Saturday, February 28, 2009
The former officer reportedly walked out on lie-detector tests.
WARREN — A former volunteer police officer could find himself behind bars for up to six months if convicted of a misdemeanor falsification charge filed against him this week.
Maj. Tom Stewart of the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Department said the charge was filed against Tom Colosimo, who is to appear for arraignment Monday in Newton Falls Municipal Court.
Colosimo, of Newton Falls, is free on a personal recognizance bond.
Colosimo had worked about 20 hours per week as a patrolman for the Newton Township Police Department. He also volunteered as a reserve officer with the West Farmington Police Department and headed up the Trumbull County Child Abduction Response Team. He is working for none of those agencies at this time.
Colosimo, working as a volunteer Newton Township police officer, said he was shot in his bulletproof vest July 7 by an unidentified assailant.
Colosimo, before the shooting, called 911 to let dispatchers know he was investigating suspicious activity — possible copper theft — around a cell phone tower on Miller-Graber Road. A few minutes later, he reported being shot and said he fired back.
Stewart said detectives investigating the shooting did not see the facts and forensic evidence lining up with Colosimo’s statements.
“We believe he may have shot himself or had someone do it for him, but this definitely did not happen the way he said it did,” Stewart said.
Colosimo said he was on patrol about 3:30 p.m. on Miller-Graber near an access road to a cell phone tower when he observed a person he believed might be trying to steal copper from railroad tracks nearby.
Colosimo said he could see the individual from Miller-Graber, but when an investigator questioned how that was possible with high grass blocking the view, he changed his story to say that he saw the individual after he had driven onto the access road.
Another problem with his story is that he said the person shot once and he returned two shots, but witnesses reported hearing only two shots.
Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation also determined that Colosimo was shot at close range. Colosimo reportedly walked out on lie-detector tests on two separate occasions.
Stewart said he had no explanation as to why Colosimo would lie about being shot. He said investigators have no clue why he or anyone would do such a thing.
Stewart said it is unlikely any additional charges will be filed.
“We are looking at some other things, but we do not know if that will affect him,” he said. “At best, if convicted, he is looking at six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.”
jgoodwin@vindy.com