NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – Police Lieutenant Sean Kane has been accused of planting drugs on a scene in order to justify the arrest of Ivin Harper, but the NY CBS News team was informed that the Lt. will not be indicted by a grand jury.
According to CBS, the alleged victim requested the Department of Justice (DOJ) to further investigate the body camera footage.
The footage CBS obtained displays an officer asking over the radio: “You said you found the drugs upper lot, 361 Main?” To which Kane replies, “Affirmative.”
According to CBS News, “minutes earlier, before the lieutenant approached the blue SUV, he was already holding a similar-looking bag.”
Harper, according to CBS, was hoping for the police lieutenant to be charged, but “now a grand jury has reached a ‘no true bill’ decision, meaning they don’t feel there is enough evidence to indict Kane.”
According to CBS, Harper currently lives as a fitness trainer and actor, and has had to move to Denver to avoid the lieutenant who planted the evidence.
“I would like the DOJ to take a peek at this because I have no confidence in the investigation that took place,” according to a response from Harper that CBS received.
The attorney of Lieutenant Kane told CBS, “For the past several months, Lieutenant Sean Kane has stood silently by while his name and reputation have been destroyed on social media and in the press.
“Unfortunately, to preserve the integrity of a narcotics investigation in its entirety, Lt. Kane was unable to respond until a full and thorough investigation was completed. That time is now. The grand jurors were provided with all evidence relevant to the charges filed against Ivin Harper and rightly concluded that Lt. Kane did nothing wrong.
“Lt. Kane’s lawful and necessary actions – which have been badly mischaracterized on social media – furthered the investigation of a known narcotics dealer who was actively pushing poison into the streets of New Rochelle. Mr. Harper’s protestations of innocence, extensively published via social media, are unequivocally and provably untrue.
Within the same day, the District Attorney assigned to this case said to CBS, “Upon the August referral of misconduct allegations against Lt. Sean Kane to my Office by New Rochelle Police Department Internal Affairs, the Public Integrity and Law Enforcement Integrity Bureau launched an immediate investigation.
“Prosecutors presented evidence to a Westchester County grand jury, which decided Thursday not to indict Lt. Kane. Under state law, grand jury proceedings are confidential.
According to CBS, the Lieutenant was suspended without pay after the arrest of Harper.
A statement from the City of New Rochelle, obtained by CBS, said, “The Westchester County Grand Jury’s finding of no true bill against Lieutenant Sean Kane does not end the investigation into his actions.
“The New Rochelle Police Department will now continue its internal investigation that was paused when they referred the case to the Westchester County District Attorney’s office in July. Lieutenant Kane remains suspended from duty pending the outcome of the internal investigation.”
