Three cops in trouble for prank on mentally-challenged cashier

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http://www.wsbt.com/news/wsbt-two-south-bend-police-officers-suspended-one-may-be-fired-after-gas-station-prank-20130116,0,5117694.story

A South Bend (Indiana) police officer disciplined for punching an inmate at the St. Joseph County jail is in trouble again. This time, the interim chief is asking the Public Safety Board to fire Patrolman Theo Robert for interfering with an internal investigation.

It stems from a prank two other officers played on a local gas station clerk with ADHD learning disability last summer on Miami Street, Indiana.

“I looked up to these guys,” 7-Eleven clerk Jonny Ferguson said in an interview last fall.

Ferguson said he never minded when midnight shift officers stopped by the gas station to use the restroom or grab a cup of coffee while he worked the register, but one night last summer patrolmen Eric Mentz and Aaron Knepper took advantage of their friendship and his learning disability.

He also said the officers offered him money and a meal if he’d take the “cinnamon challenge” and eat a teaspoon of cinnamon without throwing up. When he couldn’t complete that, they challenged him to eat 10 saltine crackers in a minute, offering more money and another free meal.

“I puked for like a good four hours,” Ferguson added.

Interim Police Chief Chuck Hurley said an internal investigation determined those officers acted inappropriately, but he doesn’t think they took advantage of Ferguson.

Ferguson said he’s embarrassed but still sees the good in police.

“I still want to dedicate myself to being a cop. I know that at least I won't be one of those type of cops,” he said.

After an internal investigation, Hurley suspended Mentz for one day and Knepper for two for pulling the prank. In his disciplinary notice, Knepper wrote, “I would like to apologize for my actions – I never intended to act unprofessionally or attract any unwanted media attention on the department.”

Patrolman Robert is accused of making two trips to the gas station a few weeks after the incident, alongside a phone call to the manager identifying himself as a police officer and demanding the surveillance video be released to a local TV station, even though he had nothing to do with the prank itself.

Hurley recommended Robert’s termination because of his history on the department. He served a 30-day suspension after a July 2010 incident when he punched an inmate at the St. Joseph County jail.

The 7-11 incident has resulted in accusations that Robert violated the department’s code of ethics, used his position as a police officer to get information, lied to the department’s internal affairs officer and publicly criticized the department.