WESTOVER — A cell phone which may contain evidence relating to a lawsuit filed against two Westover Police officers has resurfaced, according to court documents.
The cell phone is part of a lawsuit that alleges Westover officers Aaron Dalton and Justice Carver used excessive force on plaintiff William Cox for recording them, destroyed his cell phone that recorded the attack, and falsely arrested him.
The phone was found damaged or broken when recovered. According to the documents, U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Aloi ordered the cell phone be repaired by experts provided by Westover and Cox. If the repair is successful, extraction experts will meet to extract data and other digital material from the phone. The phone will then be returned to the plaintiff.
First-ward Councilman Ralph Mullins said he was first made aware of the phone’s recovery through press publications.
“Now as an elected official, that is disgraceful,” Mullins said. “In my opinion, it is disgraceful that me, as a city councilperson, is finding out about incidents which are leading to federal lawsuits that could potentially cost our city millions of dollars and impact taxpayers and the residents of Westover, and I’m finding out about it through the press.”
Councilmember At-Large and Police Committee Member Steve Andryzcik said he was informed by the mayor, but was unable to confirm which day he was informed.
According to Article IV of the City of Westover, the police committee is responsible for submitting reports at least quarterly to the mayor, or to city council and the mayor. These reports include the board’s financial condition and any other reports required by council or the mayor.
The Dominion Post also reached out to Second-Ward Councilmember Janice Goodwin as well as Mayor Dave Johnson, and did not receive a response prior to publication.
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