Wednesday, May 27, 2015

IMPD Waits Two Days To Identify Gregory Slaven As Deceased Police Officer

UPDATED: IMPD NOW CLAIMS OFFICER WAS UNDER INVESTIGATION AND ON PAID ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE
Officer Slaven (right) with Aaron Barnes
Last month, Advance Indiana exclusively reported the death of 34-year old Aaron Barnes whose body was found in the home of a 15-year IMPD veteran detective, Officer Gregory Slaven. Police sources fearing a cover up by the department told Advance Indiana that Barnes was found bound in a cage wearing a chloroform mask. IMPD denied public records requests of Barnes' death investigtion, but the Marion Co. Coroner's Office confirmed at the time it had recovered Barnes' body from a home owned by Officer Slaven in the 8600 block of Ingalls Lane on the city's southwest side. The coroner's office told Advance Indiana that Barnes' cause of death was pending while the office awaited toxicology test results.

Police were called to Officer Slaven's home again on Memorial Day after a roommate in the home found him unresponsive. IMPD refused to release the police officer's name until two days later even though his identity was made clear when a department spokesman confirmed the deceased officer was found in the same home where Barnes' body was recovered last month. The Indianapolis mainstream media never reported on Barnes' death until Slaven's body was discovered Monday. Fox 59 News said in its reporting on Monday that police had confirmed they had removed used duct tape and chloroform from Officer Slaven's home during Barnes' death investigation. IMPD Chief Rick Hite told The Star that Officer Slaven was not under investigation regarding Barnes' death or being subject to any discipline. Police claim no foul play is suspected in Officer Slaven's death. It is being treated as a suicide.

A Facebook site maintained by Officer Slaven discovered by Advance Indiana chronicled a BDSM lifestyle he led with Barnes, who was depicted as his sex slave. Numerous images were posted to the social media page showing Officer Slaven in various stages of undress and in sexually-provocative poses. Slaven had been the winner of the Mr. Eagle 2014 competition at the 501 Eagle, a gay leather bar in the 500 block of North College Avenue. Slaven complained on his Facebook site, which was later deleted, that IMPD had required him to submit to blood and drug testing three days after Barnes' body was recovered from his home. Police sources faulted IMPD investigators for waiting three days until after Barnes' death to order drug testing. Barnes' Facebook site documented his BDSM-lifestyle where he proudly claimed the role as Slaven's sex slave. Barnes went by the name "Aaron Slaven," although it was not clear the two were legally married. A GoFundMe site was set up by a third party at Slaven's request to pay for Barnes' funeral expenses. Some time before Barnes' death, Officer Slaven established another master-servant relationship with a younger man, who goes by the name Steve Slaven. Steve wrote on his Facebook wall: "I miss him a lot . . . And it hurts I will never see him again. I will always love you Greg."
Facebook photo of Officer Slaven (left) with Steve Slaven

Facebook photo posted by Steve Slaven with Officer Slaven

The Indianapolis Star is now reporting that Officer Slaven was the subject of an internal affairs investigation and had been placed on paid administrative leave contrary to what Chief Hite previously told the newspaper:
. . . IMPD spokesman Lt. Rick Riddle said Slaven was placed on paid administrative leave as a result of the investigation. According to a police report, officers who responded to the 34-year-old man's death April 5 found chloroform and used duct tape in the home.
IMPD Chief Rick Hite told The Star in April that Slaven was not a suspect in any criminal probe in connection with the 34-year-old's death and that Slaven was not suspended because of the death.
A suspension, during which an officer is unpaid, is the result of a completed investigation in which wrongdoing is uncovered by the department.
According to personnel files released by IMPD on Wednesday, Slaven's only department suspension was in 2004. The personnel file does not specifically say what actions led to the one-day suspension.
Riddle said the police chief has the discretion to place a member of IMPD on administrative leave during an internal investigation, which Riddle said is what happened in Slaven's case.
Hite did not respond to phone calls Wednesday requesting further comment about that internal investigation.
Riddle said the internal investigation was still active when Slaven was found dead Monday.
WRTV is now reporting the investigation of Officer Slaven included an attempt by him to purchase drugs with no known medicinal value on an underground website:
Sources told RTV6 reporter Jack Rinehart on Wednesday that police started looking into Slaven after Barnes' death. According to those sources, police discovered that Slaven went on an underground social media website to find drugs that had no medical purpose.

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gary, those pictures are disgusting. I had to scroll down quickly to get them out of my sight.

Gary R. Welsh said...

Those were among the more tame photos.

Anonymous said...

In the second picture, is that person wearing a dog mask? What a sideshow circus! This was a police Detective who sworn to protect and serve? This is an embarrassment for all police officers

Anonymous said...

point being that someone should have ben arrested? For what? Or just that police officers shouldn't be allowed to do what's otherwise legal?

