Sheriff's deputies tase pallbearer at father's funeral
inmytree
Posts: 4,741
I mixed on this. I happened to be running some errands on Sat. and saw the undercover cars rushing to the Funeral home. It was odd because one car was going the wrong way of a busy street. Anyway, hindsight is 20/20. If Gladwyn had turned himself in as he promised, this would not have occurred. If Gladwyn had not communicated threats to his wife, this would not have happened. If Gladwyn had not barricaded himself in his house Nov. 8 when they went to serve a warrant for reportedly threatening to kill his estranged wife, this would not have happened.
I know this may sound callous and uncaring, but let's place the blame were it lies.
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20081118/ARTICLES/811180276/1155?Title=Sheriff_s_deputies_tase_pallbearer_at_father_s_funeral
Sheriff's deputies tase pallbearer at father's funeral
By Veronica Gonzalez
Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at 6:10 p.m.
A somber funeral service turned scary when two men in coats and ties appeared out of nowhere and began scuffling with a pallbearer. The men turned out to be undercover New Hanover County Sheriff’s deputies serving a warrant.
Family and friends who attended the service of 70-year-old Gladwyn Taft Russ Jr. said they are still traumatized by what happened on Saturday when deputies moved in to arrest the dead man’s son, Gladwyn Taft Russ III, on a charge of communicating threats. He is accused of threatening to kill his estranged wife, who lives in another state, according to the sheriff’s office. His family said he was one of six pallbearers sliding the casket into the hearse.
“Everybody was so scared. We thought it was a drug deal gone bad,” said Ronnie Simmons, another pallbearer and brother-in-law of the man who was arrested. “We didn’t know. We almost dropped the casket.”
Unbeknownst to some family and friends, the younger Russ had failed to keep a promise of turning himself in to sheriff’s deputies. So the sheriff’s office planned to arrest him discreetly at the 2 p.m. funeral – a move that backfired in the emotionally charged environment. Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Ed McMahon chalked it up to bad timing.
“It was never my intention to create any more problems for the family, and I am truly sorry and apologize for that,” McMahon said. “I feel like we should have waited till after the cemetery.”
Family said that two men who turned out to be undercover deputies walked over to Gladwyn Taft Russ III, grabbed him by the arm, kneed him in the back of the leg and eventually used a Taser to subdue him while he was loading the casket into the hearse. At one point, one of the deputies’ handguns fell out of its holster and bounced onto the asphalt. People cried. The confusion alarmed family and friends so much that some of them went home instead of going to the cemetery where Russ’ father was buried with military honors because he served in the Navy, said Taffy Gause, the younger Russ’ sister.
“Everything went beautiful in the chapel,” she said. “When they put the coffin into the hearse, that’s basically when the funeral service really ended because a lot of people didn’t go to the cemetery.”
Gause, who said the funeral turned into a nightmare, didn’t realize what was going on at first because she had been sitting in a limousine waiting to go to the cemetery.
When Gause got out of the limo, she began demanding answers. “I was hollering, ‘Who are you? What are you doing?’ He was waving a gun at me and my mom and yelling to get back or he was going to shoot.”
McMahon said deputies pointed Tasers at the crowd for protection because it was moving in on them.
Gause wasn’t alone in her confusion.
“We thought it was going to get worse,” Simmons said.
Before the younger Russ was arrested, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office was already a bit leery of the man because he had barricaded himself in his house Nov. 8 when they went to serve a warrant for reportedly threatening to kill his estranged wife, McMahon said. They backed off after he agreed to turn himself in that Monday – the day his father was supposed to have surgery. Nov. 10 came and went without the younger Russ surrendering, McMahon said. Deputies were led to believe he had left the state. Then, the younger Russ called a few days later to say he’d report to authorities after his father’s funeral. His father died on Veterans Day.
This time, deputies didn’t trust him and they decided to go in and discreetly arrest him at his father’s funeral at Andrews Mortuary Valley Chapel at 4108 S. College Road. Once there, two plainclothes deputies identified themselves and told the younger Russ he was under arrest, McMahon said. “I was worried about the safety of the victim,” McMahon said, adding that deputies arrested him at the funeral for fear he would flee.
But when the deputies approached him, “he went wild,” and spit on them, he said. “The worst case scenario happened at the funeral,” McMahon said.
After the confrontation, the 42-year-old Russ, who has been convicted in the past of resisting an officer, contempt of court and larceny, also was charged with felony malicious conduct by a prisoner, assault on a government official, resisting an officer and disorderly conduct. He is being incarcerated at the New Hanover County jail on a $5,500 bond.
“No matter what my son had done ... this should not have happened,” said Peggy Russ, the arrested man’s mother. “They could have waited.”
