I want to know if he was also assigned to Blount County, since there have been a LOT of unexplained biker deaths on the Dragon lately... Hundreds if not 1,000s of Trooper Morgan's cases will be dismissed for failure to prosecute, but like the Barbie Cummings blowjob case, defendants must appear in court and agree in writing to dismissal or the charges will result in automatic conviction.
"It looked like a parked car to me. I knew he was dead. I got out and got a fire extinguisher just to make it look good. You gotta do that for the media and everybody else, but I knew he was dead. I was just trying to put on a show."
-Charles Van Morgan, fired Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper, November 2011
Investigators asked District Attorney General Randy Nichols to review the case. 'I find it incredible to believe that Trooper Morgan did not see the wrecked car as he passed it,' Nichols wrote. 'It is also telling that as soon as he could after returning and seeing the vehicle in flames, he makes attempts to contact the Police Benevolent Association. However, as egregious as it is that he failed to stop and render aide, we cannot find a criminal statute that makes his conduct a crime.'"
-WBIR TV, Suspended trooper's personnel file released, Press Release by Randy Nichols PDF
"Tennessee Highway Patrol Colonel Tracy Trott named the agency’s Knoxville District as the 2011 District of the Year at a special awards ceremony held last Thursday in Murfreesboro. This is the first time a District has been recognized for its overall achievements. 'The THP Knoxville District is very deserving of this honor,' Colonel Trott said. 'Their leadership staff is top-notch, and their approach to DUI enforcement and overall traffic safety efforts is among the best in our agency. This marks the start of a new tradition, and I hope that each of our eight districts will challenge themselves to earn the District of the Year award in 2012,' he added. The agency’s Knoxville District arrested 761 impaired drivers in 2011, a 51.6 percent increase over the number (502) arrested in 2010."
-TN.gov Newsroom, THP Announces the District of the Year 2011, Feb 21, 2012
TOP 10 TROOPERS HONORED FOR DUI ENFORCEMENT:
1. Trooper Charles Morgan, Knoxville District – 117 arrests
-TN.gov Newsroom, THP Announces Trooper of the Year 2010, Feb 18, 2011
"While Morgan had a reputation for making large amounts of DUI arrests, Knox County prosecutors say Morgan had a growing reputation for making arrests that could not result in convictions. 'He had an inordinate amount of cases that could not have been successfully prosecuted,' said John Gill, special counsel to the Knox County Attorney General. 'There were a large amount of problems with Morgan's cases that made them impossible for us to get a conviction, long before any of this [the Anito crash and Morgan's termination] happened.'
WBIR TV, Terminated THP trooper Charles Morgan's dropped DUI arrests disturb MADD, Feb 20, 2012
"Strictly speaking, a driver can register a BAC of 0.00% and still be convicted of a DUI. The level of BAC does not clear a driver when it is below the 'presumed level of intoxication.'"
—Tennessee Driver Handbook and Driver License Study Guide
Police State death squad member sued, fired, not arrested nor charged with murder of a Pellissippi State college student in Knox County. This was Trooper Morgan's second murder of a motorist in Knox County during a "routine traffic stop" for "speeding". The modus operandi for this serial killer is to watch his victims die in a burning or crashed vehicle, then block medical rescue. One hundred DUI cases dismissed against Trooper Morgan's victims in traffic court.
Note that THP troopers routinely testilie about measuring speed by radar, when in fact they never turn it on (as proven by The Dragonater in Blount County court), to defeat radar detectors and fear of cancer. Only state troopers are allowed by the courts to make traffic stops without probable cause, to check TN driver license internal passports.
If you're gonna run from the cops instead of beat their ass in court, then have a modified high-performance suspension, a high-hosepower engine, and GO TO A PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE DRIVING/RIDING SCHOOL. Remember, it's awfully hard to outrun a radio at 186,000 miles per second. Know your escape route and park it in a locked garage, then change vehicles. Or so I've been told. Most people run from cops because they cannot afford a $100 traffic ticket, not because they are career felons.
