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Title: A killing, a cover-up, a break in ranks
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URL Source: http://www.ajc.com/services/content ... 2009/02/22/nealstreet0222.html
Published: Feb 22, 2009
Author: .
Post Date: 2009-02-22 09:35:44 by PSUSA
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Views: 403
Comments: 20
3 police officers: Their actions lost public trust in the Atlanta Police Department. By Bill Torpy, Bill Rankin The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Sunday, February 22, 2009 Jason Smith was losing it. “I [screwed] up; I think I killed this woman,” the Atlanta narcotics cop told partner Arthur Tesler in the yard behind a small brick bungalow on Neal Street. “You guys got to help me.” Inside, a 92-year-old woman lay dead, killed by a fusillade of police bullets. Officer Gregg Junnier, his face grazed by a bullet and bleeding, stalked through the home looking for suspects and contraband. But there were no dealers, no kilo of cocaine. The tip that brought police to 933 Neal St. was as bogus as the story they used to sell a judge on the raid. Desperation and self-preservation kicked in. Smith remembered the marijuana seized earlier that day. Better make it look like a drug house, he reckoned. He pulled baggies of pot from his sleeve, nodded to Tesler, and planted them in the basement. The Nov. 21, 2006, killing of Kathryn Johnston, two days before Thanksgiving, outraged residents of the northwest neighborhood, shocked the nation and rocked Atlanta’s police force. It laid bare the corruption of an out-of-control narcotics squad that lied to get search warrants and planted drugs on suspects. This time, Smith had authored the trumped-up affidavit. For all three, it was business as usual. On Monday, the three former officers will be together again in federal court to be sentenced for conspiring to violate Johnston’s civil rights. A sentencing memo from prosecutors to the judge, along with prior testimony and other court records, reveals how the officers concocted a sophisticated cover-up that fell apart when Junnier, the squad veteran and the son of a cop, turned on his colleagues. He crossed the “blue line.” Getting the story straight Two hours after the shootout, Junnier lay in a hospital bed with flesh wounds to his cheek and thigh. Smith and Tesler sidled up to him, waiting for his room at Grady Memorial Hospital to clear. Junnier was irritated; Smith seemed more concerned about getting their story straight than how he was doing. Smith was mad because Junnier hadn’t answered his cellphone at the hospital. The three officers were members of a squad with free rein to operate in a netherworld of drugs, criminals and danger. The rules and truth were measured on a sliding, situational scale. They had to depend on each other. But they weren’t friends. And now trust was in short supply. But they were in this together. They began to construct what federal prosecutors would call “a diligent and devious effort” to deflect their complicity. Their sergeant and lieutenant had already questioned Smith and Tesler. Now the two told Junnier the story they were going with: that they got the warrant for the raid after Alex White, a reliable snitch they often used, purchased crack cocaine at the Neal Street home. They’d told their superiors they drove White to the house in a patrol car. Junnier was incredulous. “Take an informant to make a buy in a patrol car?” he asked. “You’re going to have to come up with something better than that.” At 40, Junnier had 18 years on the force, eight in narcotics. He’d followed his father into the brotherhood of blue. His wife was a nurse, and Junnier worked second jobs to send her to school. He skipped lunch with his partners so he could clock out quickly and go home to their son and daughter. But part of his side income came from “security jobs” prosecutors say he ran while on duty, jobs in which the cops, for weekly cash payments, provided extra surveillance for businesses in high-crime areas. Authorities suggest Junnier and others cut corners not only to more easily catch criminals but to save time to work their crooked jobs. Now the job was to get White, the informant, on board with their story. Later that night, Smith called Junnier to say things were set with White. “He’s cool with everything,” he told his anxious colleague. Feeling the heat The tragic string of events had started at 4 p.m. Nov. 21, 2006, when Tesler roughed