Playing Cops and Robbers In Healdton, Oklahoma
August 14, 2005 was a significant day for the Healdton, Oklahoma Police Department. A day that leaves some chuckling while leaving others wondering how can anyone be so dumb.
Little did Healdton Police Officers Rick Clayton and Jared Trotts suspect that destiny awaited them as they responded to a call pertaining to shots fired in the vicinity of Healdton Municipal Lake.
The call came from Daylene Foster, 25, whom the officers discovered had an outstanding bogus check warrant from Jefferson County from 2002.
Up to this point the three year veteran Healdton cops had handled the situation property. And then the wheels fell of the paddy wagon when one or both of the officers came up with a foolish idea to offer Foster a deal.
The officers told Foster that they would not take her to jail if she would permit them to shoot her 30 times with a pellet gun. The woman fearing losing her kids to DHS if she went to jail agreed to let the officers shoot her. And that they did. Foster ran around a car while the officers shot at her with the pellet gun. The plastic pellets reportedly left brusing and welts on the back of Foster's neck, as she was hit multiple times.
In light of the officers' 'target practice' session with Foster the FBI was called in to investigate possible civil rights violations. During the course of the investigation the two officers were first suspended without pay and ultimately fired, reducing the Healdton Police Department from the normal five to three officers.
The Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice turned the case over to Carter County prosecutors and in August, 2006 Clayton and Trotts were charged with assault and battery for the 'pellet gunning' of Foster.
Clayton pleaded no contest to the charge and received a 5 and one-half month deferred sentence and was fined $713. Trotts is scheduled for a November 21, 2006 trial, however his attorney has indicated that Trotts likely will reach a plea deal with prosecutors before trial.
Court records on this case are available at the following links:
State of Oklahoma vs. Rick Joe Clayton
State of Oklahoma vs. Jared Henry Trotts
State of Oklahoma vs. Daylene Foster