WBIR TV video: THP Trooper Charles Van Morgan called an attorney minutes after Kyle Anito crashed and died
WBIR TV video: Parents of crash victim sue highway patrol
Fired serial-killing trooper's personnel file released as PDF - 14 internal affairs complaints before his latest murder
Read the $10-million civil lawsuit complaint PDF - Good boilerplate for drafting a complaint against Tennessee Highway Patrol. Beware 1 year statute of limitations, and TN Governmental Tort Liability Act requirement to first file an insurance claim before filing a lawsuit. TXT file
The Police Officer As Psychopath
Did this serial killer attack you on the Dragon at Deals Gap?
Video: Prosecutors drop criminal cases involving fired trooper
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Knox County prosecutors were forced to dismiss cases against 95 people for crimes ranging from felonies to misdemeanors after the state fired a former Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper for failing to stop at a fiery crash.
Prosecutors on Friday dropped the charges in all cases handled by Charles Van Morgan, The Knoxville News Sentinel reported.
About half of the defendants appeared to be first time offenders, but others were on their second and third drunken driving arrests. The cases don't include minor traffic tickets, which still have to be sorted out and dropped as well, prosecutors said.
Morgan was fired this month after investigators found he drove by a fiery car wreck in November that killed a man in Knox County.
The family of a man who was killed in a car crash is suing the Tennessee state trooper who was pursuing the victim before his death.
Family of man who died in crash sues trooper
On behalf of Pryor, Flynn, Priest & Harber posted in fatal motor vehicle accidents on Monday, February 6, 2012
In a bizarre accident in Tennessee last year, a man crashed into a tree after a chase with a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper. The man died in the auto accident, and now his family is saying the trooper drove right by the man's vehicle without checking on his condition for at least several minutes. The family is suing the THP trooper for $10 million.
The incident happened last November. The man was apparently traveling at about 80 mph in a 40 mph zone and was being pursued by the officer. Volunteer TV's website reports that the trooper's "dash cam" video shows the ensuing events.
The chase didn't last long and ended when the man crashed into the tree. The man's family claims the video shows the trooper driving past the man's car, where he was injured inside. After that he apparently pulled over farther up the road and waited for several minutes while listening to dispatchers.
When the trooper returned to the man's car, it was on fire. Volunteer TV's story says that the man ran toward the vehicle with a fire extinguisher "just to make it look good" for the media. The autopsy apparently revealed the man died instantly in the crash, but the man's family might argue there was no way the officer could have known that.
No criminal charges were filed relating to the crash. The trooper, however, has faced several unrelated disciplinary actions since joining the THP in 2002.
WBIR TV video: THP Trooper Charles Van Morgan called an attorney minutes after Kyle Anito crashed and died
An interview conducted with Trooper Charles Van Morgan shows investigators were concerned with a phone call he placed minutes after he was involved in a high speed pursuit that ended with the death of a Halls man.
Morgan was trying to stop 20-year-old Kyle Anito for speeding on November 26, 2011. Anito crashed into a tree on Andersonville Pike.
Morgan is the subject of a $10 million lawsuit Anito's parents filed in connection to Morgan's actions that night.
Video recorded on his dashboard mounted camera shows he drove past the crash, waited several minutes, then returned to find Anito's car engulfed in flames.
After discharging a fire extinguisher on the car, Morgan called his wife and asked for a number for the Police Benevolent Association. He then called and spoke to an attorney.
Morgan initially said he did not see the wreck, then later changed his story and said he thought it was a parked car. Morgan also said in a recorded conversation he got out the fire extinguisher to "put on a show".
Those actions, along with the phone call to the attorney, raised numerous questions with members of THP's Internal Investigations unit.
Transcripts of an interview of Morgan conducted December 14, 2011 were provided to 10 News this week, along with his personnel file. During the nearly two hour interview, Morgan was asked numerous times about his reason for contacting an attorney.
"Your actions from the time you clocked the vehicle till the time it crashed, they're, they're fine. You did everything by the book," said Captain Victor Donoho during the interview. "It's the actions that happened after that that's in question."
Donoho questioned Morgan about contacting the attorney.
