Sep 8, 2007 11:50 am US/Eastern
Indicted Mount Kisco Cop Speaks To CBS 2 HD
EXCLUSIVE: Says Homeless Man's Death 'Appalling'
by Tony Aiello
MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. (CBS) ―
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Rene Perez was found lying on Byram Lake Road in Bedford, near-death from internal bleeding.
CBS
Just 30 years old, George Bubaris faces public shame, financial ruin and 15 years in prison.
For months he's been the center of controversy over the death of homeless immigrant Rene Perez.
But Bubaris stayed silent -- until Friday.
"I feel the media has portrayed me in not such a great light and I have to prove my innocence rather than the prosecutor prove my guilt," said Bubaris, an officer in the Mount Kisco Police Department.
Bubaris granted CBS 2 HD an exclusive interview with the ground rule that always governs interviews like these -- no direct questions about the case.
When asked what he wants people to know about him, Bubaris said, "I love being a police officer, been one for five years. I became a police officer directly after Sept. 11, because I wanted to help people and become an asset in the community."
Bubaris joined the NYPD in early 2002, serving at the 49th Precinct in the Bronx, before moving to suburban Mount Kisco in 2006.
On April 28, Bubaris was one of three cops who answered a drunken 9-1-1 call from Rene Perez at a laundromat. There, Perez complained he didn't feel well.
The three cops determined Perez didn't need help and cleared the call.
A short time later, Perez was driven from Mount Kisco and left on a remote stretch of road in nearby Bedford where he was found dying from internal injuries. The source of those injuries is still unknown.
Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore charges Bubaris acted recklessly that night by driving Perez into the woods and leaving him there.
As CBS 2 HD first reported, surveillance cameras recorded Bubaris' squad car near the scene that night.
Bubaris maintains he is innocent.
"I think it's appalling what happened to Rene Perez," Bubaris said.
That's all Bubaris' lawyer would allow him to say about Perez.
When asked what his reaction was when his lawyer called the other day to tell him he had been indicted, Bubaris said he was devastated.
"It's been a nightmare. It's been horrible," Bubaris said. "I have trouble sleeping and it's obviously a big stress in my life, as well as my loved ones'."
Bubaris said he is particularly troubled by charges he's a racist, pointing out he grew up in diverse Woodside, Queens and is engaged to a woman of Puerto Rican heritage.
"It's absurd that anybody would question whether I have any racist tendencies whatsoever," Bubaris said.
Bubaris has been suspended without pay. He said the next few weeks and months will be trying.
"I do have bills. I have mortgages. I'm gonna have very high legal fees," Bubaris said. "I don't really know what's gonna happen.
"I've been so overloaded the last couple of days, it's hard to just talk about money. I'm thinking about my freedom."
Bubaris has postponed his wedding, surrendered his passport and turned in his gun.
He said his entire existence is on hold as he fights to clear his name.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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