COLORADO COPS BEAT UP GOOD SAMARITAN FOR NOT TALKING Sarah Schielke - The Life & Liberty Law Office 2020-06-22 | Loveland Police Officers beat up good Samaritan Preston Sowl because he refused to submit to their questioning. Literally. That's it. He had committed no crimes. Everyone has a constitutional right to refuse to submit to police questioning. This happened on September 22, 2019. Preston Sowl and his wife saw a downed motorcyclist blocking the exit, trapped under his bike and bleeding. They and several others stopped to render aid and called 911. While the motorcyclist was receiving medical care, Officer Paul Ashe of the Loveland Police Department arrived on scene. Officer Ashe approached Preston and demanded Preston speak to him and answer questions. Preston exercised his constitutional right to decline such questioning. Preston told Officer Ashe he knew his rights, that he did not have to participate in questioning, and that Officer Ashe needed to leave him alone. Officer Ashe did not leave him alone. Instead, Ashe retaliated by falsely arresting Preston for the crime of Obstruction and then violently handcuffing and arresting him with two fellow Loveland Police Officers, Officer Benjamin DeLima, and Detective Clint Schnorr, who was a supervisor. The officers slammed Preston to the pavement and violently twisted his arms behind his back causing his left shoulder to fracture and dislocate. Preston also suffered a torn rotator cuff, and bleeding contusions to his head, knees, legs, arms and wrist. After assaulting Preston, Officer Ashe taunted him, saying things like "I told you. I told you. All you had to do is talk to me" and "That's what happens when you don't cooperate." Preston's injuries ultimately required complete shoulder replacement surgery. The district attorney’s office dismissed the case and charges against him. No officer or supervisor involved in the violations of his civil rights has been disciplined. Now, in addition to filing a civil lawsuit against the officers involved and the Loveland Police Department, Mr. Sowl is sharing this experience with the media and public in order to expose the Loveland Police Department’s insidious culture of oppressing citizens and their First Amendment rights, its pattern of needless escalation in even the most garden-variety of encounters with the public, and its unacceptable practices of retaliatory arrests and excessive force. "Clearly, not even bodycams will stop Loveland police officers from doing whatever they want, to whomever they want," says Preston's attorney, Sarah Schielke of The Life & Liberty Law Office. "Think about that. That is how invincible these officers feel. That they could do this to a good Samaritan - knowing its being recorded - it is a terrifying testament to how bad things have gotten."“As we all well know, corrupt and lawless police officers have a long history of being protected by their colleagues and insulated from accountability. Sadly, as this incident shows, it is no different in Loveland,” Ms. Schielke adds. “A badge is not carte blanche to be a bully. It is an obligation to protect and serve the public. And these officers did neither.” Unedited Ashe bodycam video viewable here: youtu.be/24FpjooATVc
FULL UNEDITED COP BWC VIDEOS FROM PEPPER SPRAY LAWSUIT Sarah Schielke - The Life & Liberty Law Office 2023-08-29 | Fort Collins, CO - Another excessive force and wrongful arrest lawsuit has been filed against FCPS, this time for attacking, choking, and pepper spraying directly into his eyes from two inches away civilian Andru Kulas for no reason beyond him exercising his right to not take a copy of a ticket that was handed to him. Multiple FCPS officers joined in on this attack - multiple FCPS officers REVIEWED THE VIDEOS of this attack.... and they all found it "reasonable and within policy." Except for one person.... FCPS's Internal Affairs investigator. She found multiple policy violations and no justification for the officers' use of force. What did Chief Swoboda of FCPS do with that information? REDACT IT AND IGNORE IT. He exonerated all the officers of any wrongdoing (provided no explanation for doing so) and all these cops, including Officer Kevin Park, whose knowingly dangerous pepper spray deployment directly into Andru's eyes from just two inches away ultimately caused Andru permanent damage to his vision, continue to walk the streets as cops of Fort Collins today. Andru, left with no choice, on August 28, 2023, through his attorneys Sarah Schielke of The Life & Liberty Law Office and Matt Haltzman of Haltzman Las Office, filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal district court for this outrageous abuse of Andru's First and Fourth Amendment rights. "If body cams won't hold bad cops accountable... and if competent Internal Affairs investigations are actually STOPPED BY THE CHIEF OF POLICE from holding bad cops accountable... then all the public has left are these lawsuits," said Kulas's attorney Sarah Schielke. "It is utterly tragic that in this age of police reform that it still has to come to this. This community deserves so much better, and I will never stop fighting to get us there." Copy of Lawsuit Complaint Available Here: https://kulasfcpslawsuit.tiiny.site/NOTICE: The Life & Liberty Law Office does authorize the use, reuse, republication and retransmission of any of the linked videos above for public interest and reporting purposes.
COPS ATTACK AND PEPPER SPRAY CIVILIAN FOR REFUSING TO TAKE A PAPER TICKET Sarah Schielke - The Life & Liberty Law Office 2023-08-29 | Fort Collins, CO - Another excessive force and wrongful arrest lawsuit has been filed against FCPS, this time for attacking, choking, and pepper spraying directly into his eyes from two inches away civilian Andru Kulas for no reason beyond him exercising his right to not take a copy of a ticket that was handed to him. Multiple FCPS officers joined in on this attack - multiple FCPS officers REVIEWED THE VIDEOS of this attack.... and they all found it "reasonable and within policy." Except for one person.... FCPS's Internal Affairs investigator. She found multiple policy violations and no justification for the officers' use of force. What did Chief Swoboda of FCPS do with that information? REDACT IT AND IGNORE IT. He exonerated all the officers of any wrongdoing (provided no explanation for doing so) and all these cops, including Officer Kevin Park, whose knowingly dangerous pepper spray deployment directly into Andru's eyes from just two inches away ultimately caused Andru permanent damage to his vision, continue to walk the streets as cops of Fort Collins today. Andru, left with no choice, on August 28, 2023, through his attorneys Sarah Schielke of The Life & Liberty Law Office and Matt Haltzman of Haltzman Law Office, filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal district court for this outrageous abuse of Andru's First and Fourth Amendment rights. "If body cams won't hold bad cops accountable... and if competent Internal Affairs investigations are actually STOPPED BY THE CHIEF OF POLICE from holding bad cops accountable... then all the public has left are these lawsuits," said Kulas's attorney Sarah Schielke. "It is utterly tragic that in this age of police reform that it still has to come to this. This community deserves so much better, and I will never stop fighting to get us there." Copy of Lawsuit Complaint Available Here: https://kulasfcpslawsuit.tiiny.site/Unedited Officer BWC Videos Available Here:youtu.be/FLWJ1euDi9cNOTICE: The Life & Liberty Law Office does authorize the use, reuse, republication and retransmission of any of the linked videos above for public interest and reporting purposes.