"...You knew there was a problem somewhere or you wouldn't of called for an attorney," he said.
"...Anytime I'm involved in an incident where there's a, a fatality, then you know, I try to get ahold of the, the PBA," Morgan replied.
However he did not contact the PBA following a previous chase that ended in a fatality.
On March 13, 2010, Morgan attempted to stop 22 year old April Keck for driving the wrong direction on Chapman Highway. A chase ensued, and after several minutes, Morgan lost sight of her car and terminated the pursuit.
Keck was found deceased near her car in a ditch off Chapman highway the following day. A review of the pursuit found Morgan followed THP policy and did not violate any rules or regulations.
When Morgan was informed Keck died, he did not call an attorney.
Investigators used that history to question Morgan's explanation for November 26th phone call.
"Did you request a PBA attorney after that?" Donoho asked, referring to the March 13 chase.
"...I was told that uh, the incident had been investigated and that it was, that it was over, so I had no reason to," Morgan replied.
Later in the interview, Morgan admitted he was concerned about being blamed for Anito's wreck.
"...I knew that that would, that could, if it's construed that I passed up a wreck, that could get me in trouble if it's seen that way," he said.
"You knew that when you called the attorney, didn't you?" Donoho asked.
"Yeah," Morgan answered.
District Attorney General Randy Nichols also questioned Morgan's actions. While Nichols cleared him of criminal responsibility, he called it "egregious" that Morgan failed to stop to help Anito.
"It is also telling that as soon as he could after returning and seeing the vehicle in flames, he makes attempts to contact the Police Benevolent Association," he wrote in a letter to Colonel Tracy Trott with THP.
As a result of the internal investigation, Morgan is recommended for termination. He is scheduled to have a "due process hearing" Thursday morning.
Commissioner upholds dismissal of trooper involved in fatal chase
Charles van Morgan appeared at a due process hearing last week during which he told investigators he did everything he could to save the driver's life.
Feb 14, 2012
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- The decision to terminate the Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper involved in a deadly pursuit has been upheld by the Tennessee Dept. of Safety and Homeland Security (DSHS) Commissioner Bill Gibbons.
An investigation by the Inspectional Services Bureau (ISB) determined Trooper Charles Van Morgan failed to stop and help after the car he was chasing crashed early in the morning in November.
“Trooper Charles Van Morgan's conduct in the early morning hours of November 26, 2011 was a poor representation of the honorable men and women who serve on the Tennessee Highway Patrol," Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons said.
Morgan claimed he clocked Kyle Anito going more than 30 miles per hour over the speed limit and tried to pull him over. during the pursuit, Anito's car struck a tree, killing him instantly. When Morgan appeared at a due process hearing last week he told investigators he did everything he could to save the driver's life.
Investigators said in-car video showed Morgan coming upon the wrecked Subaru, slowing down, but not stopping. Morgan continued past the vehicle, stopped the chase and pulled over.
While investigators and department officials did not find fault with the pursuit, ruling it complied with department policy; the department ruled Trooper Morgan's actions afterwards led to his dismissal.
"The Colonel of the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Deputy Commissioner both went to the scene and drove the same route in similar conditions. Trooper Morgan’s actions after the pursuit resulted in recommending his termination,” said Gibbons
Morgan's dismissal will be effective at the close of business February 20, though he can appeal the department's decision.
Suspended trooper's personnel file released
A newly released personnel file sheds new light on the actions of a Tennessee trooper who was suspended following a fatal crash.
Trooper Charles Van Morgan is subject of a $10 million lawsuit filed by a family who says he failed to do enough to try and save their son's life.
Twenty year old Kyle Anito died on November 26, 2011, after his car ran into a tree on Andersonville Pike. At the time, Morgan was chasing him for speeding.
Dashcam video shows Morgan passed the scene of the crash, waited about five minutes, then returned to the site to see Anito's car engulfed in flames.
Audio recordings and transcripts of interviews conducted following the crash show Morgan gave conflicting accounts of what he saw and when.
"That video camera, it shows stuff that I don't see," Morgan said during a recorded conversation with his superiors.
