Police Officer Arrested On Weapon Charges

[redrick]

A police officer in my County was arrested for brandishing a pistol during a traffic incident. He was off duty and not in uniform at the time of the incident. Witnesses reported he displayed a firearm during a confrontation with a motorist.

Chesterfield Police arrested the 25 year old officer and he was charged with brandishing a firearm, a class one misdemeanor. He was placed on leave pending criminal and internal investigations.

The Police Chief was not happy about this.

Chesterfield Observer.com

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[JAT40]

You would have thought one would have known better.

[sigmanluke]

We would HOPE he knows better.

[dukalmighty]

But the Bradys would have you believe only LEO's are responsible enough to carry handguns,If the guy pulled a gun without cause and is a hot head it will come out in the investigation and I'm betting he will soon be unemployed

[sarg]

He's done.

[lacrosse50]

That was an awfully dumb move. Any bets on if he said something like "I'm a police officer and I could..."? Not saying he was threatening to shoot (hopefully), but maybe trying to use his office/position to get his way? Is there anything against that? I know in the service there are regs against that, for obvious reasons.

[grady]

A similar case is in court in St. Louis this week. Witnesses claim an off-duty LEO pulled a gun on a business owner in a dispute over a parking space. I do not know if the case is over yet.

It's hard to believe either side unless there are some independent witnesses or camera footage.

[tinkerinWstuff]

The way people critisize LEO even when they are in uniform, the guy could easily be justified.

'He didn't have to shoot my knife wielding, crack doin' baby!! waaaahhhh, whoah is me, waaaahhhh'

I'll wait for more evidence before throwing him to the wolves.

[Tally XD]

The way people critisize LEO even when they are in uniform, the guy could easily be justified.

'He didn't have to shoot my knife wielding, crack doin' baby!! waaaahhhh, whoah is me, waaaahhhh'

I'll wait for more evidence before throwing him to the wolves.

I agree with this and I bet it happens a lot, however, if it is found the officer really is guilty he should be held responsible and punished according to the law he is supposed to be upholding.

[bandit383]

I'll wait for more evidence before throwing him to the wolves.

The fact that he was charged and arrested seems to speak volumes. Just speculating, but believe LEOs don't arrest other LEOs unless the evidence is clear.

Rick

[socal2310]

Here's the whole article (note that it is a news brief, there aren't very many details yet - such as his reason for "brandishing" his firearm). Since it's a police officer and he probably knows his rights, there probably won't be a lot of details from his side until after his hearing. This won't stop other witnesses from making statements to the media, but take that with a grain of salt - the media has a tendency to punish anyone who invokes their fifth amendment rights.

Police officer arrested on weapons charge

An officer with the Chesterfield County Police Department has been arrested and charged with brandishing a pistol during a March 3 traffic incident. The officer was off duty and not in uniform at the time of the incident.

County police arrested Frank H. Darnold III, 25, after investigating an incident in which witnesses reported Darnold displayed a firearm during a confrontation with a motorist in the 11000 block of West Providence Road. Darnold is charged with brandishing a firearm, a class one misdemeanor, and has been placed on administrative leave pending criminal and internal investigations. He is scheduled to appear in Chesterfield County General District Court for a 1 p.m. hearing on April 21.

"We hold our officers to a high set of standards, as does the community we serve," said Col. Thierry G. Dupuis, chief of police. "These alleged actions, if found to be true, would bring dishonor to a department that is recognized for its professional reputation."

[tinkerinWstuff]

The fact that he was charged and arrested seems to speak volumes. Just speculating, but believe LEOs don't arrest other LEOs unless the evidence is clear.

Rick

Innocent until proven guilty. Just because there is witness statements requiring he be charged doesn't make him guilty. If three of my buddies and I say you brandished a gun at me, whether it happened or not, do you think you may be charged?

Maybe because he's LEO it's more important that he's found innocent in court rather than failing to charge him? Imagine the public outcry if a faction believes he was in the wrong and the 'police brushed it under the rug'? Next thing you know, there's riots in the streets.

If he is found guilty; I hope the shove the gun up his tookish sideways and then beat him with it for being an idiot. Until he's guilty in front of his peers, I won't badmouth the guy.

[socal2310]

The fact that he was charged and arrested seems to speak volumes. Just speculating, but believe LEOs don't arrest other LEOs unless the evidence is clear.

Rick

Not true. They only arrest police officers if the evidence is clear, or there is a public outcry, or the DA is up for reelection or... Well, you get the idea.

Ryan

[bandit383]

Not true. They only arrest police officers if the evidence is clear, or there is a public outcry, or the DA is up for reelection or... Well, you get the idea.

Ryan

Chuckling...thanks for embellishing my clear evidence...

Rick

[bandit383]

Innocent until proven guilty. Just because there is witness statements requiring he be charged doesn't make him guilty. If three of my buddies and I say you brandished a gun at me, whether it happened or not, do you think you may be charged?

Maybe because he's LEO it's more important that he's found innocent in court rather than failing to charge him? Imagine the public outcry if a faction believes he was in the wrong and the 'police brushed it under the rug'? Next thing you know, there's riots in the streets.

If he is found guilty; I hope the shove the gun up his tookish sideways and then beat him with it for being an idiot. Until he's guilty in front of his peers, I won't badmouth the guy.

Hummm...the Colonel police chief would disagree with you. I believe LEOs will not throw their own under the bus...unless the evidence was convincing and overwhelming.

Rick