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Former Broken Arrow police officers get deferred prosecution

Former Broken Arrow police officers get deferred prosecution

Three former Broken Arrow police officers have reached deferred prosecution agreements with the district attorney in connection with ammunition taken from an abandoned home.

Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler’s office announced the agreements Friday with former officers Kaitlin Anderson, Jonathan Chisum and Robert Motley.

Broken Arrow police began investigating the three, plus one other officer, after an incident on May 23 that Broken Arrow police said involved only lost property.

Following the investigation, which involved the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Broken Arrow officials fired Anderson and Chisum on August 15, while Motley was allowed to retire.

The OSBI investigation determined that the officers “improperly took ammunition from a residence that was reportedly abandoned at the time,” according to a news release from Kunzweiler’s office.

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A deferred prosecution agreement means the filing of formal charges has been dismissed, the news release said. According to the press release, the officers will still be required to adhere to “certain probation requirements” through the Attorney General’s Office.

The Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office declined to file charges or enter into a deferred prosecution agreement with Jesse Sandoval, the third officer fired following the investigation, a spokesman said.

“We appreciate the Broken Arrow Police Department’s commitment to upholding its values ​​and reporting any potential misconduct,” Tulsa County First Assistant District Attorney Erik Grayless said in the news release.

The dismissal letters dated August 15 provided some insight into what the officers did.

“Your actions have resulted in serious violations of the rules, including pending criminal charges,” the two-page resignation letter from the three officers said.

The letters show that an internal investigation into the May 23 incident “resulted in the substantiation of the following findings”:

• Category III misconduct involving criminal charges

• Category III misconduct involving serious violations of the rules (moral turpitude)

• Category II misconduct relating to the handling of lost property

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