Killer Cop Faces Sex Charges

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Irish Voice News

Killer Cop Faces Sex Charges

July 16, 2008

By April Drew

THE police officer who gunned down Dublin born Andrew Hanlon in Oregon at the end of June was accused of sexual abuse by a woman and her daughter at the weekend.

Silverton Police Officer Tony Gonzalez, 35, who is already on paid administrative leave from the Marion County Police Department for shooting dead 20-year-old Hanlon, was arrested on Sunday, July 12 and charged with sex abuse. He is currently being held without bail.

Salem police who were assigned the case arrested Gonzalez after a woman and her minor daughter in Keizer, a suburb of Salem approximately 40 miles from Portland, filed a complaint against him.

Gonzalez was charged with two counts of first-degree sex abuse and three counts of third-degree sex abuse. Court documents state that the two counts of first-degree sex abuse are considered the measure of 11 offenses. It is still unclear when the alleged abuse took place.

There is no connection between the shooting and the alleged sex abuse.

Hanlon’s mother, Dorothea Carroll arrived in Oregon last week. It is expected that she will bring her son’s body back to Ireland at the end of this week for cremation.

On Friday, Carroll had a sit down meeting with the Marion County district attorney’s staff for two hours to discuss the investigation into the incident.

Hanlon’s sister, Melanie Heise, who lives in Silverton with her husband Nathan, described her brother as having psychological problems, but said he was fine at the time of his death.

Gonzalez shot Hanlon, who hailed from Dundrum, Co. Dublin, after he responded to a call of a burglary a few blocks from Hanlon’s sister’s house.

Hanlon, according to his sister, was shot seven times. Police have yet to release details of the incident.

An audio recording made by a witness to the shooting claims her relative called the police after frantic banging on her front door scared her, thinking she was being burgled.

In the recording, made anonymously, she said that her relative’s husband arrived with his friend and chased Hanlon away. She stated that Gonzales arrived moments later and met the Dublin man running down the street.

She said that Hanlon tripped at the bottom of the hill and when he was trying to get up Gonzales opened fire.

The recording confirms Hanlon’s family’s belief that the young man was on his way back to his sister’s house when he got lost and disorientated. The street where he was shot was six blocks from his sister’s house. Hanlon’s brother-in-law said that he had a habit of banging on their front door when he wanted to be let in.

The shooting is still under investigation and its findings will be reviewed by the district attorney’s office. A grand jury is expected to be summoned after the investigation is concluded.

On Saturday, July 12, at Unger Funeral Chapel a memorial service took place for Hanlon in Silverton where 18 close family and friends attended. Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven” played, and a close friend of the family’s from Ireland shared a few words about Hanlon. Another memorial service is scheduled for August 3 at Silver Falls State Park, Silverton.

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