Kentucky police officer terminated for providing BLM protesters with information
Jervis Middleton's lawyers say that the former officer had grown frustrated with the Lexington department after his concerns over internal racism had gone ignored
Jervis Middleton, a Black officer with the Lexington Police Department, was fired on Friday after being charged with giving police information to a Black Lives Matter protester.
CBS WLKY reports that he was let go due to his actions of putting fellow officers in danger.
Middleton’s lawyers stated that the former officer had grown frustrated with the department after his concerns over internal racism had gone ignored, following his own personal encounters of racial discrimination while on the force.
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According to NBC Lex 18, a LPD memorandum indicated that during an investigation, it was uncovered that Middleton had contacted Black Lives Matter protester Sarah Williams via text and Facebook Messenger to give her “official Lexington Police Department law enforcement sensitive information via screen shots of text messages and emails that gave away information on tactics the agency was, or were, planning to use,” during a May 2020 protest.
The protest was due to the killing of George Floyd earlier that month at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. Williams was arrested in connection with the protest, and a search warrant for her Facebook profile and cell phone revealed the correspondence between her and Middleton.
A hearing by The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council was conducted with Middleton being charged with misconduct, sharing internal police information and lying about contacting Williams. After nine hours of deliberation, Middleton was found guilty of the first two charges and not guilty for being dishonest about contacting Williams, who his lawyers disclosed is a longtime friend of Middleton.
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The decision to fire Middleton came from Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers, in congress with an internal police disciplinary committee.
Middleton’s attorney, Keith Sparks, says that his actions did not compromise the safety of any of his fellow officers. “The only harm is imagined harm,” Sparks said.
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