Syracuse, NY -- A former Syracuse firefighter has been cleared of a crime despite pulling the plug on a security camera the night of a fatal hit-and-run crash caused by fired District Attorney's Office Investigator Peter Rauch.
The grand jury decided against charging Edward "Ted" Ackerman on a felony tampering with evidence charge after the March 21, 2017 crash that killed 18-year-old pedestrian Seth Collier on the city's North Side.
Ackerman did unplug the cameras, but that happened an hour after Rauch was seen in the video at the Pastime Athletic Club, special prosecutor Gregory Oakes said this morning.
He lambasted Ackerman's "moral failings," called him "heartless" and said he "shared the outrage of the community" but said the law simply didn't support a criminal charge.
Oakes said that Ackerman deserved criticism, as a first responder, for not stopping to help Collier, who was hit and left for dead on North Salina Street.
Oakes, the Oswego County DA, said that evidence showed Ackerman had been drinking that night, but declined to describe exactly how much he had to drink or his whereabouts. He noted Ackerman was not facing a crime for his activities before the fatal crash.
Oakes said that video showing Rauch in the Pastime parking lot around 1:30 a.m. was preserved. Ackerman didn't unplug the camera until 2:36 a.m., long after Rauch left the scene.
And Ackerman did nothing to tamper with the crime scene -- including Rauch's ditched car in the parking lot -- or to erase any of the footage that had been recorded of Rauch, Oakes said.
Under law, there was no charge that applied to unplugging the camera so long after the fact, when the evidence in Rauch's case was still preserved, Oakes said.
He said a charge of attempted tampering did not apply, because it would have to relate specifically to the footage of Rauch.
Rauch has pleaded guilty to drunkenly causing the fatal crash, then running from the scene. He was sentenced to 2 to 6 years in prison.
Ackerman, who has been fired by the city, will face no further criminal charges. He did not appear in court today.
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