FRED CONNORS
theintelligencer.net
WHEELING - WV,
While there is no definitive explanation as to why some police officers end up on the wrong side of the law, there are clues as to what causes it.
The arrest earlier this month of Wheeling police officer Matthew Kotson on four sexual assault charges is one of several involving rogue law enforcement officers in the Ohio Valley over the past few years. Before him, two Belmont County chiefs of police, two Ohio County sheriff deputies and a federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent made headlines for wrongdoing. Charges against those men included sex crimes against children, obstruction of justice, burglary, theft, dereliction of duty and conspiracy.
Kotson is accused of sexually assaulting two women, the last on Thanksgiving Day.
State Police arrested him Dec. 1 and Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron fired him Dec. 2. Kotson, free on $40,000 bond, faces a Dec. 20 preliminary hearing in Ohio County Magistrate Court.
His arrest follows the arrest and conviction of former Martins Ferry police chief Barry Carpenter for his role in the "surrogate scandal;" a guilty plea by former Bridgeport Chief Chad Dojack for his role in the same scandal as Carpenter; the arrest and conviction of former Ohio County sheriffs deputies Stephen Bowers and Sean Marenkovic on sex charges; and the guilty plea of former ATF agent James Sirbaugh for obstruction.
Former Martins Ferry Chief of Police Bill Patsche believes these are not necessarily cases of good cops gone bad, but rather a situation of people with questionable character finding a way into law enforcement.
"All crimes, whether by police or the general public, are driven by greed, lust, passion or revenge," he said. "This can happen in any profession but it is particularly troubling when offenders are law enforcement officers."
Vernon J. Geberth, a retired lieutenant commander of the New York City Police Department and expert in applied criminal psychology, said people in authority at times might use their positions to take advantage of a situation.
"Police officers are in charge of regulating the behavior of others so their personal behavior is very important," he said.
While Geberth believes financial gain is a motivator in some crimes, he believes sexual offenses have deeper roots.
"It is my professional opinion that pornography addiction is a cause of many sex crimes and the Internet is a contributing factor," he said. "Internet pornography is like a brain cocktail it feels good to the brain and the body reacts to the chemicals that are released. It has a devastating affect. People who would not ordinarily commit sex crimes find themselves doing so."
Former Ohio County sheriff and FBI agent Thomas Burgoyne believes sexual misconduct is a concern in the line of police work.
"It is a macho thing," he said. "When a guy puts on a uniform, badge and gun, he becomes attractive to the opposite sex. If that officer has rooted problems, he reacts to a steady flow of females coming his way. It is a lot like night clubs around a military base where women are lured by the uniform."
He said police officers are more prone to taking on a macho persona than professional people in other fields.
As for officer crimes related to financial gain, Burgoyne says policemen are no different than private citizens.
"It's about the economy," he said. "If they think they can make a buck without getting caught, they go for it. Greed controls all of mankind, whether you are wearing a badge, a robe and collar or a business suit."
Patsche said some officers have trouble dealing with the power and control they have over the public.
"The old saying 'power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely' comes into play here," he said. "Officers have the power to take away someone's liberty and that gives them a tremendous responsibility. At times, it becomes power gone mad."
Patsche said officers see some heinous behavior during the course of a workday and it is not unusual for the job to take an emotional toll.
"They are human and they experience the same temptations as anyone else," he said.
He said most police agencies include psychological screenings in their hiring process but there is no way to weed out all undesirable candidates.
In West Virginia, police candidates undergo extensive psychological evaluation as part of their training at the State Police Academy but the evaluations are not part of the curriculum at the Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy.
Wheeling Police Chief Robert Matheny said candidates for his department must undergo written and physical ability tests, a background check, polygraph and psychological exams.
"They are put through extensive psychological evaluations at the academy," he said.
Ohio Attorney General spokeswoman Eve Mueller said the state leaves psychological testing to the discretion of the hiring agency.
"West Virginia is a post state, Ohio is a home rule state," she said. "Post state dictates mandatory policy and procedure for law enforcement. Home rule state leaves it up to the county, city, village or township agencies."
While there is no definitive explanation as to why some police officers end up on the wrong side of the law, there are clues as to what causes it.
The arrest earlier this month of Wheeling police officer Matthew Kotson on four sexual assault charges is one of several involving rogue law enforcement officers in the Ohio Valley over the past few years. Before him, two Belmont County chiefs of police, two Ohio County sheriff deputies and a federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent made headlines for wrongdoing. Charges against those men included sex crimes against children, obstruction of justice, burglary, theft, dereliction of duty and conspiracy.
Kotson is accused of sexually assaulting two women, the last on Thanksgiving Day.
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Barry Carpenter
Fact Box
- TABLES TURNED
- Former Ohio County Sheriff Deputy Stephen J. Bowers is serving 11-25 years in prison after a 2003 conviction on multiple counts of child sexual abuse. A Marshall County jury found him guilty of having sexual contact with boys he coached in the Glen Dale Little League program. In December 2008, retiring Marshall County Circuit Judge John Madden, in his last act from the bench, overturned the conviction.
- Former U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives special agent James Sirbaugh is on probation after pleading guilty to an obstruction charge in connection with an April 21, 2009 standoff with police at his Stonegate Drive residence in Wheeling. Police charged Sirbaugh with domestic assault and brandishing. In September 2009, Ohio authorities arrested Sirbaugh for violating home confinement conditions related to the original charge.
- Former Ohio County sheriff's deputy Sean Marenkovic is serving two to 10 years in prison for the 2003 sexual assault of a then 14-year-old female. An Ohio County jury in August found Marenkovic guilty on two counts of third-degree sexual assault. The victim, now 22, said she and Marenkovic met in an online chatroom before they met in person.
- Former Bridgeport Police Chief Chad Dojack served 50 days on monitored house arrest after pleading no contest to a reduced charge of dereliction of duty for his part in the "surrogate scandal" involving the surrogate mother for celebrities Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. Dojack faced conspiracy and burglary charges based on allegations that he and former Martins Ferry police chief Barry Carpenter planned to enter the woman's home and take personal items identifying her as the surrogate mother and then sell the material to a tabloid magazine.
- In November 2009, a Belmont County jury found Barry Carpenter guilty of theft in office and receiving stolen property resulting from his part in the "surrogate scandal." Judge John Solovan sentenced Carpenter to 32 months in prison in that case. On Sept. 27, Solovan sentenced Carpenter to another three years in prison after the former chief pleaded guilty to new charges of receiving stolen property. The charges had been reduced from theft of firearms from the police department.
- Former Wheeling police officer Matthew Kotson is free on $40,000 bond after being arrested Dec. 1 on four counts of second-degree sexual assault. State Police troopers arrested Kotson after he was allegedly seen peering in the window St. Vincent de Paul Parish School in Elm Grove where one of the witnesses in the case is employed. City Manager Robert Herron fired Kotson on Dec. 2 after learning that the officer had been in violation of a domestic violence protective order and an incident in which he had driven a city police cruiser without a driver's license. His license had been suspended after a charge of driving without insurance in an off-duty incident.
