Raps Arrest Case Convictions: Rowry Says Police Use Courts For A 'Coverup'

Raps Arrest Case Convictions

Rowry Says Police Use Courts For A 'Coverup'

 

The two loitering and vagrancy arrests last August that drew fire recently from a Detroit attorney in Circuit Court were criticized again today by Ezra Rowry, local civil rights leader.

Rowry, who heads the local chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality, told The News this morning that the Ann Arbor police department was “using the courts to cover up physical assault by one of its officers.”

He was referring to the arrests last Aug. 23 of Robert H. Terrell, 21, of 507 Hill, and David L. Hunter, 18, of 803 Gott, for vagrancy and loitering. The two were found guilty of resisting and obstructing police officers with sentencing set for Feb. 7.

Rowry claims that at the time they were arrested there were 15 to 25 other persons standing in the same general area enjoying the warm weather when officers Daniel Cook and Steven Egger stopped their patrol car and arrested the two.

Rowry said another policeman, on foot, had just gone down the street and found no reason to arrest anyone.

Chief of Police Walter E. Krasny and Mayor Wendell E. Hulcher were also critized by Rowry for lack of action surrounding the incident. Rowry said immediately following the arrests he called Krasny and Hulcher, told them what had happened and then drove them to the scene of the arrest to talk with witnesses. 

Hulcher ordered an investigation of the incident, as did the Human Relations Commission.

Rowry also accused the Police Department of failure to give proper medical treatment to Terrell. He said the youth remained in jail for two to three hours before he was taken to a hospital where it was found his jaw was broken.

“I don’t think the public is going to buy this,” Rowry said of the arrests, “Why wasn’t I or the other 15 to 25 persons there arrested.’

Rowry said he expected Terrell and Hunter to appeal the conviction.

Police Chief Krasny said this morning he would make no official comment on Rowry’s charges except to note that his department received notice from Human Relations Commission Director David Cowley and City Administrator Guy C. Larcom Jr. that defense attorneys for Terrell and Hunter had requested a halt to police investigations of the arrest incident because such a probe might damage the defense case.

“We stopped right there,” Krasny said.

The chief also said that both men had competent defense counsel and if unnecessary force had been used in the arrests or if they had been improper the lawyers had “every opportunity” to bring it out in court.