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Lorin Zaner
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Articles
LIEUTENANT
ACQUITTED OF VIOLENCE CHARGE
Article ID: 0204060125
Published on April 6, 2002 - The Blade (Toledo, OH)
Toledo police Lt. Frank Ramirez was found not guilty yesterday
of domestic violence for an incident during summer involving
his former girlfriend at his North Toledo home. A jury
in Toledo Municipal Court acquitted Lieutenant Ramirez
of a misdemeanor charge that could have sent him to jail
for six months and possibly ended his career in law enforcement.
The jurors - five women and three men - deliberated almost
an hour before returning a verdict.
Lieutenant Ramirez, who has been with the police department since 1983, showed
no emotion as the verdict was read. "I am pleased with the jury's decision.
I know the facts spoke for themselves," the lieutenant said. Lieutenant
Ramirez was charged after Toledo police were called about 11 p.m. on July 27
to St. Luke's Hospital in Maumee to investigate a complaint from Lynnette Busch
of Whitehouse. She said she suffered a broken rib and bruises on the arm in
a fight about 5:30 a.m. that day with the lieutenant.
Yesterday, Lieutenant Ramirez took the witness stand in his own defense. He
told the jury that Ms. Busch was high on crack cocaine and became abusive after
he rebuffed her sexual advances when she came to his house. At first, he said
he told her to leave. But when she refused he said he tried to walk out the
front door to go to his parents. He said she stepped on his foot, unintentionally
breaking his toe. "During the entire confrontation, I was asking her to
leave," he said. "She kept standing in front of the door." At
the time, the lieutenant said, he was breaking off the relationship because
of her addiction to crack cocaine. He said they never lived together during
the two years they dated. He said she took a key from his mother's house to
get into the house that night.
Lieutenant Ramirez also testified that the officer who filed the domestic violence
charge did not follow departmental guidelines and interview him to determine
the primary physical aggressor in the altercation.
Brian Garrison, one of the jurors, said the panel was unanimous in its decision
to acquit. He said prosecutors failed to prove Ms. Busch was living with Lieutenant
Ramirez and that she had permission to be there. "She seemed to be the
aggressor. We think he gave her every opportunity to leave the premises but
she refused," said Mr. Garrison.
Lorin Zaner, an attorney representing Lieutenant Ramirez, said prosecutors
and police officials maliciously pursued the case against his client in an
attempt to have him dismissed. Ms. Busch was granted immunity from prosecution
after she said she would invoke her Fifth Amendment rights if called to testify. "I
have never seen them go to the extreme lengths that they did in this case to
get a conviction. By going to the court and getting immunity for somebody who
was involved in crack cocaine, theft, potential burglary, trespass and possible
child endangering,... it is clear they wanted his badge, said Mr. Zaner. "They
never did a thorough and complete investigation of this case. It is obvious
to me someone higher up doesn't want him to remain a police officer," he
said.
But Assistant Prosecutor Stephen Steinberg said the city recently began prosecuting
domestic relations cases in which the victim is either reluctant or not available. "That
is something we do now; prosecute, and prosecute very zealously," he said.
Police Chief Mike Navarre denied the allegation that the city was out to get
the officer. "I have not had any conversations whatsoever with any prosecutors
regarding this case. Our job is to make the report and present the evidence
to prosecutors, which we did in this case," he said.
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