Deputy Caught LYING On The Radio - February 10, 2023
- 7 months ago
Shortly before midnight on February 10th, 2023, a Caldwell Parish Sheriff's Office deputy conducted a traffic stop in the town of Clarks. When Hatten got out of his patrol car, he forgot to turn his portable (handheld) radio on and also apparently left his phone in his car. Other deputies and the dispatcher called for him multiple times with no answer. They headed toward his location, fearing something had happened. He finally turned his radio on and advised he was code-4, and the dispatcher admonished him for not answering. He stated his radio had been on the wrong channel, but records from the LWIN radio system show that to be untrue. We caught him lying to the dispatcher, over the radio. When other deputies arrived they searched the vehicle, while the lying deputy handcuffed the driver and transported him to the jail for a strip/body cavity search. None of the deputies found anything, so they let him go.
Forgetting to turn one's radio on is understandable. It happens relatively often (in fact just an hour prior, another deputy forgot to turn his portable on, and admitted to it) and isn't that big of a deal, there was no reason whatsoever for him to lie about it. It was a little "white lie" about something insignificant, but it gives us an insight into his character. I'm not a religious person but a passage from the book of Luke comes to mind: "He who is faithful in very little will also be faithful in much, and he who is dishonest in very little will also be dishonest in much."
Jesus's words ring true with this particular deputy. Over the years we've caught him being dishonest about several things in his radio transmissions, arrest reports, vehicle accident reports, warrant applications, social media posts and comments, and in face-to-face conversations. We also have reason to believe he lied to investigators from the Louisiana Attorney General's office when questioned about an unlawful traffic stop and roadside strip search he conducted a couple years ago - that he did not call in over the radio.
Forgetting to turn one's radio on is understandable. It happens relatively often (in fact just an hour prior, another deputy forgot to turn his portable on, and admitted to it) and isn't that big of a deal, there was no reason whatsoever for him to lie about it. It was a little "white lie" about something insignificant, but it gives us an insight into his character. I'm not a religious person but a passage from the book of Luke comes to mind: "He who is faithful in very little will also be faithful in much, and he who is dishonest in very little will also be dishonest in much."
Jesus's words ring true with this particular deputy. Over the years we've caught him being dishonest about several things in his radio transmissions, arrest reports, vehicle accident reports, warrant applications, social media posts and comments, and in face-to-face conversations. We also have reason to believe he lied to investigators from the Louisiana Attorney General's office when questioned about an unlawful traffic stop and roadside strip search he conducted a couple years ago - that he did not call in over the radio.