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Home > Blogs > West Chester News and Issues > Archives > 2009 > November > 09
Monday, November 9, 2009
Mansour not done, files federal lawsuit
A lengthy matter involving local resident Joseph Mansour and the West Chester Twp. Police Department isn’t over.
In fact, more court proceedings are pending, as Mansour has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati.
Two weeks ago, we ran a story about the police department’s internal investigation into whether one of its officers acted correctly during a case involving Mansour.
Excerpt
The investigation was launched earlier this month after Mansour, was found not guilty in Butler County Area III Court in a case in which he represented himself.
At the heart of the issue is what police have called an ongoing dispute between Mansour and a neighbor, which came to a head in August 2007, when Mansour called police to his home in the 7800 block of Neida Drive.
Mansour has said that when officers responded to his home, they were rude and disrespectful to him and his son, and that a type-written statement he initialed and provided to officers was never supposed to have been filed.
The officer did file the report, and determined Mansour’s provided timeline to be false. That allegation led to the charges against him, according to a hefty court case file that Mansour has had sealed from the public after the not guilty verdict.
Following the verdict, West Chester Twp. Police Chief Erik Niehaus said an internal investigation into probable cause — more of a review rather than a written report — found no wrongdoing on behalf of his department. His comment appeared in The Pulse Journal in June.
Mansour, who recently lost a bid for one of two opens seats on the West Chester Twp. Board of Trustees, decried Niehaus’ comments last month, saying a public records request of that investigation turned up nil.
Federal case On Oct. 30, Mansour filed a civil rights lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati naming the township, its police department, Chief Erik Niehaus, former Chief John Bruce, trustees, the clerk, Officer Smith and “police officers John Does I-X.”
Three days prior to filing the lawsuit, Mansour writes, he informed “the Trustees of a Police cover up as a result of Defendant Eric Niehaus false representations.”
He also requested trustees launch an investigation of their own, and hire his company to conduct said investigation.
Township Administrator Judi Boyko said Monday, Nov. 9, her office had received the lawsuit, and that it will “handle the complaint as they do all litigation.” She declined to comment further.
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Coyotes discussion to continue…
Last week, an information session hosted by West Chester and representatives from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources drew dozens of residents concerned about the local coyote population.
The session came after the first story we did about the Dorns, whose dog, Champ, is believed to have been mauled by a coyote.
According to those who attended the Nov. 4 info session (including residents and township officials), the mood was not too pleasant.
It’s no stretch, then, to say there will likely be plenty of folks showing up for the trustees’ next meeting Nov. 17.
Thoughts?
