She added that while she is focusing on the LPD with this lawsuit, as it pertains to this specific department, she has heard from other attorneys that this is a problem across the country. With more equipment and more officers, they are able to make more arrests and then point to those arrest stats as proof of rising crime levels that they then proclaim requires more funding, equipment and officers to solve. In an image taken from police body camera video, a 14-year-old girl is arrested at her home in Loveland, Colo., in 2020. 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. 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. (Courtesy of the Life and Liberty Law Office) The suit adds that, per. Photo: Paul Zinken. Longmont landscaper under scrutiny after new complaints, Carreras Tacos Bring West Coast Mexican with a Competitive Edge, Murdaughs fall from grace ends in life sentence for murder, Former clerk Tina Peters found guilty on obstruction charge, Boulder police seek person of interest in womans shooting near CU Boulder. 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. 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. She said, at the time, her records requests were not being fulfilled quickly enough to file before time ran out. Eventually, Sychla deployed his Taser on Siers and continued to shock him for over five seconds, the lawsuit claims. It also included that 1,352 of the drivers he pulled over 84% of his stops were let off with just a warning. Schielke, of the Life and Liberty Law Office, filed the original complaint in January, claiming Fort Collins resident Harris Elias was wrongfully arrested by LPD officer William Gates in early 2020 for DUI. Schielkeis alsorepresenting Karen Garner and her family in an ongoing civil rights lawsuit against Loveland police. Beyond excessive use of force incidents, the department has faced scrutiny for several other incidents, including the shooting and killing of a 19-year-old boy in 2021 and a dog in 2019, as well as criticism over alleged wrongful DUI arrests. 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 . Schielkeis alsorepresenting Karen Garner and her family in an ongoing civil rights lawsuit against Loveland police. Police. He began to place handcuffs on her, which were too large for the 14-year-olds small wrists, making it easy to slip out of, Ms. Schielke said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Both the Garner and Sowl cases were brought to light through Schielke and the Life and Liberty Law Office. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, 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. As S.S. watched this from a few feet away, she began having a panic attack, the lawsuit states. Varholak allowed Talmadge, who represented himself in court, to refile his lawsuit by June 6 if Talmadge wished to bolster any of his claims that the magistrate judge found lacking. Before coming to Loveland, he graduated from Colorado State University in May 2020 with two bachelor's degrees, one in journalism and media communications and one in history. All rights reserved. LOVELAND, Colo. The City of Loveland is paying out $290,000 dollars to settle a lawsuit over the wrongful arrest of a man in September 2019, the man's attorney said. The city of Loveland and Loveland Police Department settled the lawsuit with Sowl in January for nearly $300,000. Be Nice. Im a canine officer, dude.. They have used this funding to buy themselves more equipment and hire more officers. person will not be tolerated. 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. The suit claims that Siers and S.S. are seeking declaratory relief and economic damages as well as compensatory damages, among other things, through a jury trial. The Loveland City Attorney's Office did not respond to a request for comment as of Thursday afternoon. The city said Ashe violated three department policies and procedures: limits of authority and exercise discretion; search and seizure; and use of force. "The city of Loveland, the family continues to anxiously await answers to any of that." Garner was arrested in June 2020 after she left a local Walmart without paying for a T-shirt, soda, candy. The department also faced an excessive use of force suit for the 2019 arrest of Preston Sowl, which was settled by the city for $290,000. 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. Thank you for visiting. That night Gates pulled Elias over in Fort Collins and, ultimately, Gates arrested Elias for DUI. Another officer, according to Talmadge, slammed him to the ground where his "head bounced off the concrete." She was on her period that day and felt scared by the thought of bleeding all over a police car or jail cell, the lawsuit states. DENVER OK is your Colorado news, entertainment, music & fashion website. Loveland is not a safe place for pets. 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. Emergency medical personnel arrived, along with police officers from the Loveland Police Department. You know, it's just, it's horrifying, terrifying, Siers said in an interview Wednesday. According to the lawsuit, when Siers got home after work he noticed all the missed calls and voicemails from officers who said they wanted to talk with his daughter. They hurt families and destroy lives, Schielke said in a statement. Share with Us. In their motion to dismiss, the defendants submitted a police affidavit in support of Talmadge's arrest from July 6. 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. The lawsuit alleges officers injured Garner when they arrested her in June 2020 for alleged petty theft. The federal lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, alleged Sowls' First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments were violated, according to a news release fromSchielke. Schielke also said she wanted to ensure the officers who were involved were held accountable and forced to change.. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Karen Garner, who has dementia, was arrested last June for walking out of a Walmart in Loveland, Colorado, with $13.88 worth of items, according to an amended lawsuit filed Sunday. She also represented Karen Garner and her family in that case, which led to a $3 million settlement last year. Police said the witness then said he had not pulled the motorcycle off the rider and refused to answer any more questions, saying it was his constitutional right not to talk. According to the suit, S.S., who was 14 years old at the time, lived with Siers at their home in Loveland. The suit also claims Sychla falsified and exaggerated facts in the police report involving Siers. The three officers named in the lawsuit Matt Sychla, Jeremiah Wood and Evan Dunlap still arrested S.S. outside her home that day. Loveland Police Officer Resorts to Excessive Force They treat people like animals. View this page in Standard (full site) format. On June 20, 2020, S.S. bicycled back to her fathers home, heartbroken over the confrontation she had with the boy hours earlier. Nicole Yost, a spokeswoman for the city of Loveland, said she did not know who was representing the officers. We need you. Steve Adams, the city manager in Loveland, said in a statement that while the incidents were initially reviewed and deemed appropriate at the time of the event, he would open a second review of the arrest by an independent law enforcement and public safety consulting firm. Want the real scoop? In a written response reflecting many points Stewart said during Mondays press conference, the department said it can not comment on specific cases and wants to be transparent and open in our work.. I bet at this point Loveland wishes each of these events could involve the same officers, she said. A blood test also later showed no impairing substances and the District Attorneys office dismissed the DUI charges, the complaint claims. Antolina Hill as one of the defendants as well as including a number of other stories alleging wrongful DUI arrest and information on the culture of the LPDs DUI enforcement. Secure your subscription to Colorados premier political news journal, in continuous publication since 1898. or anything. Be Truthful. 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