By Bert Eyler, Retired Officer & Vice President/Treasurer of National Center for Police Defense, Inc.
The charges against Officer Josh Taylor are the latest travesty of justice against our police officers. This whole charade seems to be more about the prosecutor making a name for himself than about justice. Officer Josh Taylor of Wilson, Oklahoma and his partner Brandon Dingman have been charged with second-degree murder nearly a year after the incident occurred and after being cleared twice for their actions. As was routine, both the Chief of Police and the City Council investigated the incident with Lakey and they both determined Josh and Brandon did nothing wrong. It was simply a tragic case of someone with mental and physical health problems resisting arrest and overexerting their physical capacities.
Beyond that, it was not even Officer Taylor or Officer Dingman that put the suspect in a neck restraint. Therefore, within either narrative that is currently being presented to the public, there are many falsities and half-truths to amplify the progressive agenda at play. We hope that people take the time to learn what really happened that day and what steps these officers went through, how they followed every protocol, and were cleared by two different local decision-making bodies. It shows that undoubtedly Officers Taylor and Dingman are being used as political pawns and scapegoats amidst the anti-cop rhetoric that is currently overtaking our country.
Officer Josh Taylor goes to trial on May 3rd and faces from 10 years to life simply for doing his job on July 4th, 2019. Officer Taylor got a call about a domestic disturbance. When Josh arrived at the scene that fateful day, he found a large man, named Jared Lakey, walking down the street with no clothes on but his black socks. Josh called for backup because he knew he couldn’t take Lakey into custody alone. When Josh’s partner Brandon got there, they tried to handcuff Lakey, but he was just too strong and too big. Lakey was fighting Josh and Brandon the whole time. Josh and Brandon decided they would use a non-lethal taser to subdue Lakey. The first time they tased Lakey, he ripped the barbs of the taser out. They tased Lakey again, and again Lakey pulled out the barbs. A third and fourth taser stun also failed and the situation was getting out of control. The Deputy Sheriff arrived shortly after and was far more aggressive than Officers Taylor and Dingman had been. And yet these two young men are the ones being put through the legal ringer. Why?
These officers are being punished by a local prosecutor who’s desperate to make a name for himself. Josh and Brandon’s trial begins May 3rd, but there are preliminary motions and hearings going on right now that will have a major impact on the outcome of this case. In the meantime, Officer Taylor has lost his job and ability to support his family, including a daughter with a disability, is not allowed to leave his house. He is facing prison time at only 25 years old. This is not justice. The anti-cop crusade by some radical prosecutors must stop. They’ve destroyed too many good cops and I beg you to help me to stop them from destroying Josh now.
