By Deric Lostutter Updated 5:19 PM 9/4/15

Hocking College, located in Nelsonville Ohio, made headlines this summer when they allowed convicted Steubenville Ohio rapist, Trent Mays, not only to attend their college, but play for their football team. According to Hocking College employee who I spoke with, Trent Mays received preferential treatment, when prior to his recruitment, athletes were required to live in student housing, unless they were married.

A quick cross-reference of their student housing guidelines states:

“Any student who has been designated as a sexually violent offender, sexually oriented offender, sexual predator, child-victim predator, habitual sex offender, or habitual child-victim offender, or of any similar classification by any state or country, is not eligible for housing in any residence hall.”

According to the employee at Hocking College, Trent Mays is now the captain of the football team. The employee also goes on to state that “The football coach, and college president, are trying to cover it (rape) up.”

According to a Hocking College student, Trent Mays is not implicated in the crime, but 4 other men are, though they have not been named as of yet in the media. Local media in Nelsonville had plans to run the story today, but according to another student who has reached out to us, the officials are urging the victim to “recant” because of “bad press” and “football”

Our sources mentioned in this article has given us authorization to use our private conversations, with her name, and the names of other sources, redacted for verification.

In addition, sources now confirmed that Coach Al Matthews, is also the Hocking College Police Chief, which to most, would seem like a blatant conflict of interest should he be allowed access to case materials, files, or the victim herself. According to other sources, Hocking College has asked the city police department to handle the case for this reason.

HR Director/Risk Coordinator/Attorney confirmed in a public meeting that Coach/Officer Matthews has also canceled 3 Title IX training sessions, which would teach him and his players specific training in sexual harassment and possibly have prevented this attack.

I Spoke to Scott Danhart as a prospective student wishing to play football but live in off-campus housing, a plight of many students with less than adequate income. He informed me that it was against the rules, and I would be unable to play, not knowing that I knew Trent Mays had been allowed to play and live off campus.

I reached out to Hocking College via telephone for comment, and was transferred to Coach Al Matthews voicemail, who has yet to return our call.

Video available below

A report by Sure News gives background behind a video posted to YouTube Friday. The video appears to show a police officer going through a phone to delete recordings of an encounter where police slammed a woman to the ground with such force it knocked her unconscious.

Original report below:

A New York man says Suffolk County police in Long Island tackled him to the ground and attempted to delete footage of police brutality he had recorded but mistakenly removed the wrong file. Square-banner, 20-year-old Thomas Demint claims police have continued to harass and threaten him after the incident, prompting him to go public with the footage for fear of his own safety.

Demint was on his way to work on May 21, 2014 when he spied his friends family being arrested by Suffolk County police in Center Moriches after officers responded to a 911 call reporting that an adult male was attempting suicide. When police arrived, officials say, officers attempted to administer aid to the suicidal man and his family intervened. In one of the most egregious parts of video, an officer is seen slinging a woman to the ground rendering her unconscious.

Video available below:

This story featured on CBS4 in Denver.

DENVER – CBS4 has learned that an internal investigation is underway into the interim head of the Denver Sheriff Department, Elias Diggins, and the captain in charge of the Denver Sheriff’s Internal Affairs Bureau after an internal affairs investigator blew the whistle, saying he was ordered to destroy a videotape that showed an inmate being humiliated and degraded.

“This is the definition of corruption,” said Brent Miller, who believes the sheriffs department fired him earlier this month for refusing to destroy the tape. Miller worked for the Adams County Sheriff’s Office for nearly 26 years before retiring. He then agreed to go to work for the Denver Sheriff Department as a civilian internal affairs investigator, brought on to help clear up a backlog of internal affairs cases.

“It was a huge challenge. I loved it and looked forward to going to work every day,” said Miller.

Miller said he was assigned to investigate several complaints filed by jail inmate Christopher Colbruno. Earlier this month, he was assigned yet another case involving Colbruno. Sheriff’s deputies were transporting Colbruno to Denver Health Medical Center for medical attention, but at some point Colbruno defecated on himself and his jail clothing. Before entering the hospital, deputies removed Colbruno’s clothing and walked him through hospital hallways wearing only handcuffs, but no clothing.

Personnel at Denver Health Medical Center felt the inmate had been subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment by being forced to walk nude through the hospital hallways so they filed a complaint with the Denver Sheriff Department. The complaint was assigned to Miller. On May 11, Miller and a second investigator traveled to Denver Health Medical Center to obtain a copy of hospital videotape showing Colbruno in the hospital.

When he returned to his office with the tape, Miller said he was approached by Captain Paul Ortega, who leads the Sheriff Department’s internal affairs bureau.

“He asked me if I had uploaded this video yet and I told him I had not and told me,’good, don’t do that because they’re making that go away, it’s not going to be a case anymore.'”

CBS4 asked Miller a second time to recount what he was told by Capt. Ortega, “He told me don’t upload it they’re making it go away. Who is they? He said the sheriff then told me to get rid of the video. Do not upload it get rid of the video and I immediately told him that’s not ethical to get rid of evidence in a case.”

Miller said Captain Ortega agreed with him but said, “That’s the way it is.”

Miller said he refused to destroy the tape and instead gave it to another investigator for safekeeping.

The next day, May 12, Miller was told to report to Ortega’s office.

“I was told I was being terminated by the Denver Sheriff Department because I was too opinionated and they wanted to go in a different direction,” said Miller.

The termination order obtained by CBS4 was signed by Sheriff Elias Diggins, who Ortega said had told him to have the tape destroyed.

Contacted by CBS4, Diggins declined to discuss the CBS4 report, “I cannot talk about any internal investigation.”
Captain Ortega did not respond to multiple inquiries from CBS4.

“I believe I was fired because I stood up to what I perceived to be unethical behavior and corruption by the Denver Sheriff’s Department and the Manager of Safety’s Office,” said Miller. “I expressed those opinions that what they were doing was unethical, improper and corrupt and I didn’t want to be a part of it. I cannot be part of losing evidence or getting rid of evidence or letting those collusions of corruption go on within the city. I don’t want to be a part of that.”

After CBS4 began making inquiries, Stephanie O’Malley, Denver Executive Director of Safety released this statement: “I have directed the Internal Affairs Bureau of the Denver Police Department to investigate allegations of misconduct by command officers in the Denver Sheriff Department,” wrote O’Malley. “This investigation was initiated immediately after I learned of the allegations and their nature.”

She declined to address specifics of the CBS4 Investigation but wrote that, “I am able to verify that Senior Investigator Miller did not pass his employment probation with the City of Denver due to performance issues unrelated to the allegations referenced above.”

Miller disputes that assessment saying he was always told his work was solid and there were no issues.
Miller has now hired an attorney who plans to file a federal lawsuit against the Denver Sheriff Department saying Miller was fired as retaliation for exercising his first amendment rights.

“We do believe there is evidence to corroborate what happened here,” said attorney Donald Sisson. “We think there is ample evidence that will prove Brent Miller’s case.”

Sisson said in his view, it’s no coincidence that Miller refused to destroy a videotape then was told the next day that he was being fired.

“I want the people to really know what’s going on,” Miller told CBS4. “I just want things to be honest and fair and that’s the way Denver needs to do business.”

The provocative revelations from Miller come a week after an independent consultant released an extensive report recommending sweeping changes at the Denver Sheriff Department.

This story originally reported by Brian Maass for CBS4 Denver.