Unless it was hit by someone driving a torpedo, Lt. Col. Ron Twitty's Ford Taurus was not struck by a hit-and-run driver while it was parked innocently at the curb.

        I've damaged a few cars myself in foolish accidents. And this car looks like it hit something hard. Probably a post, from the looks of it. The hole in the bumper is round, like the top of a post. Investigators found pieces of concrete imbedded in the bumper. And there was no glass or debris next to the car.

Lt. Col. Ronald Twitty's damaged car | ZOOM |

        And that means that Col. Twitty's story is all wrong. Misleading. A fabrication. Dishonest.

        Or, as the indictment yesterday put it, “falsification.”

        Common sense says the assistant Cincinnati police chief is not telling the truth.

        But common sense is not that common in Cincinnati these days.

        Col. Twitty was indicted on charges of tampering with evidence and tampering with records, both felonies, and falsification and obstruction, both misdemeanors.

        Yet the indictments were hardly announced when the press conferences began to defend Col. Twitty and blame the city.

        Some openly admit they don't want to know any facts that might get in the way of blaming the whole thing on racism because Col. Twitty is black. Others who have demanded instant investigations and tough scrutiny of white officers now insist that too much is being made of the Twitty case.

He's not a victim

        For the record:

        • It's not about the car. It's about much more costly damage to the Police Department when an officer lies, especially an assistant chief. This isn't about a fender bender. It's about mangling the truth.

        • It's not about race. The Cincinnati Police Department did bureaucratic back flips to favor Col. Twitty. He was promoted ahead of white officers to make sure the city had a black assistant chief. The notion that the police chief would throw all that away to target his longtime friend is absurd.

        • He's not a “victim.” Witnesses saw him in a park after he claimed he was home in bed. The evidence was ample and strong enough to convince a grand jury, even though Hamilton County Prosecutor Mike Allen allowed Col. Twitty's lawyer to submit defense witnesses.

        “It's not as easy to get an indictment as some people think,” he said. “Grand juries truly have a mind of their own.”

        It sounds like this case is strong. And unless Col. Twitty can admit he was wrong and cut a deal to plead to a misdemeanor — a deal he has already foolishly rejected — he could be convicted and lose his job. He could go to jail.

        Mr. Allen believes it will go to trial. “I'm comfortable with that.”

        There has been lots of talk about all the years of dedicated service Col. Twitty has given to the city. But he is throwing all that away if he continues to remain silent and let Cincinnati be torn apart while his defenders claim he did nothing wrong.

        He knows better. And now they should know better too.

        E-mail pbronson@enquirer.com or call 768-8301.

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