Full Video - Loveland PD Attacks Family and Pet Dog Over a Slap Sarah Schielke - The Life & Liberty Law Office 2022-06-15 | Video showing the story of how this all went down (and why this insanity keeps happening in Loveland) available here: youtube.com/watch?v=EbhsSzOqJEkExcessive force lawsuit filed on behalf of family by attorney Sarah Schielke of The Life & Liberty Law Office on June 15, 2022. Follow Sarah’s lawsuits and relentless fight against police who abuse their power:Twitter: @LifeLibertyLawYoutube channel: youtube.com/c/SarahSchielkeTheLifeLibertyLawOfficewww.lifeandlibertylaw.com
EXCESSIVE FORCE: Loveland Cops Attack Family and Pet Dog in Their Front Yard Sarah Schielke - The Life & Liberty Law Office 2022-06-15 | Another excessive force lawsuit filed against the Loveland Police Department by Attorney Sarah Schielke on June 15, 2022. Entire chain of command at LPD including current Chief Eric Stewart approved of officers' conduct in this event as reasonable, appropriate and necessary. Even commended them for it. All charges against Jon and S.S. were eventually dismissed. Loveland has refused to apologize or even admit fault. Full bodycam video of incident available here: youtu.be/kR2Gq7xz59M The Life & Liberty Law Office has the express written permission of S.S. and Jon Siers to publicly release these videos. NOTICE: Sarah Schielke and The Life & Liberty Law office do authorize the use, reuse, republication and retransmission of any of the videos posted on this channel for public interest and reporting purposes. Media inquiries seeking further comment, interview, or content may be directed to madie@lifeandlibertylaw.com.www.lifeandlibertylaw.com
WRONGFUL ARREST: Driver blows ZEROES, Cop charges him with DUI anyway Sarah Schielke - The Life & Liberty Law Office 2022-03-31 | BREATH: 0.00% -- BLOOD: NOTHING DETECTED -- LOVELAND PD: ARREST HIM FOR DUI ANYWAYWhen they're not defending their officers' excessive force lawsuits, one thing that the Loveland Police Department loves to do is to brag about their DUI arrest numbers. They constantly point to their high DUI arrest statistics as proof that they need more funding, more officers, and more equipment. They are then, in fact, able to get more funding, more officers, and more equipment, as a result. As it happens, this is a scam. They have been padding their DUI arrest numbers by arresting and wrongfully charging innocent people with this horrible crime for years, and it has to be stopped. Harris Elias was one such victim and now he is suing them in federal court. Says his attorney, Sarah Schielke of The Life & Liberty Law Office, "Could there be a city with more disdain, disregard, and disrespect for the constitutional rights of its own citizens than Loveland? If there is, I haven’t seen it. Wrongfully charging innocent citizens with crimes they did not commit in order to get awards, funding, and literal trophies is an indefensible practice. These officers should be ashamed of themselves. Instead, they pat one another on the back. They celebrate and even profit from their repeated abuse the citizens they were supposed to protect." From the very same police department that brought you...The assault and arrest of Karen Garner, a 73-year-old woman with dementia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrest_of_Karen_GarnerThe wrongful arrest and shoulder dislocation of Good Samaritan Preston Sowl,apnews.com/article/lawsuits-police-loveland-086fdf9a09a884ab3502fa36da1e74fbAnd the grotesque daytime murder of Herkimer the puppy, washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/08/27/colorado-lawsuit-officer-shot-puppyLoveland PD is at it again, this time wrongfully arresting and charging innocent citizens with DUI crimes despite obvious evidence (including tests with ALL ZEROES) of their innocence.Full unedited video of Officer Gates's bodycam available here:youtu.be/tI5Wtp9LENYwww.lifeandlibertylaw.com
Full Video - WRONGFUL DUI ARREST, LOVELAND COP DEMANDS BLOOD AFTER SEEING 0.00% BAC Sarah Schielke - The Life & Liberty Law Office 2022-03-31 | From the very same police department that brought you...The assault and arrest of Karen Garner, a 73-year-old woman with dementia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrest_of_Karen_GarnerThe wrongful arrest and shoulder dislocation of Good Samaritan Preston Sowl,apnews.com/article/lawsuits-police-loveland-086fdf9a09a884ab3502fa36da1e74fbAnd the grotesque daytime murder of Herkimer the puppy, washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/08/27/colorado-lawsuit-officer-shot-puppyLoveland PD is at it again, this time wrongfully arresting and charging innocent citizens with DUI crimes despite obvious evidence (including tests with ALL ZEROES) of their innocence.The Loveland Police Department loves to brag about its DUI arrest numbers. They constantly point to their high DUI arrest statistics as proof that they need more funding, more officers, and more equipment. They are then, in fact, able to get more funding, more officers, and more equipment, as a result. As it happens, this is a scam. They have been padding their DUI arrest numbers by arresting and wrongfully charging innocent people with this horrible crime. And now Harris Elias is suing them in federal district court to ensure it never happens to anyone else again.