up and arrested small-time dope slinger Fabian Sheats and threatened him with prison unless he gave up someone bigger. The nervous suspect eventually picked out Johnston’s home —- apparently at random —- where he said he saw a dealer named “Sam” with a kilo of cocaine just an hour before. The officers were pumped. A kilo was a huge score for cops used to seizures measured in grams. But Sheats was unreliable, so they called White at 5:05 p.m. to come make a buy to prove a dealer lived there. White couldn’t come. But for this squad, it didn’t matter. They’d just invent the facts they needed. The officers were at the Fulton County jail a half hour later to get a warrant from a magistrate. Smith told the judge they had watched “Sam” greet their informant, go inside and sell him drugs. At 5:53 p.m., they had their “no-knock” warrant. It would allow them to batter down the door and catch the criminals inside by surprise. By 7 p.m. Johnston lay dead, shot five or six times. Believing intruders were at her door, she’d fired her revolver once. The entry team responded with 39 shots. The next day, a worried Tesler approached Junnier, who’d been released from the hospital. He told him their supervisor suspected they were lying. Still, the sergeant had told him, “You need to get your story together and stick to it.” To that end, Tesler wrote a police report to match the false affidavit and cover story. A stocky, well-built New York native, Tesler, 40, had joined the Army at 24 to get experience as a military policeman so he could become a cop. He joined the Atlanta force in 1999. As the rookie on the narcotics squad, Tesler recalls being told to “listen and learn.” He apparently did. Prosecutors say 19 of the 20 search warrants he authored contained false statements. Over the next few days, Tesler, Junnier and Smith continued to fine-tune their story. They also called White repeatedly, offering him cash to get on board. After Thanksgiving, the officers met at My Cousin Vinny’s, a Marietta pizza joint. Smith, a lean and boyish 34-year-old, walked in carrying a pile of papers. A former officer with the Georgia Army National Guard who served in Bosnia and Iraq, Smith was known as meticulous and detail-oriented. In his hand was a typed summary of their version of events, a script for all to study. They had junked their story about driving White to the Neal Street house in a patrol car. Now they rehearsed how they had gotten there in White’s car —- “recalling” it smelled of mildew. They agreed they’d seen the informant walk down the driveway to meet the suspected drug dealer. Layers of details would make their stories believable. But they were just more lies to keep straight. The men got touchy as the days wore on. They worried about phone taps. They tracked who was talking to whom. Their paranoia was realized the next week when informant White went to a television station and spilled his story: After the shooting, he said, two narcotics cops told him “you need to cover our [rear].” Police Chief Richard Pennington held a news conference with federal and state law enforcement officials to discuss White’s shocking allegation. Feeling the heat, the three officers called another meeting. This time they drove the route they claimed to have traveled with White to absorb small details, such as the carwash parking lot where they’d “met” him. Smith even drew a diagram showing the direction White’s car had faced. The story unravels On Dec. 7, Tesler went to speak with FBI agents now wary of the officers’ tale. Junnier’s attorney already had approached the agents and mentioned it was possible Junnier would corroborate White. But Tesler knew nothing of this. As a patrolman, Tesler has said, he reported another cop for using racist language and turning situations on the street volatile. But instead of being supported by the department, he said, he was demoted to duty at the airport. Worse, he became known as a “rat.” He didn’t want to live through that again. He stuck with their fabricated story. Afterward, Tesler called Junnier and asked him to meet in the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant in Cobb County. Junnier could see Tesler was agitated. “He was worried I was breaking away from them,” Junnier recalled. “He told me I needed to stick with them.” On Dec. 11, in his first interview with the FBI, Junnier broke ranks. He admitted it was all a lie. The officer says his decision came after consulting his wife and pastor. But Junnier knew what the