Trooper’s admitted affair sinks appeals board ruling on reinstatement

The first, from 2010, involved an alleged assault. According to DPS’s charges, the trooper “pushed his way into the home and brutally assaulted” a man. He denied it, testifying no punches were thrown. 

The second, in 2017, involved what DPS called “an inappropriate relationship with a fellow trooper’s wife.” The trooper was transferred and pulled from SWAT. The fellow trooper testified the relationship was physical. The trooper said it was emotional – but admitted telling colleagues otherwise. Asked whether he was admitting conducting that violated a DPS order: “Admitted it from day one.” 

The third, in 2018, followed a restraining order on allegations the trooper had been “physically and verbally abusive” toward his then-wife. He told the board she had been “influenced to lie under oath.” 

DPS terminated him, citing “an unacceptable and troubling pattern of behavior that is unbecoming of a law enforcement officer.” 

The appeals board reversed, finding the trooper “believable” and that he had “rebutted the agency presumption and established that his termination was not justified.” It credited his denials on the 2010 and 2018 incidents, noting the “time gap from 2010 to 2018 hardly fits into a troubling pattern.”