FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, DEC. 24, 2015:
A state trooper used force at the end of a police chase that left an unarmed suspect injured, but the Iowa State Patrol is withholding video of the incident and other details about what happened.
The Iowa State Patrol recently released an unsigned, undated “use of force” report in response to an open records request by The Associated Press. The report said a trooper drew his rifle in an incident that injured 29-year-old Shanne Arre after Arre showed “passive resistance.” The rifle wasn’t fired.
The patrol declined to release video of the incident or additional information, saying doing so would jeopardize Arre’s right to a fair trial.
The unidentified trooper responded to a June 21, 2015, pursuit of Arre, who fled when police tried to pull him over for speeding in Plymouth County in northwest Iowa, according to police records.
Arre drove down gravel roads and into farm fields, eventually wrecking his car and fleeing on foot. Officers from several departments responded. Arre was found hiding in tall grass and was arrested, the records say.
He’s scheduled to face trial Jan. 12, 2016, on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, eluding and criminal mischief, to which he’s pleaded not guilty.
The report categorized the force used as a “rifle drawn,” saying the action was effective and left Arre with a “visible injury” for which he refused medical treatment. The report doesn’t detail how the weapon was used or what injury Arre suffered.
The patrol’s summary of the incident only says that the 150-pound Arre was “ultimately taken into custody” and doesn’t provide any other details. The trooper wasn’t injured.
Iowa State Patrol spokesman Sgt. Nathan Ludwig declined to release the trooper’s name or answer questions about the report, which was released to the AP late Friday night. He directed the AP to submit written inquiries that could be reviewed by agency lawyers. The patrol hadn’t responded by Wednesday.
Plymouth County Attorney Darin Raymond also refused to release video of the incident, citing the ongoing investigation.
An attorney representing Arre didn’t respond to an interview request from the AP, and no local telephone listing could be found for him.
FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Dec. 31, 2015:
The Iowa State Patrol says releasing the name of a trooper and details about his use of force during an arrest would be unfair to the suspect he injured.
The patrol refused to explain how a trooper’s rifle injured Shanne Arre during a June arrest following a police chase in Plymouth County.
The patrol this month released an unsigned, undated report showing the trooper drew his rifle during the incident and somehow left Arre with a “visible injury.”
The Associated Press asked the patrol for further explanation Dec. 21. The agency responded Wednesday by saying the answers are “investigative information” and their release would undermine Arre’s due process rights.
Patrol spokesman Nathan Ludwig claimed the report was authored June 20, even though the arrest wasn’t completed until the next day.