In a statement given just hours after the wreck, Morgan claims to have missed the call.
"I did not see a wreck," he told Sgt. Joe Walker.
"You did not see a wreck?" Walker asked.
"No," Morgan said.
In an interview conducted a few weeks later, the story changes.
"I thought it was just a parked car, I mean, that's what I thought at the time," he told Sgt. Terrell Johnson with THP's Internal Investigations unit.
Morgan also claimed to be passing the wreck at 80 miles per hour. That claim is disputed by GPS data recorded by the dashcam, which shows him passing at 40 miles per hour before slowing to 21 miles per hour a few seconds later.
The trooper eventually returned to the wreck, and told dispatchers he did everything he could to save Anito's life.
"I tried to put the fire out with my fire extinguisher, I couldn't get it out, couldn't get to it," he said in an audio recording.
Later, in a separate recording, he admitted that was just "a show".
"I knew he was dead. I got out and got a fire extinguisher just to make it look good," Morgan said. "You gotta do that for the media and everybody else, but I knew he was dead. I was just trying to put on a show."
While still at the crash scene, Morgan called his wife and asked for a number to reach an attorney.
Investigators asked District Attorney General Randy Nichols to review the case.
"I find it incredible to believe that Trooper Morgan did not see the wrecked car as he passed it," Nichols wrote. "It is also telling that as soon as he could after returning and seeing the vehicle in flames, he makes attempts to contact the Police Benevolent Association. However, as egregious as it is that he failed to stop and render aide, we cannot find a criminal statute that makes his conduct a crime."
As a result of the internal investigation, Morgan is recommended for termination. He is scheduled to have a "due process hearing" Thursday morning.
Knoxville Videos »In-cruiser video of THP's pursuit of April Keck
1). Tail lights are still visible at 3:20.
2). Van Morgan calls off the pursuit at 3:24.
3). His patrol car comes to a stop at Meridian Baptist Church, which is less than 1,000 feet from the crash site. At 100 mph, she had already crashed by the time he stopped.
4). While parked in front of the church, the suspect's address is radioed to the trooper, who requests for directions, indicating travelling to this address would be his next course of action.
5). Van Morgan begins to accelerate at 6:35, and stops at 7:20 directly across the highway from the billboard in the field just west of Chapman and Longvale...the accident scene. At this point, he is sitting less than 100 feet away from April Keck.
6). At 7:25, Van Morgan says "Is there a wreck?" to a passing motorist who was either driving very slowly or stopped at the scene of the accident. The response from the motorist is incomprehensible (at least to this viewer) but seems rather animated, as if someone trying to describe what they had seen. Van Morgan then asks the motorist if they had witnessed a car passing them at a high rate of speed. A "No" is almost certainly discernable, and Van Morgan continues on at 7:42 headed south. The dashcam footage ends at 7:50, so it is unknown whether he continued travelling southbound, or turned around and headed to Cape Brittany Way in west Knoxville. (It should be noted that none of this information was made public during the coverage it received in the media).
7). KPD subsequently determines in their detailed investigation that there was no way that Van Morgan could have witnessed the accident, and conclude that the fact that he asked a passing motorist if there was an accident within 100 feet of the accident scene was nothing more than a coincidence. They also conclude that any suspicion from the officer that an accident had occured need not be followed up by actually getting out of his cruiser and checking.
Sarcasm aside, The "official" story has stunk from the beginning, and a lot of readers knew it. It cannot be a coincidence that the man asked someone on the other side of the road if an accident had occured RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE ACCIDENT. He may not have seen it, but this video seems to indicate that someone did, and he either dismissed it or ignored it. I just don't understand why he would ask that question, and then not get out of his car and have a look around.
