Arkansas: The Saline Courier reported a swift fall from grace for Bryant Police Department (BPD) Sgt. Brett Carpenter, after he was observed off-duty driving his pickup the wrong way on a service road off I-30 on January 13, 2026. Saline County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) deputies stopped him, eventually impounding the truck after he refused all four standardized field sobriety tests. They also recovered three firearms from the vehicle, which were released to Carpenter’s wife. He was taken to the Saline County Detention Center, where subsequent testing revealed that he had a blood alcohol content of 0.22, nearly three times the legal limit. He was charged the next day with DWI and “driving left of center.” Within 24 hours, the BPD fired him, too.

California: Former Antioch Police Department (APD) Off. Devon Wenger, 33, was sentenced to seven and a half years in federal prison on December 2, 2025, for conspiring to violate the civil rights of suspects. According to Police1, the trial of the decorated U.S. military veteran revealed a second “dual identity” that boasted in text messages about “smashing” one woman’s head into a patrol car and breaking the arm of another. Co-defendant and fellow former APD Off. Morteza Amiri, 34, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison in March 2025 for using his K-9 to bite suspects in minor crimes, including one cyclist stopped for not using his bike light. A third co-defendant, former APD Off. Eric Rombough, 41, pleaded guilty in January 2025, after text messages he sent revealed he had racially profiled suspects, admitting to his fellow cops, “I’m only stopping them cuz they black.” He also shared pictures of two injured black arrestees that he had brutalized, sarcastically explaining: “Obviously wasn’t complying.” His sentencing has been continued. See: United States v. Wenger, USDC (N.D. Cal.), Case No. 4:23-cr-00269. In a separate trial in April 2025, Wenger was convicted of distributing steroids to colleagues and deleting text messages to derail the subsequent federal investigation. His co-defendant in that case, former APD Off. Daniel Harris, 38, pleaded guilty in September 2024 and agreed to testify against Wenger and others. For that he was sentenced to time served on January 13, 2026. See: United States v. Harris, USDC (N.D. Cal.), Case No. 4:23-cr-00268. That same day, fellow former APD Off. Timothy Manly Williams, who had also worked for the nearby Pittsburgh Police Department (PDP), was sentenced to three years of probation after testifying about a conspiracy to accept tequila bribes from drivers pulled over in traffic stops; he also admitted to that crime when he pleaded guilty in December 2023 to interfering with a criminal wiretap. See: United States v. Harris, USDC (N.D. Cal.), Case No. 4:23-cr-00268. The four were among 10 former APD and PDP employees charged after a sprawling federal investigation concluded in 2023, which also revealed that six cops had paid a third party to fraudulently complete coursework that they passed off as their own to earn university degrees and boost their pay.

Connecticut: After it was revealed that she made up a story about a hit-and-run which triggered a massive emergency response, Connecticut State Police (CSP) Trooper Samantha Stella, 28, was arrested and resigned on January 8, 2026. WFSB in Rocky Hill reported that Stella claimed a Mazda hatchback struck her CSP cruiser in Danbury last October. But forensic analysis told a different story. Investigators found no physical evidence that a second vehicle was involved, and witnesses confirmed that Stella lost control while distracted by her onboard computer, striking a metal pole before fleeing the scene. She then staged an “accident” miles away, causing dispatch of fire and police units. Stella was charged with falsely reporting an incident, misuse of 911, and evading responsibility. She also has four previous cruiser crashes, but she’s not the only CSP trooper with a spotty driving record. Former Sgt. Catherine Koeppel was decertified in August 2025 after driving her cruiser into the rear-end of a car driven by a college student in 2022, the Connecticut Post reported.

Connecticut: The Connecticut Insider reported that Bethel Police Department (BPD) Off. Jessenia Beamonte, 32, was arrested on January 13, 2026, for allegedly abusing her position to shield her brother from prosecution following a fatal hit-and-run. A juvenile passenger died in that January 2025 incident, when Carlos Beamonte’s vehicle struck another car at high speed. He was intoxicated, but his sister delayed reporting the crash for over an hour while she interrogated a supervisor about whether her brother would face field sobriety tests. Beamonte is accused of “knowingly and willfully” impeding the investigation to mitigate her brother’s DUI and related charges. A 10-year BPD veteran, she was placed on administrative leave.

Florida: According to WJXT in Jacksonville, the Sheriff’s Office for Jacksonville and Duval County (JSO) recorded its fifth employee arrest in three weeks on January 17, 2026. That’s when five-year veteran Dep. Stephen Hicks, 32, was arrested following a violent off-duty encounter at a local skate park. Hicks allegedly accused a teenager of an unspecified rule violation, forcibly throwing the youth from his bike. He then flashed his badge and fled the scene. Hicks turned himself into JSO integrity unit investigators later that day. He was charged with misdemeanor battery and administratively reassigned. Before that, fellow Dep. Jose Guerra, 54, a 19-year veteran guard at the Duvall County Jail (DCJ), was arrested for domestic battery and witness tampering on January 14; he was suspended without pay pending termination. Dep. Nicholas Hicks, a 10-year veteran, was arrested on January 6 for allegedly falsifying hours worked on over 40 skipped shifts that JSO contracted to a local hospital. A 28-year veteran, Dep. Raymond Goethe was arrested for an off-duty DUI on January 2. On December 30, 2025, another DCJ guard, Dep. Taaron Clayton, 25, was arrested for allegedly exposing himself to an unnamed co-worker. A nine-month veteran, he was still on probation and was fired immediately.

