Cop’s Family Secures Bond
by Christine Stuart | March 14, 2007 5:35 PM
Posted to Courts
Lt. William “Billy” White’s family packed a Hartford courtroom Wednesday to secure his $2 million bond with the equity in their homes.
White was charged in an FBI sting and accused of taking tens of thousands of dollars in what he thought was drug money and accepting bribes from bail bondsmen. He was held without bond Tuesday until he could undergo a psychological evaluation, the results of which were not released in open court. But at one point in during Wednesday’s proceedings Judge Magistrate Thomas Smith mentioned White would have to agree to take his medication if he was released.
On Tuesday Assistant US Attorney David Ring said he was concerned that White had expressed suicidal tendencies following his arrest Tuesday.
Click here to read the New Haven Independent’s round-up on White’s arrest. Or keep reading this report from Wednesday by clicking below.
Assistant US Attorney David Ring made a motion to confine White to his home with an electronic monitoring device and curfew, but Smith denied the motion. Smith said judging by the amount of family in the courtroom and the hundreds of thousands of dollars in equity relatives offered to secure his bond “I think he’s going to show up” for court.
Hubert Santos, White’s attorney, said White’s wife would also offer their home on Alston Avenue to secure the bond, but White and his wife recently refinanced it to pay for their children’s education, so there’s little equity in the home.
Smith also denied the motion because White will have to drive to Hartford to visit with Santos. In addition, Smith speculated White may also have to find employment, but later learned that he is not unemployed. White told Smith that he was currently on “paid administrative leave.” Smith said White won’t be able to drive his two children back to Fordham University this week because he will not be allowed to leave Connecticut.
“My husband is a wonderful man whose entire life is devoted to his family,” White’s wife Nancy told the court Wednesday. She said White works so hard and his only recreation is going someplace with his family or watching basketball. “We’re his life and he’s our life,” she said.
Smith explained the Bail Reform Act requires him to take into account the strength of the government case, which “appears to be pretty strong.” He said “you’re probably going to be convicted and incarcerated for some period of time.” But Smith said he also had to take into consideration White’s 39 years of service as a police officer.
At the end of Wednesday’s hearing White’s relatives stayed to secure the bond with the equity in their homes. The probable cause hearing was scheduled for 2 p.m. April 2.
Comments (4)
Posted by: andy ross | March 15, 2007 1:00 AM
It is always a shame when some one exits in shame. It is worse for the city when you really think about. We tend to feel sorry for the family and I do but, the family has been the beneficiary of this mans wrong doings for years and it is the city that has been made out a fool for not catching this on its own and sooner.. I hope that in 39 years this officer can point to some many achievements to at least mitigate some of the embarrassment for the Police department, himself and the city. My prayers are with the family and the cities recovery.
Posted by: Steven G. Erickson | March 17, 2007 2:12 PM
For everyone caught there are probably another hundred that are dirty cops.
Good cops far out number the bad ones, but in Connecticut any officers that break ranks to turn in a bad officer do so at their own peril.
An officer will be retaliated against and may be arrested and face prison him or herself.
Judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and elected officials that break ranks get toasted, their families are broken up, are financially ruined, lose their homes, credit, and the sum total of their life's work, just to do the right thing.
Citizens that turn in bad officers as far as I know are always arrested and face prison and the officers are rarely punished or lose their jobs, almost no matter what.
Until there is Civilian Oversight of police, prosecutors, judges, and defense attorneys the dirty cop syndrome will only be more prevalent.
Posted by: mr.c | March 18, 2007 1:29 PM
He's been dirty for years ! Why all the up roar now. We need to get rid of dirty cops and politions. New Haven is FULL of both. The shake downs by mayor and state senators is ludacris. $$$, root of all evil ?
Posted by: Clifford Wallace Thornton, Jr | March 26, 2007 4:52 AM
All that was said is good. However, please read this uninformed statement the mayor made below from the Stamford Advocate.
DeStefano said he continued to have confidence in Ortiz.
"This was such outrageous behavior," DeStefano said. "There's nothing that suggests to me this is a systemic or institutional problem." http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n321/a05.html
Well let me refer him to http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle-old/385/thisweek1.shtml
There are tons of corrupt cop stories from all over the country. Over ninety percent are drug related.
When I ran for governor I said, " Every day, cops, not all cops, are faced with "do I take the money or turn it in". This is an institutional problem. There is just to much money in the drug business, most of it is untraceable. No one should be exposed to this type of temptation every day.