About The champion newspaper. (Decatur, GA) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (July 20, 2017)
LOCAL THURSDAY, JULY 20, 2017 • Page 8A Local NAACP president "troubled" by DeKalb police officer video BY HORACE HOLLOMAN horace@dekalbchamp.com A video showing a DeKalb County Police officer beating a woman has made national headlines and the president of the DeKalb County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said the incident is “troubling.” Video surfaced of DeKalb County Police Officer P.J. Larscheid striking a woman several times with his baton in a convenience store while telling her to “stop resisting arrest.” Teresa Hardy, president of the DeKalb County Branch of NAACP, said she was troubled by what she saw on the video. The incident occurred on June 4 at a gas station on Glenwood Road. According to the incident report, Larscheid said he was called to the gas station because of a woman soliciting customers for money inside the store. When Larscheid arrived, the woman, 38-year-old Katie McCrary, attempted to walk past Larscheid stating, “the girl you looking for is over there.” Larscheid said McCrary, who is listed as homeless, told him that she was a federal agent and gave him a random badge number. When Larscheid told McCrary she could be arrested for impersonating an officer, McCrary began to grab for his badge, according to the police report. Katie McCary was involved in a use of force incident with a DeKalb County Police officer. “The female continued to grab my vest with her hands and I then deployed my ASP baton and instructed her to lay down on the ground,” Larscheid wrote in his incident report. “The suspect refused my commands and I then delivered an unknown amount of baton strikes to her left leg.” A portion of the incident was caught on camera and posted on various social media platforms and broadcast on national news outlets. In an interview with The Champion, Hardy said the NAACP plans to remain in contact with the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office and the DeKalb County Police Department. “The NAACP was totally troubled when we saw this video,” said Hardy, who said the organization received the video July 10. “Our view is that all citizens should be treated fairly...that’s our mission. Our focus is to make sure the female is represented fairly.” In the video, Larscheid can be heard saying, “Let go or I’m going to shoot you.” According to a statement from the DeKalb County Police Department, an investigation into Larscheid’s actions will be reopened. The department said the video is “new evidence” in the case. “The investigation will cover all aspects of the use of force incident as well as the original investigation conducted by the officer’s immediate supervisors,” DeKalb County Police Department said in a released statement. Larscheid has been placed on restricted administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation. Hardy said the NAACP is “intently awaiting” the outcome of the investigation. “The video really startled me. After reviewing the video several times, it bothers me that this officer continues to beat this woman with a baton. As a woman, I didn’t take it lightly and I want to be included in this process,” Hardy said. McCary was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital where she was evaluated and released. Larscheid said he noticed a laceration on McCary’s left shin and a welt on her left forearm. McCary was also given a criminal trespassing warning at the request of the store owner. See related story on page 1A DeKalb man remembers dog he found buried alive Hosts fundraiser to support shelter BY HORACE HOLLOMAN horace@dekalbchamp.com A DeKalb County man who gave a helping hand to a dog in need plans to help local dogs in similar situations in a different way. Eric Purdue, a DeKalb County resident who found a dog buried alive on a walking trail near Rock Mountain Boulevard and Lewis Road in Tucker, hosted a benefit July 8 at Star Community Bar in Little Five Points. All proceeds from the benefit were donated to Lifeline Animal Project, an organization that operates animal shelters in DeKalb and Fulton counties. Karen Hirsch, spokeswoman for Lifeline Animal Project, said she hopes Purdue’s kindness will shed light on animal abuse. “He’s a wonderful person,” Hirsch said. “He wanted to be the one to help the dog and show the dog love, but he couldn’t. I think it makes people a little bit more aware. We are seeing these type of dogs so often and we take [these cases] very seriously.” The dog Purdue found, later named Lulu, was buried up to her head in dirt. In a video of the incident, Purdue can be heard saying “It’s OK, baby. We’re going to get you out. We’ll get you out baby.” Though Purdue and his family were able to remove the buried dog, she eventually died of her injuries after being brought to a local animal hospital. Hirsch said she was there when Lulu arrived and witnessed her last moments. According to Hirsch, Lulu was in “bad shape” and had ant bites over her body along with contusions on the top of her head. Hirsch said once Lulu was pronounced dead, she and a group of people began crying. “It was really disturbing because of the level of thought that went into it. Someone had gone to some trouble of trying to bury the dog and pack the dirt in... it was disturbing,” Hirsch said. “We see all kinds of terrible abuse. We see dogs See Dog on Page 12A Decatur father indicted in bathtub drowning of son BY HORACE HOLLOMAN horace@dekalbchamp.com A DeKalb County Grand Jury has indicted a Decatur man in connection with the drowning death of his adopted son. Jurors returned a seven-count indictment July 11 against 43-year-old Leon Harvey Williams on charges of malice Williams murder, felony murder, first degree cruelty to children (three counts), aggravated assault-family violence and aggravated battery-family violence for the death of 10-year-old Kentae Williams. Kentae died April 28 following a series of alleged incidents involving the Williams. According to investigation, neighbors witnessed Williams yelling at and threatening the child while dragging him by his neck into their Glen Hollow Drive apartment unit. The child was then allegedly beaten with a belt and forced into the bathtub where hot water was poured over his feet, causing second degree burns. The child’s head was submerged under water twice after he complained about the water temperature, according to the investigation. After Kentae lost consciousness, emergency crews were called and the child was rushed to the hospital where he later died. Williams was arrested the following day and remains in DeKalb County Jail without bond.
