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Ashland officer exits after incident By DANI DODGE ASHLAND - After getting what he considered too much backtalk from the suspect in a drunken driving arrest, an Ashland police officer apparently retaliated by snipping the driver's stereo speaker wires and stealing music CDs and a sports cap. The officer, Mark Crumley, 33, resigned from the force Oct. 12. "My only read of this is the guy was so hostile and verbal, it got under Mark's skin," said Police Chief Scott Fleuter. "It's shocking. It really is. "It makes me sick to my stomach." Crumley was charged with third-degree theft and second-degree criminal mischief in Ashland's municipal court. The victim, Jonathan Ward, 21, said Friday he wants the case prosecuted. "He shouldn't have did what he did," Ward said. "He's the one who screwed up and let his emotions get the better of him. "It sucks he has to lose his job over this, but if you are going to make those mistakes, I guess you don't deserve the job." Crumley could not be reached for comment. The incident began at 1:30 a.m. Oct. 3. when Ward made an overly wide turn at Ashland and Walker streets. He was pulled over by Ashland Police Officer Steve MacLennan. It wasn't Ward's first run-in with MacLennan and Ward admits he wasn't happy about the stop. Fleuter said Ward was swearing profusely and telling officers to "go f-- themselves." Crumley was called in as backup. "Crumley showed up and pulled me out of the (police) car and pulled me up into his face and was saying 'Do you want to say something now?' " Ward said, adding he was handcuffed at the time. "MacLennan and another cop broke it up and put me back in the car." Ward was taken for a breath-alcohol test and Crumley was assigned to stay with the car while it was towed, Fleuter said. "He went into the car and cut a wire to a speaker and he took three CDs and a ball cap and put them in his car," Fleuter said. "He disposed of them later by throwing them in a Dumpster." When Ward was taken to the police station, he didn't blow enough air into the breath tester to register and MacLennan wrote in his report that Ward had failed to comply with the test. Ward was taken to jail for the night. Sometime during the same shift, Crumley ran into MacLennan again and told him what he had done to Ward's vehicle and belongings, Fleuter said. Fleuter said MacLennan was "freaked out" by the admission, but didn't really believe it until a few days later when Ward called looking for his music and hat. Then MacLennan reported the incident to his supervisor. Crumley was charged with the misdemeanor crimes on Oct. 7. The police department started both a criminal and an internal investigation, Fleuter said. "(Crumley) gave a statement and admitted the whole thing without hesitation," Fleuter said. He was put on administrative leave. Police unsuccessfully searched Dumpsters for Ward's hat, described as a raggedy old brown Adidas cap, and three compact discs, two by Phish and one Gallactica. The internal investigation was completed Oct. 11 and Crumley resigned the next day. Although police agencies often ask another department to investigate potential crimes among police officers, Fleuter said he felt it was not necessary to go outside the department in this case because there were several layers of supervisors above Crumley who could investigate. Fleuter said he decided to charge the crime in municipal court, rather than circuit court after discussing the issue with the municipal court judge and the city attorney. "The thought on this was to process the investigation like we would with anyone else," Fleuter said. "I hope that's what the public would want." Crumley had been with the Ashland Police department more than three years, Fleuter said. He said there were no "ongoing problems." Even Ward said he's heard only good things about Crumley from young people he knows. "People say he's a pretty cool guy," Ward said. Ward, who moved to Ashland a year and a half ago from South Carolina to study business at Southern Oregon University, said he is still shocked by what happened. "It's mind-blowing," he said. "You figure your best bet is the cops and then they do something more juvenile than anything that ever happened to me." No trial date has been set yet on Ward's DUII charge. Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.