A Kentucky police officer was let go from the police force on Friday for giving information to a Black Lives Matter organizer during protests last summer.
Officer Jervis Middleton was fired from the Lexington Police Department following a unanimous vote by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council after a nine-hour hearing and two hours of closed deliberations, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.
Middleton, who is Black, initially denied sharing information via text messages about police movements to his friend, BLM leader Sarah Williams.
The city obtained a search warrant that allowed access to Middleton’s cell phone. He admitted his involvement with BLM when he was shown text messages exchanged between himself and Williams.
Middleton’s lawyers argued that he shouldn’t be fired because the information he shared with Williams didn’t put officers in harm’s way.
But, according to Lawofficer.com, once an officer is proven to be a liar they are useless as a witness in court.
Middleton claimed he was racially discriminated against by other officers who called him “boy” and “token boy.” But the allegations were not investigated by the department because a formal complaint had not been filed.
Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers said that while he understood Middleton’s concerns, it didn’t justify breaking the department’s information-sharing policies.
Weathers, who is also Black, said race was not a factor in the recommendation to fire Middleton.
