Lt. Col. Ron Twitty will break his silence this afternoon, giving the first public explanation of the circumstances behind the mysterious damage to his unmarked police car, his lawyer said.

Cincinnati's Fleet Services Division photographed police Lt. Col. Ron Twitty's car July 5. (City of Cincinnati photo) | ZOOM |

        The assistant police chief, suspended with pay since Friday amid allegations he filed a false police report about damage to the city car, was questioned by sheriff's deputies Wednesday.

        His lawyer, Sharon Zealey, told The Cincinnati Enquirer Wednesday night that Lt. Col. Twitty will “vigorously oppose” the allegations.

        But she said he can't explain away what city officials say are the most troubling questions about the incident: If his car was the victim of a hit-and-run in front of his house, as he told police, why wasn't there any accident debris at the site?

        “His version of events is that he came out of his home that morning and found damage to his car,” she said. “He can't explain what happened because he didn't witness the damage.”

Lt. Col. Twitty

        Ms. Zealey discounted the possibility that someone else drove Lt. Col. Twitty's car. “He was the only person in possession of the vehicle, other than when he was asleep in his house,” she said.

        Mostly, Ms. Zealey said, Lt. Col. Twitty feels that the city's investigation and his suspension are out of proportion to the allegations.

        “We don't feel the process so far has been typical or fair in light of how other officers have been treated,” said Ms. Zealey, a lawyer in the firm of Blank, Rome, Comiski & McCauley. “We also feel the leaks coming out about this investigation have created a presumption of guilt that is entirely unfair.”

        Lt. Col. Twitty is the city's highest-ranking black officer, and his suspension has prompted a firestorm of criticism, especially from the African-American community. .

        Vehicle repair records — provided Wednesday to The Enquirer show $3,337 in damage to the 2001 Ford Taurus. City officials said the cost would be more if not for the lower rates the city negotiates with body shops.

        The records include two photos taken by the city garage July 5.

        The car is now in the Hamilton County Sheriff's impound lot and the investigation has been turned over to the sheriff's deputies.

        Also impounded in the sheriff's lot is a a Ford Crown Victoria that was issued to Lt. Col. Twitty as a replacement car. James E. Schwab, the city's fleet manager, confirmed Wednesday that both cars were impounded but could give no explanation why the sheriff was interested in the Crown Victoria.

        The garage photos show a hole about 8 inches round ripped in the left front bumper and a bent hood that won't close. The marks left in the gray paint are deep grooves, but without the paint coloring that would indicate that another car had collided with the city vehicle.

        Police have said they found no evidence at the scene to support Lt. Col. Twitty's version of events, and the city photos seem to indicate that the car hit something concrete, city officials say.

        According to police reports and damage estimates prepared by mechanics for the city and Fuller Ford:

        The car's right front tire was flat from a puncture hole when officers found it in front of Lt. Col. Twitty's home July 4. But there is no indication of damage to the wheel rim, as might be expected if someone drove the car with a flat tire.

        The airbags did not deploy, though mechanics said that's not unusual on late-model cars that require a full frontal collision to inflate the airbags.

        The city's mechanic originally estimated about $1,700 damage, but Fuller Ford found more extensive damage under the hood.

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