SPEARFISH, S.D. — Spearfish Police held a press conference Thursday to update the public about an incident that has a resident accusing an officer of abusing his power.
Officer Hunter Bradley was accused by Ashley Donarski of Spearfish of abusing his power while arresting her during an incident that occurred on June 18. The accusation lead to threats on Facebook against Bradley.
Police report that on that date, they had just responded to a complaint call from Donarski, where she spoke to police about a separate incident near apartment buildings around the intersection of Heritage Drive and Colorado Boulevard. After police left the scene, she received a call saying that her child had fallen out of a second story window and needed help.
Police say that Donarski pulled around a patrol vehicle on the east side of Spearfish to pass them at a high rate of speed.
However, according to a Facebook post by Donarski, she pulled up asking the officers for help after receiving the call, trying to relay what had happened to her son. The officers pursued Donarski, saying she reached speeds as high as 80 mph in a 45 mph zone and 60 mph in a 25 mph zone.
The pursuit ended at Donarski’s home at Sandstone Hills. Police say that after the pursuit, she got out of her vehicle and explained her son’s accident to Officer Bradley.
Once an ambulance arrived and her son was cleared by EMTs, Donarski was placed under arrest by Officer Bradley for reckless driving and taken to Lawrence County Jail. While the department says the arrest was justified, officials say the situation could have been handled differently.
Police Chief Pat Rotert says that a citation arrest probably should have been issued instead of Donarski being arrested. He says that the department takes ownership of how it could be better. Spearfish Police Chief Curtis Jacobs says that although Officer Bradley’s actions weren’t immoral or illegal, they were a little bit insensitive when you take in the totality of the entire incident.
Donarksi has since started a petition which calls for Officer Bradley to lose his job, but police say no action will be taken to remove the officer from duty.
