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Trooper on leave for trespass conviction
A Virginia State Trooper stationed in Halifax has been placed on
administrative leave after being arrested and later convicted in
Culpeper County of trespassing.
Jerritt Jerome Medley of South Boston pleaded guilty on Sept. 20 of
trespassing after being forbidden to enter a property, a Class 1
misdemeanor, while additional charges of uttering profane language
over
public airways and stalking were dropped by the prosecution as part
of
a plea agreement. Medley received a 12-month suspended sentence on
the
trespass charge.
First Sgt. Jeffrey Lane of Halifax said yesterday that Medley was
placed on administrative leave shortly after his arrest. The
Virginia
State Police’s Professional Standards Division in Richmond is
conducting an internal investigation to determine Medley’s future
status with the department.
“We’re conducting an investigation as a basic administrative matter.
We
do that on any trooper, an internal investigation,” Lane said.
He declined to say if Medley is being paid while on leave.
Medley, a State Trooper since August 2003, was arrested in Culpeper
on
July 28 on a charge of stalking complainant Franz G. Mahler.
According
to court records, the offense occurred June 29. Medley was
subsequently
charged on Aug. 9 with using profanity over public airwaves and
trespassing. Court records list the dates of both subsequent
offenses
as July 28. Mahler is listed as the complainant in each instance.
The profanity and stalking charges were nol prossed in Culpeper
County
General District Court. A fourth charge of failing to appear for a
court date was dismissed by the judge.
Sgt. Lane said that he could not comment further on Medley’s status
within the department, citing personnel privacy rules. However, he
said
the Virginia State Police deals with potential discipline actions on
“a
case-by-case basis” and “we do have a process in place statewide and
the process is very strict.”