Press Conference: Garner Family Announces $3M Settlement & Attorney Pledges $50K for Chiefs Ouster Sarah Schielke - The Life & Liberty Law Office 2021-09-08 | Watch as Garner family attorney Sarah Schielke (pronounced shell-key) and Karen Garner family members announce historic $3,000,000 settlement of their lawsuit against the Loveland Police Department. Go to 11:05 to see Sarah Schielke pledge a $50,000 donation to any dementia-based charity of Chief of Police Robert Ticer's choosing if he resigns or is fired in the next 30 days. The deadline is October 8, 2021.Justice to the family is done, but justice to the community still awaits. And that justice is ouster of the one in charge. Tick tock, Ticer. You presided over all of these horrific incidents. It's time to show real leadership, and real leadership starts with accountability. Resign.NOTICE: Sarah Schielke and The Life & Liberty Law Office do authorize the use, reuse, republication and retransmission of any of the videos on this channel for public interest and reporting purposes.
Karen Garner Case - Sgt. Metzler Gaslighting Concerned Citizen - The Video He Tried to Hide Sarah Schielke - The Life & Liberty Law Office 2021-09-07 | Last June, Karen Garner sat handcuffed to a bench inside a booking cell, weeping and in pain. No one had come to treat her fractured arm and dislocated shoulder hours after Loveland Police officers had violently arrested her. Karen was a 73-year-old woman weighing just 80 pounds, suffering from cortical dementia and sensory aphasia. She was a mom to three, grandmother to nine; a homemaker with a love of crafts, flowers and gardening. She was known to her family as “Nana.” Meanwhile, about 10 feet away, three Loveland Police officers sat hunched around a computer as they re-watched body camera footage of Karen’s arrest. “Ready for the pop?” Officer Austin Hopp can be heard saying, referencing the moment he broke her shoulder. “Hear the pop?” The three officers watched. They re-watched. They laughed, and fist-bumped each other while discussing the arrest. Sergeant Philip Metzler was the direct supervising officer to Officers Hopp and Jalali during this event. He helped them to hog-tie Karen and shove her in the back of Jalali’s patrol vehicle. He saw Karen’s blood all over Jalali and confirmed that the blood was Karen’s, not Jalali’s, and he then directed them to take Karen to jail rather than medical treatment, in violation of LPD policy regarding both use of force and provision of medical care to anyone with visible injury. He made jokes about how dirty they had gotten in the scuffle with Karen, and he laughed at Jalali’s comment that she was, “a little bloody, a little muddy, that’s how it works.”Metzler then pointed at the concerned citizen who had pulled over to make a complaint about what he had seen the officers do to Karen. Metzler said to Hopp: “And this is…who?” Hopp, laughing, responded, “He probably wants to talk to you.” Metzler then walked over to the citizen to engage him. After four minutes, the citizen appeared to angrily drive away. From Hopp and Jalali’s videos, Metzler could be heard appearing to intimidate that citizen and accuse him of “interfering,” sometimes pointing a finger into his face. Most of what Metzler said to the citizen was inaudible on Hopp and Jalali’s body camera videos. But one thing that Hopp and Jalali said to one another was quite audible indeed: “Good ol’ Metzler,” they said, while watching him do it. Later, our office went looking for Metzler's video. Where was it? It was bizarre. The videos discovered to us in the criminal case DID have a Metzler video, but it was from an incident a week prior roughly around the same time of day. But it was not the video from Karen's case. What had happened?Metzler went into the evidence system and hid his video of him gaslighting the concerned citizen. That's what happened. Cops cannot delete videos but they can assign them to non-existent cases. That's what Metzler did. He substituted in an innocuous video from someone else's case and chucked this video into evidence no-mans-land. After watching the video, it's easy to see why. REMEMBER: PHILIP METZLER IS STILL EMPLOYED AS A SERGEANT AT THE LOVELAND POLICE DEPARTMENT.
LOVELAND COP SURPRISES FAMILY, SHOOTS THEIR DOG IN BROAD DAYLIGHT Sarah Schielke - The Life & Liberty Law Office 2021-08-25 | Warning - This video is extremely distressing and not appropriate for children. Full Grashorn Bodycam Video available here:youtu.be/_wexLG6vDD0On June 29, 2019, Wendy Love and Jay Hamm had spent the day working for their firewood delivery business with their three beloved dogs - Bubba, Max and Herkimer. They needed to fix one of the firewood storage containers before making their last delivery of the day so they stopped in what they thought was an abandoned business parking lot and parked in the back corner to fix the box and let their pups have a quick stretch. Unbeknownst to them, the owner of the lot was watching remote surveillance video and saw them arrive. Knowing how proudly aggressive Loveland PD was about protecting business interests, he called them up and asked them to go make sure the people parked in the lot didn't "mess with his dumpster."Officer Mat Grashorn arrived. He saw Wendy and Jay's 16-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback Bubba napping on the pavement. He did not announce himself. He did not wait for back-up. He did not give Wendy and Jay an opportunity to put Bubba on a leash. Instead, he quietly got out of his car, slowly closed his door, and snuck up on the family. After taking two steps, Bubba noticed him and began a happy gallop over to greet him. Grashorn did not retreat. He did not return to his car. Instead, he pulled out his gun and pointed it at the dog. Jay and Wendy yelled for Bubba to come back and Bubba did so. But the excitement got the attention of their puppy Herkimer, a 14-month-old Staffordshire Terrier/Boxer mix, who had been resting in the truck. Herkimer popped out of the truck to see what the fuss was about. He first ran to Bubba and then noticed Officer Grashorn, and happily ran over to greet him next.Officer Grashorn, who later repeatedly declared he's "not going to wait around to see if he gets bit," moved his gun from being pointed at Bubba to being pointed at Herkimer. Herkimer wagged his tail as he approached Grashorn. Then Grashorn shot Herkimer. Twice. Once in the head and once in the body. He yelled at Wendy and Jay and told them it was all their fault. He refused to let Wendy go to Herkimer to comfort him. He refused to let Wendy and Jay take Herkimer straight to the vet. Why? Because he wanted Sergeant Metzler to come and make sure nothing further needed to be done to cover up the misconduct before removing the dog from the scene. At the vet, LPD officers repeatedly told vet staff that Herkimer was a "vicious pitbull" who "attacked one of our officers." Sergeant Metzler told the officers to write Wendy and Jay a ticket for a "vicious dog" because they had said they were going to the press. Herkimer had never hurt or bit a human in his life. "Vicious dog" tickets require that the dog have inflicted bodily injury. Metzler didn't care. The DA's office later dismissed the charge.Several supervisory personnel at Loveland PD (including the Chief and Assistant Chief) reviewed the bodycam footage and declared the shooting was "justified," and Grashorn's actions "reasonable" and everything he did was "following Loveland policy." The next 72 hours were complete despair as Wendy and Jay fought to save Herkimer's life. It wasn't possible. On the morning of the 4th day, Herkimer was euthanized. Five months after this event, Officer Grashorn and Sergeant Metzler shot and killed a human being. https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news...Wendy Love and Jay Hamm nearly didn't file this lawsuit due to how much grief reliving this event causes them. But they had no choice. Because the only thing worse than seeing this video… is seeing it, and then doing nothing about it. Their attorney Sarah Schielke (pronounced “shell-key”) of The Life & Liberty Law Office, provides the following comment: “This is yet another agonizing illustration of all that is wrong at the Loveland Police Department. Dogs are our family. Herkimer could have been any of our beloved pets. And he was shot dead in broad daylight. In the middle of suburbia. By the police. With no consequences to the officer whatsoever. And then found to be reasonable by his superiors. What in the actual hell is going on at the Loveland Police Department?” “This shooting, and all the other well-publicized events of the past two years,” Schielke states, “make one thing very clear: the Loveland Police Department itself has made the City of Loveland a more dangerous – and frankly, terrifying – place to live. Our grandmothers are not safe. Our disabled are not safe. Our children are not safe. Even our family dogs are not safe. How much worse can it get?”
