Had enough? Write to the Speaker of the House, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 and demand federal
hearings into the police problem in America.
Demand mandatory body cameras for cops, one strike rule on abuse, and a
permanent DOJ office on Police
Misconduct.
The Washington Post
October 14, 1979, Sunday, Final Edition
Case Dropped Against Family Involved in Clash With Police
BYLINE: By Ronald D. White, Washington Post Staff Writer
SECTION: Metro; B3
LENGTH: 292 words
A Fairfax County judge has dismissed all charges against
members of a Groveton family involved in an August scuffle with police and
criticized two police officers in the process. General District Court Judge
Martin E. Morris threw out all the charges because he said he could not find
"one scintilla of evidence" to support the initial drunk driving
charge that prompted the incident.
With that, Morris dropped a series of charges against
Timothy Rickman, 20, of 3408 Memorial Dr. and members of Rickman's family. The
family has contended that the two officers who arrested Rickman attacked them
without provocation in their own front yard.
Judge Morris action, taken in a Friday court session, will
not end the case. Fairfax County police spokesman Warren R. Carmichael said
yesterday that the department's internal affairs section is continuing an
investigation into the incident and that its report will take at least another
week to complete.
"It was [Police Chief Richard A.] King's feeling that
our investigation can't be considered complete until the court case was
completed," Caramichael said.
In addition to the drunken driving court, the judge also
ordered assault and obstructing justice charges dropped against Donald Rickman,
his wife, Arline, a stepson, Daniel Manchini and Timothy Rickman.
The arresting officers, patrolmen James Cavender and Jerry
L. Bowers, contended that the family had attacked that the family had attacked
them after they had attempted to arrest Timothy Rickman.