A New York City Parks employee who was arrested on Tuesday, March 7, in The Bronx on forgery and other charges, has had his case adjourned according to documentation from the Bronx Criminal Court.

On March 21, Nieves shared the attached document which shows details of the dismissal of the charges on “ACD” grounds. We contacted the Bronx District Attorney’s office for more context around both the case and the dismissal and were informed that it was adjourned in contemplation of dismissal.

According to the law offices of Jeffrey Lichtman, “ACD” provides for a full dismissal of charges in the interest of justice following a period of time, usually six months, as long as the defendant does not get rearrested during the adjourned period.

Nieves alleges he was fired by the Parks department as a result of the latest arrest and report on the incident. Norwood News contacted the Parks’ department for comment on the matter.

A representative from the Parks’ department later informed us that the employee in question was terminated when, after self-reporting his arrest to the department, a comparison of the employee’s fingerprint results and convictions found in his paperwork showed that the employee had not reported all prior convictions to the department.

According to the Parks’ department, all employees are required to disclose prior convictions as part of the City’s hiring process. Failure to do so can result in termination, they said.

Norwood News contacted Nieves for comment further to the latest feedback from Parks. He said he did provide details of his prior convictions at the time of hire. “Yeah, that’s not true because they put me through the background check and asked me to provide the documentation and that’s what I did. I got all the paperwork and submitted it to the Parks’ department. I lasted two months, waiting for the background check. Then, finally, they told me that I was cleared and I was hired as a City Park worker.”

He continued, “Then, the situation here happens with the arrest and they decide to pop up with some bogus accusation of I was hiding stuff from the employer’s file, which is not true because I lasted two months waiting, like I said, for the background check to clear, and I’m working fine until this arrest.”

Norwood News contacted the Parks department again for comment further to Nieves’ response on his dismissal and will update this story upon receipt of any further feedback.

A person arrested and charged with a crime is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.