Linda’s Story: What Happened to Protect and Serve

Hello my name is Linda , I have always considered myself to be strong and worthy of respect. But that all changed on November 24, 2018. I had returned home after working out of town. As a nurse of 25 years I have dedicated my life to being the voice for others, but on this night my voice would be silenced. While responding to a emergency call from my dads home , I was stopped by a police officer within 100ft of my dads home. After explaining to the officer where I was going, another man in hunting cloths approached, both men screaming at me, I was in my pajamas and flip flops, I complied with the officer request to see my drivers license and registration, I sat in my car every possible fear running through my mind of what was happening to my dad. As I waited for Officer C to run my license the man who had never identified himself continued to yell threats, asking again to identify himself “he laughed stated sorry about your luck. The next thing I knew the officer came pulled me from car stating I was under arrest. When I begin to cry asking why , the unidentified man, run up grabbing my breast then pulling my arm around. Within a few hours , I was released home bruised and forevermore changed. I contacted the State Police to file a formal complaint. For months I tried to deal with it alone, but when I began locking myself in my own bedroom, I knew this was something I couldn’t fight on my own. But that was only the beginning when I went to court I was revictimized all over again, the female Commonwealth Attorney said why didn’t I say something then, I said I was a woman on a back road with two men who had been hostile from the beginning, I was afraid of what else they would do. The judge lectured me on the fact that I continued to cry , I made the officer job more difficult. He found me guilty of disorderly conduct and obstruction of justice, sentence me to 20 days in jail. He later told my attorney he didn’t believe me, not looking at the evidence that showed I had not committed any crime I was accused of. The case was appealed to circuit court, I was told if I didn’t plea guilty to at least one of the charges , that the Commonwealth would seek the maximum amount of jail time. I know officer C retaliated against me for reporting off duty officer D for sexually assaulting me. Now my life s ruined, I will lose my career, and any future hopes of advancing my career. I can never look at law enforcement as a protector, but as a predator.