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Sep 24, 2008 3:15 pm US/Central
Woman Claims Former Top Cop Beat Daughter, Man
HAMMOND, Ind. (Post-Tribune) ―
An emotional Sheila Baker recounted watching former Gary Police Chief Thomas Houston burst into her home and begin slapping and punching her daughter, shouting insults and accusing her of robbing his house.
Baker said she never gave Houston permission to to enter the house on June 1, 2007, as the enraged chief was searching for a man he suspected of breaking into his house, making off with jewelry and his pistol.
But Baker's testimony may also have helped Houston defend himself against the worst accusations leveled by federal prosecutors.
During cross examination by Houston's attorney, Fred Work, Baker said she had a clear view of the scene outside her house on June 1, 2007, when a friend of her daughter's said he was brutally beaten by Houston in Baker's yard.
In rambling statements, Baker later said she had seen Houston strike Victor Adams.
Work pointed out discrepancies between Baker's statements on the stand and the account of June 1 she gave to FBI investigators, in which she said a red-haired officer battered Adams in front of her.
Baker's 30-year-old daughter, Melissa Manley, is set to take the stand when court resumes this afternoon, and a fourth alleged victim, Darren Johnson, who claims he was beaten with a stick by Sgt. Thomas Decanter behind Baker's house, may also testify.
(Source: Sun-Times News Group Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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