Christopher Loeb Charged In Woman's Beating: Complaint

MOUNT SINAI, NY — Christopher Loeb, whose arrest and beating led to a corruption scandal that brought down several top figures in Suffolk law enforcement, was in court again on Thursday to answer domestic violence charges, authorities said.

Loeb, in jail pending his court appearance, was arrested Jan. 12 on charges of felony assault and criminal mischief after an incident at a home in Suffolk County involving a woman that he beat with a metal plant stand, seriously injuring her, according to authorities.

At around 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 12, Loeb grabbed and pushed the unnamed woman to the floor, and threw the plant stand, striking her in the knee, according to a felony complaint filed in court by Suffolk police.

Loeb damaged a wooden kitchen table and chairs, a wooden standing butcher's block, several vases and dishes, as well as the plant stand and a wood and glass front door at the home, the complaint stated.

Police described the case as a domestic violence incident, and declined to release further details.

The woman was taken to St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown for treatment of a broken right femur, left scaphoid, and pain and bruising to her head, right shoulder, and elbow, which resulted in her suffering "substantial pain," according to the complaint.

Loeb, 37, of Mount Sinai, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment, and his bail was set at $25,000 cash, $50,000 insured bond, or $250,000 partially-secured bond.

He has not posted bail and has been held at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff's office said Friday.

His attorney, Pierre Basile of Huntington, said, "Mr. Loeb maintains his innocence and we prefer to try his case in court rather than the press."

Loeb gained notoriety as a defendant who was beaten while he was under arrest for breaking into police vehicles, as well as the SUV of then Chief of Department James Burke, and stealing a duffel bag containing porn and sex toys in 2012.

Burke beat Loeb while he was handcuffed and chained to an eyebolt fastened to the floor at the 4th Precinct in Smithtown, later prompting an investigation.

Burke was charged in 2015 with assaulting Loeb and was sentenced to serve 46 months in federal prison.

The investigation into Burke's conduct also brought down District Attorney Tom Spota and his chief aide, Christopher McPartland, who were convicted of obstruction by a jury in 2019 for covering up the incident. Each was sentenced to five years, according to federal officials.

Loeb was later awarded a $1.5 million settlement in his civil rights case against the police, Newsday reported.

Loeb found himself in the news again in 2019 after he used a Jeep to intentionally strike a police vehicle with an officer inside it in Ridge, police said.

He was driving a 2018 Jeep Cherokee when it struck a sign on a lawn at a Lakeside Trail home and when officers arrived, he intentionally struck a marked 7th Precinct patrol vehicle with an officer inside, then bolted to a dead-end street, Manhasset Trail, as officers followed, authorities said.

Loeb drove on several lawns, striking the officer’s vehicle again, before fleeing the scene, with police starting a pursuit, then calling it off due to safety concerns, according to police.

He eventually ditched the Jeep in Islandia and was found in the woods by a K-9 unit, police said.

Loeb was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, but was later charged with third-degree criminal mischief, second-degree reckless endangerment, unlawfully fleeing a police officer, driving while ability impaired by drugs and multiple vehicle and traffic infractions, authorities said.

He later filed a lawsuit alleging that a police dog took a chunk out of his leg in an attack that used excessive force because he was targeted for his involvement in a scandal that brought down Burke, Spota, and McPartland. The suit was later dismissed, though an attorney previously told Patch that he planned an appeal.

Spota and McPartland lost the appeal of their sentences in August.

McPartland was recently released from prison, according to Newsday.

Burke was arrested for soliciting a male undercover officer in August.

Loeb is due back in court in Feb. 1.