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Three months after reporter's arrest, investigation still unresolved Monday, Mar 10, 2008 Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - After three months, the investigation into a state trooper's arrest of a newspaper journalist trying to take pictures at the scene of a house fire in Maumelle remains unresolved. Bill Lawson, a reporter and photographer for Stephens Media newspapers in Central Arkansas, was arrested and handcuffed Dec. 10 by Arkansas State Police Trooper Tom Weindruch, who claimed Lawson's camera flash temporarily blinded him and made him fear for his safety. Weindruch released Lawson at the scene with a citation for obstructing governmental operations, which was later dismissed. Lawson filed a complaint with state police on Dec. 13, accusing Weindruch of rude, abusive and threatening conduct. Weindruch has declined repeated requests for comment from the Arkansas News Bureau, which is owned by Stephens Media. On Dec. 14, state police officials said an internal investigation had been launched and Weindruch had been reassigned to non-enforcement duties. Arkansas State Police Director Col. Winford Philips "has directed the department's Internal Affairs staff to make this case a priority investigation," state police said in a news release at the time. On Jan. 4, state police spokesman Bill Sadler said an investigative file had been submitted to Phillips. Since then, no further action has been announced. "I hope it's a case of them being thorough and trying to ascertain all the facts involved in the situation, rather than just kind of hoping it'll go away if they don't do anything about it," Lawson said Friday. The review of the incident is continuing, according to Sadler. "There have been other issues that have arisen that have caused the director to be needed in other areas of the department than personnel. He is working on it just as quickly as he can," Sadler said. Officials may be looking into other incidents besides Lawson's arrest. Through a Freedom of Information Act request, the Arkansas News Bureau learned last month that nine formal complaints have been filed against Weindruch since November 2004. Eight of the complaints accused Weindruch of angry or violent behavior, some describing him as "enraged" or "raging." Lawson said the descriptive terms used in the other complaints could also describe the way Weindruch acted toward him. "It was almost like he was itching for a fight," Lawson said. One person, James Ard of North Little Rock, complained that Weindruch stopped him and arrested him on Nov. 11, 2004, even though Weindruch did not receive his commission as a trooper until eight days later. "I don't think he had the right to hold me under the false pretense that he was a state trooper," Ard said in an interview Friday. That incident occurred after Ard's vehicle and an ambulance nearly collided on Interstate 30. Ard said the ambulance then swerved in front of him and braked suddenly, forcing him to stop. Weindruch jumped out of the ambulance, pounded his fist on the hood of Ard's vehicle and jerked open Ard's door, injuring his rotator cuff, Ard said. Ard said his vehicle received $200 damage and he incurred $1,000 in medical bills. He filed a lawsuit against Weindruch and the other two occupants of the ambulance, including the driver, Weindruch's fiancee, but the lawsuit was dismissed. "They said I was gunning my motor and fixing to run him (Weindruch) over, which I wasn't," Ard said. Ard said he is interested to see what, if anything, state police will do about the latest incident involving Weindruch. "Personally, I think they're hoping it'll all just go away and they won't have to terminate him," he said. That's not the case, according to Sadler. "I expect a resolution," Sadler said. |
