Advertisement. Advertise with us

DA, OPD Investigate

Death In Holding Cell 

Suspect May Have Ingested Drugs,

Causing Heart Attack, Chief Says

By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com

Kenneth Faulkner

ONEONTA – Oneonta Police and Otsego County District Attorney John Muehl are investigating a death in police custody last evening, after a man arrested on narcotics-trafficking charges swallowed what might have been cocaine, according to Police Chief Douglas Brenner.

To Brenner’s knowledge, this is the first time a suspect has died in OPD custody.

Kenneth J. Faulkner, 52, New Rochelle, was arrested on a warrant at about 5 p.m. at 85 Ford Ave., and taken to the city’s Public Safety Building, Brenner said.  About 5:35 p.m., a second warrant was served at the building, allowing “a body search. “

“He was on the threshold of the door of the holding cell, and in three seconds he had managed to close the door and get the drugs into his mouth,” Brenner said in a interview this afternoon. “The officer opened the door and tried to get him to spit out the drugs.”

Other officers were called in to bring Faulkner to the ground and handcuff him, but it was quickly discovered that Faulkner has swallowed whatever was in his mouth, and an ambulance was called. “He had a seizure and went into cardiac arrest,” said Brenner. “It is, to my knowledge, the first death we’ve had in our custody.”

Though the investigation is ongoing, Brenner said he believes protocol was followed. An autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow, including a toxicology screening. “It’s quite possible that there were other medical complications,” he said.

He does, however, intend to look into how the strip-search policy can be changed to prevent such issues in the future. “We’re going to look into doing something with the door,” he added.

“This is unfortunate,” he added. “This is not how the justice system is supposed to work.”

Posted

5 Comments

  1. Did he die from the door hitting him? Did he die from a teaser? No, what killed him was INGESTING COCAINE, his doing! Why does it always have to be a BLACK THING? Those cells have a camera right there in front of them, yes I’ve been a guest there on numerous occasions, I have also spent the better part of 20 years in prison.I’m not proud of my criminal behavior, but, I’m WHITE! I’ve taken lumps from cops, I’ve been a very physical and combative inmate at times, and have caught a beating or two! I’m not a fan of police, the only thing I hate more is this poor minority, he was singled out because he was BLACK!! He sold cocaine, the cops didn’t just pick him over everyone in Oneonta!! So please stop that b.s. , I was guilty of my charges, I KNEW WHEN I WAS COMMITING CRIMES there was a good chance I’d get caught, so when I did I took my licks and moved on. Again I’m Irish and Polish, don’t get much whiter than that! I’m just sorry to hear the guy died, white or black. STOP BLAMING OTHERS!!

  2. To me it’s interesting that while in police custody they watched the man try to swallow the drugs and rather than trying to make sure he didn’t overdose, they cuffed him, and let him die. Right across the hall from oneonta police (INSIDE THE SAME BUILDING) ARE 5-10 individuals trained in ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT. I know because I was once a firefighter/emt in that very building. How is it tgis man died in custody when help is literally across the hall. The oneonta police force is a crooked establishment laced with scandal. It’s an unfortunate occurrence but doesn’t surprise me in the least. I’ve personally been a victim of their abuse with no cause. I’ve watched the racist acts. And I’m white. Not saying the man wasn’t guilty but to let him die when they state they WATCHED him swallow the drugs is absurd and I hope someone pays for this clear neglect of HUMAN life.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Related Articles

SCOLINOS: It’s All We Need To Know: Home Plate 17 Inches Wide

COLUMN VIEW FROM THE GAME It’s All We Need To Know: Home Plate 17 Inches Wide Editor’s Note:  Tim Mead, incoming Baseball Hall of Fame president, cited John Scolinos, baseball coach at his alma mater, Cal Poly Pomona, as a lifelong inspiration, particularly Scolinos’ famous speech “17 Inches.” Chris Sperry, who published sperrybaseballlife.com, heard Scolinos deliver a version in 1996 at the American Baseball Coaches Association in Nashville, and wrote this reminiscence in 1916 in his “Baseball Thoughts” column. By CHRIS SPERRY • from www.sperrybaseballlife.com In 1996, Coach Scolinos was 78 years old and five years retired from a college coaching…

Sports Can Resume, Superintendents Told

CLICK HERE FOR MEMO TO SCHOOLS Sports Can Resume, Superintendents Told COOPERSTOWN – In a memo released Friday evening, county Public Health Director Heidi Bond advised local school superintendents that sports can resume as early as Monday. “Effective Feb. 1, participants in higher-risk sports may participate in individual or distanced group training and organized no/low-contact group training,” Bond wrote, “…including competitions and tournaments, if permitted by local health authorities.”…

Killer Ricky Knapp Dies In Prison

Killer Knapp Dies In Prison; Guilty In SUNY Coed’s Death ONEONTA – Ricky Knapp, the man convicted of the 1977 death of SUNY Oneonta student, has died in Mohawk Correctional Facility, according to prison records. Knapp, 66, died March 8, having served 40 years of a 25-to-life sentence for a 1978 manslaughter conviction in the death of 18-year-old Linda Velzy, a SUNY student from Long Island. According to reports, Velzy was last seen Dec. 9 1977, hitchhiking in downtown Oneonta.…