Three Philadelphia Cops Arrested, Charged

From left: Christopher Hulmes, Christopher Jackson and Roderick Walton.

Three Philadelphia Police officers — including a narcotics officer who admitted he lied under oath in a drug case — were arrested and charged in separate cases, prosecutors said today.

“The vast majority of Philadelphia Police Officers are nothing short of good men and women who are dedicated to protecting the citizens of the City of Philadelphia within the law,” District Attorney Seth Williams said in a press release. “Unfortunately, there are a few like these three officers, who have decided to break the law.”

The arrested officers included:

• Officer Christopher Hulmes, a 19-year veteran, was charged with perjury, false swearing, unsworn falsifications to authorities, false reports to law enforcement authorities, tampering with public records and information, and obstructing administration of law or other governmental function. The charges stem from a May 2010 incident in which Hulmes — a member of the Narcotics Strike Force — is alleged to have made false statements under oath and on police paperwork for a case that resulted in two narcotics arrests.

City Paper has more details on the case which it has been reporting since August 2014.

Hulmes, a longtime member of the department’s Narcotics Strike Force, testified in December 2011 that he lied on search-warrant applications, and later in a preliminary hearing, in the case of Arthur Rowland, now 33, and his half-brother, Paul Ricks, 31. Yet, Hulmes still insisted at trial that police found drugs and a gun in Rowland’s vehicle — 26 packets of crack and a .40-caliber Glock handgun fitted with a laser sight and loaded with nine rounds — after detaining the pair on May 7, 2010, in Kensington.

Hulmes had lied about several details, he said, to serve the noble purpose of protecting the identity of Joshua Torres, a reputed Kensington drug dealer whom Hulmes described as a confidential source. (Torres has since died, according to sources). Hulmes’ partner, Officer Patrick Banning, signed two allegedly false search-warrant applications which, amongst other apparent lies, included the fabricated timing of a suspected drug transaction. Hulmes took responsibility for writing the applications (this may be one reason why Banning won’t be charged).

Rowland and Ricks denied having weapons or drugs in the vehicle. Charges against Rowland were eventually dropped, but only after he’d served 19 months in jail; because the arrest was considered a parole violation on an earlier conviction, Rowland didn’t go free until he’d served 28 months.

• Officer Christopher Jackson, a nine-year veteran, was charged with theft and receiving stolen property. He is alleged to have taken a Samsung Galaxy S smartphone from a witness being transported for an interview in the Homicide Unit — and later having the phone switched to his account and phone number.

•Officer Roderick Walton, a 23-year veteran who was arrested and charged with cruelty to animals. The D.A.’s office said that in December, a Humane Society officer went to Walton’s home and found a dog suffering from a broken leg; Walton allegedly said the dog had been like that for a week and that he had been too busy to do anything about that. The dog was found to be in severe pain and was euthanized.”

Commissioner Charles Ramsey today suspended Hulmes and Jackson for 30 days with intend to dismiss. Walton resigned yesterday.

Additional case information was not immediately available. The statement from the office of District Attorney Seth Williams is available in full below.

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