Robert Smith - Iowa Officer
Service Record
Iowa State Patrol
| Rank | Officer |
| Dates of Service | Hired approximately 1988.[1] Ended in 2018.[2] |
| Salary | $96,107 (2017)[3] |
| Last Known Status | Retired[2] |
Durant Iowa Police Department
| Rank | Officer |
| Dates of Service | Ended July 22, 2019[4] |
| Last Known Status | Resigned[2] |
Incident Reports
2017 Arrest of Bryce Yakish
On September 25, 2017, Smith pulled Yakish over for speeding on a motorcycle. After Yakish stopped, Smith approached Yakish with his gun drawn and struck Yakish, knocking him backward. Smith put his knee on Yakish's neck while handcuffing him.[2]
Yakish was charged with eluding law enforcement.[2]
The incident was captured on dash-cam video, which was released in 2019.[2][5]
Response Timeline
In 2018, Smith resigned from the Iowa State Patrol.[2]
In 2019, the Cedar County Iowa Sheriff declared that Smith could not book any suspects into jail due to a lack of faith in his credibility.[2]
In July 2019, Smith was placed on administrative leave by the Durant Iowa Police Department.[4]
On July 22, 2019, Smith resigned from the Durant Iowa Police Department.[4]
On July 30, 2019, the Cedar County attorney's office announced that charges in other cases would be dropped where Smith was the state's main witness.[6]
In 2019, Yakish filed a lawsuit against the state and Smith, accusing him of violating his rights.[2]
The charges against Yakish were dropped.[2]
On April 5, 2021, Yakish's civil lawsuit was settled for $225,000.[7]
In November 2021, Smith was indicted on a charge of violating Yakish's civil rights.[2] As Yakish was injured, Smith could face a maximum of 10 years in prison.[1]
On July 22, 2022, a mistrial was declared after the jury reported that they could not reach a unanimous verdict.[8]
On September 26, 2022, Smith pleaded guilty to deprivation of rights under color of law. Smith faces up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.[2]
On March 7, 2023, Smith was sentenced to two years of probation.[9]
2018 Excessive Force
In August 2018, Smith took a woman to the ground during an arrest.[4]
The incident was captured on video, which has not been released.[4]
Response Timeline
In July 2019, the woman filed a lawsuit against Smith.[4]
LEO Ratings
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ryan Foley, Ex-Iowa trooper indicted, accused of violating motorcyclist’s civil rights during 2017 traffic stop, Des Moines Register, 2021-11-10
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 Francesca Block, Former Iowa state trooper pleads guilty to civil rights violation during 2017 traffic stop, Des Moines Register, 2022-09-28
- ↑ Robert Smith J, Trooper, Public Safety Department Of, govSalaries
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Ryan Foley, Iowa officer resigns after video shows him striking biker, AP News, 2019-07-23
- ↑ Video shows Iowa trooper striking motorcyclist during stop, Quad-City Times, 2019-07-10
- ↑ Ryan Foley, Prosecutors dismiss cases tied to Iowa officer who resigned, AP News, 2019-07-30
- ↑ Ryan Foley, Iowa to pay $225,000 to settle lawsuit over trooper’s force, AP News, 2021-04-05
- ↑ Trish Mehaffey, Mistrial for ex-trooper charged with assaulting motorcyclist during traffic stop, The Gazette, 2022-07-22
- ↑ Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Former Iowa trooper sentenced to probation for use of force during 2017 traffic stop, Des Moines Register, 2023-03-15
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