Realtor Mark
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Cops are no longer above the law anymore. I remember in rhs late 1980s through the 2000s any cop who ticketed another police officer or charged the other police officer with drunk driving or arrested the cop would be black listed. Extending professional courtesy was the norm. However, things have changed.
This is one of those stories where you can dig forever and never reach the bottom.
For starters, Ben Opelt is a now-former lieutenant with the Camden Police Department in Arkansas. On December 1, 2019 he was arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence. Eight days later, Opelt was fired.
Sort of. Because terminating a police officer is often the start, rather than the end of a process.
Despite his having been terminated in December 2019, that firing is only now approaching finality. And it could have easily been reversed. In the wake of his termination, Opelt contested his dismissal in a proceeding before the Camden Civil Service Commission. That hearing concluded on February 22, 2020, resulting in a 500+ page case record, the revelation of signfiicant new information, and ultimately a decision upholding Opelt’s firing.
But that wasn’t the end of the story. On March 20, 2020, Ben Opelt filed a civil lawsuit appealing the determination of the Camden Civil Service Commission. That lawsuit was finally resolved on June 18, 2021, after Opelt requested voluntary dismissal without prejudice. His request was granted and the case was terminated without prejudice — meaning Opelt can refile if he wishes.
Wondering why he voluntarily dismissed his appeal?
Because he finally pleaded guilty to the criminal charges. From 2019.
In early June of this year, Ben Opelt was adjudicated guilty of driving while under the influence and refusal to submit to breath alcohol testing. A separate charge of failure to maintain control of his vehicle was dismissed.
Opelt was sentenced to six months probation and a mandatory DWI class. If he fails to attend the class within 90 days, he could face a ten day jail sentence. Opelt’s drivers license was also (finally) suspended and he was ordered to pay $850 in fines.
The “finally” is because Opelt had originally prevailed at a hearing before the “Office of Driver Control,” where he argued that he had been exhibiting signs of a concussion — not intoxication — at the accident scene, and there was no evidence of intoxication.
At the Civil Service Commission hearing the police department was represented by Chief of Police Boyd Woody. There was no attorney present on behalf of the agency, which makes their having prevailed all the more significant.
Notably, in 2016 Opelt was demoted from sergeant to officer and suspended for an unclear number of days after he failed to complete and submit multiple reports to the prosecutor’s office. One such incident resulted in a person suspected of having raped a young girl being released from jail after he was held for more than 60 days without charges… because Opelt didn’t provide the prosecutor a copy of the case file. In a curious twist, Opelt’s demotion only came out during the Civil Service Commission hearing because his own father brought it up during his testimony as a character witness for his son. (He testified that he had encouraged Opelt to appeal that demotion, but Opelt had not done so.)
A less significant note: the reason Opelt had a beard, per Chief Woody’s testimony, was “no-shave November.”
A more significant note: when Real World Police filed an Arkansas Freedom of Information Act request for the State Police dash and in-car camera videos capturing Opelt’s arrest, Arkansas State Police responded that they were unable to locate the videos. Making that all the more odd, records from the Civil Service Commission hearing clearly show that the video existed.
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Unbelievably cute little baby monkey 🐒
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A great day for former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich today, getting a Presidential pardon and a potential job offer as the U.S.job offer as the U.S. Ambassador to Serbia.
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Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was pardoned by President Donald Trump. Blagojevich 14 year sentence was commuted after he served 8 years by President Trump in 2020. Now there’s talk about Rod Blagojevich being named and appointed Ambassador to Serbia.
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