MARCH 11, 2020 - TRIAL DAY 1
The Defense Requests that the Prosecutor be Replaced
The defense requested that the prosecutor be removed from the case due to his failure to ensure the case investigator followed procedures. The defense said they argued that the investigator did not obtain evidence that was requested and was a violation of the law. The judge did not remove the prosecutor.
Inconsistencies in Police Officer Testimony
During defense questioning, one of the police officers reportedly contradicted his statements in court as well as his written statements. There were many questions from the defense regarding the actions of police officers and their reports. There appeared to be many inconsistencies in their testimonies and the officers could not recall some of their actions including whether they completed the incident reports or when. A police officer could not remember the exact location where Trevor was reported to have grabbed the driver’s arm. The location was documented in their official reports.
We are told that the judge stepped in and directly asked questions of a police officer to clarify the answers given that were contradictory or evasive. As reported in news articles, the judge was even laughing at some of the answers provided by a police officer.
A police officer was asked if he was familiar with the official rules directing them to take intoxicated persons in Trevor’s condition to a medical facility. The officer was not able to answer the question and the judge reportedly stopped the defense from going into that subject further. The officer said that they made the decision to take Trevor to jail.
A police officer was asked if Trevor’s actions in the police vehicle endangered their lives or had the potential for endangering their lives. The officer reportedly said that there was a potential for endangering their lives. There is a difference between potentially endangering a life and actually endangering a life.
A police officer was asked how many times did Trevor elbow him in the abdomen. The officer’s answers were not sure and reportedly conflicted with his written reports. He reportedly said it happened quickly and may have been one, two, or three strikes by Trevor, but he was unsure. The officer was said to have stated that he had a bruise on his abdomen from Trevor’s elbow strike(s). We are not sure if there was any official documentation of the bruise such as a photo. The officer also acknowledged that he was wearing his body armor at the time of the event.
One police officer was asked if he wanted Trevor to go to prison. The officer reportedly said that his personal opinion was that he didn’t want Trevor to go to prison, or Trevor should not go to prison.
The testimony of the second police officer was cut short due an evacuation of the courthouse due to a bomb scare. Hopefully the questioning of the second police officer will continue at the next court date.