LMPD detective avoids firing for role in 'Slushygate' after meeting with chief

Louisville Metro Police Detective Jonathan Robbins has been suspended for 30 days without pay in lieu of termination for his role in a string of transgressions where officers threw drinks at civilians from unmarked police cars and splashed people with puddles, according to an internal memorandum obtained by The Courier Journal.

The attacks, which occurred from 2018 to 2019 and were later christened "Slushygate," were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2021. Five LMPD officers have now been suspended in the case. Two others who resigned were sent to prison.

While Robbins was initially served a pre-termination notice in late July of this year, his punishment was reduced to a suspension after a meeting one month later with Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel.

Gwinn-Villaroel wrote that while Robbins brought discredit upon LMPD, "you also showed genuine remorse for this conduct."

Since the time of the incidents, Robbins' work as an LMPD officer "has been exemplary and you have shown yourself to be an asset to this department," Gwinn-Villaroel wrote.

The attacks, which officers filmed and shared, occurred between August 2018 and September 2019, according to discipline letters. The misconduct was carried out by members of the Ninth Mobile Division, which was disbanded in 2019.

Two former LMPD officers, Bryan Wilson and Curt Flynn, pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges related to the scandal.

According to federal prosecutors, Flynn and Wilson used their positions as police officers to obtain the drinks they threw at people for free from local businesses. At a sentencing hearing for Flynn and Wilson, prosecutors showed videos of the misconduct, including one in which officers pulled up to a woman and shouted “how about a drink?” before throwing a beverage at her. The officers were laughing during the attacks.

Flynn and Wilson were sentenced in September 2022. Flynn was sentenced to three months in prison. Wilson, who also pleaded guilty in a cyberstalking case where he used police technology to help hack and extort women using stolen sexually explicit material, was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

After his conviction in 2022, Flynn resigned from the force. Wilson resigned in July 2020.

The Courier Journal reported in August that four other officers who knew about the incidents but did nothing to stop the misconduct had been suspended.

According to the memorandum, Robbins was directly involved in three incidents that occurred on or about Oct. 4 and 5, 2018. He was driving the car "from which drinks were thrown out of the window striking or almost striking civilians." He was also reprimanded for knowing about this misconduct and not reporting it.

He was served notice of pre-termination on July 20, 2023, after a police investigation concluded Robbins had violated standard procedure and conduct for his involvement. In the letter, Gwinn-Villaroel wrote Robbins' actions had severely damaged LMPD's image within the community and impeded LMPD's goal of professional law enforcement service.

Robbins was given an opportunity to respond in a later meeting with Gwinn-Villaroel and "selected staff" that took place Aug. 21.

In her following memo, Gwinn-Villaroel said Robbins took full responsibility for his misconduct at that meeting. Because of this, Gwinn-Villaroel reduced his sanction to a 30-day suspension without pay.

More: LMPD: No further investigations, discipline for officers in DOJ report incidents

The chief's decision comes after a report released last spring by the U.S. Department of Justice criticized LMPD for the way it disciplines officers for misconduct and "routinely fails to impose meaningful consequences."

“Even when the chief initially decides to terminate or suspend an officer, the chief frequently reduces the penalty after meeting with the officer, the officer’s attorney, and a union representative. This meeting gives officers a second chance to explain their conduct, after they have already explained their conduct to investigators, and the investigators have reached their conclusion,” the report reads.

When asked whether this finding by the DOJ was considered by Gwinn-Villaroel in her decision to suspend Robbins in lieu of termination, police spokesperson Angela Ingram responded with an emailed statement that she said should be attributed to LMPD.

It said the chief had noted pre-termination proceedings were pending "in the last DOJ findings community update/news briefing" but that due process requires that officers be given a chance to meet with the chief beforehand.

“In ultimately deciding to impose a suspension rather than termination, Chief Gwinn-Villaroel explained her reasoning in the final paperwork issued to the officer. Chief Gwinn-Villaroel remains committed to accountability and has imposed a wide range of disciplinary measures during her tenure as both interim and now permanent Chief.”

Reach reporter Rachel Smith at rksmith@courierjournal.com or @RachelSmithNews on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: LMPD detective involved in 'Slushygate' suspended by Gwinn-Villaroel