Stuart Gharty
Stuart Gharty | |
---|---|
Homicide: The Movie | |
Created by | Tom Fontana |
Portrayed by | Peter Gerety |
In-universe information | |
Gender | Male |
Title | Lieutenant Detective Officer |
Occupation | Shift Commander of Homicide Unit Homicide Detective (formerly) IID Detective (formerly) Patrolman (formerly) |
Family | Ellen (daughter), Sarah and Sandra (granddaughters), Joey (brother) |
Spouse | Flora (divorced) |
Stuart Gharty is a fictional character played by Peter Gerety in the television series Homicide: Life on the Street.[1]
He is introduced in the season four one-shot episode "Scene of the Crime", as a cowardly patrolman who allows two drug dealers to murder each other rather than venture into a housing project to prevent the crime. This exercise in poor judgment, compounded by his failure to call for back-up, and his attempt to later cover up these failings, leads to a hearing in which he is exonerated. At the end of the episode, Detective Megan Russert, the chief witness against Gharty, seems to be successful in her attempt to talk him into resigning and admitting to himself that he is not cut out for police work.
He is a
At the time of his introduction, Gharty is 54 years old, with a wife, Flora; a daughter, Ellen; and two granddaughters, Sarah and Sandra. He tells Russert that he is six months away from being able to transfer into a desk job and get off patrol duty, and that concern for his family's welfare was the main reason that he did not go in after the shooters.
He later returns in the two-part season 5 finale, "Partners and Other Strangers" and "Strangers and Other Partners", in which it is revealed that not only did he not resign, he was promoted to Detective and given a senior position in the Internal Investigations Division — one of many unjust promotions featured in the show. He plays a key role in solving the murder of Detective Beau Felton, who, Gharty reveals, had been working for IID regarding possible corruption in the Auto Squad. Russert and Sergeant Kay Howard blame him for Felton's death for sending him undercover. When Lt. Giardello temporarily assigns him (and Auto Squad Det. Falsone) to the Homicide squad, Frank Pembleton originally does not want to work with him. Gharty later tells Pembleton that he suffered a brutal beating during an IID investigation and got over his fear of being hurt on the job. Afterwards, he works well with the homicide detectives and helps clear Felton's murder.
In season 6, Gharty is transferred to homicide as a result of a "departmental rotation" program recently implemented in the Baltimore Police Department. As a homicide detective partnered with Laura Ballard (to whom he is extremely loyal), Gharty sometimes displays racist paranoia, homophobia and other forms of pettiness, but for the most part redeems himself as a police officer, demonstrating aptitude, confidence, and devotion he had not exhibited as a patrolman. In the season 6 finale, he and Ballard are both wounded during a gunfight in the squad room; the shooter also kills three uniformed officers before being shot dead by several other detectives.
Gharty gets a divorce from his wife early in Season 7, and begins drinking heavily later in that season before he is able to pull himself together.
The Movie
In
References
- ^ J Bobby. "The HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET Glossary".
- ^ Homicide: Life on the Street episode "Something Sacred, Part I," originally aired January 30, 1998.
- ^ Homicide: Life on the Street episode "Something Sacred, Part II," originally aired January 30, 1998.