After sleeping on this, I've considered another really big issue with this video. When Van Morgan calls off the pursuit and pulls over (approx. 1000 feet from the accident), and decides out of nowhere to drive again a couple minutes later, he radios in he is going to look for a possible "45 or 46". In Tennessee, the radio codes for 10-45 and 10-46 are as follows:
10-45 WRECK PROPERTY DAMGE
10-46 WRECK PERSONAL INJURY
Here's what bothers me about that. When he called off the pursuit, he could still see her tail lights (well, at least the camera could, God only knows what this man actually can and cannot see apparently). Why would he even suspect she had wrecked less than a quarter of a mile away? Couple that with his action (or lack of action therof) at the accident scene, and compare it to the Anito chase in November, and something is REALLY rotten here.
I doubt THP or KPD even has an ID on the guy driving the car that was at the accident scene, since Van Morgan didn't seem too concerned with him. It's too bad THP daschams have such poor audio...and video, for that matter.
This officer has now chased 2 people to their deaths, that we know of. While it was both drivers who chose to make the fatal mistake to run from him, at some point his track record should put his ability to be on patrol at risk. In this officers case, his inactions, questionable actions, and lack of actions seem to me to warrant his dismissal from the police community, not just THP.
Records: Fatal crash after chase was second involving trooper
As he watched the flames consume the dead driver's car, Trooper Charles Van Morgan thought back to a crash from the year before.
"I was concerned that night because there was a fatality involved," he told Tennessee Highway Patrol investigators. "I know that's gonna be scrutinized."
Gordon Kyle Anito, 20, and April Lawanna Keck, 22, each died after leading Morgan on an early-morning high-speed chase — Anito on Nov. 26 in North Knox County and Keck on March 13, 2010, in South Knoxville.
The THP moved to fire Morgan last month after his cruiser video showed he drove past Anito's wreck on Andersonville Pike and didn't return until the car was in flames. Preliminary autopsy results indicated Anito died on impact, but Morgan didn't know that then.
He'll make the case for keeping his job today at a hearing in Nashville.
Anito's parents have filed a $10 million federal lawsuit in his death.
Morgan's personnel file, provided this week by the THP in response to a News Sentinel public records request, shows he consistently earned high marks from his bosses. He started his career as a University of Tennessee police officer and joined the state Department of Safety in 2002 as a Commercial Vehicle Enforcement officer. He transferred to the THP in January 2004.
The records reveal previous cases when Morgan came under more than cursory scrutiny.
The most attention came after Morgan's chase with Keck in March 2010. Morgan had pulled Keck's Mitsubishi Eclipse over in the parking lot of the Family Dollar on Chapman Highway after she passed driving the wrong way in the rain around 1:30 a.m.
Keck never stepped out of the car. She sped away, and Morgan followed her, heading south on Chapman.
The chase lasted about 90 seconds and covered about three miles. Morgan called off the pursuit when the speed reached 100 mph.
Video from Morgan's cruiser shows he pulled over and later drove down Chapman, looking for a wreck. He drove past the spot in the 6000 block where Keck ran off the road, and her body wasn't found until the next day.
Knoxville police determined Keck's car sailed through a curve, off an embankment and about 200 feet through the air before it hit a billboard post and tumbled to the ground, where it landed on its top. The impact hurled Keck, who didn't wear a seatbelt, out the window and past the sign.
A test placed her blood-alcohol level at nearly .25, about three times the legal limit. Police found no skid marks or other sign she hit the brakes.
The video shows Morgan couldn't have seen that wreck. That didn't stop the trooper from recalling that night when he saw Anito's burning car.
"That's the same thing," Morgan told investigators. "I went to go down the road and look for the wreck and couldn't find it. It's all on video, and unfortunately, you know, the person was found a few days later. I know how it looks (with Anito's crash) but I, I haven't done anything wrong."
Test results on Anito for drugs and alcohol aren't complete yet.
THP officials ruled Morgan followed procedure in both those chases — and in nearly every chase listed in his file. Out of half a dozen chases, Morgan was disciplined once when he served a two-day suspension for shooting at a motorcycle driver who crashed and ran in Jefferson County in 2004.
His only other punishment was a warning given in 2009 when a burglar broke into Morgan's truck and stole his service pistol. Morgan notified his sergeant after calling Knoxville police, but supervisors said he should have called sooner.
