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Small N.Va. Town's Top Officer Disarmed by Restraining Order

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 02/08/2006 - 11:32pm. Washington Post


Small N.Va. Town's Top Officer Disarmed by Restraining Order
(Click above link to read full article.)

Small N.Va. Town's Top Officer Disarmed by Restraining Order
Domestic Case Could Hobble Haymarket Police
By Ian Shapira
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 16, 2005; Page B01

For the past two weeks, Sgt. Gregory Breeden has been running the tiny Haymarket Police Department in Prince William County. But he's been doing it without a gun.

Breeden lost his right to carry a weapon when his estranged wife accused him of trying to break down their kitchen door with a hatchet and making threats against the family. A judge on Sept. 1 ordered Breeden to stay away from his family, at least until a hearing on the matter today. In Virginia, anyone given a protective order -- even a police officer -- is prohibited to carry a weapon.........


Small N.Va. Town's Top Officer Disarmed by Restraining Order
(Click above link to read full article.)

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Copy of Protective Order

Submitted by WatchDog on Sun, 02/26/2006 - 11:46pm.







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Cops above the law?

Submitted by Resident7 on Sun, 02/12/2006 - 11:54am.

Seems like it to me

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cops above the law

Submitted by Supportinghoffman on Sat, 03/11/2006 - 12:36pm.

it seems to me that cops are above the law too.

That part about the magistrate not issueing a criminal warrent for breeden just amazes me, he did not actually hurt her... ok so he has to hurt her before something more would be done? thats crap...

do you think this would have been different if he wasnt a cop? i bet it wouldnt have been dismissed.

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Comments from The Gun Guys Website

Submitted by WatchDog on Sun, 02/26/2006 - 11:38pm.


Click Here to read this article on The Gun Guys Website!

September 20, 2005

The Mysterious Case of the Axe, the Gun, and the Police Sergeant

What’s going on in Haymarket, VA? Last Friday the Washington Post reported that Sgt. Gregory Breeden of the Haymarket Police Department had his weapon taken away after his estranged wife accused him of chopping down the kitchen door with an axe while threatening his family. In Virginia, the law says that no one who has a domestic violence order against them is permitted to carry a weapon, not even on duty police officers. And so when Breeden put his family through what his stepdaughter calls “pretty terrifying,” the department took away his weapon.

And this comes two months after Breeden and the local police chief were both suspended by the Haymarket Town Council for unknown reasons (”a confidential personal matter,” says the Post). And now the chief is on paid leave tending to a sick daughter, which leaves Breeden in charge of the entire department, sans weapon.

The story gets stranger. A day later the Post reports that Breeden’s been given his weapon back.

Breeden had lost his right to carry a weapon two weeks ago after his wife accused him of breaking down their kitchen door with an ax and was granted a temporary restraining order. Breeden’s attorney told a Warren County judge yesterday that Breeden’s family was not in any danger and pointed out that it’s not a crime to knock down your own door.

His family wasn’t in danger when he was pounding on the door with an axe? So what was going on with Jack Nicholson in “The Shining”?

After yesterday’s hearing, Breeden, 46, said that not being allowed to carry a gun while he was “in charge of the whole show” was “very awkward.”

Town Council member Robert Weir, the police liaison, called the matter “an entire waste of time. There’s no protective order, and there shouldn’t have been one in the first place,” he said. “We’ve had an officer off the street for no cause. It’s amazing, the power of the protective order.”

We wonder if it was also “very awkward” when his family and estranged wife were put through that “terrifying” ordeal. But we agree: the power of the protective order is pretty amazing– it actually protects people from others who have threatened to hurt them!

But wait– he’s got explanations for everything he did, people. Let’s hear the man out.

Witnesses testified that Tina and Gregory Breeden lived in separate areas of the same house in Warren County. On the night of Aug. 9, Gregory Breeden wanted to get a saw for cutting deer and hogs but could not get into the kitchen because it was locked, his attorney, Nancy B. Stephens, told the judge.

…Breeden, who did not testify, also wanted to correct the record. He wasn’t carrying an ax, he said. “It was a sledgehammer.”

Oh, it was just a sledgehammer, and he wasn’t coming after his wife, he was just getting a saw to cut deer and hogs. How very unthreatening. Whatever the truth is, his answers don’t satisfy Tina Breeden (who says she’s still “fearful”), and we’re not sure we’ve heard the last of this either.

More: Police, Virginia

You're reading "The Mysterious Case of the Axe, the Gun, and the Police Sergeant" on Gun Guys. Enjoy!

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Blogonomicon Website

Submitted by WatchDog on Sun, 08/20/2006 - 10:57pm.

A little Blog on this topic:

Blogonomicon Site Reference Haymarket

Just remember - Always on Guard

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Just Curious

Submitted by voiceoffreedom on Sat, 03/25/2006 - 11:00pm.

If all of the threat of bodily harm was there, why did she not flee for her life? Seems more of a soon to be ex-wife trying to cause problems in a upcoming divorce.

