We hope you will find useful information in the links on the left. The lawsuit names three officers who were involved in the arrests of Siers and his daughter as defendants: Officers Matt Sychla, Jeremiah Wood and Evan Dunlap. They treat people like animals. DENVER A consulting firm that the city of Loveland brought in to assess the Loveland Police Department last year amid several lawsuits filed over officers use of force in different cases is coming in to look at another case in which LPD officers are alleged to have used excessive force against a man, his teenage daughter, and their dog. Lawsuit alleges Loveland Police Department has pattern of wrongful DUI arrests Blood test shows man arrested in 2020 had no alcohol in system A new lawsuit targets the Loveland Police Department's DUI enforcement. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. 9NEWS is not naming the witness because he is not being accused of a crime. We provide you with the latest news and videos straight from the Mile High City! A blood test also later showed no impairing substances and the District Attorneys office dismissed the DUI charges, the complaint claims. While the witness was being uncooperative, the IA (internal affairs) reports that there was not probable cause to arrest Sowl, aFriday news release from the city of Loveland stated. The city announced Tuesday it was again bringing in Jensen Hughes to review the latest incident, which happened on June 20, 2020, and involved a 14-year-old Loveland girl who was accused by police of domestic violence after she slapped her boyfriend, as well as the girls father, who was tased by an officer while trying to remove his dog from the scene. Support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today. Clint Schnorrand Sgt. He called them back, and officers came back to his home while he was outside working on his daughters bike. Don't knowingly lie about anyone When the officers arrived, the suit says, Siers was found in front of the house working on S.S.s bike. According to the suit, S.S., who was 14 years old at the time, lived with Siers at their home in Loveland. One of them, a Jack Russell terrier, started barking at the officers when they were trying to get the daughter into handcuffs. Nicole Yost, a spokeswoman for the city of Loveland, said she did not know who was representing the officers. The city of Loveland and Loveland Police Department settled the lawsuit with Sowl in January for nearly $300,000. According to the lawsuit, the girl had confronted an 18-year-old she had been dating in the parking lot of a Safeway over him allegedly cheating on her with another girl or woman. Loveland officer involved in Karen Garner case resigns - FOX31 Denver The suit adds that the slap did not cause Hall injury or even leave a mark, with video showing him telling officers that it only stung. The city said Ashe violated three department policies and procedures: limits of authority and exercise discretion; search and seizure; and use of force. LOVELAND, Colo. (KDVR) A Loveland police officer involved in the forceful arrest of Karen Garner resigned on Wednesday following an independent investigation by a consulting firm.. For Siers and his daughter, they have both lost and continue to lose sleep while not feeling safe in their home, with S.S. suffering panic attacks and insomnia the suit says. Loveland police settle excessive force lawsuit for $290K The lawsuit alleges officers injured Garner when they arrested her in June 2020 for alleged petty theft. It is important to stress that this process is not an acknowledgement as to the validity or accuracy of the specific complaints made by certain individuals about our DUI program, the statement said. It also included these male adult officers forcibly pushing her entire body against brick wall and concrete, and for officer Wood, at times pushing the front of his own body hard up against her back.. Loveland Police Department officers Jeremiah Wood and Evan Dunlap arrest a 14-year-old girl in Loveland in June of 2020. Most notably the department became the center of international attention when Schielke released information on the June 2020 arrest of Karen Garner, a case that resulted in a $3 million settlement from the city of Loveland and a five-year prison sentence for Garners arresting officer. A consulting firm that the city of Loveland brought in to assess the Loveland Police Department last year amid several lawsuits filed over officers use of force in different cases is coming in to look at another case in which LPD officers are alleged to have used excessive force against a man, his teenage daughter, and their dog. Loveland Police Chief Ransom Karen Garner Settlement Update - Westword The three officers named in the lawsuit Matt Sychla, Jeremiah Wood and Evan Dunlap still arrested S.S. outside her home that day. Best practices in law enforcement will be maintained and we are committed to accountability if those standards are not upheld, he said. The guy was probably arguing unnecessarily, and probably not a liberal at all but he was right in this case. DENVER, Sept 8 (Reuters) - The city of Loveland, Colorado, has agreed to pay $3 million to an elderly woman with dementia who suffered a dislocated shoulder and broken arm while . I am confident that a thorough and impartial process was undertaken and appreciate the time and attention spent to review this matter, Adams said in the news release. The lawsuit alleges officers injured Garner when they arrested her in June 2020 for alleged petty theft. