22 Aug 2024
Fort Lewis College police officer jailed on domestic violence charges
A Fort Lewis College “peace” officer is detained in La Plata County Jail following an arrest warrant that resulted from him allegedly assaulting and kidnapping his common law wife.
Garrett McCoy, a former police officer at Fort Lewis College. Credit to government for photo.
After a Temporary Protection Order was issued against him, he also allegedly violated the Order by attempting to call the victim. He was then charged with a misdemeanor.
Garrett McCoy, 35 years old, was a police officer at Fort Lewis College up until he got arrested and was jailed on the domestic violence-related charges in March of 2024.
However, McCoy does not work at the police department anymore, according to Kim Angel, a Program Assistant at Fort Lewis College Police Department.
McCoy was last employed by Fort Lewis College in March, Angel said. Angel did not know why McCoy was no longer employed there, she said. Furthermore, Angel was not in town at the time, she said.
When I asked Kim Angel if McCoy had been fired, she hung up the phone on me.
Currently, McCoy owns property in Ignacio, Colorado, where he allegedly carried out the abuses against his common law wife named Katherine.
Photo borrowed without permission from McCoy’s Facebook page.
Katherine told an officer at La Plata County Sheriff’s Office that she had been abused by McCoy since June of 2022.
Since March of 2023, the victim Katherine had been documenting her injuries with photographs, according to the the Affidavit of Probable Cause for Arrest Warrant.
Some of the abuse documented in court records includes McCoy shoving her to the floor, choking her from behind, dragging her around the house by her leg, threatening to kill her, covering her mouth when she attempted to scream, and physically blocking her from leaving the house.
Officer Brian Harrison allegedly reviewed pictures of the victim’s injuries that included the following:
- 2/5/24 and 2/6/24: redness and swelling on Katherine’s cheek, abrasions on the outside of her upper and lower lips, and the inside of her upper lip is split.
- 9/17/23 and 9/21/23: bruise on Katherine’s elbow.
- 8/6/23: abrasions on what appears to be an abdomen.
- 6/16/23: abrasions on Katherine’s nose and cheek.
- 5/8/23: bruise on what appears to be the side of a breast.
- 3/23/23: bruises and abrasions on Katherine’s chin, lip, and cheek.
Court documents indicated that much of McCoy’s abuse was fueled by his consumption of alcohol.
La Plata County Sheriff’s Office Record’s Technician Melinda Wood refused to release the body worn camera video and other records related to McCoy’s arrest, citing C.R.S 24-72-305 (5) as the excuse.
Garrett McCoy is currently a POST-certified peace officer in Colorado who is not currently employed, according to the state of Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training department.
Verify a Colorado peace officer’s certification status on this website: https://post.coag.gov/s/?tabset-1eada=4b5ff
