Knoxville police officer pleads guilty to tampering with records, then resigns

A Knoxville police officer who had been suspended as the department reviewed his actions in a high-speed chase was arrested Thursday on charges he destroyed or tampered with records.

Joseph Roberts resigned Thursday after pleading guilty to the felony charges, District Attorney Charme Allen said in a news release. Roberts lied on an arrest report, she said.

At 4:50 p.m. Jan. 31, during rush hour, Roberts initiated a pursuit on Interstate 640 East. Roberts began the pursuit of Siara Davis after he noticed she was driving with expired plates, according to crash and arrest reports.

Roberts turned off both his in-car camera and his body-worn camera, against department policy. But the cruiser camera automatically turned back on eight seconds later when Roberts’ speed reached a certain threshold.

More: Knoxville police officer suspended, under investigation after a chase ends in a crash

Davis, in her 2008 Infiniti, sped away from Roberts, exited at Old Broadway and blew a red light as she turned right onto Broadway. Another driver coming through the intersection plowed into Davis, flipping her car into the northbound lane of Broadway, where it hit a second car before coming to a stop. No one was seriously hurt.

When other officers arrived on the scene, they repeatedly asked Roberts if he was involved in a pursuit. Even though it lasted 3 1/2 minutes, covered more than four miles and reached speeds over 100 mph, Roberts maintained he was not involved in a pursuit, the DA report says.

When filling out the warrants for Davis and her passenger he lied again, a falsification of an official record.

“It is imperative that citizens are able to trust law enforcement,” Allen said in a statement. “By repeatedly being dishonest when questioned by his supervising officers and by falsifying his sworn statements, this officer broke the law, damaged that trust, and showed that he was unfit to serve as an officer of the law."

Roberts’ lawyer T. Scott Jones, said the officer has taken full responsibility for his actions.

"He is desirous of redeeming himself through his continued good conduct in order to establish that the events for which he submitted were an anomaly in an otherwise law abiding and upright life. I, as his legal counsel, trust in the safe wisdom of the judge in that his request for diversion is not something that is given but rather something that he will hopefully earn and merit after two years of exemplary probation," Jones write in a statement.

"He is a young man that made a grave error and is paying a high price for the same and he implores the forgiveness that is earned through future acts of meeting society’s standards."

In an emailed statement, KPD spokesperson Scott Erland said Roberts' actions undermine the strides the department is making in working to earn the community's trust.

"The KPD is committed to serving with integrity and working steadfastly to maintain the trust of those it serves, and there is no place here for officers who are not committed to that same vision," he said. "Our officers will keep doing the work necessary to maintain the trust of the community while holding those accountable who chip away at that trust."

Davis was arrested on several charges, including evading arrest and careless and erratic driving. Her passenger, Xavier Nolan, had a warrant out for his arrest, according to a police report. Roberts wrote that Davis “knew that Xavier Nolan was wanted on felony charges, and was assisting him in avoiding arrest.”

Erland told Knox News in February that Roberts was suspended when KPD was “made aware of the totality of Roberts' actions."

After the crash, the KPD internal affairs unit opened an investigation into possible policy violations.

Later that week Morrow, listed as the head of violent crimes, was asked to investigate the crash by the department’s lone remaining deputy chief, Cindy Gass, to determine if Roberts committed any criminal acts. When complete, the findings of that investigation will be sent to the Knox County District attorney office.

Roberts had been suspended with pay after the department opened two internal investigations into the chase and crash.

Roberts' sentencing hearing will be June 29.

Tyler Whetstone is a Knox News politics reporter focusing on Knoxville and Knox County.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville police officer pleads guilty to tampering with records