Innocent man's jailing called 'honest mistake'

Detective won't face criminal charges in fingerprint snafu

By SCOTT DAUGHERTY, Staff Writer

Capital Gazette Communications

Published 08/28/08

A county police detective who earlier this year included incorrect information in court documents - leading a Glen Burnie man to serve four months in jail for a crime he did not commit - will not face criminal charges.

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Prosecutors do not believe Detective Greg Tate, a 15-year veteran of the department, intentionally lied to the court in January when he said the county's crime lab matched the fingerprints of Raymond H. Jonassen to those left at the scene of a Dec. 6 burglary.

"Both perjury and misconduct in office require the state to negate...

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Self-serving - 2008-08-29 06:29:11

Anne Arundel County once had a very corrupt police force. The corruption now isn't with police officers enriching themselves financially for personal gain. The corruption now is about the belief that the police are not accountable for their actions. The police now have enough people to tell that whatever they do is acceptable. The cult of police that has developed in the last few years means the police no longer feel linked to the community and instead feel impowered to conduct themselves as they please. This isn't just a county problem. This is the problem with most agencies. Drunk police officers drink and drive killing people and aren't accountable, federal police shoot people without cause and aren't held accountable, local police hold contest to see who can get the most naked pictures of young girls in the community, etc.

Having the police investigate themselves is a self-serving mis-carriage of the ideals that this country was founded on.

There isn't and shouldn't be an imperial class that is above questioning.

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Mark C. - Pasadena, MD - Karma: Neutral

So who gets to pay? - 2008-08-28 23:50:25

First of all, I viewed the document attachment with the hopes that perhaps it was quite technical and scientific, like on CSI. I have a BS in science and was hoping to dazzle my fiance' with my brillance in explaining this report to him, since I have to listen to his stories all night long. To my surprise, a halfway trained monkey (and by that I mean he doesn't throw his feces at others) could read and comprehend the results and testify in court truthfully and honestly. So who gets to pay for the lawsuit this "wrongly accussed guy" will file. I'll bet it will be the taxpayers.

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jean r. - bowie, MD - Karma: Neutral

You can't win - 2008-08-28 17:00:55

I don't care if you have a clear cut case of Police criminality. They refuse to investigate, browbeat and harass the accuser and witnesses. I watched 2 A.A. County officers beat a guy who was handcuffed and proned on the hot hood of their cruiser. Every time the guy winced in pain from the heat they hit him with knightsticks. The cops saw me looking at them and came over and kicked my door in to 'Get your I.D." Nothing was ever done to the cops but they sure harrassed ME for awhile!

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Paul F. - Shady Side, MD - Karma: Neutral

Honest Mistake - 2008-08-28 16:15:15

Once I tried to file a complaint concerning police misconduct with internal affairs. The call was promptly screened and I was told I didn't have case. I even wrote a written complaint that was never answered. The subject policeman spent the next year watching my house to find anything even stopping friends and trying to get them to spy on me by threatening arrest. Frankly, any internal investigation's should be considered biased and suspect.

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Jim R. - Gambrills, MD - Karma: Neutral

Counties finest - 2008-08-28 15:41:52

Here we go again our counties finest, this is just sloppy police work and someone sat in jail for 108 days because of it. Maybe the guy did do it but let?s get evidence right first then jail him. Under trained and arrogant. This detective should take 108 days off to think about what he has caused here. It?s always an honest mistake when the police screw up but let most citizens make an honest mistake and you will get hammered in this county. As I look around at the police officers cruising around Crownsville I can see we have finally hit the bottom of the barrel. I?m not sure who are worse the police or the criminals around here

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FRED D. - CROWNSVILLE, MD - Karma: Neutral