criminals he busted knew: First one in gets the best deal. On Dec. 21, agents rattled Tesler, confronting him with details they’d learned from Junnier. Tesler asked whether he could return after the holidays with his attorney. Around Christmas, Junnier got a panicked call from Smith: Tesler hadn’t called after his second FBI meeting, he said. Smith figured Tesler was cooperating. Then Junnier got a call from Tesler. He wanted to meet again at the Mexican restaurant. He thought Tesler sounded strange, so he brought a gun. What happened at that meeting depends on who is telling the story. Junnier claims Tesler told him they needed to stick together. Tesler says he was frightened by his two more senior officers, who kept dragging him deeper into the plot. He recalls telling Junnier that his wife was pregnant with their fourth child. He wanted out. Paying the price On Jan. 4, 2007, Tesler told FBI agents he had lied. A week later, Smith caved. In the end, they all implicated each other. The revelations eroded public trust in the Atlanta Police Department, which disbanded and later rebuilt the narcotics department. Fulton County prosecutors were forced to review scores of pending cases and ultimately dismissed or reduced the charges in 69, meaning several likely criminals went free. “It has harmed the community, the many honest members of the police force that protect the community, the integrity of the justice system and, indeed, the very rule of law,” federal prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memorandum. All three officers have pleaded guilty. Prosecutors are seeking more than 12 years imprisonment for Smith, with up to a 20 percent reduction for his cooperation. The recommendation for Tesler is 10 years. But authorities want a “substantial reduction” to Junnier’s 10-year sentence because of “his almost unprecedented decision” to cross the “blue line.” His early cooperation allowed the case to be solved in weeks, “rather than months or years” had authorities been forced to use circumstantial evidence and drug-dealing snitches. Prosecutors say the three ex-cops should be equally responsible for one thing: They must pay Johnston’s estate $8,180 —- the cost of burying her. HOW WE GOT THE STORY This account of the police cover-up involving the 2006 death of Kathryn Johnston is drawn from court testimony, documents produced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and a sentencing memorandum written by federal prosecutors based on their two-year investigation. The broad outlines of the cover-up by former officers Gregg Junnier, Jason Smith and Arthur Tesler are contained in the memorandum. The officers’ conversations, as well as other details of their plot, are drawn from the testimony of Junnier and Tesler in Tesler’s trial in Fulton County Superior Court in May. Reporters Bill Torpy and Bill Rankin also interviewed lawyers involved in the case.
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#1. To: PSUSA (#0)
LOL! That's funny right there, I don't care who you are!
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. ping
the american government is a disease masquerading as its own cure "For all three, it was business as usual"...........FOR PIGS nationwide...BUSINESS AS USUAL.
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition You think the people of this country exist to provide you with position. I think your position exists to provide those people with freedom.~~William Wallace ALAS, BABYLON
Yeah, how rare is that... The "bad" ones commit the crimes, the "good" ones cover it up. I remember when this came out some time ago. One cop said that he "didnt want to be labeled a rat". It's referenced in the OP
Click for Privacy and Preparedness files
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition You think the people of this country exist to provide you with position. I think your position exists to provide those people with freedom.~~William Wallace ALAS, BABYLON
so basically aside from the fact the poor woman got killed, this story illustrates the fraud of the war on drugs and how cops cant be trusted,. A saver.
Glory to God in the highest, and Peace to His people on Earth. I should go thru my old website editor. I had some real good stories just like this one, if not worse. About 5 pages worth. I have a sneaking suspicion that we now have the 3-5% needed, and the >10% support we need, to win in any revolt/revolution. People are waking up, now that they are feeling the pinch themselves.
