(UPDATED) Viral Video: UPD says watch full video, suspects have different story
By: Jennifer Lee, Chelsea Rarrick
Updated: January 3, 2012
A YouTube video involving the Utica Police Department has gone viral and people are looking for answers.
It was first reported on the Utica Phoenix, a video titled "Utica Police Officers Caught on Tape" shows a 1:40 video clip of what some say appears to be a Utica police officer planting baggies possibly filled with drugs in a vehicle they pulled over for running a stop sign.
But, police Chief Mark Williams says the YouTube clip is only a small snippet of what really went down in the 26 plus minute video.
What people are seeing in the YouTube clip is the officer reaching for his back pocket and then placing what appears to be baggies filled with drugs it into the vehicle.
But, while looking through the entire video, the "baggies" in the officer's pocket appears to be evidence recovered from one of the two suspects during the pat-down.
Chief Williams says what is being portrayed in the small snippet on YouTube is not a full representation of what took place.
He says the officer was sorting the drug evidence in the vehicle.
"That one snippet... he has criminal defendants outside the vehicle and he is recovering drug evidence from each person. There is no reason to plant evidence when he already has recovered evidence on video," said Chief Williams.
The two suspects were charged with criminal possession of a substance. Chief Williams says the officers found marijuana and zip lock baggies of crack residue under both seats of the vehicle.
"He has drug evidence from both defendants. What he is basically doing is taking the drug evidence from his pocket and he is organizing the drug evidence in the vehicle of what drug evidence belongs to what defendant," explained Chief Williams.
Chief Williams says the have been investigating this incident for over a month now. But, the Editor in Chief of the Utica Phoenix spoke with the two people in the video earlier today and they have a different story.
Eyewitness News spoke with Cassandra Harris-Lockwood and she says the man in the video is Grady Jones. He openly admits that he had the marijuana in his jacket that night.
But, he says the female suspect had nothing to do with any of the drugs that Jones had. Grady and the female suspect said they had no idea they were even charged with cocaine possession at the time of the arrest. Cassandra says that they told her that it was not until a month later that they even heard of the cocaine charges.
"They called the police department. They spoke to a woman sergeant and asked what they were talking about with controlled substances. The woman could not find any charges anywhere. It was not on their initial appearance tickets," said Lockwood.
Cassandra also says the two are more than willing to take drug tests to prove that they do not do cocaine. Chief Williams says the UPD is in contact with the FBI and will share their full report with them if need be.
