Albemarle Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Camblos will not be filing criminal charges against former deputy Steve Shiflett, WINA reports. Shiflett, a deputy hired by Sheriff Edgar Robb, claimed in March that a black man had shot at him, unprovoked, hitting him in the torso and his patrol car. A suspect was detained, but released shortly thereafter. Sheriff Robb declared it to have been a “hate crime,” although he found himself defending Shiflett in early June after the deputy was accused of inventing the whole story. The police opened an investigation, Shiflett resigned, and Robb declared on Monday that he was “ready to put this behind us.” Camblos predictably agreed with Robb, so what happened will likely remain unknown. Results of the ballstics test and a polygraph of Shiflett by the Albemarle police have not been made available. 07/04 Update: Josh Barney and Elizabeth Nelson have a story in today’s Progress.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
four six and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
-
Archive for Sideblog »
"Albemarle Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Camblos will not be filing criminal charges against former deputy Steve Shiflett"
One question remains and reporters should relentlessly pursue an answer.
WHY NOT, MR CAMBLOS?
In the Progress article today, Camblos is quoted as saying that “there is no proof that what he said regarding the shooting itself was false. […] The evidence we have does not rise to the level necessary to successfully prosecute and prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Stephen Shiflett committed the crime of giving false information to the police.”
Can you imagine if a citizen did this? You get some guy that turns up with his car and his self shot up, and he pins it on some random black guy. The cops investigate, and it turns out that the random guy didn’t do it, and figure that the guy filed a false police report and is lying about how he got shot up. I can’t imagine that the case would be dropped. Obviously, some guy that’s been shot and is lying about how he got shot is covering something up. People don’t just go refusing to tell who shot them. That citizen would certainly find themselves investigated pretty thoroughly until it was found out what they were doing that resulted in gunplay.
I don’t know what makes (ex) Deputy Shiflett so special, but I’m guessing that it’s got something to do with Sheriff Robb and Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Camblos.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: even if you had access to privileged info, you can’t fight a system that will not let justice through… because it’s not about ethics, morality, fairness, common-sense or simply making it right anymore.
I mean, just for a long second, consider our system. Pause on the tax laws for a moment, just for example. It is clear our taxation structure is a gargantuan web of deceptive mechanisms developed and evolved over decades for the benefit of the well-connected. Our highest ranking government official – you guessed it, Dubbya Bush — lies, cheats, deceives on the grandest of scales, and he remains a national hero. Add to that his 50 billion dollar "tax cut". Heck, the Blue Collars will still love him no matter (so says the latest polls). Yet, if those same folks could put aside that continuously waving red, white and blue flag, they’d realize that the Prez is the poster-child for today’s American Royalty.
So, you think a little cop in tiny Cville can’t walk away within a system designed to let him do just that? As I’ve also said, unless some freakish media burst propels this story into the headlines, and stays there for a while, nothing will transpire from this case. Period. Next crazy thing please…
If there is evidence, sufficient in this time of employment protection, appeals, etc, to fire this cop and announce he wasn`t truthful (PC for "He`s a liar) then there is certainly enough evidence to prosecute for filing a false police report or as a common citizen charge with "false alarm" to the police then there is certainly sufficient evidence to try this cop and let a jury decide – not Camblos.
If they can`t try him they can`t fire him is the way I see it.
This whole mess stinks to high heaven and makes the entire law enforcement structure, including the County Attorney and local government look very, very, very, very bad.
As far as Camblos statement "there is insufficient proof to decide beyond a reasonable doubt, blah, blah, blah," that is a question for the jury and why in hell didn`t the reporter remind him of that????? I am getting to the point I think the reporters in this town never followup with searching questions – merely nod and take notes.
C`mon guys, do your jobs and press these people a bit .Interrogate, don`t interview , at least not in a "hostile environment" when the politicos are stonewalling with canned commentary.
If Camblos says not enough evidence then send the cops back to the drawing board and dig some more – the investigation seemed very short and certainly shorter than some of the others around here.
I can hope for a reversal of the County Attorney decision or at the least, a rational statement as to why no charges, but if citizens don`t come forth in protest
we have little chance of that.
This is an outrage.
‘Dubbya Bush — lies, cheats, deceives on the grandest of scales,’—–
Sounds like 99% of anyone in public office, even on both sides of the fence.
Amen, coverups just make everyone look bad. Even if the charges wont stick, they should come clean about what information they have.
The alternative is to allow us to come up with fantastical conspiracy theories about it. Here is mine: The officer in question was meeting up with his buyer for drugs that he stole from the evidence locker. The buyer gets a little edgy fearing the heat coming down on him, and sees an opportunity to cover his tracks, and get a few free kilos to boot. The officer realizes that he cant explain that he was shot by his partner in crime because if they caught him he’d rat him out for dealing.
Makes a whole lot of sense doesn’t it? Thats the BEAUTY of conspiracy theories, oh so plausible.
In the absence of information from the authorities (and why I wonder) people are apt to develop theories on their own and yours sounds as plausible as any.
If a cop is attacked, the usual response from the cops is we`ll investigate and investigate and we will get to the bottom of it and we will prosecute anyone who attacks a cop. All our resources will be used – we will never give up on a cop case. (I wish the average citizen deserved this attention when they are attacked)
Well – here`s one where they gave up very quickly and won`t say why.
Taxpayers deserve better. Voters deserve better.
I think the police forces (the individual cops I mean) are not to blame but the leadership is falling down on the job. Can`t blame the individual cops – they follow orders and the order apparently is – "fuggidaboudit" or "Let`s put this behind us" – They should jail the guy that thought up that fishy cliche!