LOVELAND COP SHOOTS FAMILY DOG - Full Officer Grashorn Bodyworn Camera Video Sarah Schielke - The Life & Liberty Law Office 2021-08-25 | WARNING: THIS VIDEO IS EXTREMELY DISTRESSING AND NOT APPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN
Officer Summers - Full Unedited Bodycam Video Tasing 75 y.o. Grandpa in his Own Home Sarah Schielke - The Life & Liberty Law Office 2021-07-22 | In the middle of the night on May 30, 2021, two Idaho Springs Police officers (Officer Nicholas Hanning and Officer Ellie Summers) banged on 75-year-old Michael Clark’s apartment door, stormed inside, attacked him, returned to the hallway, and then – while he stood unarmed and in his boxer shorts 8 feet away from them inside his apartment posing no cognizable threat whatsoever – they tased him. Mr. Clark lost consciousness and flew backwards from the tasing, striking his head on a dining room chair on the way down. His head was split open and bleeding. The officers slammed his head into a shelf and then dragged his body into the hallway for all to see. Not done yet, they then climbed atop his lifeless body, with Officer Hanning putting his knee over and onto Mr. Clark’s head and neck, compressing his airway. They handcuffed him on the ground. He laid there, non-responsive, for 2 minutes and 23 seconds. He was transported to the hospital with his wrists and ankles restrained to the stretcher so that he could not move. The hospital kept Mr. Clark overnight to monitor his heart, which was not well due to the tasing causing elevated troponin levels throughout. On Memorial Day, he began vomiting blood. The day after that, he had a stroke. In the weeks that followed, he had to have a carotid artery surgery, and his appendix burst. He was in and out of the ICU. He requires heart surgery, which doctors are unsure his body will be able to survive. He was never charged with any crime. Mr. Clark, a proud father of two and grandfather of seven, enjoyed a rich, happy, independent life prior to this event. On May 30, 2021, that life was recklessly and deliberately obliterated by the Idaho Springs Police Department. Now, 8 weeks later, he remains in a 24-hour complex nursing care facility, awaiting heart surgery and removal of his appendix. He has yet to go home to his own bed and his 2 beloved cats, Marbles and Gracie. Despite a new state law giving the district attorney complete and unfettered discretion to release the bodycam videos of this event, she refused until ordered by a judge. And still even then, as of this writing, is stalling the videos' public release. While doing so, the district attorney and the Idaho Springs Police Department issued press releases painting Mr. Clark not as a victim, but as a crazed person with a "club-like object" who had simply been involved in a "physical altercation." The actions of these agencies re-victimized Mr. Clark and his family, after he had already been, by police officers, stripped of his independence, his security and his health. Mr. Clark's sole objective in the time he has left is to do whatever it takes to ensure this horrific abuse of a citizen by police does not happen again. That task begins by exposing the truth, and demanding change. With everything he has left, Mr. Clark does so today. Full unedited bodycam videos (with certain faces blurred in compliance with court order) are available here:Officer Hanning's BWC: youtu.be/kvTMICY40HkOfficer Summers' BWC: youtu.be/u6OpLqOvuX8NOTICE: Sarah Schielke and The Life & Liberty Law Office do authorize the use, reuse, republication and retransmission of any of the linked videos above for public interest and reporting purposes.Certain faces in this video have been blurred in compliance with a court order.
Full Unedited Bodycam of Cops Tasing 75 y.o. Man in His Own Home (Officer Hanning) Sarah Schielke - The Life & Liberty Law Office 2021-07-22 | Certain faces in this video have been blurred in compliance with a court order.In the middle of the night on May 30, 2021, two Idaho Springs Police officers (Officer Nicholas Hanning and Officer Ellie Summers) banged on 75-year-old Michael Clark’s apartment door, stormed inside, attacked him, returned to the hallway, and then – while he stood unarmed and in his boxer shorts 8 feet away from them in his apartment posing no cognizable threat whatsoever – they tased him. Mr. Clark lost consciousness and flew backwards from the tasing, striking his head on a dining room chair on the way down. His head was split open and bleeding. The officers dragged his body into the hallway for all to see. And then they climbed atop his lifeless body, with Officer Hanning putting his knee over and onto Mr. Clark’s head and neck, compressing his airway. They handcuffed him on the ground. He laid there, non-responsive, for 2 minutes and 23 seconds. He was transported to the hospital with his wrists and ankles restrained to the stretcher so that he could not move. The hospital kept Mr. Clark overnight to monitor his heart, which was not well due to the tasing causing elevated troponin levels throughout. On Memorial Day, he began vomiting blood. The day after that, he had a stroke. He was never charged with any crime. Mr. Clark, a proud father of two and grandfather of seven, enjoyed a rich, happy, independent life prior to this event. On May 30, 2021, that life was recklessly and deliberately obliterated by the Idaho Springs Police Department. Now, 8 weeks later, he remains in a 24-hour complex nursing care facility, awaiting heart surgery. He has yet to go home to his own bed and his 2 beloved cats, Marbles and Gracie. The Idaho Springs Police Department stripped him of his independence, his security and his health. His sole objective in the time he has left is to do whatever it takes to ensure this horrific abuse of a citizen by police does not happen again. That task begins by exposing the truth, and demanding change. With everything he has left, Mr. Clark does so today.
