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Groton Daily Independent
Wednesday, June 28, 2017 ~ Vol. 24 - No. 349 ~ 15 of 41
from criminal investigation and prosecution.”
The indictment alleges that the of cers understood that, if video and other evidence became public,
“it would inexorably lead to a thorough criminal investigation by an independent body and likely criminal charges.”
Jeffrey Neslund, an attorney who helped negotiate a $5 million settlement with the city on behalf of the McDonald family, welcomed the indictments.
“This is the same thing that our investigation showed back when we were negotiating with the city in 2015, that there was a cover-up,” he said.
Van Dyke was charged more than a year after the shooting with rst-degree murder on the same day that the city — under orders from a judge — made public the dashboard camera video. He has pleaded not guilty.
His attorney Dan Herbert released a ery statement late Tuesday, alleging the indictment will silence potential witnesses and is “further proof that the government is determined to prevent” Van Dyke from having a fair trial.
If convicted, the three of cers could face years in prison. The of cial misconduct charge alone carries a maximum penalty of ve years in prison and a $25,000 ne.
The of cers weren’t arrested and will be allowed to show up on their own accord at their arraignment on July 10, Holmes said. Asked why, she told a news conference later Tuesday “it’s very typical for a situ- ation like this to give a courtesy call to the defendants” and, if they’re not deemed dangerous or a ight risk, to let them appear at their future arraignment.
Transit agency: Human error caused subway train derailment By DAVID PORTER, Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — A subway train derailment in New York City that injured nearly three dozen people and sparked major delays is being blamed on human error, not a track defect.
A preliminary investigation indicates the derailment just before 10 a.m. Tuesday in Harlem was caused by “an improperly secured piece of replacement rail that was stored on the tracks,” Metropolitan Transporta- tion Authority Chairman Joe Lhota and Interim Executive Director Ronnie Hakim said in a joint statement late Tuesday night.
“Storing equipment in between tracks is a common practice employed by railroads across the country to accelerate rail repairs,” the statement said. “The key to this being an effective and safe practice is making sure that the extra equipment is properly bolted down, which does not appear to have happened in this case.”
The derailment tossed people to the oor and forced hundreds of passengers to evacuate through darkened tunnels.
Crews are inspecting “every inch of rail” to ensure that every replacement part “is properly stored and secured,” MTA of cials said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
MTA of cials said crews still were repairing tracks damaged in the derailment Wednesday morning. The agency was hoping to restore normal service for morning commuters, although those on the A and D trains can expect delays.
Passengers on the A train Tuesday said it suddenly jerked and began shaking violently as it approached the station at 125th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue.
“We started seeing sparks through the windows. People were falling,” said passenger Susan Pak, of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
The derailment came after a winter and spring marked by mechanical failures, power outages and several episodes in which passengers were trapped on stuck trains for an hour or more. Some state lawmakers demanded that the Legislature take up emergency funding for the system in a special session scheduled for Wednesday.
Jack Cox, a software developer, said he felt a “large thump” and heard and felt the train grinding for as