GREENFIELD, Ind. - An officer
with the Greenfield Police Department was arrested on multiple charges Friday.
Terry Austin faces felony
charges of bribery and official misconduct after he was accused of offering
fellow officers a $200 steak dinner to "nail" his ex-wife, the
Hancock County Prosecutor said.
Austin received information
that his ex-wife, Koleki Wright Austin, had a suspended driver’s license and he
offered at least three officers with the McCordsville and Fortville police
departments a gift card for a $200 steak dinner to pull his ex-wife over for
the violation, court documents said.
McCordsville Officer Nathan
Garner told authorities he received text messages from Austin on Feb. 18.
Garner said Austin provided him with his ex-wife’s vehicle description and the
approximate time she would be leaving for work. Austin said he would pay for a
$200 steak dinner for pulling his ex-wife over and towing her car, officials
said.
A second McCordsville officer,
Officer Shawn Brady, told officials that Austin sent him a Facebook message
"sometime either January or February 2014" asking him to keep an eye
out for his ex-wife. Brady said Austin sent him his ex-wife’s vehicle
information and also offered to buy him a large steak dinner if he would stop
her.
Austin also sent similar text
messages to Fortville Officer Matt Fox on Feb 18, officials said. Fox told
investigators he has been friends with Austin for 10 years and he didn’t take
the offer seriously.
"200.00 Ruth Chris !!!!!
First one to nail her !!!!" records showed Austin said to Fox in a text
message.
When confronted on March 24,
Austin told authorities he was just doing his job by providing the information
to the McCordsville officers that work in the area where his ex-wife lived,
documents said. He said he did not see anything wrong with providing the
information and offering a steak dinner to the officer that pulled the vehicle
over and towed it.
Officials said Austin did a
computer check on his ex-wife’s license plate and driving record 25 times
between Jan. 1 and March 31.
An arrest warrant was issued
for Austin on Tuesday and he later surrendered to the Hancock County Jail on
Friday. Austin, who has been with the department for 18 years, was placed on
administrative leave pending the results of an internal investigation