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Four Shenandoah Cops Charged in Beating Death Cover Up

Four Shenandoah Cops Charged in Beating Death Cover Up - Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 6:00PM EST

Reported by: Joe Holden
Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009 @ 06:00pm EST

SHENANDOAH, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY -- A small town is back in the national spotlight. A federal grand jury has indicted six people from Shenandoah. Four of them are police officers, including the chief.

The indictments have blown the lid off of close small town family relationships and how they allegedly factored into a homicide investigation.

There are federal hate crimes charges for two teens that could send them away for life. And then there’s the police department that reportedly tampered with evidence and made false reports to protect the accused.

Four Shenandoah police officers and two teenagers, linked by the beating death of an illegal immigrant, are now tied to an alleged cover-up, evidence tampering and misleading and false reports.

On Tuesday, federal indictments were unsealed, supposedly uncovering abuse of power and police misconduct that date back well before Luis Ramirez was fatally assaulted in July 2008.

Shenandoah Police Chief Matthew Nestor, Lieutenant William Moyer and Officer Jason Hayes are accused of steering the investigation away from accused attackers Brandon Piekarsky and Derrick Donchak.

Arrest papers claim Chief Matthew Nestor, Lieutenant William Moyer and Officer Jason Hayes wrote false and misleading reports about the July 2008 night Ramirez was beaten by a group of kids.

It's said police instructed the defendants Brandon Piekarsky and Derrick Donchak to get their stories straight. It's claimed ranking police officers took actions to destroy evidence and then lied to the FBI.

Reports from the night Ramirez was assaulted show at least four teens were involved in the fight against Ramirez. Colin Walsh testified against Piekarsky and Domchak. A fourth teen was tried in juvenile court.

Though eventually arrested and charged, Piekarsky and Domchak were acquitted of the most serious charges and instead found guilty of simple assault. They now face federal hate crime charges.

Angel Jirau showed up at the officers' court appearance. He’s on the Governor’s Commission for Latino Affairs. “Mr. Ramirez never had his day in court. I kept hearing how these officers had wives and families, Mr. Ramirez also, but they will have something he did not have, but they will be able to stand in front of a jury and be judged,” he said.

The indictments also allege members of the police department, Chief Nestor and Captain Jamie Gennarini, since 2004, used their positions to threaten and shakedown gambling and book-making operations in Shenandoah.

It's alleged the officers skimmed money off of illegal proceeds and would threaten to arrest those who uncooperative.

Family of the police officers refused to comment after leaving court. The police officers are spending tonight in the Lackawanna County jail. They'll be back in court Tuesday afternoon for a detention hearing.

As far as Piekarsky and Donchak are concerned, they were scheduled to have a parole hearing this week. They'll now be in federal court next week to make their first appearance.
 


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