Ex-Durham officer pleads guilty to trespassing
A former Durham police officer has been stripped of his law enforcement certification after pleading guilty to forcing his way into a Wake Forest home last fall, authorities said.
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Stephen Patrick Commander Jr., 31, of 3621 Ashton Glen Lane in Oxford, pleaded guilty Wednesday to first-degree trespassing and was sentenced to 30 days in jail, which was suspended to two years on probation. He was ordered to surrender his certification and won't be allowed to hold a law enforcement job while on probation, authorities said.
The charge stems from a a November home break-in in Wake Forest. Homeowner Harvey Curtis said Commander came to his home with his badge and gun looking for Curtis' stepson, searched his stepson's room without a warrant and threatened the family.
Commander, who had been with the Durham Police Department for three years and was assigned to the Uniform Patrol Bureau, was put on leave after his January arrest. He resigned from the department on April 12.
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