Forest Grove Cop Charged For Not Arresting Officer Who Terrorized Family

An Oregon police officer is facing charges after officials said he drove home an off-duty officer who was suspected of committing a crime, USA Today reported.

Forest Grover police office Bradley Schuetz was indicted one count of first-degree official misconduct, according to the Beaverton Police Department on Friday (May 9). The charge stems from an incident on Halloween (October 31) last year, where a man allegedly banged on a displayed Black Lives Matter flag at Mirella Castaneda's home.

Police said the suspect also kicked her front door to try and enter her home, scaring her young son. He "terrorized Ms. Castaneda and her family and yelled at them to fight," according to a civil rights complaint filed by her attorney.

The mother called 911 and the initial responding officer recognized the suspect as Schuetz's colleague, off-duty Officer Steven Teets, police said. Officers said Teets, who was "highly intoxicated," didn't recognize the officers and took on a "fighting stance," according to a memo from the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

That's when Schuetz, the second responding officer, took Teets home instead of arresting him, police said. By not doing so, Schuetz “prevented the investigation from happening,” Beaverton police Sgt. Kevin MacDonald told reporters.

"Castaneda's attorneys say the investigating officers also failed to search Teets for weapons, intentionally omitted from their police reports that the incident was motivated by the Black Lives Matter flag and did not turn on their body cameras which would have documented the flag," USA Today wrote. "The notice also alleges that officers withheld information from Castaneda about the suspect and treated her differently because of her political viewpoint."

"For my own sanity and my family's, I just felt like I needed to know what happened," she told the Portland Tribune. "This really shook my sense of safety."

Teets was arrested by Washington County deputies on November 1. He faces charges of second-degree criminal mischief and second-degree disorderly conduct. Reporters said he was placed on administrative desk duty, and Schuetz is on paid administrative leave.

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