Roosevelt City has countered the allegations laid out in a lawsuit recently filed against the City and Police Department. Jerahmia Hardman had been charged with Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child for an alleged incident in 2014 and which was dismissed in 2017 after an evidentiary hearing. Hardman filed the $7.5 million dollar civil lawsuit against Roosevelt City, Roosevelt Police Department, and Officers Pete Butcher and Tracy Bird in September. The attorney representing Roosevelt City in the $7.5 million dollar lawsuit provided a statement in response last week. While the City had not yet been served with the complaint, Attorney Heather S. White explained that they were aware of the underlying facts of Hardman’s arrest. “A video and audio recording of the officer’s interview with Mr. Hardman corroborates the handwritten confession he executed admitting he touched (the alleged victim),”shares White. “These written and recorded confessions provided the officer arguable probable cause to arrest Mr. Hardman for, among other crimes, forcible sexual abuse of a child.” The lawsuit claims that there are missing and allegedly destroyed portions of video-recorded interviews with Hardman. In response White emphasizes that the City has the video and always has. “The end of the recording is garbled and then cuts out,” shares White. “Earlier downloads of the recording ended before the confession, which is presumably what the trial judge had when he issued his ruling in the criminal case. However, we were able to restore several minutes of the recording, in which Mr. Hardman confesses to touching (the alleged victim).” Roosevelt City reports that, due to the legal issues involved, they are limited on what information can be shared but that they will be as open as possible and will be sure the final outcome of the lawsuit is made public.
