By Rick Pfeiffer
Niagara Gazette
LOCKPORT —
A Niagara Falls Police lieutenant has been arraigned on domestic violence-related charges.
Lt. Dave Kinney, a 16-year veteran of the force was arraigned in State Supreme Court on Wednesday on a Niagara County grand jury indictment that charges him with two counts of third-degree criminal trespass and one count of third-degree menacing.
Kinney pleaded not guilty to the charges, all misdemeanors, and was released on his own recognizance. He is due back in court for further proceedings next week.
Falls Police Superintendent John Chella said Kinney was placed on paid administrative leave on Aug. 10, when the “allegations against him first surfaced.”
“The investigation was handled by the Niagara County District Attorney’s Office,” Chella said, “and we assisted where needed.”
DA Michael Violante declined to discuss the specifics of the case against Kinney.
“The allegations are contained in the indictment and we are continuing the investigation into the allegations,” Violante said.
Chella also said he knew “very little” about the specifics of Kinney’s case.
After his arraignment, Kinney was moved from administrative leave to suspension.
“We notified Lt. Kinney that he is now suspended,” Chella said. “That suspension will be for 20 working days or 30 calendar days and then we will revisit his status after that.”
It’s the third time in less than a year that a Falls police officer has been charged in a domestic violence-related incident.
In December, Officer Mark Feldhousen, a 38-year veteran of the force, was arrested on a felony assault charge. He was later convicted on a misdemeanor assault charge, after a jury trial, and sentenced to three years probation in June.
In May, Officer Henry Walerowicz, a three-year veteran, was arrested by City of Tonawanda police on a misdemeanor assault charge. That case is still pending in Erie County Court.
“It goes without saying that this has been a tough year,” Chella said. “Although (Kinney) is only accused, not convicted (of any charges), it does distract from the great work the men and women of the Niagara Falls Police Department are doing.”