Click for Privacy and Preparedness files
Well, all I can say is that I certainly would not suggest that those inclined to "hit back" should obtain high-power hunting rifles with good scopes, develop their shooting skills so that they could confidently hit a man-sized target from 300 yards or more, and then go looking for high-level honchos who run financial institutions, banks, and some of the other more criminally-inclined corporations in this empire. And I certainly would not suggest that they "hit and fade", leaving behind no evidence whatsoever, and not saying anything to anyone in any way whatsoever, nor make any anonymous statements of any kind that would give the enemy a target for their rage. I certainly would not suggest that once some of the elites start falling, that in their fear and panic they might then start reacting by cutting each other's throats, convinced that those actions were ordered by others well-connected in their circles of criminality who are looking to silence partners in their crimes against the rest of us. No, I would not suggest any of that, because it would be wrong. So very, very wrong. Just a tragedy, really. So don't do it. Because that would be bad. And something I would never, ever suggest. Ever. Seriously. Just don't do it.
the integrity of the justice system
Lord Acton
#2. To: PSUSA, *LEAP*, *libertarians* (#0)
#3. To: PSUSA (#0)
Lie to get warrant. Kill innocent after kicking in door. Plant throw down baggie.
"Corporation: An entity created for the legal protection of its human parasites, whose sole purpose is profit and self-perpetuation." ~~ IndieTx
#4. To: IndieTX, all (#3)
(Edited)
#5. To: PSUSA, REDPNATHER, YES IT IS GOOD TO HAVE ETHICS AND TATTLE ON SCUMBAGS (#4)
"Corporation: An entity created for the legal protection of its human parasites, whose sole purpose is profit and self-perpetuation." ~~ IndieTx
#6. To: PSUSA, artisan (#0)
"I don't know where Bin Laden is. I truly am not that concerned about him"
George W, Bush, 3/13/02 http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/03/20020313-8.html
#7. To: Artisan (#6)
#8. To: PSUSA (#7)
I have a sneaking suspicion that we now have the 3-5% needed, and the >10% support we need, to win in any revolt/revolution.
 | Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings. |
#9. To: Elliott Jackalope (#8)
Is that a tongue in your cheek there pardner, or are you just happy to see us??
Join 2x4 Tuesdays & protect your RKBA.
www.righttokeepandbeararms.com
#10. To: Elliott Jackalope (#8)
;) Just waiting for Lexington and Concord II. We didnt start Part 1 either.
Click for Privacy and Preparedness files
#11. To: Elliott Jackalope (#8)
Hey killer.
Well, all I can say is that I certainly would not suggest that those inclined to "hit back" should obtain high-power hunting rifles with good scopes, develop their shooting skills so that they could confidently hit a man-sized target from 300 yards or more, and then go looking for high-level honchos who run financial institutions, banks, and some of the other more criminally-inclined corporations in this empire. And I certainly would not suggest that they "hit and fade",
#12. To: PSUSA (#7)
I meant to save everything you had when you told me you were 'pulling it' but by the time i went back it all was gone. That's what i meant when i asked about archives, (leave it in a permanent non-updated state). I actually got some random email a while back with a list of great sites and yours was one of them. anyway if you want to put it back up in archive form i'll host it.
I should go thru my old website editor. I had some real good stories just like this one, if not worse. About 5 pages worth.
Glory to God in the highest, and Peace to His people on Earth.
"I don't know where Bin Laden is. I truly am not that concerned about him"
George W, Bush, 3/13/02 http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/03/20020313-8.html
#13. To: Elliott Jackalope (#8)
could you elaborate on that??
"Religion flies you into buildings"
Glory to God in the highest, and Peace to His people on Earth.
"I don't know where Bin Laden is. I truly am not that concerned about him"
George W, Bush, 3/13/02 http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/03/20020313-8.html
#14. To: Artisan, Elliott Jackalope, all (#13)
could you elaborate on that?? He mean't to say Psychiatric Operations fly remote controlled airliners into buildings. 911 WAS an inside job. The problem is that militant atheists will distort anything in their fear and hatred of religion. It is not a rational or logical response it is their own peculiar neurosis. They frequently take the actions of criminals operating under a false cloak of religion and falsely misrepresent it as the result of religion. However, in the 911 job religion was not the reason that "19Arabswhohateuscuzwe'refree" were set up and pegged as the highjackers - despite the documented fact that many of them were trained at U.S. Military installations.
