Three Richmond officers face obstruction trial

A jury trial starts tomorrow for three Richmond police officers charged with obstruction of justice.

Authorities have said that off-duty officer Ian McCloskey beat up a man in a bar in Shockoe Bottom on Jan. 22, 2008, and that responding officers Floyd T. Campbell II and William A. House tried to cover it up.

McCloskey is accused of threatening a witness.

City prosecutors charged the three officers with obstruction of justice Dec. 18 and turned the case over to special prosecutor Thomas Shaia, a deputy commonwealth's attorney in Spotsylvania County.

Richmond prosecutors have given the following account of what happened late that night at the Wonderland bar:

McCloskey, off duty and in plain clothes, went into the bar and saw an ex-girlfriend and a man sitting in a booth. McCloskey and the woman argued and when the other man interjected, McCloskey punched him about six times in the head, drawing blood.

McCloskey left the scene but later returned. Campbell and House arrived at the bar and soon learned that McCloskey was the suspect, according to court papers Shaia filed in Richmond Circuit Court.

According to the documents, sober witnesses from the bar approached Campbell and House and identified McCloskey as the assailant. But they did not arrest McCloskey, and their notes on the incident stated the assailant could not be identified because of intoxicated witnesses.

Richmond prosecutors initially charged McCloskey with misdemeanor assault in March 2008 and later had the charge dismissed after McCloskey agreed

to pay $5,000 to cover the assault victim's medical expenses. Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Michael N. Herring said the alleged cover-up was brought to his attention after the assault charge against McCloskey was dismissed.

Defense attorney Will Hutchens, who along with his wife, Suzette Hutchens, is representing House, said his client is innocent. He said the charges have caused emotional distress for House and the other two defendants. He also commented on the fact that the charges were brought nearly one year after the incident. "For this to be brought almost a year later, to me, it demonstrates . . . maybe one or more people are trying to use these officers as fall guys," Will Hutchens said.

Jury selection starts tomorrow at 10 a.m. in Richmond Circuit Court. It will be a seven-person jury, as is standard in misdemeanor cases.

Defense attorney John Rockecharlie, who is representing McCloskey, could not be reached for comment yesterday. Campbell's attorney, Claire G. Cardwell, also could not be reached.

Contact Reed Williams at (804) 649-6332 or .