This smart-ass should be a shoo-in for the ‘Dumb-Ass of the Month’ award. He also has a good chance of getting the ‘Dumb-Ass of the Year’ award.
SUSPECT ARRESTED FOR THROWING SNOWBALLS AT POLICE OFFICER
msnbc.com
March 1, 2011
GLOUCESTER, Mass. -- A Gloucester man accused of throwing snowballs at police was facing serious charges Monday.
The snowball attack was caught on camera. The suspect’s target was an on-duty Gloucester police officer responding to a call.
“I guess it came very close to his head and shoulder area,” said Lt. Thomas Williams.
Gloucester police said homeland security cameras that they control caught several snow balls flying.
When arrested, the suspect was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon.
“Police officers, in the performance of their duties, shouldn’t be distracted by anything,” Lt. Williams said.
Police said the suspect was 27-year-old Keane Kirlan. They said they found him in a nearby alley. They said they didn’t know what prompted the attack, but at the time the bars were getting out.
"He could get in a lot of serious trouble," one man said. "It's really something you should think, but if you're coming out of a bar who the heck knows what you're thinking."
4 comments:
This is a repost of my original comment on the Gloucester Times forum. I post this here because I am doing all in my power to clear my friend's name. This has been blown way out of of proportion and is a case of the police officer being a complete pansy...and that is coming from someone who expects to join the force within a year. I am not some whackjob liberal.
I would like to address this incident as I feel it is my responsibility to report the truth as apparently neither the Gloucester Police Department, the arresting officer, WHDH News, nor the Gloucester Daily Times feel that is a priority. I want to preface my statement by saying I did not directly participate in the incident but am a good friend of the accused who was present at the time of the incident. I can tell you this incident has brought nothing but embarrassment and regret to him- he is by no means unintelligent and this entire incident was nothing but a misguided attempt at humor.
I witnessed the snowball (note the singular use of the word as the accused did not unleash a barrage of snowballs as the GPD and media outlets have recklessly reported) being thrown by Mr. Kirvan. At no point in time did he direct his throw at a police officer. I can state that with 100% certainty and have already made my willingness to testify on his behalf known. In fact, the testimony that the snowball nearly hit the police officer is entirely inaccurate and grossly misleading. I witnessed the snowball land in the vicinity of the police cruiser but nowhere near striking distance of the officer. Mr. Kirvan may have displayed a momentary lack of good judgment, but I can assure you it was never his intention to hit any officer nor did he come remotely close to doing so. Any testimony to the contrary is an egregious lie and I truly hope the officer who made these allegations comes to understand the ramifications of his decision to make a mountain out of a molehill.
It should be noted that at some point in the booking process, a suggestion to watch the news on Monday night was made by a GPD officer. Not only is that entirely unprofessional, but it is also indicative of a police force that covers for its gross incompetence by leaking their exploits to the media.
The state will have their hands full trying to prove an assault case let alone assault with a deadly weapon. In addition, I am a proponent of CCTV use but if this is how the city is going to justify use of the system, I am appalled and want no part of it. I watched the WHDH coverage of the story and am in complete agreement that officers should not have to deal with civilian disruption while responding to incidents. However, I think, in time, the facts of this matter will come to light and this incident will be seen more as the silly, misguided prank that it was and less of the malicious physical threat the GPD is making it out to be.
Matthew, you are indeed a good friend of Mr. Kirvan.
There are only two problems here. First, your version and that of the police is a case of he (the cop)said, he (you) said. And then there is the problem that you are far from a disintersted party.
Even if your version is absolutely correct, when Kirvan threw a snowball in the direction of the cop or the cop car, it was the action of a dumb-ass smart-ass.
This is something you would expect a not-too-bright elevlen-year old to do, not a 27-year old.
I think the police guesstimate that the dumb-ass may have had a snoot-full is probably pretty accurate. He is lucky he isn't facing battery charges.
I completely understand the legal obstacles my friend must overcome to clear his name. I am a criminal justice student with a private security background and I am aggressively pursuing a career in law enforcement. I would never risk my career to save a friend and he is fully aware of that. I am moving out of state shortly but I have made my intentions known: should he need my testimony, I will do everything in my power to expose the truth. He is fully aware that his actions were irresponsible and regrettable. However, I can assure you that the incident was far less severe than the media made this appear. The only reason the case is still pending is because my friend did not simply want to pay a few hundred dollars for it to be thrown out. It is not a monetary issue, he believes he has the right to defend himself against the accusations and wishes to have the arrest expunged from his record. He knows he is fighting an uphill, potentially costly battle to accomplish these goals, but I believe he has a chance. After all, we don't know what other evidence might be unearthed in the discovery process (an alternate CCTV angle or testimony from a fellow officer vindicating Mr. Kirvan). It will be interesting to see just how far the state is willing to go to prosecute what is basically a weak, but publicized case.
(I also want to point out, his name and age were incorrectly reported- he's actually 25)
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