings accepted business services at his residence in exchange for police favors. He told the business he would not ticket their commercial vehicles and also told them where and when the state Department of Transportation was conducting highway inspections, according to the indictment.
The grand jury also accused Hutchings of using abusive police tactics to avoid repaying an unspecified amount of money he owed the business. He is charged with several counts of filing false traffic charges. Those tickets were eventually dismissed, according to Budelmann.
Police Chief Gary Giannotta said the investigation and arrest of Hutchings took a toll on his department.
“We all get a black eye because of this. It’s unfortunate because … it was just one officer,’’ Police Chief Gary Giannotta said.
The Post-Standard tried to contact Hutchings on a phone number listed on his voter registration record. A recording said the number was no longer in service. Auburn lawyer Samuel Giacona, who is defending Hutchings, was unavailable.
Hutchings, whose salary is $56,141, was suspended without pay for 30 days. Under civil service law, Hutchings’ pay must be reinstated after the 30-day suspension, Giannotta said.
The indictment does not include any charges related to the $30,000 to $70,000 that was reported missing from the Auburn Police Benevolent Association. Budelmann declined to comment as to whether Hutchings was questioned or will be questioned regarding the disappearance of the money. Hutchings was treasurer of the social organization before stepping down from the position last fall.
“I can’t comment on that because it’s an ongoing investigation,’’ Budelmann said.
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#1183060 - 05/18/10 11:18 AM
Ex-Auburn Officer Charged Again
[Re: queenbee]
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newsman38
Senior Member
Registered: 03/21/01
Posts: 3756
Loc: Fourth Estate
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Former APD officer charged with stealing money from Police Benevolent Association
AUBURN -- A former Auburn police officer was escorted by the state police out of Cayuga County Court Tuesday after he pleaded not guilty to stealing money from the department's Police Benevolent Association and receiving bribes in exchange for work and materials for his home.
According to court documents, Brian Hutchings, a former patrol officer for the Auburn Police Department, is accused of stealing more than $3,000 while working as a treasurer for the PBA. The thefts allegedly occurred between 2001 and 2008.
The PBA is a separate entity from the police union, which was not involved in the thefts.
Hutchings, 48, of 72 Metcalf Drive, is also accused of telling local businesses where state Department of Transportation checkpoints were so those businesses could either avoid the stops if their trucks would not pass inspection, or intentionally go to the stops in order to bolster their ratings in order to get DOT permits.
At the time those incidents occurred, Hutchings was a commercial vehicle enforcement officer for the police department.
Hutchings was fired from his job on April 15 due to previous bribery and coercion charges filed against him for similar actions.
In the sealed indictments released Tuesday, Hutchings is charged with third-degree receiving a bribe, second-degree receiving an award for official misconduct and nine counts of official misconduct. Hutchings is also charged with first-degree scheme to defraud, third-degree grand larceny, three counts of fourth-degree grand larceny and five counts of petit larceny.
Hutchings remains free on his own recognizance and was escorted to the state police barracks in Aurelius to be processed on the new charges.
Citizen staff report | Posted: Tuesday, May 18, 2010 10:19 am
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#1242935 - 12/30/10 09:40 AM
Re: Ex-Auburn Officer Charged Again
[Re: Gio]
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newsman38
Senior Member
Registered: 03/21/01
Posts: 3756
Loc: Fourth Estate
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Trial of former Auburn police officer set for next week postponed until February
The trial of former Auburn police officer Brian K. Hutchings, who is charged with bribery and abusing his position for personal gain, has been postponed to Feb. 14.
Hutchings, 49, of 72 Metcalf Drive, was indicted on 14 charges, including five felonies, in March. The most serious of the alleged crimes is receiving a bribe in the third degree, a felony that could put Hutchings behind bars for up to seven years.
The trial was to start next Thursday (Jan. 6) in Cayuga County Court but was postponed to its new date because of a scheduling conflict with defense lawyer Emil Rossi, said District Attorney Jon Budelmann.
Hutchings, who was a police officer for 19 years, is accused of accepting business services at his residence in exchange for police favors.
He told the unidentified business that he would not ticket its commercial vehicles and also told them when and where the state Department of Transportation was conducting commercial vehicle inspections, according to the indictment.
In addition, Hutchings is accused of using abusive police tactics to avoid repaying an unspecified amount of money he owed to the business. According to the charges, Hutchings wrote several false traffic tickets against the business and roughed up a truck driver in 2008.
Hutchings will be tried separately on charges filed in May that allege he stole more than $3,000 from the police department’s Police Benevolent Association while he was treasurer of the organization from 2001 to 2008, Budelmann said.
