RALEIGH, N.C. — After an investigation, two State Highway Patrol officers in North Carolina are currently on leave from duty. The Wake County district attorney stated that they provided false information to the Raleigh police, resulting in the dismissal of numerous cases.
Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman has confirmed that 180 court cases involving one or more state troopers have been dropped. The decision was made due to concerns about the credibility and dependability of Trooper Garrett Macario as a witness.
“It is extremely disappointing. We rely on our law enforcement officers to be truthful. When there are suspicions of dishonesty, it is not only disheartening but also exasperating,” Freeman expressed her frustration.
Freeman confirmed she is also reviewing cases handled by another state trooper, Sgt. Matthew Morrison. She anticipates dismissals in his cases as well and also more cases involving Macario.
“I would hope what the community takes away from this is the vast number of cases going through the system and that officers in Wake County are doing a good job and want to do the right thing,” she said.
As of Jan. 10, both troopers are on administrative leave.
How the investigation unfolded
The investigation started in December when the State Bureau of Investigation received a tip about a deadly car crash along Capital Boulevard in October. According to Freeman, Macario was involved in the investigation.
She said that after watching the body cam and dashcam of his exchange with Raleigh police officers at the crash scene, she determined he gave misleading or false information to those officers.
Freeman says Macario’s “credibility” was “impaired,” and made the call to dismiss dozens of cases he had investigated. She said the majority of them were Driving While Impaired (DWI) cases.
“We are going to do the right thing as prosecutors and step up and seek justice. It’s important we do it the right way. We have to be able to rely on officers to speak the truth. When that’s in question we have a responsibility to not move forward in those cases,” Freeman said.
The SBI has been tapped to lead the investigation into the case. It’s not yet known whether the troopers in question will face criminal charges.
Dismissals frustrate victims’ advocates
The dismissals were also frustrating for victims advocates like Ollie Jefferson from Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
“You know, somehow they always seem to get the victim. They may be victimized again, because if the case is dismissed, then that means that they are again, they are left without restitution,’ she said. “They are left without any compensation for what they you know, for what they endured.”
Some cases involved a hit and run, reckless driving, speeding, and in some cases where the driver blew more than double the legal limit.
Jefferson hopes as some drivers may get off on a technicality, they don’t take a second chance for granted.
“So I hope they will learn from this and say, I’m not going drink and drive again. I’m not going to drive impaired. Again, you know, I’ll get out, be responsible. I get a designated driver. And that’s why I will be responsible,” she said.
This story was first reported by AXIOS Raleigh.
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