Scratching the itch

That’s funny...the complaint involving Officer Tomitsch reminds me of another; lessee, he was a party to an excessive force complaint about 8 years ago…he and another police officer – um, what was that cop’s name…er…gimmie a sec…um…my memory can get a bit fuzzy sometimes…dagnabbit…ol watzhizname…oh, I remember now:  Officer Joshua Carrier.

I interviewed a young man who attended Mann Middle School back in “the Carrier Era.”  He and two of his friends had been suspected of having brought some weed to school, and Officer Carrier called them into his office one at a time to be searched.  My source reported that he went first, and then waited in the hallway for his friends; the second boy went in and came out and also waited; the last boy was called in, and his friends chortled with astonished laughter when the embarrassed boy exited Officer Carrier’s office with his jeans around his ankles:  “Dude!” But all laughter ceased once the news about Carrier broke.

In 2011, disgraced former CSPD Officer Joshua Carrier
 was found guilty of sexually assaulting 18 boys
while working as the resource officer and
volunteer wrestling coach at Mann Middle School

Officer Tomitsch must have had some special itch that needed scratching in order for him to detain his male subject without probable cause, handcuff him behind his back, pull his underpants down to his ankles, and then tag team and sucker punch the defenseless guy with his partner in law enforcement.  Makes ya wonder if the justice obstructed was at the business end of Tomitsch’s billy stick…and I suppose Mr. Aschenbrenner should just be glad no one placed him in a wrasslin’ hold to forcibly check him for ringworm.

Tomitsch is alleged to have stripped, assaulted, humiliated and abused a helpless detainee who was essentially naked from the waist down...in a manner very reminiscent of Carrier.  Back in 2007 when they’d been accused of excessive force involving a tazing, Tomitsch was in his early 40’s while Carrier was just 26 (http://m.gazette.com/man-sues-springs-police-alleging-excessive-force/article/19488).  The alleged victim, Mr. Aschenbrenner is 26…heck, people are practically still whelps at 26 – especially cops – might Tomitsch have been Josh Carrier’s mentor?

As a board member of the Colorado Springs Police Protective Association, one would think that by now Herb Tomitsch would have learned some restraint.  Excessive force and bad behavior is unbecoming to an officer...and as the former president of the CSPPA, Officer Pete Tomitsch said of such back in 2011:  “We’re embarrassed by them.”  (“Arrests fuel debate over civilian oversight of police” -- www.lawreport.org/ViewStory.aspx?StoryID=7155)

Oh well, boys will be boys, as they say…and blood is thicker than water, ho hum; and that nagging feeling of déjà vu is not merely because of the inappropriate, humiliating skin games some police play:  the truth is that both the Independent and the Gazette ran this exact same story four years ago during Carrier cacophony – only some of the names have been changed – and no one’s even paying attention to the names that stayed the same.  It’s not hard-hitting or investigative to repeatedly report yesterday’s news:  that people get paid for such lazy research, and win awards for such re-hashed writing, while real stories languish unreported is a travesty and should be a crime.

Friends, the answer today is the same as it ever was:  YES on civilian oversight of law enforcement!  Come on!! How much outrage and concern for fellow man will it take for we the people to stop debating this and just do it already??

But thanks again, Pam, for your in-depth reporting.

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CASE BY CASE
CASE
Brutality Lawsuits Against Colorad
By Pam Zubeck @PZubeck
Colorado Springs Independent
July 15, 2015


Not yet filed
Jeffrey Aschenbrenner, 26, was detained on Sept. 14, 2014, by Officers Herbert Tomitsch and Brandon Castro "without probable cause or even reasonable suspicion," according to a letter sent to the city by Aschenbrenner's attorney, Shimon Kohn.

The officers "humiliated" him "by pulling his shorts down" and handcuffed him with his shorts around his ankles, according to Kohn's letter, after which they assaulted him, punched him in the stomach and "fabricated facts" to support charges of obstruction of justice.

A single-page police report of the incident states that Aschenbrenner "refused to follow officers [sic] instructions and tried to pull away."

Aschenbrenner seeks $200,000.