May 10, 2007 6:53 pm US/Eastern
Probed Mount Kisco Officers Put On Desk Duty
Bedford Cops Still Trying To Solve Homeless Man Mystery
by Tony Aiello
MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. (CBS) ―
The second police car seized as part of a homicide investigation has been returned to the Mount Kisco Police Department.
But the three officers who interacted with the victim, 42-year-old Rene Perez, won't be back on patrol anytime soon.
Lt. Edward Dunnigan, Officer George Bubaris, and Officer Edward Dwyer have been put on desk duty while the investigation continues.
"It's not only for public perception, and the public protection," said Village Attorney Whitney Singleton. "It is primarily geared at protecting the officers."
Singleton said village officials didn't the officers to be "goaded" into a confrontation during a tense time.
Bedford Police are trying to discover who left an injured and intoxicated Perez lying on Byram Lake Road. The homeless man, an alcoholic, had suffered a trauma that caused internal bleeding, and later died.
Perez had interacted with cops from both Bedford and Mount Kisco on Saturday, April 28. Bedford cops drove him to neighboring Mount Kisco after Perez was thrown out of a store. Two hours later, Mount Kisco cops answered a 911 call Perez made from a laundromat, but reported he did not need assistance.
Thursday, an advocacy group demanded the investigation be transferred to the FBI and U.S. Attorney.
Fernando Mateo of Hispanics Across America complained the two local police departments were too cozy.
"The community has no faith in your investigation," Mateo said at a White Plains news conference. "Therefore, the community is not coming forward to help or assist."
Mateo said he would meet with the U.S. Attorney's office on Monday. That office would only say a request for a meeting had been received.
The investigation appears to focus on what caused the internal bleeding that killed Perez, and how he was moved from the Mount Kisco laundromat where he called 911, to secluded Byram Lake Road in neighboring Bedford. Law enforcement sources have said investigators are particularly interested in the movements of Bubaris on the evening in question.
The deputy mayor of Mount Kisco, Peter DiChiaro, expressed support for the three officers.
"We have the expectation that when the facts come out, the officers will be cleared, and Mount Kisco will be cleared," DiChiaro said.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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