Ex-Police Officer Holds Press Conference After Standoff Ends

UPDATE
Ex-Jeffersonville cop says PTSD led to his suicidal standoff
WVAE 3 News
By Katie Bauer
Friday, February 26th 2016

SELLERSBURG, IN (WAVE) – A former Jeffersonville police officer won't face charges after he was the center of a several-hour standoff in his own home Friday morning.

This all played out along west Utica Street in Sellersburg.

Steve Cooper was a Jeff police officer for 12 years. During that time he was a SWAT sniper and undercover narcotics officer. He says he is upset with how his career unfolded after he said he opened up about suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Armed and barricaded for nearly seven hours, the standoff ended after Cooper walked out of his house peacefully to meet police.

“This was kind of a breaking point for me," he said. "I had some conversations that went awry and I got depressed and had some liquid courage and was just to the point where maybe it was time to end my life.”

Family called police, concerned and tried to help.
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wave3.com-Louisville News, Weather

Former Jeffersonville police officer surrenders after standoff in Sellersburg
WDRB News
By Sitarah Coote
By Stephan Johnson
Posted: Feb 26, 2016

Steven Cooper barricaded himself in a home in Sellersburg for several hours on Feb. 26, 2016.

SELLERSBURG, Ind. (WDRB) -- An armed man who barricaded himself inside a home on West Utica Street in Sellersburg early Friday has surrendered.

Sellersburg Police Deputy Chief Mark Levesque says officers were called about 2:30 a.m. to check on a man in the home that might be suicidal.

The man, identified as Steven Cooper, surrendered around 9:15 a.m. He says he is a former police officer with the Jeffersonville Police Department and wants to expose corruption.

After holding police at bay for several hours, the man inside the home -- now identified as Steve Cooper -- actually put the guns down and walked right up to our cameras and held an impromptu press conference to explain why this all happened.

"Tonight was kind of a breaking point for me," Cooper said. "We had some conversations, and they went awry, and I got depressed and and had some liquid courage and got to the point that I was thinking that maybe it's time to end my life."

But instead of ending his life, Steve Cooper, a former Jeffersonville Police officer, walked out of his house. Cooper says he left the Jeffersonville Police Department in August and has been struggling ever since.

He blames his struggles and what happened Friday morning on post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
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WDRB 41 Louisville News

SHAME ON US! Navy SEAL's Buy Own Helmets!

Lacking basic gear, special operators stuck buying their own equipment 
Stars and Stripes 
By Travis J. Tritten 
Published: February 25, 2016

In a 2007 file photo, a U.S. Special Operations Forces member
prepares his gear for an evening mission in western Iraq.
ELI J. MEDELLIN/U.S. NAVY

WASHINGTON – Sean Matson, who recently left active-duty as a Navy SEAL, said the military measured his head four times – each time before deployment – with plans to provide him a more advanced ballistic helmet.

But the new helmet never materialized. During a deployment in Africa, Matson and six of his fellow SEALs each shelled out about $900 for updated helmets that held the lights, communications devices and batteries needed for their missions.

“There was never a clear solution to it, so guys were going out spending $800-$900 on their own ballistic helmet,” said Matson, who is now CEO of the military supply company Matbock.

Elite troops such as the SEALs are more and more forced to dip into their own pockets to purchase basic military gear such as helmets, global positioning devices and medical supplies, according to Matson and others involved in the military’s unofficial civilian-side supply network who came to Capitol Hill on Thursday.
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Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer Edward C. Byers Jr To Receive Medal of Honor

53 minutes ago 
Navy SEAL to get Medal of Honor tells his story 
Stars and Stripes 

Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer Edward C. Byers Jr., is set to receive the Medal of Honor on Monday, Feb. 29, 2016. 

The Navy has released a video of the special warfare operator talking about what it means to be part of the SEAL community. read more here 


From US Navy Youtube
Feb 26, 2016 On a cold December night in the mountains of Afghanistan, Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Edward C. Byers Jr. and a team of SEALs embarked on a dangerous mission to rescue an American hostage held by the Taliban. 

Byers went above and beyond the call of duty that evening, saving the life of the hostage, and earning the Medal of Honor. In this video, Byers shares the story of that evening, as well as his reaction to finding out he earned the Medal of Honor. 
(U.S. Navy video/RELEASED.)

Maine Veterans Plead For Help With Fake Service Dogs

'There are no requirements': Service dog misrepresentation a growing problem 

Veterans plead for fakers to stop as task force looks into issue 
WMTV News 
By David Charns 
UPDATED 6:11 PM EST Feb 25, 2016

PORTLAND, Maine —The misrepresentation of service dogs in Maine has become such a large issue that the Legislature tasked a panel to find a way to resolve it.

"I said he's not a pet, he's a service dog,” Christopher Henry, of Auburn, said. “’And he then asked me, "for what?’”

It’s just one time someone has asked Henry if his service dog, Brewsky, is legitimate. The 17-year-old combat veteran has post-traumatic stress disorder. Brewsky is there to keep Henry calm and keep strangers a good distance away.

"We're hearing about it all the time,” said Jennifer Norris, of Bethel. Norris, a 15-year veteran, is a sexual assault survivor and her dog, Onyx, helps her with her PTSD.

Both dogs underwent rigorous training. Their owners said the animals keep them from isolating, something they said is common with veterans with PTSD.

"She helped pulled me out of the deepest darkest depression I've ever been in my life,” Morris said.

But some Mainers are faking it.
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Charges and Questions Surface Over PTSD "Service" Dog "Theft"

Considering Melnick "trained Kai to be her service dog" then the title should be simply "dog" unless she is a certified trainer.

Charges filed in alleged theft of service dog 
San Diego Union Tribune 
By Teri Figueroa 
Feb. 25, 2016

Marine veteran Alexandra Melnick hugs German shepherd Kai in this September 2015 file photo. The pair were reunited that month after Kai was stolen from her Vista home ten months earlier. — Misael Virgen

The ex-husband of a Marine veteran whose service dog went missing in late 2014 — and was found in Texas last summer — has been charged with taking the dog, a case his attorney said Thursday is rooted in an ownership dispute.

Marine Gunnery Sgt. Pablo Cortes was charged last month with stealing Kai, a German shepherd, from ex-wife Alexandra Melnick. He has pleaded not guilty.

A preliminary hearing is set for mid-March in Vista Superior Court, where a judge will determine if there is enough evidence for the case to proceed to trial.

Cortes’ attorney, Alex Ozols, said his client contends that Melnick — whose search for Kai garnered news coverage — knew Cortes had taken the dog.

“They both loved that dog and they both wanted it,” Ozols said, adding that Cortes has said the dog is legally his.

The attorney also said his client is distraught over the criminal case, which could ruin his 11-year military career.
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