Cliff
Pinckard
Officials investigating a
controversial traffic stop in Sandusky say there are inconsistencies in a
police officer's account of the incident.
Investigators from Lucas County
say Sandusky police officer Christopher Denny left out vital information about
the events leading up to Oct. 1 traffic stop and arrest of Andre Stockett, 34,
of Huron, Ohio, and his girlfriend, Kathryn Denslow, 30, of Taylor, Mich.,
reports the Sandusky Register. Denslow previously was referred to as Kathryn
Said.
One of those omitted details
was Denny ran a warrant check on Stockett shortly before the stop even though
he claimed during the stop that he suspected Stockett was someone else who had
active warrants, reports the Toledo Blade.
Also, investigators said Denny
and other officers said the car was stopped because its headlights weren't on,
but dashcam video shows the lights were on, according to the Blade.
"Officer Denny stated
first that he observed the headlights off, then that he wasn't sure, and
finally that he did not know if they were on or or off," the investigators
wrote.
Denny was placed on paid
administrative leave on Oct. 8 after an internal review by Sandusky police
revealed inconsistencies in his statements. A decision on his status should be
made by midweek, the Blade reports.
A video of the arrest went viral
on YouTube and has nearly 500,000 views.
Denslow's vehicle was pulled
over at about 7 p.m. on Oct. 1 because her Ohio license plate number showed she
had an expired Ohio driver's license, the Register reports. The couple's
2-week-old infant was in the backseat.
Denslow's license was valid,
but tensions quickly rose as Stockett argued with Denny about whether the stop
was justified.
Denny wanted to see Stockett's
ID, saying he matched the description of a man wanted on felony charges.
Stockett refused, saying he wasn't the man police were looking for and that he
was not obligated to show police his ID.
As the argument escalated,
Denny can be heard threatening to take the child and turn it over to children's
services.
Both Denslow and Stockett
eventually were charged with obstructing official business and released. Both
have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to appear in Sandusky Municipal Court
on Nov. 18.
On Monday, Stockett and Denslow
appeared at a Sandusky City Council meeting and criticized Denny and the police
department, the Register reports.
"We were subject to the
most unprofessional, insubordinate, malicious traffic stop ever witnessed in
the city of Sandusky," Stockett said.