Colorado Police Tase Unarmed 75 y.o. Man in his Own Home Sarah Schielke - The Life & Liberty Law Office 2021-07-22 | In the middle of the night on May 30, 2021, two Idaho Springs Police officers (Officer Nicholas Hanning and Officer Ellie Summers) banged on 75-year-old Michael Clark’s apartment door, stormed inside, attacked him, returned to the hallway, and then – while he stood unarmed and in his boxer shorts 8 feet away from them inside his apartment posing no cognizable threat whatsoever – they tased him. Mr. Clark lost consciousness and flew backwards from the tasing, striking his head on a dining room chair on the way down. His head was split open and bleeding. The officers slammed his head into a shelf and then dragged his body into the hallway for all to see. Not done yet, they then climbed atop his lifeless body, with Officer Hanning putting his knee over and onto Mr. Clark’s head and neck, compressing his airway. They handcuffed him on the ground. He laid there, non-responsive, for 2 minutes and 23 seconds. He was transported to the hospital with his wrists and ankles restrained to the stretcher so that he could not move. The hospital kept Mr. Clark overnight to monitor his heart, which was not well due to the tasing causing elevated troponin levels throughout. On Memorial Day, he began vomiting blood. The day after that, he had a stroke. In the weeks that followed, he had to have a carotid artery surgery, and his appendix burst. He was in and out of the ICU. He requires heart surgery, which doctors are unsure his body will be able to survive. He was never charged with any crime. Mr. Clark, a proud father of two and grandfather of seven, enjoyed a rich, happy, independent life prior to this event. On May 30, 2021, that life was recklessly and deliberately obliterated by the Idaho Springs Police Department. Now, 8 weeks later, he remains in a 24-hour complex nursing care facility, awaiting heart surgery and removal of his appendix. He has yet to go home to his own bed and his 2 beloved cats, Marbles and Gracie. Despite a new state law giving the district attorney complete and unfettered discretion to release the bodycam videos of this event, she refused until ordered by a judge. And still even then, as of this writing, is stalling the videos' public release. While doing so, the district attorney and the Idaho Springs Police Department issued press releases painting Mr. Clark not as a victim, but as a crazed person with a "club-like object" who had simply been involved in a "physical altercation." The actions of these agencies re-victimized Mr. Clark and his family, after he had already been, by police officers, stripped of his independence, his security and his health. Mr. Clark's sole objective in the time he has left is to do whatever it takes to ensure this horrific abuse of a citizen by police does not happen again. That task begins by exposing the truth, and demanding change. With everything he has left, Mr. Clark does so today. Full unedited bodycam videos (with certain faces blurred in compliance with court order) are available here:Officer Hanning's BWC: youtu.be/kvTMICY40HkOfficer Summers' BWC: youtu.be/u6OpLqOvuX8NOTICE: Sarah Schielke and The Life & Liberty Law Office do authorize the use, reuse, republication and retransmission of any of the linked videos above for public interest and reporting purposes.Certain faces in this video have been blurred in compliance with a court order. All identifying information added to this video was pulled from public records.
Karen Garner Arrest - Complete Uncut Booking Video from Police Station Sarah Schielke - The Life & Liberty Law Office 2021-04-26 | “Ready for the pop? Here comes the pop.” The quote above is from a Loveland Police officer – Austin Hopp – made in reference to the sound it made when he dislocated and fractured Karen Garner’s shoulder. Hopp made this comment to two fellow Loveland Police officers while they watched his body camera video together at the police station. The comment was made while Karen Garner, who has dementia, remained handcuffed to a bench in a cell just 10 feet away from them, alone, confused and crying in pain. She would ultimately go over six hours without any medical attention. This horrific statement comes to light after Ms. Garner’s family hired a sound engineer to enhance the audio on Loveland Police station booking videos from the day of Karen’s arrest. The video reveals a grotesque culture of callous disregard for the health and safety of citizens. The officers fist bump one another multiple times in self-congratulation for both the assault on Garner and the intimidation of the citizen who attempted to complain about it.In an April 26, 2021 press release responding to the revelations seen in this video, Ms. Garner's attorney, Sarah Schielke of The Life & Liberty Law Office states: “This is utterly disgusting. These videos cannot be unseen or unheard. I am sorry to have to share them with the public. This will be traumatic and deeply upsetting for everyone to see. But as it often goes with bad police departments, it seems this is the only way to make them change. They have to be exposed. If I didn’t release this, the Loveland Police’s toxic culture of arrogance and entitlement, along with their horrific abuse of the vulnerable and powerless, would carry on, business as usual. I won’t be a part of that.” “Loveland knew. They’ve known all along,” Schielke continues. “They failed Karen Garner. They failed the community. And they did it all on camera. Do you realize how horrifying that is? That means they were used to getting away with it. That the comfortable norm in Loveland is one of zero accountability. That this is not just some ‘isolated incident.’ It is not just one single ‘problem.’ It is widespread, sociopathic criminality. And to attempt to shift the burden to Karen, or a bystander, or her family, or counsel, to report this? Shame on you, Loveland. You took an oath to protect and serve. This is a disgrace.” Since filing a federal lawsuit against the City of Loveland and three of its officers on April 14, 2021, the Loveland Police Department’s gruesome arrest and abuse of 73-year-old grandmother Karen Garner has horrified the country, making national headlines (New York Times, Washington Post, CBS News, NBC News, CNN, Newsweek, The Guardian, Vice). The 8th Judicial District Attorney’s office, in conjunction with the FBI and Fort Collins Police, has since opened a criminal investigation into the Loveland Police. Meanwhile, the City of Loveland has vowed to protect the “due process” rights of its officers, with Chief Robert Ticer putting one officer on administrative leave (Hopp) and “reassigning” the other two officers (Sergeant Metzler and Officer Jalali) to “administrative duties” (desk duty) until the various investigations are completed. To date, the City has yet to extend any apology to Ms. Garner or her family for the various atrocities witnessed on these videos. Officer Hopp's bodyworn camera video of the assault on Ms. Garner is available here:youtu.be/VG0wfPMMR4kNOTICE: The Life & Liberty Law Office DOES authorize the use, reuse, republication and retransmission of this video above for public interest and reporting purposes.The Life & Liberty Law OfficeLoveland, COwww.lifeandlibertylaw.comMedia inquiries may be directed to: madie@lifeandlibertylaw.com(970) 493-1980