Hutchings was indicted on 10 charges related to the missing PBA money. He faces an additional seven years in prison if he is convicted of felony third-degree grand larceny, the most serious of the alleged crimes.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010, 6:06 PM
Scott Rapp / The Post-Standard
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#1257788 - 03/01/11 10:16 PM
Bad Cop Guilty: Jury
[Re: netgear]
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newsman38
Senior Member
Registered: 03/21/01
Posts: 3756
Loc: Fourth Estate
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Former APD officer Hutchings found guilty on all counts
AUBURN -- A former Auburn police officer could face up to seven years in prison after a Cayuga County jury found him guilty of accepting bribes in exchange for releasing confidential police information.
A jury of seven women and five men deliberated for nearly five hours Tuesday before returning a guilty verdict on five felonies, 23 misdemeanors and one violation.
The jury found that Hutchings received free or reduced prices for work done on his 72 Metcalf Drive home in Auburn in exchange for disclosing the location of state Department of Transportation commercial truck stops to two local contractors from Upstate Paving and Vitale Construction.
The jury also found that Hutchings threatened, pepper sprayed and struck Rizzo Construction driver Brian Walsh with a police baton after the driver's company refused to dismiss an $1,800 bill for work done on Hutchings' driveway.
Rizzo Construction is a sister company of Upstate Paving.
Hutchings charged Walsh with several misdemeanors and traffic violations as a result of the May 14, 2008, incident, but also asked for felony charges too, which could have sent Walsh to prison.
All of Walsh's charges were eventually dismissed after the state police finished their investigation into Hutchings.
"Most seriously, (Hutchings) put someone in danger of prison for his own ends," District Attorney Jon Budelmann said after the verdict was read. "Fortunately the jury saw that."
Budelmann said Hutchings faces up to seven years in prison if he receives the maximum sentence on the top felony counts if all the charges are run concurrently, but added he has not looked into the possibility of asking for consecutive sentences yet.
Nate Robson The Citizen AuburnPub.com | Posted: Tuesday, March 1, 2011 6:20 pm
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#1258201 - 03/03/11 05:55 PM
Re: Bad Cop Guilty: Jury
[Re: newsman38]
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Armoredslayer
Junior Member
Registered: 03/03/11
Posts: 1
Loc: New york
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I'm happy to see that the general public in Cayuga county are just as ignorant as those in Seneca County..but Seneca County's public and officials have you guys beat in both corrupt and ignorant. I've worked the court system and as a public servant for 20+ years, anyone with a ounce of intelligence knows that you could have the perfect case, perfect defense and still lose if corruption has any involvement in the case, and when you toss in the mix a group of people(jury) that does not understand the law, terms that go with such, cop haters it makes for a terrible mix. Most often do jurors not make the step and ask questions when they don't understand and rely on tv justice. Any of you backwoods people ever think Brian was innocent? Chance even but fel victim to a very messed up justice system, it happens to many of accused in this world.
I feel this guy was railroaded and hope he appeals and wins. What he's facing is not justified, having a judge announce you should have taken the plea I'll make sure you get the max now if you lose! Insane period, that alone proves this case was dirt from the start and he had no chance.
Maybe some of you jumping on the bandwagon and nuthunging cop haters should look at your own lives.
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#1258603 - 03/05/11 04:48 PM
Re: Bad Cop Guilty: Jury
[Re: reilley]
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tomwaits
Member
Registered: 09/07/08
Posts: 360
Loc: BetweenMud&FlintCreek
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Cayuga County jury found him guilty of accepting bribes in exchange for releasing confidential police information.
But i guess he was a real nice man .
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#1258739 - 03/06/11 10:42 AM
Re: Bad Cop Guilty: Jury
[Re: tomwaits]
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newsman38
Senior Member
Registered: 03/21/01
Posts: 3756
Loc: Fourth Estate
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DA says prison 'appropriate' for former Auburn cop found guilty of taking bribes and misconduct
Former Auburn police officer Brian K. Hutchings, now a convicted felon, faces a much lengthier prison sentence than what was initially reported.
Hutchings, 49, of 72 Metcalf Drive, could be imprisoned up to six to 18 years after he was convicted on 29 bribery- and misconduct-related charges last week, Cayuga County District Attorney Jon Budelmann said.
The prosecutor said he had yet to decide on what his sentence recommendation would be but said some prison time would be appropriate. Hutchings, who is being held in county jail, is to be sentenced on May 3.
“I’m clearly thinking some amount of prison is appropriate given that he was going to expose this victim to prison to cover up his own misdoings,’’ Budelmann said.
“His position all along was he didn’t do anything wrong. It’s hard to argue for leniency given that,’’ he added.
Emil Rossi, who defended Hutchings during his trial, declined to comment for this story.
Sunday, March 06, 2011, 9:00 AM
Scott Rapp / The Post-Standard
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