Howard Co. officer arrested for assaulting city officer
UPDATE, 2 PM: County police sent out a statement from Howard County chief William J. McMahon: "Lechter has been a probationary officer since August 2010. ... Lechter has been suspended pending an investigation, which includes immediate suspension of his police powers and no contact with the public. No other HCPD officers were involved in the incident."
"The actions described in these charges, if accurate, do not meet the expectations set for members of the Howard County Police Department. As Chief of Police, I have been briefed and ordered an internal investigation immediately. I have reached out to Commissioner Bealefeld to express my concern about Lechter's alleged involvement in this incident."
A Howard County police officer was arrested early this morning in Southeast Baltimore after police say he punched a female officer in the head then yelled, "I'm a cop!" as officers placed him in handcuffs.
According to court records, officers were attempting to disperse a crowd at Canton Square in the 2900 block of ODonnell St. at 2 a.m. when someone yelled "[Expletive] the police," who the city officer believed to be Casey Robert Lechter, an off-duty Howard County police officer. Another man, Kary Williams, said he was the person who made the statement, and the city officer told him to leave the area, according to records.
Williams refused, and the city officer told him he was under arrest, records show. While she was placing handcuffs on him, Lechter punched her in the head from behind and pushed her away, records show. Police records say a private citizen grabbed Lechter and pinned him against a parked vehicle as additional officers arrived at the scene to help.
Police say Lechter yelled, "I'm a cop" but continued to resist arrest. Williams, meanwhile, suffered a cut to his head and was bleeding heavily, "covering both police officers in his blood," officers wrote in court documents. Medics were called, and Willliams "continued to flail and spray his blood in the area," records show.
Electronic court records indicate neither Lechter nor Williams had not been charged as 2 p.m. Sunday, though the police report said both were taken to a hospital and would be charged after they were released.
According to the Howard County police web site, Lechter served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves and was deployed for a tour of duty in Afghanistan. His unit recovered thousands of pounds of heroin, and days later some of the unit's soldiers were injured or killed in a bombing.
Sunday morning's fight, which officials say happened outside Coburn's Tavern, was originally put out by the city firefighters union over Twitter as a stabbing, due to the large amount of blood from Williams. Police say no one was stabbed during the altercation.
Categories: Howard County, Southeast Baltimore
Comments
Poorly written article from the Sun, again.
Can't tell who's who in this incident.
Posted by: Chris | April 3, 2011 4:17 PM
Isn't this sad? No one can get along with anyone else, regardless of color. It's booze, over and over again. We are just lucky no one pulled out their guns this time. Weapons and booze just do not mix well in our uncivilized society, not even by the "civilized".
Posted by: Roscoe | April 3, 2011 4:18 PM
I am confused here. So the off duty Harford county cop attacked the jerk who was being arrested by the female Baltimore officer for screaming f the police?
Posted by: Scott | April 3, 2011 4:27 PM
Well, cops are in trouble a lot for beating people and all sorts of things and some sites say they are in on the type of bullying called mobbing and gangstalking.
Posted by: Mel | April 3, 2011 10:03 PM
So, the Lechter attacked the police officer because she was arresting someone else? Hmm.. doesn't add up.
Posted by: Sgt. Grumbles | April 3, 2011 11:34 PM
No...from what i understand the female officer told the idiot that was yelling F the police to leave..he said no she tried to arrest him and Lechter punched her in the head ....hence they both were arrested.
Posted by: Joe Doughnuts | April 4, 2011 8:32 AM
The truth is out there in witness accounts, video cam's, and phone cam's. They were just being idiots and some passerby attacked them creating the ensuing mess. Where did the head wound come from? Who caused that, and why wasn't he arrested? The truth will all come out in the end, and it may not be the howard county officers job on the line.
Posted by: Joe | April 4, 2011 8:52 AM
Reading btw the lines here... was this character Williams with Lechter? If not.. and he insulted a police.. and the city officer was attempting to arrest Williams was it Williams who began to resist, and Lechter came to her assistance, and an errant punch from Lecther, in a ruckus, hit an unintended target?
Just asking...
Posted by: madmanmiller | April 4, 2011 9:08 AM
Choose civility, Officer Lechter.
Posted by: Rusty Shackleford | April 4, 2011 9:22 AM
Cops that think they are above the law? Never... /sarcasm
Posted by: Peter | April 4, 2011 10:59 AM
Chris and Scott, your reading retention abilities are greatly lacking. Scott, where did you get 'Harford County cop?'
Posted by: Phil | April 4, 2011 12:12 PM
It's about time "professional coutesy" didn't get in the way of hipocrisy.
Posted by: john | April 4, 2011 3:58 PM
The officers should have been arrested. Why would the officer even bother involving his authoritive position in a commission of a crime?
Posted by: dione | April 4, 2011 4:42 PM
female cop was untouched... the two guys didn't resist anything once they were approached for yelling stupid comments... female cop simply went to town on them... the two guys are huge, if they wanted to hurt her or resist that wouldn't have been a problem for them, they just let her beat them knowing if they touched her they'd be in trouble... guess that didn't work huh?
Posted by: john | June 24, 2011 5:52 PM