August 2024
A roundup of police predators
Welcome to Police Predators, a side project that documents child sexual abuse by law enforcement officers. Every month, I’ll be doing a roundup of all the stories I could find about cops that were charged with, convicted of, and/or sentenced for their crimes against minors.
Kevin Michael Boyd, a Meridian, Mississippi police lieutenant, was arrested and charged with statutory rape. Boyd is alleged to have molested a 12-year-old girl. Original story here.
Nicholas Irvin Martell, an Isanti, Minnesota police officer, was arrested and charged with distributing via electronic communication material that relates/describes sexual conduct to a child. Martell allegedly sent a 14-year-old girl sexually explicit images of himself. According to the statement of probable cause, he later apologized and told the victim not to tell anyone because he could go to prison. Martell is on administrative leave. Original story here.
William Ruscoe, a former police officer in Trumbull, Connecticut settled a lawsuit against him and the city of Trumbull by a woman whom he repeatedly sexually assaulted when she was a minor. The amount was not disclosed. Ruscoe pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault in the criminal case in 2015 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, serving only 30 months. Ruscoe met the victim in the embattled Explorers program, wherein minors who are interested in becoming police officers spend time with active duty cops to get a sense of the job. He repeatedly made sexual advances toward the victim, sent her lewd texts, groped her, and sexually assaulted her multiple times. Investigators also found over two dozen photos of the minor victim on Ruscoe's cell phone. He was again arrested in 2020 for allegedly sexually assaulting another minor between 2013 and 2014, ultimately being charged with fourth-degree sexual assault, risk of injury to a child, and illegal sexual contact with a victim. Original story here.
Jeffrey Morningstar, a former police officer who has worked in multiple departments in Michigan, was arrested and charged with child sexually abusive activity, using a computer to commit a crime, and accosting a child for immoral purposes. Morningstar allegedly communicated with an undercover officer he thought was a trafficker in order to pay them for sex with a 15-year-old. Original story here.
Ra’Von Wiggins, a former East Cleveland, Ohio police officer, pleaded guilty to four counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. He was sentenced to two years of probation and registration as a Tier 2 sex offender. Wiggins dated a 15-year-old when he was 21 and began to follow her around when she broke up with him. Original story here.
Jonathan E. Perez, a former Cape May County, New Jersey corrections officer, was sentenced to 30 years in prison after being found guilty of two counts of aggravated sexual assault with a minor, one count of sexual assault, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child. Perez sexually assaulted a minor over the course of an "extended period of time." Original story here.
Harvey Velazquez, a former Las Vegas, Nevada police officer, was arrested and hit with 21 charges, including child abuse and luring a child to engage in a sex act. Velazquez allegedly exchanged sexually explicit photos with a minor, including while he was at work. He is also accused of trading oral sex for a vape pen, paying a minor for sex, and telling a minor she had to purchase Plan B. Original story here.
Updates
Martice D. Porter pleaded guilty to third-degree rape and now faces up to four years in prison.
Christopher Bauer was sentenced to life in prison.
Brandon Crites was sentenced to over nine years in prison, as well as five years of probation.
I encourage you to read the story of Sandra Birchmore, a pregnant woman who was found dead in her home. It was initially ruled a suicide, but former detective Matthew Farwell is accused of grooming her from the age of 12, when she was in the Explorers program, and subsequently killing her. Sandra's supporters reached out to me to get more eyes on her case because, initially, it seemed that Farwell wouldn't be held accountable for his alleged crimes. He eventually signed a voluntary decertification agreement, barring him from being a police officer in Massachusetts. You can read the agreement below.
You can find all my previous roundups below.
