SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - A suspended Syracuse firefighter has been charged with evidence tampering in a fatal crash that led to hit-and-run charges against a prosecutor’s investigator.
Edward Ackerman pleaded not guilty in Syracuse City Court Friday morning and was jailed on $10,000 bail.
The arraignment came a month after Peter Rauch, then an investigator for the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, was charged with a hit-and-run that killed an 18-year-old pedestrian.
Jeff Schiano, Ackerman’s lawyer, disputed the evidence tampering charge, saying the surveillance system listed as evidence was not destroyed.
Schiano and the special prosecutor argued for Ackerman’s release without bail, citing his character.
But Judge Ross Andrews said police suspect Ackerman was driving behind Rauch when the accident happened and didn’t stop to help the teen, despite being a trained medical technician.
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