PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Tony Reeves, the West Linn police sergeant who was the lead investigator in the wrongful arrest of a Black man in Portland, was fired by the deparment Tuesday.
Acting Chief of Police Peter Mahuna made the announcement. In a statement, Mahuna said:
“My decision was primarily based upon the following information: Being barred from testifying in criminal cases brought by the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office; providing evidence discovered in Mr. (Michael) Fesser’s vehicle at the time of his arrest to Mr. Benson; the intentional deletion of homophobic, racist and misogynistic text messages with Mr. Benson, and the irreparable loss of public trust and confidence in his ability to be a fair and unbiased police officer. Sergeant Reeves also caused harm to the image and professionalism of the West Linn Police Department.”
Previous KOIN coverage: Michael Fesser case
On May 29, the Clackamas County district attorney ruled Reeves will never again be called to testify in any county criminal court case and should have his police certification revoked.
Thatt was the first inquiry completed of multiple investigations launched after the Oregonian reported in February that West Linn paid $600,000 to Fesser to settle his suit.
The DA’s investigation found that Reeves colluded with then-Chief Terry Timeus to pursue Fesser’s unsupported arrest.