Lawyer says OHP’s Daniel Martin will be exonerated by tapes of latest incident. Man says he didn’t know trooper was the same one in EMS confronation.
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Once again a video is going to play a very important role in the life of Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Daniel Martin. You may recall Martin was involved in a well publicized confrontation with an EMS crew taking a woman to the hospital. Two videos were available from the May incident that ended with Martin receiving a five-day suspension and forced to undergo anger-management assessment.
As we reported this morning the latest incident occurred Saturday when Martin backed-up Trooper Tommy Allen on a traffic stop. They ended up arresting Kristopher Douglas of Holdenville who says the troopers beat him. Because of a complaint by Douglas, Trooper Martin and Trooper Allen are on paid administrative leave.
Douglas was walking to a house where the traffic stop occurred. The driver of the stopped vehicle, Luke Carson, was going to the same house to join Douglas in hanging drywall. Carson was pulled over because Trooper Allen said he ran a stop sign.
Here are excerpts from an article this evening by Tulsa World’s Manny Gamallo:
Jerry Ford, who lives in the house where the arrest occurred, said Douglas was walking over to his house to help him drywall when the troopers jumped Douglas, put him in a chokehold and then hit him with a baton. He said the incident occurred in his front yard.
Ford said Douglas, who was not involved in the traffic stop at all, was trying to get to his house, but the officers kept insisting that he stand by the street.
Then, all of a sudden, Allen grabbed Douglas’ arm and put him in a chokehold and Martin pulled out a retractable baton and struck him in the back, Ford said.
“I came out and asked what was going on,” Ford said. “Martin comes up in a fast walk, screaming he’s going to put me in jail,” Ford said.
“All I asked was that they take it to the street, that they were upsetting my two kids,” Ford said.
Ford said he bailed Douglas out of jail about 90 minutes after the arrest. They then tried to file a complaint with the OHP that night, but were told they would have to wait until Monday, he said.
Ford said they eventually contacted an Oklahoma City TV station on Sunday to report the matter.
Ford said neither he nor Douglas knew the names of the troopers, but they did remember badge no. 606, and reported that to the TV reporter, who recognized it as being Martin’s.
Once that story aired Sunday night, Ford said they received a call “inside of 10 minutes” from the OHP, telling them they could file the complaint, which they did verbally Sunday night. Ford said a written complaint will also be filed.
Ford said he was surprised to learn that Martin was the same trooper involved in the scuffle with the paramedic.
Gary James, an Oklahoma City attorney who represents Martin, said his client will be exonerated once the tapes from Martin’s dashboard camera are released.
James said he talked with Martin, who told him that Douglas tried to walk through the traffic stop several times and wouldn’t heed their commands to stand by the street.
James said Douglas was arrested and the officers had to use force because they felt he was getting hostile.
“He had his teeth clenched as if he was going to do something,” the attorney quoted his client as saying.
James said Douglas could be heard in the squad car saying he was sorry and should have heeded the troopers’ command.
Records show that in addition to several traffic tickets, Douglas has 2004 felony drug conviction out of Oklahoma County, for which he received a nearly five-year suspended sentence.
Richard O’Carroll, a Tulsa attorney representing Douglas, backed up Ford’s version of the events.
O’Carroll is also the attorney for Maurice White Jr., the paramedic involved in the scuffle with Martin in May.
Reacting to the latest case involving Martin, O’Carroll said: “This was predictable and outrageous. They’ve protected, indulged and endorsed this dangerous law-enforcement officer,” O’Carroll said of the Highway Patrol.