Karen Garner Arrest - Horrific Highlight Reel from Booking Area Sarah Schielke - The Life & Liberty Law Office 2021-04-26 | “Ready for the pop? Here comes the pop.” The quote above is from a Loveland Police officer – Austin Hopp – said in reference to the sound it made when he dislocated and fractured Karen Garner’s shoulder. Hopp made this comment to two fellow Loveland Police officers while they watched his body camera video together at the police station. They all laughed about it. The comment was made while Karen Garner, who has dementia, remained handcuffed to a bench in a cell just 10 feet away from them, alone, confused and crying in pain. She would ultimately go over six hours without any medical attention. This horrific statement comes to light after Ms. Garner’s family hired a sound engineer to enhance the audio on Loveland Police station booking videos from the day of Karen’s arrest. The video reveals a grotesque culture of callous disregard for the health and safety of citizens. The officers fist-bump one another multiple times in self-congratulation for both the assault on Garner and the intimidation of the citizen who attempted to complain about it. In an April 26, 2021 press release responding to the revelations seen in this video, Ms. Garner's attorney, Sarah Schielke of The Life & Liberty Law Office states: “This is utterly disgusting. These videos cannot be unseen or unheard. I am sorry to have to share them with the public. This will be traumatic and deeply upsetting for everyone to see. But as it often goes with bad police departments, it seems this is the only way to make them change. They have to be exposed. If I didn’t release this, the Loveland Police’s toxic culture of arrogance and entitlement, along with their abuse of the vulnerable and powerless, would carry on, business as usual. I won’t be a part of that.”“Loveland knew. They’ve known all along,” Schielke continues. “They failed Karen Garner. They failed the community. And they did it all on camera. Do you realize how horrifying that is? That means they were used to getting away with it. That the comfortable norm in Loveland is one of zero accountability. That this is not just some ‘isolated incident.’ It is not just one single ‘problem.’ It is widespread, sociopathic criminality. And to attempt to shift the burden to Karen, or a bystander, or her family, or counsel, to report this? Shame on you, Loveland. You took an oath to protect and serve. This is a disgrace.” Since filing a federal lawsuit against the City of Loveland and three of its officers on April 14, 2021, the Loveland Police Department’s gruesome arrest and abuse of 73-year-old grandmother Karen Garner has horrified the country, making national headlines (New York Times, Washington Post, CBS News, NBC News, CNN, Newsweek, The Guardian, Vice). The 8th Judicial District Attorney’s office, in conjunction with the FBI and Fort Collins Police, has since opened a criminal investigation into the Loveland Police. Meanwhile, the City of Loveland has vowed to protect the “due process” rights of its officers, with Chief Robert Ticer putting one officer on administrative leave (Hopp) and “reassigning” the other two officers (Sergeant Metzler and Officer Jalali) to “administrative duties” (desk duty) until the various investigations are completed. To date, the City has yet to extend any apology to Ms. Garner or her family for the various atrocities witnessed on these videos. The complete uncut booking area video is available here: youtu.be/1iuuyg94-yI Officer Hopp's bodyworn camera video of the assault on Ms. Garner is available here: youtu.be/VG0wfPMMR4k CALL TO ACTION: Are you skilled with sound engineering and able to enhance audio to discern what words are being said on poor quality videos? There are still many inaudible sections of conversation in this video (and other videos) and we need your help figuring out the rest of what was said. If you think you can help us, please reach out directly to madie@lifeandlibertylaw.com. NOTICE: The Life & Liberty Law Office DOES authorize the use, reuse, republication and retransmission of this video above for public interest and reporting purposes. The Life & Liberty Law Office Loveland, CO www.lifeandlibertylaw.com Media inquiries may be directed to: madie@lifeandlibertylaw.com (970) 493-1980
Loveland Police Beat Up, Injure Elderly Woman with Dementia Sarah Schielke - The Life & Liberty Law Office 2021-04-14 | “A little bloody, a little muddy - that's how it works.” Those are the words of Loveland Police Officer Daria Jalali, said with a smile, after her sergeant asked whether the blood all over hands was her own, or whether it belonged to the 73-year-old disabled woman – Karen Garner – that they had just violently arrested, injured, and hog-tied on the side of the road. On 4/14/21, civil rights attorney Sarah Schielke of The Life & Liberty Law Office in Loveland, Colorado filed on Plaintiff Karen Garner’s behalf a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Loveland Police Department and officers Austin Hopp, Daria Jalali, and Sergeant Phil Metzler for this outrageous attack and assault. The lawsuit also includes claims for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and claims targeting Loveland’s failures to train regarding the use of force on disabled unarmed citizens.Ms. Garner is 73 years old and suffers from dementia and sensory aphasia, which impairs her ability to verbally communicate and understand others’ communications. She is five feet tall and weighs 80 pounds. On the afternoon of June 26, 2020, she was walking through a field to her home two blocks away, picking wildflowers, bothering no one, when Officer Hopp pulled up behind her, and called out to her to stop and talk to him. When she indicated she did not understand him, and turned to continue walking home, he grabbed her and violently assaulted her, twisting her arms behind her back, throwing her to the ground and handcuffing her. Just eight seconds passed between Officer Hopp reaching Ms. Garner and Officer Hopp throwing her tiny body to the ground and putting her in handcuffs. Defendant Officer Jalali then arrived and assisted Officer Hopp in violently and needlessly dislocating Ms. Garner’s shoulder, fracturing her humerus, and spraining her wrist. Then they threw her onto the ground again and hog-tied her. Throughout this attack, the only thing the terrified, disabled and injured Ms. Garner was able to