This one’s a new low, even for our times.
It was just a routine workers’ compensation fraud case for private investigator Ken Sheppard. Show up for a spot check, do some surveillance of the subject.. But on March 3, 2014, it was anything but routine for the renowned private investigator known for busting reality TV series “Bridezillas” star Anita Maxwell for insurance fraud.
On location in Montrose, California, a city with just under 20,000 residents and less than one percent of them African-American, Mr. Sheppard was conducting regular surveillance of a subject while parked in his black Chevy Tahoe.
The Tahoe Mr. Sheppard was sitting in had side and rear tinted windows and was registered and insured for 3 million dollars in policy coverage.
It’s important to note that in subsequent court documents filed in federal court, Deputy Plunkett, as he was identified, had not been called to the scene by a neighbor or any other witness. No person alerted Deputy Plunkett’s station of suspicious activity in the area. He was just there.
Deputy Plunkett exited his vehicle walking along the drivers’ side of the Tahoe, with his weapon drawn. Upon seeing Deputy Plunkett’s approach, Mr. Sheppard rolled the driver’s side window down and exposed his hands, demonstrating that there was no cause for alarm.
In response to Deputy Plunkett’s question concerning his activities, Mr. Sheppard advised that he was sitting in his vehicle working. Deputy Plunkett asked, “why?” making no mention of having noticed tinted windows, nor any issue with license plates. Deputy Plunkett next asked if Mr. Sheppard was engaged as a “P.I. or something.”
With his weapon still drawn, Deputy Plunkett then placed his left hand on Mr. Sheppard’s left wrist. Mr. Sheppard asked Mr. Plunkett to “please remove” his hand from Mr. Sheppard’s person. Deputy Plunkett refused this request, used his radio and proceeded to ignore Mr. Sheppard’s repeated demands for the intervention of Deputy Plunkett’s Watch Commander.
As the video shows, Mr. Sheppard asked Deputy Plunkett at least eight times to call in a Watch Commander to the location.
It is important to note here that Sheppard had committed no crime, and Plunkett was making threats without any legal justification.
While holding Mr. Sheppard’s wrist, Deputy Plunkett was visibly shaking, to the point that Mr. Sheppard could feel and observe the tremors emanating from Deputy Plunkett’s hand. Mr. Sheppard repeated his request that Deputy Plunkett holster his weapon.
According to Mr. Sheppard, in order to make sure that he could properly hear any commands from Deputy Plunkett, he raised his left hand in full view of the deputy and removed a Bluetooth earpiece, from his left ear. His ear was also facing Deputy Plunkett.
It’s at this point that Deputy Plunkett points his Beretta 92F at the side of Mr. Sheppard’s head toward his left temple while shouting “do not fucking be reaching.” At some point, prior to holstering his weapon, Deputy Plunkett cocked the hammer of his weapon, while continuing to point the weapon less than one foot from Mr. Sheppard’s temple.
It’s about this time that the videos a second deputy arriving at the location and joining Deputy Plunkett’s side. Deputy Rodriguez, as she was later identified, also had her weapon drawn, in a low ready position. A few moments later, Sergeant Hollis arrived at which point Mr. Sheppard informed Deputy Rodriguez and Sergeant Hollis of everything that had transpired to that point in time. Mr. Sheppard also advised Sergeant Hollis that he was “Code 5,” a reference to his work as a private investigator and the fact that he was actively involved in a legal investigation.
Again, there is no assertion of any illegal activity on Sheppard’s part. Yet he has a loaded gun pointed at his had by a sociopath in a government issued costume who seems to be itching for an excuse to pull the trigger.And – had Sheppard not been dead calm – probably would have. Had Sheppard not been video recording, the Hero would then have claimed “resisting” or that he “feared for his “safety” after Sheppard “made an aggressive move.”And yet, despite the video, this sociopath was not arrested or even fired.A second female deputy, later learned to be Deputy Hanson, approached the scene with Mr. Sheppard with her taser drawn. Deputy Plunkett continued to point his weapon, hand shaking, Mr. Sheppard’s left temple. Mr. Sheppard continued to strictly comply with all directives.
The video shows Sergeant finally advising Deputy Plunkett to stand down. Sergeant Hollis specifically asked Deputy Plunkett to explain what happened but Deputy Plunkett refuses to answer.
