Lawsuit Filed Over Sheen Escort In D.C.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A D.C. police captain who was demoted and transferred after actor Charlie Sheen received a high-speed police escort to a performance has filed a $12 million whistle-blower lawsuit against the department.
Hilton Burton alleges in his suit, filed in D.C. Superior Court, that he was punished after the April 2011 incident for saying that police escorts for celebrities were a common practice in the city. That statement contradicted Police Chief Cathy Lanier, who said the Sheen escort broke department protocol.
Burton was demoted from commander to captain about a month after testifying before the D.C. Council and transferred out of the special operations division.
Lanier has said the demotion was not connected to the escort or to Burton's testimony. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
