A judge convicted a former Lima Police Department officer this afternoon of raping a 16-year-old girl.

Judge David Cheney issued his verdict at 1 p.m. today after reviewing the evidence from a two-day trial last week. Cheney convicted Justin Bentz, 28, of rape and kidnapping, a pair of first-degree felonies, two counts of sexual battery, a pair of third-degree felonies, and one misdemeanor count related to furnishing a minor with alcohol.

He will be sentenced April 14. He faces up to 11 years in prison for each of the two first-degree felony charges.

During the trial, Bentz’s defense painted the 92-pound, 5-foot-2 girl as the aggressor. Several witnesses described her as looking 12 years old.

During the trial last week, visiting prosecutor Todd Schroeder pressed Bentz on the classes he took online just hours before to complete a continuing education requirement that prevented him from working the streets that evening. The classes included informing him again it was against the law for a peace officer to have sex with an underage girl. Classes also included sexual assault investigations, evidence collection, and pitfalls in such cases.

“How could it have never crossed your mind when hours before you were taking a class about sex crimes against minors?” Schroeder asked.

Bentz said he didn’t think about it.

“It’s not something you usually think of when someone is coming on to you,” he said.

Schroeder responded, “You’re a peace officer, you’re not just someone.”

Bentz was also involved in a 2011 deadly shooting in which a man was killed during an altercation with police.

Earlier this spring, three cop blockers from Dayton, Ohio decided to take the trip up I-75 to warn drivers of an OVI checkpoint in Allen County, which was conducted by the Ohio State Highway Patrol. I was one of them and got to partake in some novel treatment by the police.

After finding an area to hold signs, only a half hour had passed before an OSHP vehicle raced towards us cop blockers, who had our cell phones recording. The cruiser stopped, and it’s windows rolled down to reveal two law enforcement officers holding in their hands a shocking sight, almost unbelievable…

…A large cheese and pepperoni pizza.  Watch below:

Yes, two cops decided to buy three anarchists a piping hot pizza (and even three sodas). Us cop blockers were shocked, yet happily accepted considering that no man has ever turned down a free pie. The police were thanked, and before they left reminded us by saying “See? Not all cops are bad.”

Was it BS? Possibly. Could they be saving face? Likely. Is it appreciated? Certainly.

Contrast this with the despicable actions of the Lima Police Department (in Allen County), which not only beats unarmed 19 year-olds unconscious, but also censors those who condemn it.

In honor of the Allen County Patrol, I’ve composed a list of 5 ways any police department can better treat activists and/or cop blockers:

5. Give Us Free Food

Free pizza is awesome, but if you REALLY care about getting along, I will be the first to request a monthly food stipend, not unlike an EBT card. Considering that I don’t have a job and live in my parent’s basement, it’ll be a big help. $200 should do it. Reasonable, I think.

4. Stop Pretending You’re Not a Cop

Whether you are off duty, or trolling the internet, you are not a master of disguise. Try removing your Oakleys or changing your Facebook privacy settings once in a while. Spotting a police officer acting like a citizen is as easy as finding a transvestite in a biker bar. Only the transvestite isn’t going to beat me senseless if I give him a weird look.

3. Read a Book

The most tedious part of cop blocking is constantly having to educate every rank of LEO, and even judges on matters ranging from freedom to grammar. It really gets old explaining complicated subjects like when not to shoot someone, the fact that I own my body, or basic sentence structure. We understand that in some cases you may not be allowed to be intelligent, but that’s hardly an excuse. Wikipedia, guys. Srsly.

2. Enunciate Clearly

The odds are the shit YOU say will be used against you in court, and we make sure of it because our cameras are always rolling. However, often cops appear to have speech impediments. Sometimes you only imagine the orders you are giving, while expecting us to comply like mind-readers. If each of you could slow down and fully-form your thoughts before speaking plainly, transcribing your coercion will be much easier when we are making our videos late at night in between fapping sessions.

1. Quit

This one is serious. There isn’t a better life choice you could make than to stop being a police officer. Give up the extra rights, and give back to your community by not locking them in cages for nonviolent crimes. This way you will never be put in the position to ruin another man or woman’s life again. A good second choice is standing up for solid principles instead of the bureaucracy within your own department. If this the first time you’ve considered this, please see some helpful resources here. Either way, we will welcome you with open arms, and the world will be a better place for it.

-Written by Jordan Freshour

by Virgil Vaduva

UPDATE 15:52:

It appears that the Lima Police Department chose to take down their Facebook page completely instead of doing the right thing and allowing all users to verbalize their opinions freely.  This took place literally within minutes of TruthVoice filing a public records request about Lima PD’s censorship of comments and content.

The page is back up and they are back to removing comments from users.

UPDATE 14:40:

Since the publishing of this article, the Lima PD posted an ominous warning on their Facebook page in which they stand their ground on the removal of critical articles.

To make matters worse, they even issued a subtle threat of arrest or prosecution to users, stating “Facebook users who post about their involvement in any criminal activity may be subject to criminal prosecution. ”

Original story:

The police department of Lima, Ohio which is known for several instances of police brutality, abuse and lying are now actively deleting critical comments made by users on their Facebook page, something which appears to be a direct violation of users’ first amendment rights, as the Facebook page is owned, run and maintained by a governmental entity and monitored by government employees.

Lt Andy Green, Lima Police Department public relations officer

After the recent news of Lima police losing their bid to prosecute a 19 year old beaten unconscious by a group of their officers, users have taken it to Facebook to voice their opinions and displeasure with the behavior of these officers and the decision of the city to prosecute someone who was almost killed by their cops.  Comments on Facebook however started disappearing, especially comments critical of the police department or the cops in general.