Georgia: Two Cobb County Police Department (CCPD) officers were arrested for felony crimes against children, CBS News reported, beginning on January 9, 2026, when the state Bureau of Investigation (GBI) charged Off. Withman Benjamin, 47, with sexual battery against a child under 16. The seven-year CCPD veteran was released on a $3,500 bond. On January 13, Off. Tyler Bertolini, 30, was arrested on counts of first and third-degree cruelty to children for allegedly beating a 10-year-old with belt, according to the Marietta Daily Journal. Both cops were placed on administrative leave while the office of Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway pursued their prosecution.

Georgia: Former Douglas County Probate Judge Christina Peterson, 40, filed a $50 million lawsuit against the City of Atlanta and one of its police officers on January 13, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. The suit accuses Atlanta Police Department (APD) Off. Keith Wadsworth of excessive force and defamatory misconduct, stemming from a June 2024 incident outside a nightclub, where Peterson intervened to protect a woman from an assault. The APD later circulated bodycam footage suggesting that Peterson shoved Wadsworth, but her suit claims that any contact was accidental – and was met with “actual malice” when Wadsworth tossed the good Samaritan to the ground and arrested her for disorderly conduct. He then threw Peterson in his patrol car, the suit claims, “for four or five hours, while [he] drove erratically, stopped at undisclosed locations, exited the vehicle multiple times, and made private phone calls.” See: Peterson v. City of Atlanta, USDC (N.D. Ga.), Case No. 1:26-cv-00202.

Hawaii: The Special Investigation and Prosecution Division (SIPD) of the Office of Hawai’i Attorney General Anne E. Lopez (D) filed charges on January 13, 2026, against state Police Department (HPD) Offs. Noah Serrao and Blane Kenolio. According to KHNL/KGMB in Honolulu, they conducted a pair of searches in May 2023 of unnamed suspects’ personal belongings without a warrant or consent. Serrao was charged with perjury, false swearing, and tampering with government records. Kenolio was charged with tampering with physical evidence. Both graduated with the HPD’s 91st Recruit Class in 2020.

Iowa: After a state audit exposed a “double-­dipping” payroll scam, William Daggett, 48, was charged on January 6, 2026, with fraudulently billing the same hours worked to both the Baxter Police Department (BPD) in Jasper County and the Van Meter Police Department (VMPD) in Dallas County while he simultaneously served as Chief of both. WHO-DT in Des Moines reported that the criminal complaint further detailed how Daggett acted as his own timekeeper in Baxter when falsifying records to bilk the tiny city (pop. 983) of over $41,000 in excess wages and unearned compensatory time, as well as fraudulent pension and FICA contributions, by manipulating payroll for 36 pay periods. Charged with first-degree theft and felonious misconduct in office, Daggett surrendered. Meanwhile, investigators turned their attention to his subsequent dual roles as police chief and interim City Administrator in Mitchellville, which staddles the line between Jasper and Polk Counties. No related charges have yet been filed. Daggett remained free on bond pending a court appearance in Jasper County.

Kansas: According to KSNT in Topeka, former Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) Dep. Garrett Gayoso, 25, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Kansas City on January 12, 2026, for sexual exploitation of a child in producing child pornography. Shockingly, he had been assigned to investigate online crimes against children when he was promoted to detective by the CCSO in February 2025. Meanwhile, he was allegedly grooming a 16-year-old in Massachusetts that he met online. Investigators uncovered a staggering 24,000 text messages and 119 illicit images that he exchanged with her, even after the victim presented ID to him proving that she was underage. He was initially charged in 2025 in Massachusetts, where he allegedly traveled to have sex with the victim. Gayoso will remain in custody of U.S. Marshals until his trial takes place in Wichita. See: United States v. Gayoso, USDC (D. Kan.), Case No. 6:25-cr-10153.

Maryland: Former Cecil County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) Dep. Dontae D. Odom, 35, was sentenced to six months in jail on November 19, 2025, for misappropriating law enforcement tools for use as his own personal surveillance network, Maryland Matters reported. Odom pleaded guilty the month before to misconduct in office and unauthorized computer access, after investigators found that he illegally queried databases to stalk his wife, romantic partners, and their relatives. He was sentenced to eight years of incarceration with all but six months suspended. He must also serve three years of supervised probation. Odom was a six-year veteran of CCSO when he resigned in August 2025, shortly after his arrest.

