Three readers have written in with tips about a rumored ongoing investigation into an incident involving officers with the Waynesboro Police Department, and we’ve gotten the barest of confirmations from a PD spokesperson that something did apparently happen.
“We will acknowledge there is a matter we are addressing,” Capt. Jamie Dunn wrote back in response to our inquiry into allegations that there was some sort of physical incident involving multiple police officers last month.
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The details from the rumor mill are, understandably, hazy.
The first email tip that came into us, dated May 1, reported “conflicting stories.”
“One is that there was a heated argument, and it resulted in a physical altercation and a tase. The other is that it was a hazing incident.”
The second tip, dated May 7, alleged that Virginia State Police are investigating “an entire shift of officers at the Waynesboro Police Department for hazing and aggregation assault after they held down a young cop, stripped him, and his supervisor tazed him.”
A third tip came into us on May 17.
“I was seeing if you may have any information on the two officers at WPD that were involved with an altercation. Information out there is that one was assaulted by another, and one was tased. I do know one member is on leave, and it is under VSP investigation. Sounds as criminal charges may be coming for the one officer.”
We reached out to the Virginia State Police on Monday for comment, waited a whole day to give time for a response, and at this point, haven’t heard back anything.
What we got from Dunn isn’t much, but it’s what we have.
In addition to acknowledging that “there is a matter we are addressing,” Dunn had this to say:
“To share on general inquiries when they may involve personnel matters, following department policy and protections provided under Virginia law, we cannot comment on personnel matters, whether perceived or actual, especially when the facts are often initially uncorroborated and under review,” Dunn wrote to us.
“We are always committed to handling such issues quickly, with the appropriate confidentiality and due process. Should a matter warrant public disclosure, we will communicate through our usual channels, as we are always dedicated and focused on upholding the integrity and professionalism expected of our profession,” Dunn wrote.
That’s an awful lot of words to say, I’m not going to tell you anything.
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Chris Graham
