July 30, 2010

PRESS RELEASE / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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Tompkins County District Attorney Gwen Wilkinson will not prosecute Ithaca Police Officer Steven Moracco for allegedly mistreating a female prisoner last year.

The allegation against Officer Moracco is that he intentionally made sudden stops in his police car that resulted in the prisoner, Amy Crockford, hitting her forehead against a plexiglass divider separating the front and rear sections of the police car, and that he did so because of his belief that she was gay. Ms.Crockford had been arrested for disorderly conduct near the State Street Diner during the early morning hours of May 31, 2009 (subsequently, Ithaca City Court adjourned the case in contemplation of dismissal). Officer Moracco was transporting Ms. Crockford to the Ithaca police headquarters when the sudden stops allegedly occurred. 

“The interests of justice are not served by the prosecution of Officer Moracco,” District Attorney Gwen Wilkinson stated. “This investigation has been thorough, and the evidence – some of it recently obtained – has been carefully analyzed. My judgment is that the weight of the evidence does not support prosecution and would not result in a conviction. It is ultimately my duty to decide which, out of the hundreds of cases that come before my office, are sufficiently supported by evidence to go forward. Residents of Tompkins County can be assured that I carefully weighed all of the factors before making my decision.”