okie of crosstimbers
05-04-2006, 09:00 PM
http://www.swtimes.com/articles/2006/05/01/week_in_review/news/saturday/news05.txt
Officer Accused Of Gun Threat
By Dug Begley
Sunday, April 30, 2006 2:22 PM CDT
TIMES RECORD
DBEGLEY@SWTIMES.COM
PANAMA — An unpaid reserve officer with the Panama Police Department will not be pulling any shifts until a federal investigation into his alleged harassment of a teen — including putting a loaded pistol to the teen’s head — is complete, the chief of the department said Friday.
Panama Police Chief Greg Lynch said Ken Coffey, a veteran Panama reserve officer, is not going to be used until the investigation into the April 21 incident is completed.
“I called the FBI,” Lynch said. “They said they’d be here next week to conduct follow-ups, so that’s all I can say until latter next week.”
The investigation centers around Coffey’s actions during a traffic stop of six teenagers as police were searching for two men who supposedly attacked two women in Spiro. According to police, Coffey was responding with the local drug task force in the Spiro area when the call about the attack came in. Along with another officer, Coffey stopped a truck driven by Brent Spencer.
That’s when, according to written statements by the teens, “all hell broke loose.”
In their reports, the teens claim Coffey was immediately verbally abusive, telling the young men to stay put, and using numerous profanities. At the time, witnesses said, Coffey had his gun drawn.
“When he looked back at me I was smiling, thinking what does he need that for,” wrote Eric McKinney, 18, of Spiro.
After McKinney smiled, witnesses said, Coffey shoved a police flashlight into McKinney’s neck, threatening to wipe the smile off his face.
“It left a mark,” said Brian McKinney, Eric’s father.
Coffey also told Eric McKinney if he did not stop smiling, the two of them would go “round and round,” many of the teens said.
However, it was not the end of the confrontation, witnesses said.
Once he removed the flashlight from Eric McKinney’s neck, McKinney opened his cell phone to call his dad. Witnesses said Coffey quickly “punched” it out of McKinney’s hand.
“The phone hit Levi (Jensen) and I who were on the other side of the truck,” Spencer wrote.
Jensen said Coffey remained abusive, “pointing his gun at us and cussing repeatedly.”
After knocking the phone away, McKinney and others said, Coffey put his police-issued Glock pistol to McKinney’s temple, pushing the teen’s head to the headrest.
“He held the gun to Eric’s head for 30 or 45 seconds,” Josh Cox wrote,” screaming and cussing.”
According to witnesses, the incident only stopped when a Spiro officer, Travis Saulsberry, arrived. Saulsberry knew some of the teens in the truck, and shortly after he arrived all the officers left, witnesses said.
“He was so upset he could not talk to me on the phone,” Brian McKinney said of his son. “I just told him to come home.”
In the week since the incident, Brian McKinney said he has talked with local police, including Lynch, about Coffey’s actions.
“I’ve got statements from all six kids,” Brian McKinney said. “I just want him to no longer have the opportunity to put a gun to a kid’s head.”
All of the witnesses said Eric McKinney and others were polite with the officers, a claim Brian McKinney said he trusts.
“These are all good boys,” he said. “Top of their class.”
Most are baseball players for either Spiro or Poteau, Brian McKinney said. Both teams had played earlier in the night before the incident. Eric McKinney, in fact, is one of the top players in the area and is one home run away from the Spiro High School single-season record.
“You worry about your children with drugs and gangs and try to raise them right,” Brian McKinney said. “And then this happens with a police officer.”
LeFlore County Sheriff Bob Campbell, who spoke to Brian McKinney, said officials must take incidents like this seriously. While he said he could not specifically discuss the incident with Coffey, Campbell said anytime a gun is used police must be careful.
“If a gun is involved, it’s serious,” Campbell said. “We in law enforcement need to be professional.”
Brian McKinney agreed, noting that the Glock pistol police carry does not have a manually flipped safety switch.