utter was “I’m going home!” She cried out these words over 38 times. What little freedom and happiness Ms. Garner enjoyed in her life as an elderly adult with declining mental health was, on June 26, 2020, obliterated by the Loveland Police Department. She has become withdrawn, depressed, afraid to go outdoors. She has lost most functional use of her left arm and now requires assistance to shower and get dressed. The district attorney’s office completely dismissed the case and charges against her. And despite the entire event being captured on bodyworn cameras, not one officer or supervisor involved in the violations of her civil rights at Loveland has been disciplined. “Ms. Garner’s experience with Loveland Police is not about bad apples,” says her attorney, Sarah Schielke. “It is about culture. And the culture in Loveland is one of lack of care, lack of humility. Loveland Police officers have enrobed themselves with a completely unaccountable authoritarian superiority. They demand total obedience and submission from everyone – including the disabled elderly – and if you don’t immediately capitulate, they will make you pay for it." “This is not community policing. This is community terrorism,” says Schielke. “Ms. Garner is one of the most vulnerable members of our community – a mother, a grandmother, a tiny, frail human with cognitive disabilities – and they treated her like an animal.” “And,” adds Schielke, “if this is what they’re doing to a terrified elderly lady with dementia, what do you think they’re doing to everyone else?” The complete unedited video from Hopp’s bodyworn camera is available at:youtu.be/VG0wfPMMR4kThis is not the first time Loveland Police have been sued for the violent takedown of a disabled citizen (also resulting in a dislocated shoulder). Just this past year they faced a lawsuit in Sowl v. City of Loveland, video from that incident viewable here:youtu.be/P-5HewucBxwMr. Sowl’s case settled without any admission of fault or liability from Loveland in January for $290,000.NOTICE: The Life & Liberty Law Office DOES authorize the use, reuse, republication and retransmission of any of the videos on this channel for public interest and reporting purposes.www.lifeandlibertylaw.com
Loveland Officer Assault on Elderly Lady With Dementia (Complete - Unedited) Sarah Schielke - The Life & Liberty Law Office 2021-04-14 | Ms. Garner is 73 years old and suffers from dementia and sensory aphasia, which impairs her ability to verbally communicate and understand others’ communications. She is five feet tall and weighs 80 pounds. On the afternoon of June 26, 2020, she was walking through a field to her home two blocks away, picking wildflowers, bothering no one, when Officer Hopp pulled up behind her, and called out to her to stop and talk to him. When she indicated she did not understand him, and turned to continue walking home, he grabbed her and violently assaulted her, twisting her arms behind her back, throwing her to the ground and handcuffing her. Just eight seconds passed between Officer Hopp reaching Ms. Garner and Officer Hopp throwing her tiny body to the ground and putting her in handcuffs. Defendant Officer Jalali then arrived and assisted Officer Hopp in violently and needlessly dislocating Ms. Garner’s shoulder, fracturing her humerus, and spraining her wrist. Then they threw her onto the ground again and hog-tied her. Throughout this attack, the only thing the terrified, disabled and injured Ms. Garner was able to utter was “I’m going home!”. She cried out these words over 38 times. Supervising officer Sergeant Metzler arrived on scene in the middle of this event, approved of the brutality, helped his subordinates to cover it up, and then directed that Ms. Garner be denied access to medical care for her injuries afterward. He kept his own bodyworn camera deactivated and failed to write a report afterwards regarding the use of force, both in violation of Loveland Police’s written policies. Despite the visible dislocation of her arm from her shoulder, and Ms. Garner’s repeated complaints of pain while on scene and in the several hours she remained in their care and control that followed, none of the defendant officers nor anyone else at the Loveland Police Department ever sought medical care for Ms. Garner, in violation of Loveland Police’s written policies regarding use of force and injuries. No one ever obtained mental health assistance for the observably mentally disabled Ms. Garner. Instead, the officers handcuffed her to a cell at the station for over 2 hours, keeping her isolated and terrified, in extreme pain, and then deposited her at the Larimer County jail where they lied and said she was uninjured, which ensured she continued to not receive medical treatment for another 3 hours. Loveland’s justification for all this? Ms. Garner was suspected of having exited a Walmart without paying for $13.88 of items. Forgetting to pay for items at a store is one of the most common and well-known symptoms witnessed in elderly persons suffering from dementia. Nearly 20 percent of all adults of Ms. Garner’s age or more are suffering from some form of dementia. On 4/14/21, Ms. Garner filed a federal lawsuit alleging civil rights and ADA violations against Loveland for this incident. What little freedom and happiness Ms. Garner enjoyed in her life as an elderly adult with declining mental health was, on June 26, 2020, obliterated by the Loveland Police Department. She has become withdrawn, depressed, afraid to go outdoors. She has lost most functional use of her left arm and now requires assistance to shower and get dressed. The district attorney’s office completely dismissed the case and charges against her. And despite the entire event being captured on bodyworn cameras, not one officer or supervisor involved in the violations of her civil rights at Loveland has been disciplined. “Ms. Garner’s experience with Loveland Police is not about bad apples,” says her attorney, Sarah Schielke. “It is about culture. And the culture in Loveland is one of lack of care, lack of humility. Loveland Police officers have enrobed themselves with a completely unaccountable authoritarian superiority. They demand total obedience and submission from everyone – including the disabled elderly – and if you don’t immediately capitulate, they will make you pay for it.” “This is not community policing. This is community terrorism,” says Schielke. “Ms. Garner is one of the most vulnerable members of our community – a mother, a grandmother, a tiny, frail human with cognitive disabilities – and they treated her like an animal.” “And,” adds Schielke, “if this is what they’re doing to a terrified elderly lady with dementia, what do you think they’re doing to everyone else?” NOTICE: The Life & Liberty Law Office DOES authorize the use, reuse, republication and retransmission of this video above for public interest and reporting purposes.
