THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 22, 1996 TAG: 9602220316
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines
A number of nagging questions and the disappearance of a key investigative document were behind the City Council's call for a state police investigation of the police department's performance in cases involving the sons of three city officials, those familiar with the matter said Wednesday.
City officials revealed that the original offense report detailing the theft of a four-wheel drive, all-terrain vehicle from the home of Vice Mayor Robert T. Nance in November 1994 is missing and police officials are unable to find it.
Nearly a year after the theft, Chesapeake police arrested William Lawrence Spruill Jr., the 23-year-old son of Police Capt. William L. Spruill, and charged him with breaking and entering and grand larceny in connection with the Nance case. Capt. Spruill is the administrative assistant of Police Chief Ian M. Shipley Jr.
After Nance complained in August that the investigation into the theft seemed to be stalled, the police launched an internal affairs probe, Shipley wrote in a report to the council that was obtained this week by The Virginian-Pilot.
That investigation lasted two months and resulted in a 1,500-page internal affairs report and the disciplining of five officers, including Capt. Spruill.
But the police chief reported that there was no evidence that the officers had intentionally delayed or hampered the investigations into the Nance theft or a second burglary that eventually resulted in charges filed against the sons of a sheriff's department captain and a longtime city councilman.
Shipley conceded in his report that there was a ``substandard investigation'' in both theft cases, but the report provided few details of the shortcomings.
His report just said that the five officers were disciplined ``as a result of other findings concerning the actions and/or omissions of the officers in their respective handling'' of the cases.
The lack of detail in Shipley's explanations was one of the reasons the council wants the state police to make an independent inquiry, according to city officials.
Investigators will be asked to answer these questions, city officials said:
Did Capt. Spruill provide information to his son that could have undermined the investigation?
Did Capt. Spruill, the four other disciplined police officers, or any other city official hamper or hinder the investigations of those arrested?
Did the police department's internal investigation of the cases root out any and all potential wrongdoing?
Was there a cover-up?
Shipley was out of town attending a conference Wednesday, police said. No one was answering his home phone late Tuesday and Wednesday.
Police department spokeswoman Elizabeth N. Jones said the department declined to comment on the pending state police investigation. City Attorney Ron Hallman spent much of Wednesday writing and checking on the request to Virginia State Police.
He said he expected to fax the request for the investigation early today to the head of the criminal investigation division of the state police in Richmond.
Hallman's letter will be addressed to state police Col. Wayne Garrett, who said he was in Chesapeake on Wednesday on another matter.
It was unclear whether Garrett will assign and oversee the investigation.
The probe will look into the police department's investigation of two burglaries.
In addition to the Nance case, the state police will be asked to examine the investigation of a theft of about $160,000 in all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles, generators and outboard motors in October 1994 from Givens Honda in Chesapeake.
At least 10 people have been arrested in connection with the theft, including the sons of Councilman John W. Butt and sheriff's Capt. William Brickhouse, who oversees Chesapeake's court deputies.
Alan Keith Butt, 27, and William Jeremy Brickhouse, 20, have been charged with receiving property allegedly stolen from Givens.
The cases against Alan Butt, William Brickhouse and William L. Spruill Jr. are being prosecuted by Suffolk Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Kenneth A. Phillips.
Chesapeake Commonwealth's Attorney David L. Williams removed his office from the matters in November to avoid any appearance of conflict. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
Police chief Ian M. Shipley Jr. told the City Council that a
"substandard investigation" into two thefts was done.
The son of Councilman John W. Butt, above, is among the people
arrested in connection with one theft.
B\W photo
Vice Mayor Robert T. Nance complained that the investigation into
the theft of his vehicle was slow.
KEYWORDS: CHESAPEAKE POLICE DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATION THEFT by CNB