“It’s on the trigger,” Brian McKinney said. “What if that gun would have gone off?”
Officer Accused Of Gun Threat
By Dug Begley
Sunday, April 30, 2006 2:22 PM CDT
TIMES RECORD
DBEGLEY@SWTIMES.COM
PANAMA — An unpaid reserve officer with the Panama Police Department will not be pulling any shifts until a federal investigation into his alleged harassment of a teen — including putting a loaded pistol to the teen’s head — is complete, the chief of the department said Friday.
Panama Police Chief Greg Lynch said Ken Coffey, a veteran Panama reserve officer, is not going to be used until the investigation into the April 21 incident is completed.
“I called the FBI,” Lynch said. “They said they’d be here next week to conduct follow-ups, so that’s all I can say until latter next week.”
The investigation centers around Coffey’s actions during a traffic stop of six teenagers as police were searching for two men who supposedly attacked two women in Spiro. According to police, Coffey was responding with the local drug task force in the Spiro area when the call about the attack came in. Along with another officer, Coffey stopped a truck driven by Brent Spencer.
That’s when, according to written statements by the teens, “all hell broke loose.”
In their reports, the teens claim Coffey was immediately verbally abusive, telling the young men to stay put, and using numerous profanities. At the time, witnesses said, Coffey had his gun drawn.
“When he looked back at me I was smiling, thinking what does he need that for,” wrote Eric McKinney, 18, of Spiro.
After McKinney smiled, witnesses said, Coffey shoved a police flashlight into McKinney’s neck, threatening to wipe the smile off his face.
“It left a mark,” said Brian McKinney, Eric’s father.
Coffey also told Eric McKinney if he did not stop smiling, the two of them would go “round and round,” many of the teens said.
However, it was not the end of the confrontation, witnesses said.
Once he removed the flashlight from Eric McKinney’s neck, McKinney opened his cell phone to call his dad. Witnesses said Coffey quickly “punched” it out of McKinney’s hand.
“The phone hit Levi (Jensen) and I who were on the other side of the truck,” Spencer wrote.
Jensen said Coffey remained abusive, “pointing his gun at us and cussing repeatedly.”
After knocking the phone away, McKinney and others said, Coffey put his police-issued Glock pistol to McKinney’s temple, pushing the teen’s head to the headrest.
“He held the gun to Eric’s head for 30 or 45 seconds,” Josh Cox wrote,” screaming and cussing.”
According to witnesses, the incident only stopped when a Spiro officer, Travis Saulsberry, arrived. Saulsberry knew some of the teens in the truck, and shortly after he arrived all the officers left, witnesses said.
“He was so upset he could not talk to me on the phone,” Brian McKinney said of his son. “I just told him to come home.”
In the week since the incident, Brian McKinney said he has talked with local police, including Lynch, about Coffey’s actions.
“I’ve got statements from all six kids,” Brian McKinney said. “I just want him to no longer have the opportunity to put a gun to a kid’s head.”
All of the witnesses said Eric McKinney and others were polite with the officers, a claim Brian McKinney said he trusts.
“These are all good boys,” he said. “Top of their class.”
Most are baseball players for either Spiro or Poteau, Brian McKinney said. Both teams had played earlier in the night before the incident. Eric McKinney, in fact, is one of the top players in the area and is one home run away from the Spiro High School single-season record.
“You worry about your children with drugs and gangs and try to raise them right,” Brian McKinney said. “And then this happens with a police officer.”
LeFlore County Sheriff Bob Campbell, who spoke to Brian McKinney, said officials must take incidents like this seriously. While he said he could not specifically discuss the incident with Coffey, Campbell said anytime a gun is used police must be careful.
“If a gun is involved, it’s serious,” Campbell said. “We in law enforcement need to be professional.”
Brian McKinney agreed, noting that the Glock pistol police carry does not have a manually flipped safety switch.
“It’s on the trigger,” Brian McKinney said. “What if that gun would have gone off?”
