Five West Point officers in Georgia went to a suspect’s house intending to serve a warrant. All five are on paid administrative leave after one of the officers allegedly used the N-word and threw homeowner Tomeshia Madden’s security camera into a patch of bushes, the Ledger-Enquirer reports.
Madden noted the officers were there to serve a warrant on her son, but no one was home at the time. She shared the footage Aug. 7 incident on Facebook and captioned it “West Point Police Department at its best. please listen & watch carefully!!” He took my camera off my porch & threw it in the bushes! Can someone explain to me why he would do this…?” The footage since then has gathered nearly 37,000 views on Facebook and hundreds of shares.
The officer who is thought to have said the racial slur has since been identified as Donald Bramblet. Georgia’s Bureau of Investigation is currently looking into the matter. Four officers who accompanied Bramblett – Dylan Harmon, Zachary Heyboe, William Osteen, and Detective Elizabeth Wegienka were placed on paid leave after a meeting with Madden’s attorney. The West Point Police department then released a statement.
In addition to a prior media release, additional officers have also been placed on paid administrative leave. The West Point Police Department is taking this matter very seriously and has since turned the investigation over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (G.B.I.).
Madden’s attorney Wendell Major reiterated that the Madden family is “traumatized and disappointed” by what they saw in the footage.
“The actions of the West Point Police Department members depicted in the video are unacceptable,” lawyer Wendell Major told WTVM. “On behalf of the family, we intend to get answers and request prayers for the just resolution to this cancer within our criminal justice system. Furthermore, families have a right to expect the police to help keep their children safe and will put that safety above all else.”