Evening star., 1949-09-16

|nFund Shortage
Veteran Policeman
Pleads No Contest;
Three Children Cited
A police trial board today
recommended dismissal of Pvt.
Vincent s. Hurd Of the ninth pre-
cinct. less than an hour after
his trial on a charge that he was
short 1922 in funds intrusted to
his care.
AS the, trial got under way, Pvt.
Hurd pleaded nolo contendere (no
contest) and. through his attor-
ney, Charles E. Ford, placed him.
self at the mercy Of the board.
He did not testify.
Pvt. Hurd, a veteran of IL years
service and station clerk at the
lprecinct until he was suspended
September 7, may appeal the
boards decision within five days.
The verdict is subject to approval
by Police Supt. Robert j. Barrett
and the Commissioners.
Mr.. Ford, in urging the board
to be lenient in imposing a penalty
on Pvt. Hurd. declared the police
man has three children and is in
financial difficulties because his
first wife has been in a sanitarium
since 1941.
Called q Sick Man.
Policemen are underpaid and
Hurd found himself facing a ter
rife situation" Mr.. Ford told the
board.
HE wanted to avoid placing his
children in an institution and he
knew they needed a mother, so he
married a lady with q child of her
own. All this time. he knew he
had to help his first wife, who
probably will never recover. His
second wife, to help him out. took
a waitress job and they tried to
struggle through. Most men in
that situation would have given it
the pitch and wouldn't give a
damn. Hurd was thinking of his
children"
Mr.. Ford told the board Pvt.
Hurd also Is a sick man.
Earlier. Assistant Corporation
Counsel John F. Doyle. the prose-
cutor, called witnesses who estab-
lished the charges against the
station clerk.
Pvt. L. D. johnson. vice presi-
dent and auditor of the Retiring
Association, testified he audited
Pvt. Hurd's books and found them
1922 short on September l. The
precinct commander, Capt. Irwin
limbaugh, suspended Pvt. Hurd
on September Z.
2 Others Face CHARGES
Pvt. johnson testified Pvt. Hurd
admitted taking at least 500 from
the fund, but added that the de-
fendant apparently did not know
how much money was missing.
He said Hurd told him he wanted
to make restitution and would try
to pay the money back.
Capt. limbaugh, asked by Mr..
Doyle If it were, possible that
some one else in the precinct could
have taken some of the money,
,replied that it was possible but
highly improbably.
The board took the case under
advisement after a proceeding
that lasted less than half an hour.
Meanwhile, Capt. I. limbaugh
disclosed that trial board charges
are being prepared against two
other ninth precinct men-De-
tective Summerfield B. Tillett and
Probationary Detective Joseph
Bonaccorssy.
The men have not been sus-
pended, but Capt. limbaugh said
he has recommended that they be
charged with failing to turn in
property to the police property
clerk.
Money, Jewelry Involved.
The charges against the de-
tectives are being prepared by
Police Inspector Robert c. Pearce
The missing property consists
Of money and jewelry that Is evi-
dence in a grand larceny case
on which a prisoner now awaits
trial.
The property reported stolen in
the larceny case was recovered
Capt. limbaugh said. but subse-
quently vanished from the ninth
precinct stationhouse.
The search for the prissing
valuables. Capt. limbaugh said
led to discovery Of the shortage
in Pvt. Hurd's accounts. Maj
Barrett, however, said there is
nothing to link Pvt. Hurd with the
missing evidence.
Capt. limbaugh said Pvt. Hurd
has admitted periodically borrow
ing and repaying money from the
fund under his charge. The pre-
cinct commander quoted Pvt. Hurd
as saying he did not know how
much money was short because he
had lost track Of what he owed
in the manipulations.