A federal jury convicted a former Caldwell Police Department Lieutenant of falsifying a record or document in a federal investigation, witness tampering by harassment, and destroying a record to impair its use in an official proceeding. The jury found Hoadley not guilty of willful deprivation of rights under color of law.
Joseph Alan Hoadley, 42, of Caldwell, was convicted after a five-day jury trial in U.S. District Court before the Honorable Scott W. Skavdahl, U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Wyoming. He faces up to 20 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine on each of the three charges. Sentencing is scheduled for December of 2022.
During the trial, the jury heard evidence that Hoadley, while employed as a Lieutenant with the Caldwell Police Department, used force against B.H. in Caldwell in 2017 while he was detained and handcuffed. Hoadley falsified a subsequent police report detailing his actions during the incident. In 2021, knowing that he was the target of an FBI investigation, Hoadley harassed and intimidated C.H. with the intent to dissuade him from cooperating with the FBI investigation. In April of 2022, after being indicted by a federal grand jury, Hoadley destroyed data on his city‑issued laptop and cellphone one day before turning them over to the acting Caldwell Police Chief, who had placed Hoadley on administrative leave because of the charges.
“The safety of our communities and our ability to uphold the rule of law depend on the honesty and integrity of law enforcement officers,” said U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit. “And so we will never waiver in prosecuting violations of the law, even when a police officer is the offender. I am proud of our prosecutors and staff for their work on this difficult case. I also commend the FBI for its thorough and fair investigation. Finally, I want to recognize the current and former Caldwell Police officers who testified under extremely difficult circumstances.”
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