'I was there as a mom,' says policewoman after encounter

Police received reports of disputes between the couple in the past.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- Patrolwoman Kathy Dina says she wasn't acting as a police officer when she pulled up to her ex-husband's home in a cruiser Sunday night.
She was acting as a mom, she said.
"My mom duties come before my job," Dina said.
Dina said that while she was on duty she received a call from her three sons, ages 14, 12 and 6, who asked to be picked up from the home of Joseph Dina, their father and her ex-husband. A confrontation ensued while Kathy Dina was at the home, and Joseph Dina, a lieutenant at the Trumbull Correctional Institution, was later arrested and charged with domestic violence.
Police have initiated an internal affairs investigation into Kathy Dina's actions. She was not suspended, but she was told that during the investigation she cannot have contact with her ex-husband while she is on duty unless a supervisor is present.
Employer unaware
Robbyn Ware, a warden's assistant at TCI, was not aware that Joseph Dina, 36, had been arrested until contacted by The Vindicator on Tuesday. She said TCI won't decide on Joseph Dina's future at the jail until after Austintown police complete their investigation of the domestic violence report.
Joseph Dina could not be reached to comment.
Kathy Dina, 38, said her sons asked to be picked up from the home about 8:45 p.m. Sunday.
"I was there as a mom; I was not there as a cop," she said.
What she says happened
She told Jason Coulter, 23, the patrol officer she was working with, to stay in their cruiser when she went to the door of the home Sunday night.
After she was let into the home, she and her ex-husband argued, she said. He then tried to force her out of the home, slamming the door on her, she said.
Her back and shoulder were injured when the door hit her.
She called for backup, and Joseph Dina was arrested when police arrived.
Joseph Dina told police his ex-wife forced her way into the home and threatened him, which she denies.
Police said they have received several reports of domestic disputes involving the Dinas and custody of their children in the past.
hill@vindy.com