Ohio police chiefs face trial in surrogate case

[samanthajane13]

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio – Trial dates have been set for two eastern Ohio police chiefs accused of snooping on a surrogate mother for actress Sarah Jessica Parker and actor Matthew Broderick.

Martins Ferry Chief Barry Carpenter and Police Chief Chad Dojack from neighboring Bridgeport are accused in an alleged scheme to take things from the Martins Ferry home of the woman who recently carried twins girls for Parker and Broderick.

On Friday, Carpenter's trial was set for Nov. 16 and Dojack's for Jan. 12 in Belmont County Common Pleas Court.

A special prosecutor said the chiefs, who are charged with several felonies, tried to sell items to celebrity photographers. Carpenter and Dojack have pleaded not guilty.

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Information from: WTOV-TV, http://www.wtov9.com


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091016/ap_en_mo/us_people_parker_broderick

[samanthajane13]

NY paparazzo testifies in Parker-Broderick case

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio – A paparazzo testified Tuesday that an Ohio police chief told him he had access to ultrasound photographs belonging to the woman who carried twins for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick.

Justin Steffman of New York testified that suspended Martins Ferry Chief Barry Carpenter also said that he had access to a plaster cast of surrogate Michelle Ross' stomach, a contract between the woman and Parker and several documents.

A special prosecutor has said Carpenter entered Ross' home in Martins Ferry in May and removed items that identified her as the surrogate. He and Police Chief Chad Dojack from nearby Bridgeport are accused of scheming to sell the items.

Steffman said Dojack offered to sell him the surrogate's address and contact information for $1,000. He said he met Carpenter in a post office parking lot, when the chief showed him a cell-phone photo of the cast.

During cross-examination, Steffman said he did not see the items the chief claimed to have.

Carpenter's attorney, Dennis McNamara, has said that the chief entered Ross' house but did not take anything and that he joked with photographers about having access to the home.

Steffman said he never thought Carpenter was joking and that he acted arrogant, aggressive and "like a bully."

Steffman also said he tracked down Ross through her MySpace page and let her know about the conversations he'd had with both chiefs.

Carpenter accessed a law enforcement database from his home to obtain Ross' personal information, including her driver license information, Social Security number, address and driving record, according to testimony from Lisa Sprague of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation.

A sheriff's deputy testified that signs of a break-in at Ross' home included missing personal files, disheveled boxes of photographs, an open bathroom cabinet and the belly cast at the bottom of the stairs instead of where it had been left in a bedroom.

Carpenter faces several felony charges, including burglary, receiving stolen property and theft in office. He could face 21 1/2 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

Dojack faces counts of complicity to burglary and complicity to receiving stolen property. His trial is set for January.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091117/ap_en_ot/us_people_parker_broderick

[samanthajane13]

Parker-Broderick surrogate expected on the stand

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio – The woman who bore twins for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick is expected on the witness stand at the trial of an Ohio police chief accused of snooping on the surrogate.

The trial of suspended Martins Ferry Chief Barry Carpenter resumed Thursday morning. Testimony from Michelle Ross is anticipated later in the day.

Prosecutors say Carpenter entered Ross' home in Martins Ferry in May and took items that identified her as the couple's surrogate. He and Police Chief Chad Dojack from neighboring Bridgeport are accused of scheming to sell the stuff to paparazzi.

Carpenter has pleaded not guilty to felony counts including burglary and receiving stolen property.

Dojack is to be tried in January.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091119/ap_en_ot/us_people_parker_broderick

[samanthajane13]

Chief: I didn't try to sell Parker-Broderick items

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio – An eastern Ohio police chief accused of breaking into the home of the woman who carried twins for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick says he never discussed selling items from the home.

Suspended Martins Ferry Police Chief Barry Carpenter testified Friday at his trial on burglary and other charges. He says he went into the woman's home after he saw a basement door open while on routine patrol.

He says he took a photo of a surrogacy file that contained two ultrasound pictures and of a plaster cast of a pregnant stomach. He says he showed the photo of the cast to paparazzi and to several other people.

Carpenter says he met with the photographers after being called by the police chief of a neighboring town.

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Information from: WTOV-TV, http://www.wtov9.com


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091120/ap_en_tv/us_people_parker_broderick