Earlier this week we wrote about how Norman Seabrook abused the justice system by grounding 44 buses operated by drivers from the Corrections Officers Benevolent Association, which he heads. As a result, Rikers prisoners scheduled for court appearances did not get to the courts.
It now appears the truth may be worse than even we imagined. According to a follow-up dispatch in The Post, Seabrook ordered the slowdown to prevent one particular prisoner, Dapree Peterson, from testifying in a Bronx courtroom.
Why? Because Peterson was to testify against two correction officers, Kevin Gilkes and Louis Pinto, whom Peterson says first beat him and then covered it up.
When Peterson didn’t make it to court on Tuesday, the judge in the case kept his courtroom open until Peterson was produced. That evening Peterson was not sent back to Rikers, and a different transportation plan was set up. Which is what you would do if you didn’t trust corrections officers to do their jobs.
Mayor Bloomberg said Thursday the city will take action against the union for its “outrageous” slowdown. When we asked the Bronx DA’s office whether it was investigating, it declined comment except to note that the city’s Department of Investigation and Corporation Counsel are “monitoring the situation.”
Not good enough. Because if Seabrook did use his powers as union boss to keep a witness from testifying at the trial of two of his union members, they are not the only ones who should be in the dock.