COP LAUGHS ABOUT SHOOTING BIKER BC HE NEEDS SOME PAID VACATION Sarah Schielke - The Life & Liberty Law Office 2020-09-09 | Officer David Miller of the LaSalle Police Department in LaSalle, CO pulled over Hells Angels member Anthony Mills on April 8, 2018 for speeding. Officer Miller then turned the traffic stop into an hour-long detention, calling a dozen other officers from five different police departments to also respond, because he - in his words - loves "getting to fuck with HA." The on-scene officers can be heard checking with one another, as they arrive, that everyone's "bodycam is off." The cops next began sharing stories with one another of violent things they had each done to bikers and members of motorcycle clubs. The topic then turned to various motorcyclists the officers had tased or attempted to tase. One officer described how he had "almost tased a guy off a motorcycle" while the motorcycle was in motion and had a passenger riding on it, to much laughter. Officer Miller then announced to the group that if Mr. Mills did anything he didn't like: "I'm shooting him! I need some paid vacation!" All of the officers laughed and laughed in response. Unbeknownst to them, Officer Miller had failed to deactivate his bodycam at the beginning of the stop. All of this was recorded.Mr. Mills retained Sarah Schielke of The Life & Liberty Law Office to sue the officers and their agencies in federal court for their violations of his civil rights on April 6, 2020. Just a few months later, on September 9, 2020, the case was settled following the agencies paying Mr. Mills $25,000 and Officer Miller writing Mr. Mills a letter of apology. Officer Miller has since resigned from the department. Some might write off incidents like these as isolated instances of unprofessionalism. But they are not so innocuous. When police officers openly discuss with one another their disdain for one group of citizens that they are sworn to serve and protect, and make jokes about killing those citizens for "paid vacation leave," they normalize police misconduct and murder. Cop jokes about some lives not mattering inevitably fosters a culture of police officers who are much more willing to pull the trigger on those same lives later. "On this, you don't need to take my word for it," says Mills' attorney Sarah Schielke, "as we're living in that very world with those very police right this very second." "Hearing what police say when they think they are NOT being recorded is the best insight we have into the state of policing and police culture today," says Ms. Schielke. "And this video reveals that our society's present worries and outrage at the ease with which police kill civilians are quite well-placed. One bad apple DOES spoil the whole bunch if the other apples continue to defend and conceal the bad apples within. Until police officers themselves have no tolerance for their fellow officers' misconduct and criminal attitudes, all Americans - particularly those in stigmatized groups - will continue to be unsafe in their presence."
LOVELAND COPS BEAT UP GOOD SAMARITAN FOR NOT TALKING - Unedited Full Video Sarah Schielke - The Life & Liberty Law Office 2020-06-22 | Loveland Police Officers beat up good Samaritan Preston Sowl because he refused to submit to their questioning. Literally. That's it. He had committed no crimes. Everyone has a constitutional right to refuse to submit to police questioning. Radio edit of video w/ photos of injuries available here: youtu.be/P-5HewucBxwThis happened on September 22, 2019. Preston Sowl and his wife saw a downed motorcyclist blocking the exit, trapped under his bike and bleeding. They and several others stopped to render aid and called 911. While the motorcyclist was receiving medical care, Officer Paul Ashe of the Loveland Police Department arrived on scene. Officer Ashe approached Preston and demanded Preston speak to him and answer questions. Preston exercised his constitutional right to decline such questioning. Preston told Officer Ashe he knew his rights, that he did not have to participate in questioning, and that Officer Ashe needed to leave him alone. Officer Ashe did not leave him alone. Instead, Ashe retaliated by falsely arresting Preston for the crime of Obstruction and then violently handcuffing and arresting him with two fellow Loveland Police Officers, Officer Benjamin DeLima, and Detective Clint Schnorr, who was a supervisor. The officers slammed Preston to the pavement and violently twisted his arms behind his back causing his left shoulder to fracture and dislocate. Preston also suffered a torn rotator cuff, and bleeding contusions to his head, knees, legs, arms and wrist. After assaulting Preston, Officer Ashe taunted him, saying things like "I told you. I told you. All you had to do is talk to me" and "That's what happens when you don't cooperate." The several Loveland PD officers on scene then began tossing ideas around for what crime they could claim they suspected Sowl of suspected of to justify their arrest and attack on him. Most of the officers remembered to mute their cameras for this part, but one did not. They then agreed that they would all say that they suspected that Mr. Sowl had committed felony Tampering with Physical Evidence offense... for having helped to lift the bike off the injured rider. Preston's injuries ultimately required complete shoulder replacement surgery. The district attorney’s office dismissed the case and charges against him. No officer or supervisor involved in the violations of his civil rights was ever disciplined. Now, in addition to filing a civil lawsuit against the officers involved and the Loveland Police Department, Mr. Sowl is sharing this experience with the media and public in order to expose the Loveland Police Department’s insidious culture of oppressing citizens and their First Amendment rights, its pattern of needless escalation in even the most garden-variety of encounters with the public, and its unacceptable practices of retaliatory arrests and excessive force. "Clearly, not even bodycams will stop Loveland police officers from doing whatever they want, to whomever they want," says Preston's attorney, Sarah Schielke of The Life & Liberty Law Office. "Think about that. That is how invincible these officers feel. That they could do this to a good Samaritan - knowing its being recorded - it is a terrifying testament to how bad things have gotten."“As we all well know, corrupt and lawless police officers have a long history of being protected by their colleagues and insulated from accountability. Sadly, as this incident shows, it is no different in Loveland,” Ms. Schielke adds. “A badge is not carte blanche to be a bully. It is an obligation to protect and serve the public. And these officers did neither.”
