Police: Tape clears officer of assault

~ Three women are charged with making a false report, but one of the women still claims the officer used excessive force during an altercation at the Cape-Jackson football game in October.

A student's video recording reportedly cleared a Cape Girardeau police officer of accusations that he punched a woman in the face.

And the three women who accused the officer were charged Monday for making a false report.

Diane Ray, 44, of 715 S. Pacific St., La Sha R. Townsend, 30, of 617 Boxwood, Apt. 4, and Louquisha E. Heartfield, 33, of 141 N. Silver Springs Road, were issued summonses and face up to six months in jail and a $500 fine if convicted of the misdemeanor charges.

A 15-year-old girl and two other people of the group also filed complaints but were not charged.

The video recording was provided by a Cape Girardeau Central High School student.

The incident occurred on Oct. 6 at Houck Stadium shortly before a football game between Central and Jackson High School. According the probable cause statements, the defendants claimed that patrolman David Valentine struck Townsend in the face with a closed fist when he broke up a scuffle between two girls, including Ray's 15-year-old daughter.

Townsend claimed in a statement that Valentine struck her three times.

Ray told the Southeast Missourian that her daughter tried to hit the other girl after they argued. Townsend tried to hold Ray's daughter back and wouldn't let go when Valentine requested, so he struck her on the face, Ray said.

Ray also filed a complaint because Valentine used excessive force on a minor, she said, when he twisted her daughter's arm around and above her head.

"He twisted my child's arm and I had to take her to the hospital," Ray said.

Bruises were visible on Townsend's left eye, she said, which prompted the defendants to request photos be taken by the Cape Girardeau Police Department and the FBI in St. Louis. The bruise worsened after a few days. They used a disposable camera for their own records, Ray said.

During follow-up investigations, frame-by-frame playback of the video showed Townsend in a corner of the screen, Valentine said. She swung her purse at his head. Valentine said that the purse missed and struck her in the face, which prompted officers to file the false report charges. No charges of attempted assault of an officer were filed against Townsend.

The video caught around 30 seconds of the incident, Valentine said, starting when Valentine grabbed the girl and walked her out of the stadium. A portion of the tape was unclear, he said.

The student who recorded the episode told the Southeast Missourian that she did not capture the entire altercation on tape.

The defendants were seated in Central's student cheering section called the "Jungle."

Ray said that she was not aware that it was a designated section and took seats there an hour and a half before the game.

Two student witnesses, who said they did not want to be identified, said the defendants tried to quiet the crowd as the cheers grew louder. The witnesses said the defendants used profanity toward the students.

Ray said she didn't use profanity.

Two students reported the defendants' behavior to school administrators. The administrators returned with officers, which is when the altercation between the girls broke out.

Witness reports and the video confirmed that Valentine pulled the 15-year-old away from the other girl, Valentine said. A copy of the tape was not made available to the Southeast Missourian.

"Once I escorted the young lady under the bleachers, that's when they came up behind me and started screaming that I punched her (Townsend) in the eye," Valentine said.

Once they received a refund and left the stadium, the women went to the police station and filed a report, he said. In the meantime, a student presented the video to a school administrator, who showed officers the tape. Valentine reviewed the video and did not initially see Townsend in the recording, he said.

jmetelski@semissourian.com