MS - Police officer admits taking radar detector

[StlouisX50]

Police officer admits taking radar detector

By DEBBIE BURT MYERS
Managing Editor

A Philadelphia police officer was placed on administrative leave last week and resigned Tuesday after he admitted taking a radar detector from a vehicle he pulled over.

Patrolmen Johnnie T. Keyes was charged in an affidavit with taking a Cobra radar detector from the vehicle following a traffic stop on Valley View Drive on Monday, Jan. 26.

Keyes has not been arrested pending a hearing before a circuit judge to establish probable cause, said Police Chief Dickie Sistrunk.

The hearing is set for Friday at 9 a.m.

The driver of the vehicle was arrested on an outstanding warrant for simple assault and taken to jail by another officer while Keyes remained behind waiting for a wrecker, Sistrunk said.

The man realized that the radar detector was missing after he got out of jail and reported the theft to police, Sistrunk said.

The man talked with the wrecker driver and was told there was no radar detector inside when the vehicle was towed.

Sistrunk said police filed a report on the missing radar detector and in the mean time the man, Derrick Henley, signed an affidavit accusing another officer.

After an internal investigation, Keyes admitted to having the radar detector which police later retrieved at his residence, Sistrunk said.

"The law says you cannot arrest a police officer until he has had a hearing before a circuit court judge to establish probably cause," Sistrunk said.

Sistrunk was to bring the incident before the Mayor and Board of Aldermen at its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday night.

David Brackett, the other officer involved in the traffic stop, was cleared of any wrongdoing.

Keyes was hired as a patrolman with the police department on April 16, 2008.

Sistrunk expressed concern about the officer's actions.

"People entrust my officers to serve and protect them," he said. "This shows that my officers are no better than anybody else. Our department will investigate and take corrective action which something like this occurs."

Another officer resigned last year after he admitted to shoplifting while on duty.

Sgt. Toby Wilson, 59, of 527 John C. Stennis Dr., Louisville, resigned last August after he was caught on surveillance tape taking a can of Pepsi from a convenience store without paying for it.

No charges were filed.

Last week, another officer was suspended for five days without pay for unauthorized use of a patrol car. (See story, page 1A.)

[Just1n]

I could understand if it was a V1 or 9500i, but a Cobra?!

[Jag42]

I could understand if it was a V1 or 9500i, but a Cobra?!

LOL...Thieves break windows here for Cobras on windshields

[AirMoore]

Pathetic... describes everything going on there.

[partsfreak]

Snake bit pork chop.
They will let him off with a slap on the wrist. Hopefully anyone who gets a ticket can bring up his lack of credibility in court if they let him stay on the force.

[hockey005]

lol silly cop ur taking something that doesnt even work...still the concept of the act pisses me off

[Maestro]

Hey Philadelphia is in PA not MS

Also petty stupid cop, come on he could have claimed it was never there in the first place of blame the tow truck driver, no he stupid enough to finger another officer first.

He as stupid as the criminal her suppose to protect us from.

[Lucky225]

Hey Philadelphia is in PA not MS

Also petty stupid cop, come on he could have claimed it was never there in the first place of blame the tow truck driver, no he stupid enough to finger another officer first.

He as stupid as the criminal her suppose to protect us from.

Interesting you caught some detail but not all the detail, his partner rolled on him in an affidavit.

[djrams80]

Hey Philadelphia is in PA not MS.

Looks like both states have a Philadelphia.

[Stealth Stalker]

Looks like both states have a Philadelphia.

What threw me off was when they mentioned Louisville. I didn't realise that either MS or PA had a Lousville, lol.

Anyhow, maybe the guy can get acquitted. It shouldn't be hard to prove to the court that the Cobra does not actually detect radar, and is therefore not really a "radar detector", which would invalidate the complaint against him.