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Be Proactive. In a news release and in discussions with the Reporter-Herald, Schielke described the arrest as senseless and needless violence. Two officers Dunlap and Wood responded and spoke to the girl and young man, as well as other witnesses. The complaint also includes 20 instances from other residents claiming that they were wrongfully arrested; the complaint adds the ones listed were just some of arrests made by Hill and Gates. Last year, the city of Loveland paid a $3 million settlement to the woman, Karen Garner. The citys statement that it was hiring the consulting firm came after attorney Sarah Schielke filed a lawsuit against the city over the ordeal involving the girl, her father and their dog. At the Safeway parking lot, Officers Wood and Dunlap were collecting witness statements and asking the boy to fill out a form describing the slap, the lawsuit states. Loveland resident Pretson Sowl filed the lawsuit against the city of Loveland, Loveland Police Department and Loveland police officers Paul Ashe andBenjamin DeLima, Det. Man sues Loveland Police Department alleging excessive force "Plaintiff was arrested on charges of third degree assault and resisting arrest and a jury convicted him of those charges," Varholak wrote in a May 19 order. The father of a teenage girl filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against three police officers in Loveland, Colo., who arrested her in 2020, saying the men used excessive force when they slammed the 14-year-old onto concrete, fired a Taser at him and choked the familys Jack Russell terrier. At one point in the interaction, Sowl can be heard telling Ashe, "I don't know what happened. Austin Hopp, the officer who threw Ms. Garner, pleaded guilty to assaulting her in March and was sentenced to five years in prison. The biggest threat to the safety of the Loveland community is - and continues to be - the Loveland Police Department itself. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. As with previous cases Schielke has brought forth, the newest case against the department came not only with a written description in the lawsuit itself but also with a YouTube video providing both body-worn camera and security camera footage of the incident. Schielke said the names used in the suit were gained from a records request made to the LPD and, out of respect for each persons privacy, she did not include their full names with the exception of one person. Thank you for your interest in the Loveland Police Department. Eventually, Sychla deployed his Taser on Siers and continued to shock him for over five seconds, the lawsuit claims. The lawsuit claims that a man and his 14-year-old daughter were arrested by officers who used excessive force during the encounter in 2020. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. The case was settled for $290,000, City Attorney Moses Garcia said. According to a release from the city, Ashe violated three LPD policies and procedures: Tice recommended a written warning and more training for the officer, according to the memo. And that starts with getting rid of every supervisor at LPD who approved of the violence in this video, she said. That complaint, which only named Loveland and Gates as defendants, alleged three claims in connection to the arrest two years ago: unlawful arrest without probable cause, arrest without probable. All rights reserved. Talmadge's roommate continued to remain in the home, allegedly telling Talmadge: "You will leave before I do.". Loveland police face excessive force lawsuit for 2020 arrest of father This is not the first time the department has faced an excessive use of force lawsuit for actions of its officers. The complaint claims Gates said he could smell alcohol coming from the vehicle and that K.S. Both the Garner and Sowl cases were brought to light through Schielke and the Life and Liberty Law Office. This is not a bad apples event, it is the whole tree.. (Courtesy of the Life and Liberty Law Office) The suit adds that, per. Im a canine officer, dude.. In fact, we already know that some of the allegations being made are inaccurate and do not describe the professionalism and respect shown by our officers to the individual involved. The suit claims that S.S. was arrested and charged with harassment, domestic violence, obstruction and resisting arrest while Siers was charged with obstructing a police officer and resisting arrest; the suit adds both sets of charges were eventually dismissed. Following multiple pleas from Siers to put the dogs inside, Sychla can be seen approaching Skippy and picking him up by the leash and carrying him toward the door, dangling several feet above the ground by his neck. The back-to-back violent arrests point to a toxic cultural problem that cant be resolved by cherry-picking off the officer, Ms. Schielke said. When the arrest begins, Siers can be seen in the video yelling at Sychla and the other officers that they cant arrest his daughter; all the while the familys two dogs can be heard barking continuously in the background. A civil lawsuit was filed against the Loveland Police Department and City of Loveland after a police officer shot a couple's 14-month-old dog. They had yelled at each other, which caused someone to call the police, according to the lawsuit. 