Anonymous said...

Political correctness has prevented the Star and TV news stations from reporting the facts of this case. They couldn't figure out a way to portray the events sympathetically so they chose to say nothing.

Flogger said...

The issue in a way should not be Slaven's and Barnes sexuality. Side-bar the Sex Slave part is over the top for me. It should be the actions or rather inaction's of the IMPD that should be thoroughly explored. It would certainly seem the lesson that should have been learned by IMPD with Biscard was not learned at all. The details of Barnes death should not have been hidden. IMPD then waited three days to test Slaven for drugs etc., again shades of Biscard.

Anonymous said...

Within IMPD, and all police departments, I have to wonder how common people and attitudes like Slaven are. It seems so many cops want the job so they can dress like military people and act out domination fetishes on the population. Do police departments screen out anyone with the desire to order other people around?

c. roger csee said...

I guess the iron fist of "L'il Greg," the RINO Marine Mayor, and the Ges-Straub-O attitude of Herr DOK-TOR Straub still permeates the department.

I really thought Troy Riggs would be given the latitude to fix things, but obviously not!

Anonymous said...

The posting of those disgusting images in public forums brings the Police Department into disrepute. How can one with the honor and trust of being a police officer post such pictures and disgrace the department? -It seems to reflect on a lack of leadership to address it.

c. roger csee said...

Well, folks...the liberals, leftists, progressives, ACLU, ICLU, NAACP, etc. etc. etc. screamed for YEARS demanding that IPD better reflect the makeup of the community.

Congratulations!

Anonymous said...

Is two (2) days unusual to wait until the police release the name of a dead person?

Anonymous said...

To anony 11:55:
I agree that many cops have a small member issue amd have found a great way to compensate....

For everyone else, please remember that a lot od straight cops take bribes, coerce women into BJs and other sexual acts and do a lot of other illicit things we civilians can't do. Many other cops are great people who uphold the law and protect us from the barbarians.

My point, I think, is so what? The police force is a fairly accurate mirror of our society. Live with it. What's wrong with gay cops, male or female? What's wrong with overweight cops? Asshole cops? Great cops? Slacker cops? Overachiever cops? They are humans like the rest of us with the same strengths, weaknesses, fears and perversions (define that) as the rest of us. Perhaps some of this righteous anger might be better spent doing something positive.

Just my thoughts.

Roberto

Anonymous said...

We need to keep looking into this. This cop obviously has something wrong with them. I don't care what people do on there own time. But if it leads to someone dying. That is when we need to be concerned! I am surprised the kink community hasn't inundated you with hate mail! Keep it up Gary!

Anonymous said...

"I said 'foxhole' goddammit!" What good is a safe word if it's not respected? All of this could have been avoided. Treat your gimps better, people!

Anonymous said...

I would like to say that airing people's private lives after they have taken their own life is disgusting. You as an attorney should know this story is SLANDER. You all "think" it's disgusting because you don't understand the lifestyle. Why does he have to be known as "the gay cop" or "wanting to pretend"? Why can't he just be human? You failed to mention in this article about all the good he did for the community, How he was at every even to raise money to for the treatment of HIV / AIDS (just to let you know more straight people are infected than gay people. I personally think that you need to get more facts and you really had no right posting those photos. You're making him out to be a freak, a monster, a Christian Grey. He was NOTHING like that and you really have no right to post stories as such. How would your friends and family feel is someone posted a story like this about you? I think My pastor is right, People DO NOT THINK BEFORE THEY SPEAK

Anonymous said...

Names are normally held until family can be told. Would you like to find out one of your loved ones had passed via online or media?

Gary R. Welsh said...

Facts aren't slander. And don't try to make this issue about being a gay cop. There are plenty of gay cops employed by IMPD who are very professional, well-liked and respected by their colleagues. In fact, a story was shared with me of a conversation several gay cops had among themselves in which they discussed their surprise to learn about Slaven's background after Barnes' death. Some didn't even know he was gay. They were as shocked and appalled by the images they found on social media as their straight colleagues. If I had wanted to shock, there were plenty of images that were far more shocking. The media had no problem discussing the graphic details about Officer Justin Deaton's or Officer Johnathan Burger's domestic violence cases. The media had no problem splashing nude photos of Rep. Justin Moed that he sent to Sydney Leathers.

Gary R. Welsh said...

Anon. 8:13, His Facebook friends were discussing his death on Monday on social media. The police had already identified to the media within two hours of his body being discovered the fact he was a police officer, the city street and block on which he lived, a photo of his home and the fact that his body was found in the same home as Aaron Barnes. There's no way a relative would not have known from the media reports who the deceased was if they were concerned about relatives learning the information second-hand.