Without a warrant, deputies attempted to inspect the contents of and even entered Mr. Sheppard’s vehicle. After his field frisk, Mr. Sheppard was placed into the backseat of Deputy Plunkett’s cruiser. It’s at this point that Deputy Hanson gets into the front seat of the cruiser and asks Mr. Sheppard what he was doing in the area because, according to her, Mr. Sheppard “did not belong in the area.”
Court documents and video would reveal that Los Angeles Sherriff’s deputies then actually conspired to fabricate charges on Mr. Sheppard after they realized that he was clean as was his vehicle.
PART 2: Deputies conjuring up ideas of what they can charge Mr. Sheppard with. One even stating “Oh! Please let me taser this guy.”
Interview with Ken Sheppard discussing the events
Something we should all be aware of and consider every time an occifer wantonly commits a crime; They are all tested mentally, emotionally, and psychologically to conform to what a dept. wants. Score too high on intelligence and you don’t have a chance of becoming a cop or any type of law officer for the most part. Score too low on aggressive tendencies, you’re a no go.
It’s too bad those who score well in aggression are often outright cowards. Aggression is one thing but aggression without courage equals an occifer such as the one who almost blew away the private investigator. Why was he so scared? The investigator was calm, something he wasn’t accustomed to. Had the guy peed himself and cried and begged for forgiveness that cop would have felt on top of the world, as if he had the situation totally under control. I’ve seen people scared and shaking and they’re more dangerous than the red-faced guy who’s shaking with rage. You can almost always talk the latter down to a calmer attitude but the shaking coward is confused and can’t be reasoned with.
In this case Mick’s words of not getting what you want aren’t followed by getting what you need. I’d sure like to see the vetting process many of these outfits have.
Eric,
I think officer Barker should at least get a nomination.
She got paid vacation before being fired and MAY be charged with a crime.
It’s disgusting.
The “hero” in this video ought to have been arrested by the other “heroes” who came on scene. It was obvious even to the sergeant that the shaky “hero” was behaving like a maniac. Yet instead of drawing their weapons on him – or at the very least, ordering him to lower his weapon and then arresting the bastard for threatening an unarmed, law-abiding citizen with summary execution, all he did was kind of gently shoo him away…
Once again: If you or I or any other person not an armed government worker had just randomly approached a man sitting in his vehicle, accosted him (placing hands on him) and then pointed a loaded gun at his head, we’d be facing multiple felony charges and a likely stay in a psych ward or prison.
So boys and girls, is the following premeditated murder, or just cops being good cops?
Deputy: Mother of child left in car will be charged with manslaughter
Cheyenn Hyer survived the first time her mother, former Long Beach Police Officer Cassie Barker, left her alone in a car, Sheriff Ricky Adam confirmed Wednesday.
The April 6, 2015, incident occurred outside a strip mall on U.S. 49 in Gulfport. Cheyenn was 2 years old at the time and had been left alone in the back of Barker’s personal vehicle. A passer-by noticed the child and reported the incident to Gulfport police. In addition to police, officials with the state Department of Human Services responded to take temporary custody of Cheyenn.
Cheyenn Hyer died last week after she was left again in her mother’s car parked in Hancock County.
“When I learned of this event, I was stunned that a parent would do that and that it was not the first time,” Adam said, adding the investigation into Cheyenn’s death is ongoing. “In this investigation, we’ve gotten some good cooperation, including from some folks at DHS.”
Other records are still in the process of being subpoenaed, Adam said, but the investigation is proceeding and arrests are possible.
Hancock Chief Deputy Don Bass told the Associated Press Wednesday that Barker will be charged with manslaughter as soon as she is released from the hospital.
Ryan Hyer, Cheyenn’s father, said Friday he’s furious to learn about Barker leaving their daughter alone in a car before.
“That was a tell-tell sign that something was wrong and if I would have been notified or somebody else would have been notified or if she lost custody of Cheyenn then, then my daughter would be alive today,” Hyer said Wednesday. “I wouldn’t have lost my child.”
The Sun Herald filed a records request to obtain the initial report on Cheyenn’s death.
Here’s what the paper learned.
Sheriff’s deputies got a call about an unresponsive child at 1:52 p.m. Friday. When they got there, firefighters were attempting CPR on Cheyenn, though she died a short time later at Hancock County Medical Center.
