Butte police submit case of cop charged with
stalking
Butte police have turned over to prosecutors
their investigation into a former cop charged with stalking.
The Butte-Silver Bow County Attorney's Office
will now decide if 29-year-old Jarett Branson committed any crimes during his
years as a Butte officer.
Branson resigned from the Butte police force
in December to take a job in Fort Collins, Colo. Prosecutors there charged him
in September with using police resources to stalk a woman.
Local authorities launched their own
investigation just days later, hoping to learn whether Branson may have
misbehaved while he was an officer here.
After the Standard reported Branson's arrest
in Colorado, Butte police said they received several calls about Branson -- at
least one from a potential victim in Butte.
For Collins police passed along information
to local authorities that also factored into the Butte investigation, police
have said.
But local authorities have declined to
discuss what, if anything, their investigation ultimately turned up. Deputy
County Attorney Samm Cox said "the investigation will remain open until
we've had a chance to review the investigation with law enforcement.''
"That could take several weeks,'' Cox
said.
Colorado officials fired Branson on Sept. 16
after police say they learned he used department resources to find out where a
woman lived and worked so he could attempt to start a relationship with her. He
is accused of contacting the woman on multiple occasions at both locations.
Branson worked as a Butte police officer from
May 2009 until he resigned. In 2011, he received the department's award for
helping victims of domestic and sexual abuse.
In Fort Collins, Branson faces charges of
stalking, criminal trespass and official misconduct. He is free on bond but
being tracked by a GPS device.
