Posted on 09/07/2010 4:52:53 PM PDT by The Magical Mischief Tour
Eyewitness News 4 continues digging for more information about an incident that happened at the Bernalillo Wine Festival involving a Rio Rancho police officer.
We've learned that the police department's spokesman, John Francis, was removed from the wine festival for unknown reasons.
According to Sandoval County Sheriff John Paul Trujillo, Francis was escorted off the grounds of the wine festival sometime Sunday.
Trujillo is not sure who escorted Francis out, but he says it was likely Bernalillo police, who were handling security at the event.
We called Francis directly to see exactly what happened. He said he had absolutely nothing to say on the matter, said no new information would be revealed at any point, and then abruptly ended the conversation.
Francis did say that he was on-duty at the wine festival Sunday.
Sheriff Trujillo says various authorities were at the festival conducting an undercover operation where officers were busting underage drinkers.
Though it is unclear exactly why Francis was escorted out of the event, Rio Rancho’s Mayor Tom Swisstack said on Tuesday he had learned Francis had tried to break up an argument at the festival.
For some reason, the mayor says Bernalillo police officers then asked Francis to leave.
Police Chief says Rio Rancho officer was complainant in wine festival incident
Rio Rancho Police Bob Boone spoke with the Rio Rancho Observer on Tuesday to clarify an incident that happened on Sunday at the New Mexico Wine Festival in Bernalillo that involved a Rio Rancho police officer.
According to Boone, John Francis, the public information officer for the Rio Rancho Police Department, was working the festival Sunday in plainclothed for the Sandoval County DWI Initiative. Boone said in the late afternoon, Francis and another plainclothed officer observed what they thought was a domestic dispute between a couple. Francis then signaled for assistance from Bernalillo officers, who were on patrol within their jurisdiction.
Soon after Francis initiated contact with the couple, uniformed Bernalillo officers intervened and, according to Boone, went “hands on” with Francis, and tried to restrain him.
“John indentified himself (as an officer) but the officers didn’t pay attention to it,” Boone said.
After the incident, Francis contacted Bernalillo’s police of chief and asked for a criminal investigation. Boone said the New Mexico State Police is now investigating the incident and he expects a report by the end of the month.
Francis said he could not comment on the incident but said he remains on duty with RRPD. Bernalillo police have not returned several calls.
Boone said Francis was not escorted out of the festival as previously reported by other media outlets.
“He’s the complainant,” he said.
http://www.observer-online.com/articles/2010/09/07/news/breaking_news/doc4c86bedce9b6c919785255.txt
Must be a real slow news day.
-PJ
Police officer escorted from WHINE festival
There, fixed it for ya.
“Soon after Francis initiated contact with the couple”
“Initiated Contact”
Sounds really important and official doesn’t it?
Kind of like, ‘he went up and talked to them’.
The cops are slipping.
Oh. Rio Rancho. Nuff said.
Where the hell is Sheriff Campbell when ya need him......oh wait......:o)
Nah, not a slow news day, just a slow poster.
Slow news day in Indy, also.
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