Police Favoritism Alleged After Deadly Crash
Thursday, June 25, 2009 5:38 PM
Brian Jefferson died on June 13, at Grant Medical Center, a short time after the crash occurred at Kent Street and Miller Avenue on the city's east side.
Jefferson, 35, was riding on a scooter when a Lincoln Town Car pulled out in front.
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He had no life insurance.
"We're trying to raise money for his funeral," said George Walker, Jefferson's father.
For Jefferson's family, the hardest part about his death is not that he died poor, but it's the idea that the woman involved in his death, Alaina Greene, was not supposed to be behind the wheel and was wanted by police.
Some believe it was because Greene's father is a Columbus police sergeant.
"That would be a bitter pill to swallow because it wouldn't have had to happen," Walker said.
Officers released Greene without even writing a ticket despite a record that would have landed most people in jail, Aker reported.
Greene's record includes a drug-related license suspension in 2002, driving without a license in October 2008 and again in January. Her license was suspended for at least five weeks at the time of the crash, according to Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicle records that were obtained by 10 Investigates.
Greene had local warrants for her arrest, Aker reported.
"If it was me or anyone else, I would have (gone) to jail," said Sommer Sturgell, a friend of Greene who came to the scene of the crash.
According to police policy, officers should either arrest a suspended driver or issue a ticket. Neither happened to Greene, Aker reported.
Typically, police will run a computer-based records check, called LEADS, at a crash scene. The check reveals whether a driver has a suspended license or arrest records. It was not clear whether police even pulled a report on Greene but Sturgell said that officers were discussing Greene's relationship to her father, Sgt. Charles Greene.
"I am nosey," Sturgell said. "I heard them actually talking about it."
According to Sturgell, the crash was not Greene's first near-miss with Columbus police. She said an officer stopped her and Greene, who was driving, a couple of weeks before the crash but did not write a ticket.
"They pulled us over and said she didn't have a license and they drove us up the street," Sturgell said.
If true, favoritism makes everything for Jefferson's family worse, they said.
Columbus police Sgt. Rich Weiner said that it is important to let the investigation run its course but confirmed that the department launched an internal affairs investigation.
"(We want) to make sure proper policy was followed and, if there were warrants checks or leads checks, and to investigate why there was no enforcement action," Weiner said.
According to Weiner, part of the investigation will focus on whether there was favoritism involved.
While the answers won't be enough to save Jefferson, they might be enough to bring a little peace to his family, Aker reported.
"Right now, I just want a sense of justice," Walker said. "If that comes, I'm happy."
Six days after the crash and several days after 10 Investigates started asking questions, Columbus police arrested Greene on the warrants. She was not charged with anything related to this month's crash.
Police said that they are unsure how long their internal affairs investigation will take.
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