Docs: Plainfield officer charged, asked clerk to help 'tarnish' fellow officer

A Plainfield police officer has been criminally charged after court records state he tried to falsely accuse a fellow officer of numerous offenses to prevent him from being promoted.

The Hendricks County Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday charged former Plainfield police officer Valentin Khazin with official misconduct, a felony, and false informing, a misdemeanor, following an investigation by Indiana State Police.

Khazin, who resigned from the department Aug. 30, had been with the department since March 27, 2020. He did not have an attorney listed Friday afternoon.

A probable cause affidavit detailing the case said the investigation began when detectives from the Plainfield Police Department were told in June of possible false crime reports and harassment at a gas station.

During interviews at the gas station, the clerk told police Khazin had asked him to make false accusations against a Plainfield police sergeant, who was reportedly trying to become a lieutenant — the same job Khazin wanted.

The clerk told investigators that in early June, Khazin asked him to compose three letters using an AI program detailing false allegations of verbal, physical and sexual abuse against children by the police sergeant, who doubled as a school resource officer. The letters, the clerk recalled, were to be sent to the department’s chief, the Plainfield Town Council, and the Plainfield Community School Board.

The pair had developed a rapport over some time, the clerk explained, as several officers come to his gas station to get coffee and take a break. The clerk told police Khazin said he wanted to retaliate against an "incident" between the two law enforcement officers about a year and a half ago.

Khazin promised if he completed the task, he “would benefit in the future with an unspecified, eventual quid pro quo," the clerk said, according to court records.

Investigators in a probable cause affidavit detailing Khazin’s charges said a fake letter written by Plainfield police officials was drafted, and for the next several weeks, they surveyed the gas station on nights Khazin may come in.

On Aug. 16, Khazin entered the gas station just before 12:30 a.m. and approached the clerk. Court records said surveillance footage and police cameras showed the clerk took out the fake letter, unfolded the paper and laid it on the counter for Khazin to review.

Police in court records said Khazin looked over the letter for several seconds and is heard saying “yeah.” The clerk responded he found an apartment complex where he could send letters, after which police in the affidavit said Khazin abruptly changed the subject by asking what was on the clerk’s shirt.

Investigators said Khazin pointed to the camera the clerk was wearing to capture the interaction.

“Excuse me for being paranoid,” Khazin said, according to the affidavit. “Do you understand that? I don’t want to look like a weirdo to you. I think you’re awesome, man. Everything you do is awesome.”

The two men then changed the subject.

The charges

After what police called a second “unsuccessful” attempt to record a conversation at the gas station, detectives asked Khazin for an interview about the investigation.

During the interview on Aug. 28, Khazin said he “hates” the sergeant he’s accused of trying to tarnish and avoided him. He explained the contentious relationship stemmed from a police call they made a year ago regarding an intoxicated driver. The sergeant tried to assign Khazin to the call, court records state, but Khazin did not want to take it. Court records state Khazin said the sergeant then “got into his face and yelled at him.”

When showed the prop letter containing allegations against the sergeant, Khazin said he’d never seen the letter before and called the accusations false. Investigators said they showed Khazin the surveillance footage capturing the clerk showing him the letter and allege Khazin repeated he did not read the letter the clerk presented and called the employee “weird.”

Investigators said Khazin stopped the interview and left the room when they began to show video the clerk captured from the camera on his person.

Indiana State Police on Friday said Khazin was issued a summons rather than being detained "due to the safety of the defendant, as the state has not yet reviewed all cases in which the defendant was the arresting officer or participated in and there may still be defendants in the jail on those cases."

Contact reporter Sarah Nelson at 317-503-7514 or sarah.nelson@indystar.com

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Plainfield officer accused of trying to 'tarnish' sergeant's reputation