Barker, 27, told authorities she had left her daughter in her car seat in the back of the patrol car when she arrived shortly before 9 a.m. at the home of one of her then shift supervisors, Sgt. Clark Ladner, 36, off Standard-Dedeaux Road on CC Road in Kiln.
Ladner said he and Barker had just finished working a night shift and Barker had stopped by his home to discuss a “work-related incident.”
Ladner said he had taken a sleep aid and had fallen asleep while the two of them were talking and she fell asleep a short time later.
When Barker woke up at least four hours later, she went out to her car, found her daughter unresponsive and ran back inside “frantically” saying something was wrong with Cheyenn.
Ladner said he ran back outside with her. Ladner began CPR on Cheyenn and dialed 911 for help. Barker started CPR on her daughter when Ladner stopped so he turned on the blue lights on Barker’s patrol car and moved the car to the end of his driveway.
Barker told deputies she had left her daughter strapped in the car seat in her patrol car because she was planning to only stay a few minutes and had left the engine running and the air conditioning on.
Deputies looked at Barker’s patrol car and noted all the windows were rolled up and a large blanket sat next to the child’s car seat on the rear passenger seat of the unit.
When deputies looked at the air conditioning setting, they noted the air was actually set “half way between cold and heat,” so the force of the full cold air was not being felt by the child.
Barker became so upset she threatened to harm herself and was hospitalized for treatment. She remained hospitalized at an undisclosed location Wednesday.
Barker and Ladner were both fired from the police department Tuesday night.
Hyer, meanwhile, is continuing to process information as he learns it.
“If this would have been me or you or somebody else, the situation would have been totally different,” he said. “We would have been in jail. Records wouldn’t be expunged. My daughter would still be here.”
Long Beach Police Chief Wayne McDowell said Barker was placed on a one-week suspension without pay because of the previous incident involving Cheyenn and her one-year probationary period was extended 90 days as a result.
Though angry and living on little sleep, Hyer has been working with an attorney to have Cheyenn’s body transported to Jacksonville, Fla., so he can give her a proper burial next to his other daughter, Katelyn, who died at birth in 2001.
Still, Hyer said, he knows he’ll break down when he sees Cheyenn for the first time since her death.
“Everytime I close my eyes, I picture her suffering and then I picture her laying in this coffin,” he said. “I’m going to break down. I still see her smiling and laughing in my head and I would assume that smile and laughter turned to pain and suffering in that instance. It’s an image I don’t want to have, but it’s one I can’t get rid of.”
Hyer said he can’t imagine his child’s death going unpunished.
“As a parent, you are supposed to protect your child and Cheyenn is gone because her mother didn’t protect her, not once but twice,” he said. “May God have mercy on her soul.”
So, in other words, Barker stopped by her fuck buddy’s place, left the kid in the car while she went in to fuck her fuck buddy… then feel asleep and forgot about the kid, who cooked to death in the car.
Eric,
Or.
She got tired of the baby giving her a hard time and not respecting her authority.
Went to her boss’s house, wrapped the baby in the blanket, turned on the heat, and took it in the ass until she passed out.
After the deed and the baby were done, the boss realized there was no condensation under the car to indicate four hours of A/C usage. He moves the car, turns on the flashing lights, and bumps the temp control up a bit.
Isn’t that “tampering with evidence”?
Maybe both should have a date with a firing squad.
If people in positions of authority are not held responsible and accountable for their actions then they (and the organizations they represent) will be (increasing) resented by more and more of the public that they (people in positions of authority) are “supposed” to be serving.
I think most people do not like the appearance of double standards — one for those in authority and connected positions and another standard for the rest of the mundanes.
It does not take much for one’s life to be ruined via the court/legal/justice system. As I see more and more videos of this type of behavior, I wonder how many people are in prison or worse due to being in wrong place, wrong time and abused by corrupt individuals.
Someone must be punished.
The System MUST work.
It doesn’t need to punish the guilty, it merely needs to punish SOMEONE.
Jean,
Although I wish it were otherwise, your interpretation fits the evidence as presented.
Many people are fine with this, provided they are not the individual chosen for special treatment.
It’s been that way for millenia.
There must be faith in the system, whether it is priests sacrificing virgins for the gods to send rain, or killing a goat as sacrifice for the sins of the tribe (scapegoat), or culling the herd to prove who has the power and is in charge and “protecting” said herd…
Emigration looks better and better…