Lawsuits filed against Caldwell officers amid FBI investigation

Six former and current Caldwell Police Department officers and one Meridian police officer have been sued by Treasure Valley residents accusing them of civil rights violations, excessive force and an unlawful arrest.

Val Palmer and his wife, Coleen Palmer, filed a lawsuit against five Caldwell police officers after Val Palmer was arrested in September. Jeremy Mattson filed his lawsuit against two law enforcement officers, within the Caldwell and Meridian police departments, after he was arrested by them in March 2020.

But the two lawsuits have one common thread: The plaintiffs said they believe Treasure Valley officers violated their rights. Both lawsuits are invoking their right to a jury trial.

The complaints come on the heels of an FBI investigation into officers in the Caldwell Police Department. The U.S. government charged Lt. Joseph Hoadley in March and an additional charge was filed Thursday. Caldwell city officials said the investigation is ongoing.

In an email, Caldwell Clerk Debbie Geyer told the Idaho Statesman the two lawsuits were filed with the city and submitted to Idaho Counties Risk Management Program, which insures cities and counties in Idaho. Both lawsuits were filed with the U.S. District Court for Idaho.

A lawyer in the Palmers’ lawsuit, Adam Olsen, said the allegations were unrelated to the FBI investigation, but he is investigating other possible litigation that shows systemic issues within the Caldwell Police Department. He said the department repeatedly failed to supervise officers and implement policy.

“As we were gathering facts about this matter, there were indications that there were patterns of misconduct,” Olsen told the Statesman by phone.

MAN TACKLED WHILE ‘WAITING FOR GAS,’ WIFE SAYS
On a Monday morning in September, Val Palmer was driving to the gym when he pulled his Toyota Prius over on the Franklin Road overpass in Caldwell ⁠— he was out of gas.

Hours later, he was tackled to the ground by five police officers, and later would be placed on a mental health hold at West Valley Medical Center, according to the complaint.

According to a police report obtained by the Statesman, Caldwell Detective Andrew Heitzman saw Val Palmer stretching his arms in the air, “one arm at a time.” Val Palmer then went to the overpass railing and put a leg on the concrete barrier, according to the report.

Heitzman believed Val Palmer was trying to climb the overpass to take his own life, he wrote in the report.

In body camera footage provided to the Statesman, Heitzman can be seen approaching Val Palmer and ordering him to sit. Palmer told Heitzman that he was stretching and waiting for his wife to bring him gas to fill up his tank.

Body camera video shows Val Palmer complained about being asked to sit down while waiting for gas. He told Heitzman he had bad experiences with the police. Four officers arrived on the scene to assist Heitzman.

While Val Palmer was sitting on the curb, surrounded by two officers, he attempted to stand up as his wife was walking up with the gas canister. Before he could stand up, the officers tackled him to the ground.

His wife, Coleen Palmer, saw him get tackled. She pleaded with officers to stop and told them Val Palmer was waiting for gas. The officers put handcuffs on him and walked him to an officer’s vehicle. Palmer was placed on a mental health hold and arrested for resisting arrest, documents show.

Coleen Palmer told Heitzman on the body camera video that her husband has schizophrenia and a poor relationship with the police. Heitzman told her that her husband was arguing with the police and “not listening to us.”

“You tackled my husband, who was waiting for gas in his car,” Coleen Palmer said on the video.

In the video, Heitzman walked away from her then and called her a “f---ing b----” to the other officers.

The Palmers’ lawsuit was filed against Caldwell Police Officers Paul Carranza, Adam Matthews, Matthew Rapattoni, Kylie White and Heitzman.

Val Palmer said the officers violated his civil rights when they detained him and placed him on a mental health hold. Palmer also said the officers falsely arrested him for disorderly conduct.
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