DA clears Watonga officer from criminal charges in early July 4 use of force case
WATONGA, OKLA. (KOKH) — The Blaine County District Attorney's Office says they are not filing criminal charges against a Watonga Police Officer who was being investigated for his use of force.
A man was on an early morning walk with his son in Watonga on the fourth of July, when a Watonga Police Officer took him to the ground and handcuffed him, all in front of the man's young son who was visibly upset.
"You're going to do this in front of my son?" the man asked the officer who replied, "Yeah, turn around."
In the body camera video provided by the Watonga Police Department, you can see the officer slam the man to the ground, handcuff him, and roll him on the ground.
Just moments before the man was detained, you can see a Watonga Police Officer approach the man and his son.
"Where are you coming from?" an officer asked, the man replied, "Just walking around," the officer then said, "Just walking around enjoying the weather alright, gotcha gotcha."
When the man questioned what was going on, the officer said they found it 'a little bit suspicious' that the man was out walking.
"Walking around is a little bit suspicious?" the man questioned, the officer then replied, "Technically not really but I mean it is pretty early in the morning, just wondering what was going on."
A second officer (the officer who detained the man) then walked up asking the man for his ID.
"What do I need an ID for?" the man questioned, the officer replied, "Because I just asked you for it..."
The man then told the officer, "I don't need to show you my ID."
The officer replied, "Okay if you don't give me your ID I'm going to take you to jail for failure to identify because I've identified that you've been walking around down here at 5:30 in the morning."
The officer then took the man to the ground, handcuffed him, and sat him in the back of his police unit.
According to Oklahoma law, you are only required to provide identification and answer questions about your identity during a traffic stop, as the state is not a stop-and-identify state.
A few weeks after the incident, the Blaine County Sheriff sent a letter to Blaine County residents, demanding the two officers involved be placed on leave while the DA's Office investigated the incident.
This week the District Attorney's Office sent a statement to FOX 25 that said,
After review, our office is not filing any criminal charges related to the investigation of Mr. Goodwin’s conduct during the early morning hours of July 4, 2024. Our office was solely tasked with determining whether any of Mr. Goodwin’s conduct in this matter was criminal in nature. Our declination of charges speaks only to our assessment of potential criminal liability under Oklahoma law. The question of whether any disciplinary or civil action should be taken is not for the consideration of our office.
The City of Watonga was also asked for a statement but never responded.
Watonga Police told FOX 25 over the phone that the man in the video was never arrested, so they do not have a police report to detail the incident.
For more local news delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter by clicking here.