By Joanna Putman
Police1
POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY, Okla. — A former Pottawatomie County deputy faces criminal charges after investigators determined he fabricated a high-speed pursuit and officer-involved shooting in September 2021, KFOR reported.
The incident unfolded when a deputy told dispatchers and other officers that he was initiating a high-speed pursuit, driving over 100 mph while reporting a suspect in a small red sedan, according to KFOR. The deputy said that a Black male passenger was armed with a long gun.
After getting out of his cruiser, he radioed that he pursued the suspect on foot before engaging in a shootout.
Body camera footage from the incident showed the deputy driving with his knee while on the phone, reporting the pursuit over the radio. An investigation following the incident revealed no evidence supporting the presence of any suspect. There were no signs, tracks or gunfire from anyone other than the deputy, according to the report.
Pottawatomie County Sheriff Mike Booth called in the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation after finding no evidence to corroborate the deputy’s story. Surveillance footage from nearby buildings captured Smith’s patrol unit but did not show the alleged suspect’s vehicle, according to the report.
“Everybody’s going to make mistakes. When you cross the line, different story,” Booth told KFOR.
The deputy resigned during the investigation and now faces a misdemeanor charge of filing a false report.