Cop in court for alleged bar theft

When 26-year police veteran Kenneth Crockett was arrested last July for allegedly stealing hundreds of dollars from a bar where a fellow officer was killed in the line of duty, Commissioner Charles Ramsey said, “There’s words I can’t use on television to describe how I feel about this.” He’ll have to keep those words inside a bit longer.

Yesterday, Crockett waived his preliminary hearing on charges that he was caught by surveillance cameras stealing $825 from a safe at Pat’s Cafe, where Officer Gary Skerski was shot and killed while responding to an armed robbery call in May 2006. Charged with theft and receiving stolen property, Crockett, 56, is scheduled for a Feb. 1 arraignment.

“We’re ready to proceed whether the defendant wants to trial or plead guilty,” said Assistant District Attorney Terri Domsky. She added that while the charges against Crockett are misdemeanors, they take on added weight because they involve an on-duty police officer.

A police spokeswoman confirmed yesterday that Crockett had been fired since charges were filed. A call to his defense attorney for comment went unreturned.