CALDWELL, Idaho — A high-ranking Caldwell Police officer has been terminated, weeks after he was indicted on felony charges.
Lt. Joseph Hoadley, who led the investigations division, was fired on May 3. He had been on paid administrative leave since late January.
Hoadley is charged in federal court with destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in a federal investigation, as well as deprivation of rights under color of law.
According to the indictment, Hoadley punched a man in the head while on duty on March 30, 2017, then wrote a false report about what had happened. In the report, Hoadley wrote that he used necessary force to stop the person from escaping, but left out that he hit the man.
"The form and narrative report were false because as Defendant Hoadley then well knew: (1) after B.H. said something to Defendant Hoadley, Defendant Hoadley used his hand and arm to strike B.H.'s head and neck area and did not "use [his] left hand to force [B.H.] to the ground by his shirt collar,'" the indictment reads.
The criminal charges against Hoadley come as part of an ongoing FBI investigation into current and former Caldwell police officers. Six sources confirm those under investigation were members of the department's Street Crimes Unit.
The allegations being investigated by the FBI, according to sources, include that a former member of the unit had sex with a woman caught with drugs in exchange for letting her go without arrest.
Former Caldwell Police Chief Frank Wyant informed the city in March that he was retiring, weeks after officials confirmed the FBI investigation. Wyant was not a target of the investigation, according to the city. His last day on the job is May 31.
The FBI has declined KTVB's requests for comment.
Hoadley has been with the Caldwell Police Department since 2001, including an eight-year stint in the Street Crimes Unit.
Hoadley's jury trial is set for September 19. If convicted of both felonies, he could face up to 30 years in federal prison.
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