Michigan: WJBK in Detroit reported that Wayne County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) Dep. Sahil Massey, 36, was convicted of misconduct in office on January 15, 2026, for staging a traffic stop the previous February that targeted a fellow law enforcement officer from the Novi Police Department (NPD) in suburban Oakland County. At the time, Massey was off-duty and driving a “take-home” unmarked WCSO vehicle when he was pulled over by the unnamed NPD officer, who found the vehicle’s license plate suspicious. After a review of Massey’s credentials, he was released, WILX in Lansing said. But 15 minutes later, Massey attempted to turn the tables and pulled over the same officer. Conducted outside his jurisdiction and with no legal basis, Massey’ attempt at retaliation backfired spectacularly when a jury found it was a criminal abuse of power. Massey faced up to five years in prison at sentencing in February 2026.

North Carolina: WTVD in Durham reported that former Durham Police Department (DPD) Cpl. Rayshawn Deon Taylor, 36, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison on January 15, 2026, for a predatory on-duty sexual assault committed during a routine welfare check the previous August. Taylor admitted to using a translation app on his personal phone during the assault to threaten the unnamed victim with arrest if he reported the attack. The cop also deactivated his body-worn camera during the encounter, in violation of DPD policy, though some of it was caught on the dashcam of his police cruiser. He later deleted the translation app’s data in a further attempt at a coverup. See: United States v. Taylor, USDC (M.D.N.C.), Case No. 1:25-cr-00307.

Oklahoma: The long arm of the law reached the thin blue line in LeFlore County on January 16, 2026, when Pocola Police Department (PDP) Off. Todd France was arrested for harboring a fugitive, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia. According to KFSM in Fort Smith, Arkansas, the County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) deployed its SWAT team to nab France, who was on-duty at the time, citing both his training and firearm. State investigators were at the home of the unnamed fugitive the day before to execute a warrant for her arrest when they discovered France and suspected that the two were romantically involved. Though he identified himself as a PDP cop, France was not initially cooperative, they said, leading them to determine that he was shielding the suspect.

Texas: Hamilton County Sheriff Jason Bradley Boulton, 54, was arrested by the Texas Rangers on January 7, 2026, and booked into the Coryell County Jail on 10 charges ranging from tampering with government records to abuse of official capacity. According to KWTX in Waco, Boulton is accused of falsifying community service logs for a probationer and facilitating the illegal delivery of dangerous drugs to County officials. The worst charge alleged his failure to report a felony involving “serious bodily injury or death” linked to the unauthorized practice of medicine. All charges stem from his alleged connection to Erika Bedell, who was arrested in September 2025 for selling counterfeit GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. Prosecutors claim that the Sheriff knew of the crimes, which reportedly led to multiple hospitalizations, but failed to report them or arrest Bedell, instead facilitating her activities and even falsifying her community service records. He is also charged with providing false statements regarding his knowledge of County officials who used the drugs. He was freed on a $110,000 bond.

Texas: On December 30, 2025, the state Seventh Court of Appeals in Amarillo overturned the conviction of Austin Police Department (APD) Off. Christopher Taylor, taking the rare step of tossing a jury verdict to acquit him. KVUE in Austin reported that Taylor was the first officer in APD’s modern history convicted on charges of murder and deadly conduct for an on-duty killing after the 2019 shooting of Dr. Mauris DeSilva, a researcher experiencing a mental health crisis. But the appellate court declared that Taylor enjoyed qualified immunity, declaring that the shooting was justified by the threat Taylor perceived because DeSilva was armed with a knife. The same charges were filed against fellow APD Off. Karl Krycia and then dropped, after he agreed to use his experience to conduct training for other APD officers. New state legislation that exempts cops from “deadly conduct” charges altogether (S.B. 1637/H.B. 2436) was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in June 2025. It took effect on September 1.

Wisconsin: Following his sentencing on January 12, 2026, former New Berlin Police Department (NBPD) Sgt. Steve Dodson, 46, will spend six months in jail for the unauthorized removal of narcotics – including heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine – from an NBPD K9 training storage locker between 2023 and 2024. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that the 20-year veteran cop, who resigned in May 2025, pleaded guilty to felony misconduct, second-offense OWI, and operating a firearm while intoxicated. Judge Ralph Ramirez sentenced him to a three-and-a-half-year prison term but probated three years of it, conditioned on Dodson’s absolute sobriety, as well as completion of the remaining term in jail.

Wyoming: A federal law enforcement officer for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is facing second-degree murder charges following a fatal barroom brawl in Lander, Wyoming, according to the Cowboy State Daily. Richard “Deak” Dollard, 53, a BLM ranger since 2016 who previously worked for the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, was arrested after allegedly killing 38-year-old Evan Denevan on January 13, 2026. An evidentiary affidavit from the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation said that surveillance and bystander video captured Dollard intervening in a fight involving his brother, Justin, and nephew, Jesse. Putting the lie to his claims that he used “trained de-escalation” tactics, video evidence showed him placing Denevan in a “rear naked chokehold” for nearly 30 seconds. Denevan then collapsed and turned purple, while all three Dollards retreated without rendering aid. The former BLM cop now faces 20 years to life in prison; and his family members face accessory charges.  

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