Trooper Charles Van Morgan's disciplinary record
* June 20, 2004: Shot at a fleeing suspect; suspended for two days
* Nov. 16, 2008: High-speed chase; no violations found
* May 2, 2009: High-speed chase; no violations found
* June 3, 2009: Accused of harassment; ruled unfounded
* July 24, 2009: High-speed chase; no violations found
* Jan. 23, 2010: High-speed chase; no violations found
* Jan. 23, 2010: Failed to promptly notify supervisor when service pistol stolen; warning given
* March 13, 2010: High-speed chase with April Lawanna Keck; no violations found
* July 14, 2010: High-speed chase; no violations found
* Nov. 27, 2010: High-speed chase; no violations found
* April 23, 2011: Accused of harassment by Knox County Sheriff's Office corrections officer; ruled unfounded
* Nov. 26, 2011: High-speed chase with Gordon Kyle Anito; recommended for dismissal
Police review THP video in South Knoxville fatality probe
March 16, 2010
Knoxville police have reviewed the in-cruiser video of a traffic stop that apparently occurred just minutes before a 22-year-old woman died in a crash along Chapman Highway.
"We received it yesterday," Knoxville Police Department spokesman Darrell DeBusk said this morning.
The video from the cruiser of Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Charles Van Morgan was recorded during a 1:30 a.m. Saturday traffic stop on Chapman Highway. On Sunday morning, a passerby alerted authorities of a wreck off Chapman Highway that killed April Lawanna Keck, of Cape Brittany Way in West Knoxville.
Van Morgan stopped Keck's black 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse because it was traveling south in the northbound lane of Chapman Highway, according to THP spokesman Mike Browning.
DeBusk said police requested the THP video to determine Keck's demeanor during the traffic stop. The video, however, shed little light on that aspect.
Browning said this morning that neither Keck nor the trooper exited their vehicles during the stop in the parking lot of the Family Dollar Store, 4022 Chapman Highway.
"The trooper was preparing to get out when she sped off," Browning said.
The video shows a chase along Chapman Highway that exceeded 100 mph. Browning said Van Morgan opted to terminate the pursuit because of the speed and rain-soaked roadway.
Browning and DeBusk declined to say how long the chase lasted or how far Van Morgan pursued Keck's car before ending the chase.
"It was not long," DeBusk said. The car crashed about three miles from the initial traffic stop.
DeBusk said the video shows "the officer could not have seen the crash."
The investigation into the fatal crash continues with officers interviewing people who last had contact with Keck on the night of the wreck. DeBusk said officers also are awaiting an autopsy report and toxicology results.
The toxicology results, DeBusk said, "will take a few weeks to get back from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation laboratory."
Keck's mother had reported on Sunday that her daughter was missing.
According to the report, Keck was last spotted leaving Barley's Taproom & Pizzeria in the Old City shortly after midnight Friday.
Her death has left her friends and employer in shock.
Keck worked as a hair stylist at the Modern Salon, 105 Center Park Drive, said owner Kim Troendle. She had been working there about three months.
"She was a very talented hair dresser," said Troendle. "A sweet, very sweet, girl. I'm just so surprised. She had so much talent. … I'm just devastated."
According to the missing person report filed by Gail Davis, Keck's ex-boyfriend had contacted her about retrieving some personal items. Friends saw Keck get into her ex-boyfriend's car early Saturday in the Old City before she went missing, according to records.
Davis, who shared an address with her daughter, could not be reached Monday for comment.
A passing motorist spotted the overturned Mitsubishi at 9:43 a.m. Sunday. The car lay at the foot of an overgrown embankment off the northbound lanes of the highway, said KPD Sgt. Tom Fox, who identified Keck as the driver.
According to Fox, the driver lost control, crossed both northbound lanes and struck the support beams of a billboard along a sharp curve between Deva and Longvale drives.
Keck had been ejected, he said.
"It's very hard to see the car from the road," Fox said.
On Aug. 23, Keck was arrested at the residence of an ex-boyfriend and charged with public intoxication, according to a Knox County General Sessions Court affidavit.