"Religion flies you into buildings"
""I think the subject which will be of most importance politically is Mass Psychology...It's importance has been enormously increased by the growth of modern methods of propaganda...Although this science will be diligently studied, it will be rigidly confined to the governing class. The populace will not be allowed to know how its convictions were generated." Bertrand Russel, Eugenicist and Logician
#15. To: Original_Intent, Artisan (#14)
well done bump
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams
#16. To: Artisan (#12) (Edited)
Click for Privacy and Preparedness files
#17. To: Original_Intent, Artisan (#14)
Problem: I'm not a "militant atheist". I don't have a problem with the idea of "God", I just have a big problem with religions, especially those who use this forum as their own personal pulpit to post article after article after article after article after article from their own particular church, putting up dozens of pages of sanctimonious claptrap that babbles on and on about how wonderful some particular religion is and how anyone who isn't a member of that particular denomination is going to really regret it "someday". After about the three hundredth article posted by one particular "Deacon" type here I ended up changing my tagline mainly as a big middle finger to be extended to all of the bible-thumpers who feel compelled to force their beliefs down our collective throats. For the record, I despise, reject, condemn and abjure all three of the desert religions that trace their lineage back to Abraham. As far as I'm concerned he was a pitiful schizophrenic who suffered from serious hallucinations, and all of the religions that have come from that tainted wellspring are much more about statecraft and control than they are about enlightenment and bringing people closer to that which is true and good. Back then if you heard voices you were a "holy man". Nowadays if you hear voices they give you medication and the voices shut up. And by the way, I also believe 9/11 was an inside job. It's just hard to make complex comprehensive arguments in the space of a sentence or two in a tagline, and I got so utterly fed up with the nonstop religious propaganda being posted here that I finally bozo'd that idiot who keeps posting that garbage and changed my tagline mainly as a big "up yours" to him and his ilk. If you want to have your beliefs, fine, I don't have a problem with it. Want to discuss them here in your own words with your own thoughts, fine by me. But if you want to make twenty postings a day pushing your beliefs on others by cutting and pasting propaganda printed up on your favorite religious website with the frantic energy of a crack addict trying to get the local high school hooked on his favorite junk so he can corner the local market then yes, I have a big problem with it.
| Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings. |
#18. To: Original_Intent (#14)
You have toilet licker pegged. Good job.
The problem is that militant atheists will distort anything in their fear and hatred of religion
#19. To: Elliott Jackalope (#17)
And I don't have any problem with people expressing their religious beliefs regardless of whether I agree with them or not. If I disagree I say so, but I go out of my way, most of the time, to not denigrate the beliefs of others. I do believe in the existence of an entity, which for lack of better term, we call God. That through the centuries power seekers have corrupted various religions to their own temporal ends is also something I accept. Therefore I do at times express views which some might disagree with. For example I view The Resurrection as one of the most important messages delivered by the entity, child of God, we know as Jesus Christ. However, that is my own viewpoint and reality and I don't try to force it on others. The Abrahamic religions are an interesting study from a historical and philosophic point of view. I won't go any further than that other than to say that I think there has been some serious corruption of them over time by men seeking power over others.
""I think the subject which will be of most importance politically is Mass Psychology...It's importance has been enormously increased by the growth of modern methods of propaganda...Although this science will be diligently studied, it will be rigidly confined to the governing class. The populace will not be allowed to know how its convictions were generated." Bertrand Russel, Eugenicist and Logician
#20. To: Elliott Jackalope (#17)
That's what I thought; but your previous reply seemed to imply you bought the official b.s. thanks for the clarification. There is something about a person constantly pontificating that gets annoying, but to each their own.
And by the way, I also believe 9/11 was an inside job.
Glory to God in the highest, and Peace to His people on Earth.
"I don't know where Bin Laden is. I truly am not that concerned about him"
George W, Bush, 3/13/02 http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/03/20020313-8.html
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