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When the Batterer
is a Cop


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Rogue Cop Update

Prominent in our last newsletter's report on battering cops was the face of Darwin Kennedy. A former Rohnert Park Police officer, Kennedy was convicted of domestic battery in August 2003, after pleading guilty to pushing his way into the victim's house, grabbing her by both arms, pulling her out of her apartment and slamming her against the door or wall, bloodying her nose.

Since the plea, he's had number of subsequent restraining order violations involving threats, harassment and attempting to pressure the victim to recant her statements. Finally, he was jailed on a probation violation.

After a number of hearings that can only be described as special treatment, Kennedy was sentenced on September 24th by Judge Gary Nadler, the same judge who presided over the CHP case.

Deputy DA Bob Waner pleaded with the judge to "normalize" the case and treat Kennedy like any other defendant. Instead, despite the fact that Kennedy had called the victim a bitch in his probation interview, Nadler's "punishment" was to put the ex-cop back on probation.

Darwin DennedyEven worse, ignoring the California penal code requirement that he be put in an approved batterers' group treatment program, Nadler allowed Kennedy to undergo private counseling instead. Apparently Kennedy had gotten into a beef with the facilitator of the approved program because of its "confrontational style." Seems he was enraged at being called a stalker.

Had he then been treated "like any other defendant," Kennedy would have been dropped from the program, deemed inappropriate for probation, and sent to jail, not allowed to hire a private counselor.

Nadler's decision is even more shocking in light of the fact that counselor, Bonnie Lyons, requested the court put a restraining order on the victim! Kennedy, still in deep denial, claims he's the one being stalked, not the reverse.
Won't be long before we see this guy back in court.



November 2004

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© Tanya Brannan, Purple Berets
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