The ex-boyfriend told police that Keck had shown up at his home drunk and that she was beating on his doors, the affidavit states.
Comments
Will this be enough for those insinuating that Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Charles Van Morgan bumped her off the road & left?
I bet the tape was doctored to protect the trooper. A full investigation needs to be done.
I'm equally skeptical. A review from the outside in rather than the inside out needs to be conducted somehow. Van Morgan is well known for bending the truth (to put it nicely) on his police reports regularly. I don't believe his account due to lies I've seen this man spin, and internal investigation carries too much bias.
Hmmm accelarate from 0 mph to over 100 mph on a rain slick road, carry on a chase for "a few" minutes then decide to break off the chase but somehow fail to see the wreck that occured "3 miles from the traffic stop". I smell a cover up....
Don't think that wrongful death suits haven't been filed over similar circumstances. Especially misdemeanor things where the argument will be "you should have just gotten the plate and backed off". This can really be effective if a third party winds up injured or dead, i.e. had the cop not chased, the accident wouldn't have occured. Threat of liability is what has led to these procedures barring chase when the conditions do not favor it. Once that cop ends pursuit whatever happens after that is on the suspect. That is the idea anyways, I think it's a catch 22 because if the suspect does wind up killing someone down the line, the argument will be the cops should have apprehended them and not let them go. Either way, cops wind up the bad guys.
On Chapman Highway at 75 mph on wet road i would have broke off the chase for my own safety. Since after running tag no wants or warents. Just my 2 cents.
I do have specific examples of Van Morgan's lying behavior, including watching the man argue with a judge (to everyone's amazement in the courtroom) over a ruling in a DUI case he didn't like. His over-zealous nature has lost some cases that could have been won. I'll give him one thing, he lives and breathes to help convict accused DUI offenders, guilty or not. Not that I need to prove that to you by naming those examples and putting people's names out there. Van Morgan's reputation precedes him and if you don't already know that it's not my job to enlighten you.
Terminated THP trooper Charles Morgan's dropped DUI arrests disturb MADD
WBIR TV
Feb 20, 2012
Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Charles Van Morgan's employment officially ended late Monday afternoon. Last week Morgan was notified that his appeal was denied and he would be terminated by THP effective at the end of the business day Monday.
THP cut ties with Morgan after an internal investigation found he slowed down but failed to stop for a fatal crash that killed 20-year-old Kyle Anito on November 26, 2011. Anito's vehicle ran off Andersonville Pike while trying to outrun trooper Morgan. Morgan was attempting to pull Anito over on suspicion of DUI. Morgan returned to the scene five minutes after he initially drove past the fiery wreckage.
The damage to Morgan's credibility has destroyed dozens of DUI cases in Knox County. The Knox County District Attorney General has already dropped 95 cases where Morgan was the arresting officer.
"He was very good at what he did in that he made a lot of DUI arrests," said Julie Strike, coordinator of Mothers Against Drunk Driving in Northeast Tennessee. "I met Trooper Morgan a couple of times because he was given awards for making the most DUI arrests in the state. He was recommended for the award by his captain."
Strike said the dropped cases are disturbing and she fears there will be ramifications for public safety down the road.
"It's just sickening because you have that many people with DUIs that will just get away with it. Especially for the repeat-offenders where there is no punishment," said Strike.
Strike said first-time offenders will avoid more than court.
"Even for people who have drunk driving charges reduced, any first-time offender can usually be required to attend a victim impact panel that MADD organizes. It is a very emotional presentation where they talk to parents and relatives of people killed by drunk drivers, see videos of the victims, and get a real feeling of what can happen when you get behind the wheel under the influence. We feel like that has a big impact and can deter people from driving drunk again."
While Morgan had a reputation for making large amounts of DUI arrests, Knox County prosecutors say Morgan had a growing reputation for making arrests that could not result in convictions.
"He had an inordinate amount of cases that could not have been successfully prosecuted," said John Gill, special counsel to the Knox County Attorney General. "There were a large amount of problems with Morgan's cases that made them impossible for us to get a conviction, long before any of this [the Anito crash and Morgan's termination] happened."
