Federal prosecutors investigating former NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey
Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Federal prosecutors are investigating former NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, who has been suspended following sexual misconduct allegations.
Investigators showed up with search warrants at several locations linked to Maddrey, including his home.
Maddrey had submitted his resignation effective later this month, but is now suspended pending an investigation by the NYPD internal affairs investigation.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office and the New York City Department of Investigation are investigating allegations that Maddrey demanded sexual favors from a subordinate at police headquarters in exchange for overtime approval.
Maddrey has denied the allegations against him, with his lawyer telling WABC that Maddrey did not have authority to approve, assign or give overtime.
“At my direction, the Internal Affairs Bureau of the New York City Police Department is working with law enforcement authorities to investigate allegations against former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey,” a statement from New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said on Thursday. “Maddrey was suspended from the Department this morning, as law enforcement agents executed search warrants at several locations, including his residence.”
Tisch directed further inquiries to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not offer comment Thursday.
(DENVER, Co.) — Law enforcement agencies in the Denver, Colorado, metropolitan area are investigating a rise in burglaries targeting Asian homes, businesses and places of worship across the community.
There have been around 100 reported burglaries of Asian homes across the state this year, according to Denver ABC affiliate KMGH-TV.
The sheriff’s office in Douglas County — which is south of Denver — told ABC News that there have been around 14 burglaries targeting homes of Asian business owners since the beginning of the year. Seven of these have happened since September, it noted.
In an interview that aired on Tuesday, Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly told ABC News Live’s Diane Macedo that there is a “multi-jurisdictional investigation” into a “sophisticated” operation, where the burglars are using “WiFi jammers to subvert alarm systems” and even conducting their own surveillance by setting up cameras near the homes of their victims to ensure that they are away when the burglars strike.
“Many times, these criminals will enter from the back, dressed as utility workers, are wearing vests,” Weekly said. “They’re very methodical. They plan these burglaries early, and they’ve made off with over $2.5 million that we’re aware of.”
The Douglas County Sheriff’s office first warned the community of these burglaries in an Oct. 31 statement and so far, no arrests have been made, a spokesperson confirmed to ABC News.
Asked why Asian business owners appear to be targeted, Weekly said that some are known to keep “large amounts” of cash in their homes, as opposed to depositing the money in a bank.
Lisa Nguyen, the owner of a plaza of Asian-owned businesses, told ABC News that one of the businesses in her plaza was burglarized.
“They are destroying small businesses,” Nguyen said in Tuesday’s interview. “The amount of money that they took is detrimental to, you know, them being able to operate.”
She’s also president-elect of the Denver Metro Association of Realtors, and said that the home of one of her real estate clients was burglarized twice since September.
According to Nguyen, who shared surveillance video of both burglaries with the ABC News, $17,000 worth of merchandise was stolen from a convenience store in her plaza.
She said a burglary of that scale puts families in a position where “multiple months of rent have been stolen” and “could cause businesses to completely shut down.”
Weekly urged the community to notify law enforcement if they see anything suspicious and advised residents to keep their homes locked, install lights on their property and to implement multiple security measures to safeguard their homes, as well as to communicate with their neighbors.
“It’s really critical if somebody sees something, call law enforcement so we can get out there,” Weekly said.
Weekly held a town hall on Monday night, along with Arapahoe County Sheriff Tyler Brown, the Organized Crime Unit and 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, to address the issue and share safety information with the community.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s office also partnered with the Colorado Asian Chamber of Commerce to distribute safety tips and urge anyone who has experienced a burglary or seen anything suspicious to come forward.
Nguyen said that she hopes an arrest will be made soon.
“I think my message is just that somebody literally has to know something out there,” she said. “And you know, that’s all it’s going to take is for somebody to come forward.”
(COCOA BEACH, FL) — An elementary school principal has been arrested after allegedly throwing a massive boozy house party for over 100 juveniles, authorities said.
The incident occurred on Jan. 19 when authorities from the Cocoa Beach Police Department responded to a home after reports of a large house party and “observed over 100 juveniles at the residence in matching t-shirts, many of whom were consuming alcohol that was later learned to be available in coolers at the residence,” according to a statement from the Cocoa Beach Police Department.
The homeowner was quickly identified to be Elizabeth Hill-Brodigan, the principal of nearby Roosevelt Elementary School, police said.
“While officers were investigating the party, a juvenile was located on the front lawn experiencing an alcohol related medical event,” authorities said in their statement regarding the party. “The juvenile was so heavily intoxicated that Brevard County Fire Rescue (BCFR) had to respond to treat them.”
“During this time, the homeowner, Hill-Brodigan, was seen by officers in the driveway of her residence turning off the outside lights and entering her residence, causing BCFR to auxiliary lighting on their vehicle to treat the juvenile,” police continued. “Additionally, a traffic stop was conducted near the residence resulting in the arrest of the juvenile driver for DUI.”
Another intoxicated adult female — later identified as Karly Anderson, a teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School — was also identified as being at the party, according to the Cocoa Beach Police Department.
Numerous juveniles and their parents were interviewed by police in the days after the incident and an arrest was obtained for Hill-Brodigan on charges of child neglect, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and holding an open house party, police said.
Anderson was also arrested and charged with child neglect and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The school has yet to issue a statement regarding the party and the investigation remains open.
(BELLEVUE, Wash.) — Two people have been killed by falling trees in Washington state as a powerful storm hits the Pacific Northwest.
In Bellevue, a tree fell into a home, hitting and killing a woman while she was in the shower Tuesday night, Bellevue fire officials said.
In Lynwood, a woman in her 50s was killed when a tree fell on a homeless encampment, officials said.
More than 500,000 customers are without power in Washington state on Wednesday.
The storm exploded into a bomb cyclone off the coast, near Vancouver Island, Canada, where winds gusted near 101 mph.
A bomb cyclone means the pressure in the center of the storm drops 24 millibars within 24 hours.
Wind gusts reached 50 to 84 mph from Northern California to Washington.
As the storm sits and spins over the ocean this week, it will help to push a plume of Pacific moisture called an atmospheric river into Oregon and Northern California.
Alerts are in effect through Friday for flooding, snow, avalanches and high winds.
Some places could see more than 1 foot of rain this week. A flood watch has been issued in Northern California.
