An Iowa police lieutenant has been arrested for stalking a woman and has been placed on unpaid leave while the incident is investigated.
Justin Keller, 42, is accused of contacting a woman repeatedly and frequently driving by her house, as reported by KCCI based on the criminal complaint. The complaint mentions that Keller entered the woman’s house without permission on Sunday, with witnesses observing multiple instances of him passing by her residence.
The incidents were investigated by the Carlisle Police Department at the request of Keller’s employer, the Indianola Police Department.
Reported by KCCI, Keller is identified as a 20-year veteran of the Indianola department and a US citizen. Police Chief Brian Sher mentioned that an internal investigation is currently ongoing concerning the matter.
“These are serious allegations that the Indianola Police Department and the City of Indianola do not take lightly,” Sher said in a statement.
Court documents reveal that another woman employed at the Indianola Police Department filed a lawsuit against Keller last year. The lawsuit alleged that Keller sent her explicit photos of himself, retaliated against her when she rejected his advances, and sexually assaulted her during a shared night shift.
It’s not clear if the woman who filed the lawsuit is the same woman Keller is accused of stalking.
According to KCCI, Keller requested a public defender, saying he worked for the Christian Opportunity Center, a non-profit that works with people with disabilities, but did not mention his long term employment with the police department in the request.
The director of the Christian Opportunity Center, Jodi Tukker, told KCCI however that “Keller is not currently, nor has he been in the past, an employee of the Christian Opportunity Center.”
