thedrifter
07-16-08, 09:05 AM
Jailed officer had long journey to Silverton force
7/16/2008, 1:49 a.m. PT
The Associated Press
SILVERTON, Ore. (AP) — Tony Gonzalez spent a decade trying to become a police officer. Now, in the span of less than three weeks, that career seems to be unraveling.
He is on administrative leave during the investigation into his fatal shooting of an Irish national on June 30, and in jail after his arrest this week on accusations he sexually abused a girl.
Though he hasn't been found guilty of anything, such a result could end Gonzalez's brief career in law enforcement, one in which he had to overcome cancer to achieve.
Friends said Gonzalez grew up in Canby and had always wanted to be a police officer. His dad was a Marine Corps veteran bound to wheelchair when Gonzalez was 14.
"When I was a kid, my dad would try to instill his Marine Corps values on us," Gonzalez told the Silverton Appeal-Tribune in a profile of the new officer last year. "When we made our beds, we had to be able to bounce a dime on it.
"But after he was hurt, we kind of did our own thing. People would tease me about my ethnic background and like a typical 16- or 17-year-old I would just get mad at people."
Gonzalez, 35, was a member of the varsity wrestling and football teams, according to his high school yearbook. Gonzalez joined the Marines after graduation and met his wife while in the military.
He left the Marines in 1996 and started trying to become an officer. When a job failed to develop, he volunteered with police agencies while working full-time at Allied Building Products in Salem.
Gonzalez was in charge of routing delivery trucks and was well-liked for his humor, said Mark Grugett, the branch manager.
"As far as I know, Tony's still a friend of mine," Grugett said. "And I don't see that he's done anything wrong until it's proven wrong."
For recreation, Gonzalez trained in mixed-martial arts and helped coach fighters for Team Chaos, a Keizer-based team.
Though nicknamed "The Tomahawk," the 240-pound Gonzalez preferred coaching because he feared an injury might hurt his chances of becoming a police officer.
"He's one my best friends," said Denver Mayangitan, head coach and owner of Team Chaos. "We're both cancer survivors. He's always been so balanced. All of things being said about him...well, I'm speechless."
The profile in the Silverton newspaper said Gonzalez was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1999, but it retreated after surgery and chemotherapy.
Gonzalez worked as a reserve police officer for Stayton Police Department from 2001 to 2003 before joining the Silverton Police Department in that capacity.
In March 2006, Gonzalez was finally hired on as a full-time Silverton officer and completed his basic police training in October that year. He received his basic police certification March 1, 2007.
Gonzalez shot and killed Andrew Hanlon, 20, last month while responding to a report of a burglary in progress. The authorities have yet to say whether they consider the shooting justified, but the Irishman's death has sparked anger and headlines from Oregon to Europe.
While on administrative leave during that investigation, Gonzalez was arrested at his Keizer home after a teenage girl and her mother contacted police.
The teenager said the sexual touching began four or five years ago and then stopped, according to a probable-cause statement filed by Salem police, which investigated the case. The girl, however, told detectives that Gonzalez resumed touching her last week.
Marion County Judge Joseph A. Ochoa ordered Gonzalez held without bail at an arraignment Tuesday.
Ellie
7/16/2008, 1:49 a.m. PT
The Associated Press
SILVERTON, Ore. (AP) — Tony Gonzalez spent a decade trying to become a police officer. Now, in the span of less than three weeks, that career seems to be unraveling.
He is on administrative leave during the investigation into his fatal shooting of an Irish national on June 30, and in jail after his arrest this week on accusations he sexually abused a girl.
Though he hasn't been found guilty of anything, such a result could end Gonzalez's brief career in law enforcement, one in which he had to overcome cancer to achieve.
Friends said Gonzalez grew up in Canby and had always wanted to be a police officer. His dad was a Marine Corps veteran bound to wheelchair when Gonzalez was 14.
"When I was a kid, my dad would try to instill his Marine Corps values on us," Gonzalez told the Silverton Appeal-Tribune in a profile of the new officer last year. "When we made our beds, we had to be able to bounce a dime on it.
"But after he was hurt, we kind of did our own thing. People would tease me about my ethnic background and like a typical 16- or 17-year-old I would just get mad at people."
Gonzalez, 35, was a member of the varsity wrestling and football teams, according to his high school yearbook. Gonzalez joined the Marines after graduation and met his wife while in the military.
He left the Marines in 1996 and started trying to become an officer. When a job failed to develop, he volunteered with police agencies while working full-time at Allied Building Products in Salem.
Gonzalez was in charge of routing delivery trucks and was well-liked for his humor, said Mark Grugett, the branch manager.
"As far as I know, Tony's still a friend of mine," Grugett said. "And I don't see that he's done anything wrong until it's proven wrong."
For recreation, Gonzalez trained in mixed-martial arts and helped coach fighters for Team Chaos, a Keizer-based team.
Though nicknamed "The Tomahawk," the 240-pound Gonzalez preferred coaching because he feared an injury might hurt his chances of becoming a police officer.
"He's one my best friends," said Denver Mayangitan, head coach and owner of Team Chaos. "We're both cancer survivors. He's always been so balanced. All of things being said about him...well, I'm speechless."
The profile in the Silverton newspaper said Gonzalez was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1999, but it retreated after surgery and chemotherapy.
Gonzalez worked as a reserve police officer for Stayton Police Department from 2001 to 2003 before joining the Silverton Police Department in that capacity.
In March 2006, Gonzalez was finally hired on as a full-time Silverton officer and completed his basic police training in October that year. He received his basic police certification March 1, 2007.
Gonzalez shot and killed Andrew Hanlon, 20, last month while responding to a report of a burglary in progress. The authorities have yet to say whether they consider the shooting justified, but the Irishman's death has sparked anger and headlines from Oregon to Europe.
While on administrative leave during that investigation, Gonzalez was arrested at his Keizer home after a teenage girl and her mother contacted police.
The teenager said the sexual touching began four or five years ago and then stopped, according to a probable-cause statement filed by Salem police, which investigated the case. The girl, however, told detectives that Gonzalez resumed touching her last week.
Marion County Judge Joseph A. Ochoa ordered Gonzalez held without bail at an arraignment Tuesday.
Ellie