A Roosevelt man says he plans to sue the Nassau County Police Department and its former commissioner for allegedly arresting him for intimidation purposes after he testified in an election law case.
Randy White was the campaign worker at the center of a politically charged case that eventually prompted the resignation of now-former Nassau Police Commissioner Thomas Dale. White had testified before a grand jury that he was paid per signature by ex-Freeport Mayor Andrew Hardwick, who was attempting to wage a failed third-party bid for county executive. Payment per signature is illegal under election law.
After testifying, White was dramatically arrested on a public bus for an outstanding warrant that originated from an unpaid fine.
White's attorney Fred Brewington says they are suing the police department, Thomas Dale and more than two dozen unnamed officers for alleged physical and mental abuse. Brewington says Dale ordered his client's arrest for political purposes, and alleges that White was subjected to unnecessarily harsh treatment by police, including two cavity and strip-searches.
The Nassau County District Attorney's Office investigated the arrest, and while Dale subsequently resigned, no criminal charges were ever brought against him or his boss, County Executive Ed Mangano.
Brewington says District Attorney Kathleen Rice dropped the ball. He claims there was a "cover-up" and is calling for an independent investigation into the ordeal.
Neither Rice nor Mangano were available for an on-camera interview. A spokesman for Mangano said, "District Attorney Rice has already cleared County Executive Mangano and his administration." Rice's office said the investigation is not over.