What’s the worst way that you can insult a police officer?
We’re not looking for specific answers (nor are we encouraging anyone to try anything that would be insulting to law enforcement). But we’re betting that no matter what you come up with, a story out of Lakewood will top it.
You may remember Lakewood as the community who lost four police officers in the line of duty in November of 2009, when they were shot by Maurice Clemmons at a coffee shop. Afterwards, there was a huge outpouring of support from that community, and the Lakewood Police Department helped set up a fund for the fallen officers’ families. Over time, a total of $3.2 million was donated to that fund.
Fast forward to the present: this week, a man was arrested for allegedly embezzling money out of that fund for personal use. The 34-year old man is accused of diverting $120,000 from that fund into a hidden bank account which was used for such things as purchases at Home Depot and Costco, snowboarding equipment, Las Vegas trips and cash withdrawals at casino ATMs.
And the worst part? The suspect is a Lakewood Police officer.
Lakewood Police Officer
Skeeter Timothy Manos appeared in federal court in Tacoma this week to face the charges. A news story about this development contains a photo of Manos holding a young child. Prosecutors claim that Manos opened this secret account just seven weeks after the shooting that killed the four officers.
If these charges are shown to be true, Manos may go down in history as the person who singlehandedly perpetrated the most insulting act against a police officer ever.