Anonymous said...

Anyone who follows line-of-duty death or injuries knows the department often releases the victim's name within a matter of hours. Notification of relatives hasn't delayed the department from identifying police officers shot or killed in the line of duty for two days. The identification is typically made public within a matter of hours, if not within the first 24 hours.

Pete Boggs said...

These deaths are tragedies (!!!); unfortunately compounded by the oxymoronic sharia of political correctness, or journalistic malpractice of old media omission, driven by the tyrannic bigotry of orthodox statism which is anti-First Amendment, anti-Constitution & anti-Christian.

The Indy-Hapless Scar does more views for dues than news. As a news product, the Scar sucks. There's significantly more breaking news on this blog than local, old media sources combined- going back several years. While these deaths are tragic; they are big news, ignored & conspicuously underreported. Irrespective of orientation; two people dying in the same house within a month of each other, as a result of "role play," is news. Add to the story, published anti-RFRA anti-Christian attitudes & Governor nasty grams written by public employees who are also police- it becomes a much bigger story. It's not welcome news but it's definitely news- those claiming otherwise are not being honest with themselves.

Anonymous said...

All indications are there is a COVER-UP of TWO DEATHS!

This needs to be checked & verified by the media, because it's apparent The City will not tell the true facts.

Anonymous said...

Pete Boggs called it RIGHT!

I'm repeating it: These TWO DEATHS are compounded by the oxymoronic sharia of political correctness, or journalistic malpractice of old media omission, driven by the tyrannic bigotry of orthodox statism which is anti-First Amendment, anti-Constitution & anti-Christian. There's significantly more breaking news on this blog than local, old media sources combined- going back several years. While these deaths are tragic; they are big news, ignored & conspicuously underreported. Irrespective of orientation; two people dying in the same house within a month of each other, as a result of drug induced "role play," is news.

Add to the story, published anti-RFRA, anti-Christian attitudes, & Governor offensive-nasty grams, in the shape of penis's, DOMINANT trait of SEX SLAVE-MASTER, with clue of drugs & hint of human trafficking.

Oh, The Official Response is: "All is well! Please stay calm! All is well!" brings back visions of Neidermeier in Animal House.....NO, all is NOT well. It's very disturbing and complex. -And most of all, in the USA, it's PUBLIC RECORD that must be published!!!


Anonymous said...

are Carmel cops as kinky and slimy as these 2?

c. roger csee said...

If a "straight" officer had ranted to the governor like Slavens did, they would have immediately been disciplined, and possibly fired for "conduct unbecoming."
I guess certain classes of officers have more protection than others.

Anonymous said...

His family might not be from this state. This hasn't made national news yet. So yes, it is relevant.

Anonymous said...

How many times has IMPD's story changed? Why aren't reporters in this town doing their jobs and asking some tough questions?

Gary R. Welsh said...

Anon. 10:56, If the story line doesn't comport with their agenda, the local news media isn't going to devote any time to the story no matter how much the facts cry out to shine light on the matter.

Anonymous said...

Stop trashing these people. You don't know them and there is nothing wrong with the lifetsyle. It is a choice between consenting adults. I don't think this puts a mar on the police force. To all of you sad folks who said that, shame on you. The officer fought to uphold our freedom to live and be sexual as we wish with a consenting partner. What is sickening is the total disrespect for the lives lost in this sad story. You negative nancy's should be ashamed of yourselves.

Craig Freeman said...

Thank you for this story, Gary. I dated Greg about 10 years ago and, though he didn't talk much about his feelings, I found him to love his job more than anything else. Honestly, whether that has anything to do with a sexual fetish is completely irrelevant. He did his job and he did it well. It wasn't until years after we broke up that he got into the leather community. You people who say those photos are disgusting are disgusting yourselves. These are people and this is how they choose to live their lives. Just because you don't understand it does not give you the right to judge. I have no idea if Greg was involved in Aaron's death, but now, possibly because of shoddy police work, neither do investigators. In the end, I think he probably just didn't want to see their names dragged through the dirt, and he couldn't stand not being a cop anymore.

Anonymous said...

Greg killed aaron and then killed himself when he knee that shit was about to hit the fan

Anonymous said...

All sexuality comments aside, Greg killed Aaron ("accidentally" or not), raised thousands of dollars "to help with funeral expenses" but that money NEVER went to Aaron's family (who PAID for the funeral), and could feel the investigation closing in on him so he took the coward's way out. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss Aaron. My friend did not deserve to die that way.

Anonymous said...

I know his ex boy friend of many years lives in Cleveland Ohio...I bet he could tell some stories about him.....

Anonymous said...

What's wrong with the picture. I see two men in a bed. If it was two women would you feel the same way.