McMahon agreed and said he would address the situation in the sheriff’s office so “we don’t make that mistake again.”
I know this may sound callous and uncaring, but let's place the blame were it lies.
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20081118/ARTICLES/811180276/1155?Title=Sheriff_s_deputies_tase_pallbearer_at_father_s_funeral
Sheriff's deputies tase pallbearer at father's funeral
By Veronica Gonzalez
Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at 6:10 p.m.
A somber funeral service turned scary when two men in coats and ties appeared out of nowhere and began scuffling with a pallbearer. The men turned out to be undercover New Hanover County Sheriff’s deputies serving a warrant.
Family and friends who attended the service of 70-year-old Gladwyn Taft Russ Jr. said they are still traumatized by what happened on Saturday when deputies moved in to arrest the dead man’s son, Gladwyn Taft Russ III, on a charge of communicating threats. He is accused of threatening to kill his estranged wife, who lives in another state, according to the sheriff’s office. His family said he was one of six pallbearers sliding the casket into the hearse.
“Everybody was so scared. We thought it was a drug deal gone bad,” said Ronnie Simmons, another pallbearer and brother-in-law of the man who was arrested. “We didn’t know. We almost dropped the casket.”
Unbeknownst to some family and friends, the younger Russ had failed to keep a promise of turning himself in to sheriff’s deputies. So the sheriff’s office planned to arrest him discreetly at the 2 p.m. funeral – a move that backfired in the emotionally charged environment. Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Ed McMahon chalked it up to bad timing.
“It was never my intention to create any more problems for the family, and I am truly sorry and apologize for that,” McMahon said. “I feel like we should have waited till after the cemetery.”
Family said that two men who turned out to be undercover deputies walked over to Gladwyn Taft Russ III, grabbed him by the arm, kneed him in the back of the leg and eventually used a Taser to subdue him while he was loading the casket into the hearse. At one point, one of the deputies’ handguns fell out of its holster and bounced onto the asphalt. People cried. The confusion alarmed family and friends so much that some of them went home instead of going to the cemetery where Russ’ father was buried with military honors because he served in the Navy, said Taffy Gause, the younger Russ’ sister.
“Everything went beautiful in the chapel,” she said. “When they put the coffin into the hearse, that’s basically when the funeral service really ended because a lot of people didn’t go to the cemetery.”
Gause, who said the funeral turned into a nightmare, didn’t realize what was going on at first because she had been sitting in a limousine waiting to go to the cemetery.
When Gause got out of the limo, she began demanding answers. “I was hollering, ‘Who are you? What are you doing?’ He was waving a gun at me and my mom and yelling to get back or he was going to shoot.”
McMahon said deputies pointed Tasers at the crowd for protection because it was moving in on them.
Gause wasn’t alone in her confusion.
“We thought it was going to get worse,” Simmons said.
Before the younger Russ was arrested, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office was already a bit leery of the man because he had barricaded himself in his house Nov. 8 when they went to serve a warrant for reportedly threatening to kill his estranged wife, McMahon said. They backed off after he agreed to turn himself in that Monday – the day his father was supposed to have surgery. Nov. 10 came and went without the younger Russ surrendering, McMahon said. Deputies were led to believe he had left the state. Then, the younger Russ called a few days later to say he’d report to authorities after his father’s funeral. His father died on Veterans Day.
This time, deputies didn’t trust him and they decided to go in and discreetly arrest him at his father’s funeral at Andrews Mortuary Valley Chapel at 4108 S. College Road. Once there, two plainclothes deputies identified themselves and told the younger Russ he was under arrest, McMahon said. “I was worried about the safety of the victim,” McMahon said, adding that deputies arrested him at the funeral for fear he would flee.
But when the deputies approached him, “he went wild,” and spit on them, he said. “The worst case scenario happened at the funeral,” McMahon said.
After the confrontation, the 42-year-old Russ, who has been convicted in the past of resisting an officer, contempt of court and larceny, also was charged with felony malicious conduct by a prisoner, assault on a government official, resisting an officer and disorderly conduct. He is being incarcerated at the New Hanover County jail on a $5,500 bond.
“No matter what my son had done ... this should not have happened,” said Peggy Russ, the arrested man’s mother. “They could have waited.”
McMahon agreed and said he would address the situation in the sheriff’s office so “we don’t make that mistake again.”
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Comments
Everything he had done up to that point was wrong. When the two officers identified themselves he should have peacefully put his hands behind his back and walked away.
Only he could spare the embarrassment of a full blown scene. He chose not to.
Sure the cops could have waited, but I think under the circumstance they were within their rights.
I think this here is a pointed comment on the image his family has of this guy. Drug deal gone bad??? Man.
While yes I do agree the cops should have found a better time during the funeral to arrest him, he did bring it on himself.