In a call with Lt. Andy Green who is the public relations officer for the department, TruthVoice was told that all comments made on the Lima Police Department Facebook page are subject to the Terms and Conditions posted on the page. Lt. Green stated that comments critical of police are not deleted, but only comments that use profanity or violate the conditions are, something which is in fact blatantly false as TruthVoice was provided evidence of screenshots showing that this is not true.

Lt. Andy Green can be contacted at (419)227-4444.

Lt. Green did not explain who created the “Terms and Conditions” listed on the page, which is a document that appears to be manufactured to give the Facebook page an appearance of support from the general public, while removing any critical comment whatsoever.  One clause in the document states,

The Lima Police Department reserves the right to remove any posts, or comments that are deemed to be offensive in nature. This could include uses of profanity, threats, or any posts or comments that could be potentially damaging to members of the public

In other words, the employees of the City of Lima have given themselves full authority to decide on the spot what to remove from the page, for any reason that they may seem “damaging to the public.” This apparently includes links to news reports which may not present their cops in a positive light.

Lt. Green stated that the page is monitored 24/7 by several individuals and was not apologetic about the deletion of comments; in fact he appeared to be annoyed by the fact that he was being questioned about this topic at all. He directed additional questions to the Lima City Law Director, Anthony Geiger. Geiger can be contacted at (419) 221-5183.

Over the weekend one of our own editors posted a short warning to the Lima PD reminding them that what they are doing is a violation of free speech rights.  Another user posted a link to a Cop Block article about the beating of the 19 year old Tyler Paxson by Lima cops, however both comments were removed shortly thereafter.

Screenshot of Facebook comments removed by Lima PD from Facebook, comments not using profanity and not in violation of Facebook Terms and Conditions

More screenshots of comments were sent to us, one showing a user stating “Fuck the police!” who had the comment removed immediately.  One of our own editors posted a comment under a picture of several Lima cops asking “Are these the same cops that beat the 19 year old” and another user posted another link to an article from Cop Block reporting on the case of Paxton.

It is very clear that Lima PD is engaged in a serious violation of the free speech of Americans and continue to be unapologetic in their ways.  The brutality and violence propagated on the streets of Lima by their cops is now transferred into the digital world where they are censoring and removing all aspects of criticism from what is clearly a “public forum,” as the page is managed by the city.

Criticism of government is a long-standing American tradition.  Lima PD has taken their “public service” to a new low and they appear to be readily willing to continue to do so.

TruthVoice is currently considering all available legal options, including a civil rights lawsuit, in order to remedy this situation.

If you have been wronged by Lima PD in any way, either physically, or online, please contact me at vvaduva at truthvoice.com.

Virgil Vaduva is a Libertarian security professional, journalist, photographer and overall liberty freak.  He spent most of his life in Communist Romania and participated in the 1989 street protests which led to the collapse of the Ceausescu regime. He can be reached at vvaduva at truthvoice.com.

by Virgil Vaduva

Ohio jurors have deliberated and the verdict is in for Tyler Paxson. The 19 year old Spencerville, OH man facing one count of assault of an officer was found not guilty. As Judge Cheney read the verdict in Allen County Common Pleas Court. Sighs of relief were heard from Paxson’s family in the court room.

Jurors deliberated for about 3 and a half hours before they reached a not guilty verdict. During closing arguments earlier today jurors heard conflicting testimony between officer accounts and eye witness accounts. Officers say Paxson was combative when they tried to subdue and arrest him. However, Paxson’s friend, two neighbors and Paxson himself describe the officers beating the 19 year old without him resisting. Paxson was facing the possibility of 18 months behind bars.

On July 12, 2014, Lima PD responded to calls of a party taking place.  Upon arrival, they see a number of people walking around, multiple beer cans, and Paxson, who appeared underage.  According to the statements that officers provided internal investigators with, Paxson saw the officers and turned to walk in the opposite direction, going to the porch of the private property.  He was asked his age, and asked for ID upon suspicion of being inebriated and underage.  At that time, officers can be heard saying “Stop resisting,” multiple times. In the follow up statements, five officers provide conflicting testimony, which ultimately the investigator found to be “consistent” with the Lima PD “force continuum” and “General Directive 4.01.”

During the arrest, officers in question claim that Paxson struck multiple officers, including punching one twice in the face.  This claim is substantiated in the grand jury indictment.  Nevertheless, it was Paxson with open wounds on his back from flashlights and batons, and a gaping welt on his eye that one officer claimed was from being dragged on the ground.  To make matters worse, Paxson told The Anti-Media in December that the officers were going door to door threatening witnesses with arrest if they spoke against the Lima officers.

The Lima Police Department has a history of intimidation, coercion and brutality.  In other, non-related incidents, the department charged one man for obstructing justice when he refused to turn over his personal cell phone that officers acknowledge recorded a felony in action.  The resident in this case argues that it is not his responsibility to do the job of the officers.  In another incident, the daughter of a 72 year old man reports on social media that her father was arrested and detained on suspicion of drug trafficking for having out of state plates.  In 2008, Lima officers raided the home of Tarika Wilson in search of her boyfriend, suspected of drug trafficking.  During the SWAT raid, Wilson was shot and killed and her 14 month old son was shot and injured. Wilson was holding her baby at the time.

Hometownstations.com-WLIO- Lima, OH News Weather Sports

This article was co-authored by Alex Freeman from The Fifth Column News and Virgil Vaduva