In This Issue: Vol 7, No. 2 (Winter, 2007)

News on LELDF Cases

Officer Bryan Vander Mey

During an administrative hearing in September 2006, Officer Bryan Vander Mey, a seven-year veteran of the Cook County Police Department (Chicago), was adjudged fit for duty and reinstated to the force effective January 2007.

In April 2006, Officer Vander Mey was acquitted of charges of official misconduct and battery (a class II felony) following a two-day trial. Officer Vander Mey, who pled not guilty to any wrongdoing, had been suspended without pay for more than two years.

Officer Vander Mey was one of several policeman involved in the April 2003 arrest of Rondell “Nightfall” Freeman, an alleged shooter in two homicides and member of the Gangster Disciples at the notorious Cabrini Green housing project in Chicago.

A resident of Cabrini Green gave a home video of the arrest to the local media. It is clear from the video that the Cook County police regulations on the use of force were not violated in any way. The video, however, caused an uproar that led to Officer Vander Mey’s unjust suspension without pay.

Eventually it became impossible to justify a criminal case without any injuries, despite the excessive media attention the incident aroused. We commend Bryan Vander Mey for standing on principle by refusing to plea bargain for a crime he did not commit, and we congratulate him on his reinstatement to the Cook County Police Department.

Officer Wyatt Henderson

Officer Wyatt Henderson of Florida has had his sentence reduced at a hearing in the Court of Appeals. The former Chief of the Narcotics Unit in the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Department was accused of hitting drug dealer Christopher Grant of Ft. Myers with his service weapon while arresting him. Officer Henderson was initially sentenced to seven years. As a result of the re-sentencing by Judge Anne C. Conway, his term is now 27 months.

In July 2006, Officer Henderson filed a Writ of Habeas Corpus and a Motion to Vacate and Set Aside the Sentence. This new motion alleges that Deborah Rowe, his trial attorney, was under the influence of prescription medications that affected her ability to properly conduct a defense of the charges against him. Most importantly, Ms. Rowe neglected to enforce an agreement whereby Officer Henderson would not be charged if he passed a lie detector test, which he did. In addition, she failed to object to certain evidence that was improperly allowed into evidence.

To help Wyatt Henderson by making a contribution, click here.

Officer Raymond Bunn

Former Officer Raymond S. Bunn, a seven-year veteran of the Atlanta Police Department (Georgia) was indicted in December 2005 by a Fulton County Grand Jury for murder and felony murder (capital offenses in Georgia), aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and violation of oath. The indictment arose from an incident on July 14, 2002, at a parking lot on Peachtree Road in Atlanta. Officer Bunn fired two shots at a Chevy Tahoe SUV that was trying to run him down. The driver of the vehicle, Corey Ward, was hit once in the head and died instantly. (See more details in our Summer 2006 issue.)

Officer Bunn and his partner, Officer Mulkey, both believed that their lives were in danger as the Chevy Tahoe bore down on them. There is no question that the deceased driver knew that Officers Bunn and Mulkey had clearly identified themselves as police officers.

Regrettably, the family of the deceased has filed a multi-million dollar civil lawsuit against Officers Bunn and Mulkey and the Police Department of Atlanta. LELDF is assisting with the defense of that civil action with attorneys’ fees and also with experts who will calibrate exactly the actions of Officers Bunn and Mulkey and the trajectories of the bullets fired and the speed and direction of the SUV driven by Corey Ward.

To help Raymond Bunn by making a contribution, click here.