3 min read. Police. It also included that 1,352 of the drivers he pulled over 84% of his stops were let off with just a warning. The city, in response, said it will conduct an independent review and maintained that it is committed to accountability. Federal judge tosses man's excessive force lawsuit against Loveland police "It is long-established that a citizen cannot be charged with obstruction (or any crime) for merely refusing to answer police questioning," Sowl's attorney Sarah Schielke said in a news release at the time the lawsuit was filed in June 2020. The suit, filed in the 8th Judicial District Court on Wednesday morning, lists three claims for relief: unreasonable seizure and excessive force resulting in the abuse of their dog Skippy and wrongful arrest of Siers by Sychla; violation of due process and malicious prosecution of Siers by Sychla; and unreasonable seizure and excessive force with an arrest of S.S. by Wood and Dunlap. The lawsuit alleged officers violated Sowl's constitutional rights when they arrested him for refusing to answer questions as a witness about a motorcycle crash outside a Loveland bar Sept. 22, 2019. The attorney representing Karen Garner and her family released a video Monday of officers discussing and joking about injuring Garner after her arrest. I'm not talking to nobody.". 2023 www.coloradoan.com. I've never been in a situation quite like that before, Siers said. Schielkeis alsorepresenting Karen Garner and her family in an ongoing civil rights lawsuit against Loveland police. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Loveland Police Department | City of Loveland - Loveland, Colorado Sychla can be seen carrying Skippy to the door before pushing him inside and eventually kicking the dog back in when it tries to come out. I am a first responder. Schielke said she filed Elias original complaint quickly as to avoid the statute of limitations closing. "Being a defendant in civil rights litigation is stressful, time-consuming, and especially in the case of law enforcement, detracts from everyday duties to the public," lawyers for the defendants wrote. I felt helpless just watching them manhandle my daughter the way they did.. Anyone can read what you share. The lawsuit alleged officers violated Sowl's constitutional rights when they arrested him for refusing to answer questions as a witness about a motorcycle crash outside a Loveland bar Sept. 22, 2019. Really it's a testament to how bad things are at Loveland is that they know they're being recorded, and they don't change their behavior, because they just don't care, Schielke said in an interview. The city said Ashe violated three department policies and procedures:. According to a complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Denver on behalf of Preston Sowl, 60, by attorney Sarah Schielke, Sowl and his wife were leaving Charlie L's Pub with some friends on. Body camera footage then shows an officer yanking Skippys collar and pulling him off the ground as Mr. Siers yells, Dont choke my dog!, Im not choking, the officer says. An officer can be seen placing Skippy inside the house; the lawsuit states that Officer Sychla kicked him in the face before closing the door. Excessive force lawsuit filed against Loveland police settled for $290K The lawsuit alleged officers violated Sowl's constitutional rights when they arrested him for refusing to answer questions as a witness about a motorcycle crash outside a Loveland bar Sept. 22, 2019. The suit claims that at this time Siers noticed that his dogs were trying to protect him and his daughter and wanted to safely get them inside. The state's second-highest court on Thursday overturned a man's conviction for disarming a police officer, determining that Colorado law does . The suit claims that during this, S.S. hit her head more than once, ultimately causing a concussion. This includes several pictures of Facebook posts showing Gates or Hill being awarded for their DUI enforcement work. While the witness was being uncooperative, the IA (internal affairs) reports that there was not probable cause to arrest Sowl, aFriday news release from the city of Loveland stated. but it can also be stressful. The officers then approached Mr. Siers and asked him to stop resisting, according to the body camera footage. The Loveland City Attorney's Office did not respond to a request for comment as of Thursday afternoon. She said that without someone standing up to call out the pattern of violent conduct and complete disrespect for this community, nothing is going to change. I was helpless watching my daughter getting manhandled by three other police officers. Officers Dunlap and Wood the suit claims Dunlap was field-training Wood at the time responded to the scene where they located and interviewed Hall. A Loveland police officer violated department policy when he forcefully arrested a witness of a motorcycle crash for refusing to answer questions, the city announced in a news release last week.