Also, in a case like this, aren't there shelters set up to help a woman flee an abusive relationship such as she claims?

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A wife

Submitted by Two Cents on Mon, 03/13/2006 - 8:32am.

Don't you think a wife knows her husband. Does'nt take alot to figure out that if someone who has lived with a person knows that person better then a judge or magistrate or co-workers. If she was scared enough to seek a means to protect herself. Then just maybe her fear was real. And that is proof enough for me. Personally, I have NEVER been afraid of my husband. Just something else to think about.

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Axe Man

Submitted by Supportinghoffman on Sat, 03/11/2006 - 12:34pm.

I think its just terrific that the sargent lost his gun he shouldnt have gotten it back in my opinion, but that me.

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losing his gun

Submitted by voiceoffreedom on Sat, 03/25/2006 - 10:52pm.

In defense of the alleged abuse, he should have lost his right to carry a gun, for the preliminary restraining order that was issued. Because a possible threat was there, and we can not say she was crying wolf.

But this is America, and everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty. After the temporary order was up, it was deemed that there was no merit in this, and he got his gun back, and could perform full duties.

I for one think the acting mayor was right in her call to keep him on duty behind a desk. If anything had happened, I want someone I could put my life in their hands to respond, and Greg has proven his worth to the Town many times over.

But then again, he could have been going after Christmas presents on the other side of the door and it makes it alright, doesn't it? Or does is that a double standard? Any comments from a Hoffman supporter?

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Voice of Freedom

Submitted by x1usmc on Mon, 03/27/2006 - 8:00am.

You need to chill out with the attacks against a man who is trying to provide for his family.

I believe it was a very questionable decison for him to go into that home and provide security for an operation that he was upstairs for and all the activity was going on downstairs. But in his defense, he was paid to watch an area, and he did just that.

Now I do not know if the wife works or not, or what the situation is with money, but if I really needed to make extra money for X-Mas presents, the wife would be out working also, and with seven kids, I would not be working as a small town police officer.

I do know that the reserve military will pay alot of money to a man with seven kids, and all the has duty pay will add up.

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Should I laugh or glare...

Submitted by Two Cents on Mon, 04/17/2006 - 5:07pm.

I am the wife... I stayed home... Do you all know the price of hiring someone to babysit? Much more then I could ever make. Unless of course I should work just to pay a babysitter. So lets not go there.

I am trying the grave yard shift now at the local sheetz. Helps with money but does not help with being mom or wife.

about his working in a small town.. I suppose he could have tried the military and left us home alone, but my heart goes out to him that has done his best to not leave us alone. I personally would not have been able to handle it. You all can give your opinions on how things in our household should be done differently, but he does his best and caters to every one of his children and me. And for that he will always have me to fight by his side when you all judge him.

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X1/Voice

Submitted by SkinsFan on Mon, 03/27/2006 - 1:20pm.

Not so sure a man with 7 kids and a wife wants to head off the desert to fight bad guys. Not easy to support a family if you die in combat.

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Congratulations!

Submitted by Unbelievable on Thu, 03/22/2007 - 7:34pm.

We need to congratulate Sgt. Breeden. He just had a child out of wedlock and while still technically married to someone else.

Congrats!

I wonder if the mother has seen this website?

Unbelievable!

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Congradulations

Submitted by voiceoffreedom on Fri, 03/23/2007 - 6:08pm.

I would like to congradulate him for his new child. Whether or not it was out of wedlock, or it was in marriage, it is a blessed event that should not be tainted by your lack of liking a guy.

I am sure that if his wife or significant other has not read this, that you guys at the website will be more then happy to contact her for this.

But before you do all this, make sure you are not slandering him because of something that you printed from public records, because I do believe that it is another charge, but then again, the know it alls who run this website would know that.

After all, when the candidates who sent out their literature, made sure that they used the same paper to print out the website announcements to mail out.

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The new baby...

Submitted by SkinsFan on Mon, 03/26/2007 - 9:15am.

congrats to the mother of the new child. Congrats to the Sgt. for the new child. I just feel sorry for his wife to know that she is suffering through all of this.

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???

Submitted by Jackie on Tue, 04/03/2007 - 3:47pm.

Why dont you 2 Ford Explorer owners get a life or a girlfriend ?You two know who you are.Instead of trashing Sgt.Breeden look at yourselfs.
Congrats by the way Greg !!!

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If the Sgt wasn't such an A@#!

Submitted by Unbelievable on Tue, 04/03/2007 - 7:35pm.

Maybe the Sgt wouldn't get trashed so much on this board if he wasn't such an ego driven, power hungry Supervisor. Jackie, maybe you should learn how to spell? Who are you, his new girlfriend?

If the Sgt. didn't treat the employees at the PD like shit then maybe he would be left alone on this board. But, he had to be an ass again recently. So now people will air his dirty laundry.

Trust me, there is plenty of it!

Unbelievable!

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