The Brookville police department in Indiana has come under investigation after some officers allegedly targeted a man with fabricated rape charges in a bid to block him from running for the position of the town board.
The man, whose identity has not been made public, was running for the Brookville Town Board – a position that oversees law enforcement in the area.
The man was allegedly targeted by some officers because he was known for being anti-law enforcement and taking a hard line against them.
Judson McMillin, the man’s attorney, said his client had been arrested for “nine-month-old allegations” where no formal charges were pursued.
“Keep in mind that the board is the boss of the law enforcement,” Mr McMillin told Fox19.
He said that police officers claimed they smelled marijuana on the man and his friend, and went to his house with a search warrant to arrest them both.
“And then [they] also arrested the individual who was running for the town board for the old rape charge. So there’s a lot of problems with it,” he added.
According to court documents, the man was arrested for marijuana and prescription-only drugs, in addition to a May 2021 case where “no formal charges were being pursued by the Franklin Prosecutor’s Office”.
It said neither Franklin County prosecutor Chris Huerkamp nor any other members of his staff had been consulted prior to the decision made by members of the Brookville police department to use the nine-month old allegations as the basis for a probable cause arrest.
Aleese Whitamore, a witness later identified in court documents, was approached by some officers of the department. She testified that she was encouraged to run for the position because they did not want the man on the town board.
“I was like, ‘Why is that?’ He said, ‘Well, he hates cops’” she recalled a conversation with the officers. “It just makes me uncomfortable knowing that you’re trying to ruin someone’s life basically, over your small town politics.”
“Small town politics is too much for me,” she said. “So I just stay out of it.”
All the charges against the man were dropped after her testimony.
