I got additional information about POLICE MISCONDUCT, and I am livid.
The police have lied to me, over and over. In the state of Kentucky, you only need probable cause to arrest someone for domestic violence. This could have been over back in April. Instead, they did nothing, over and over, and look how far this has grown out of control!
I showed the officer I reported to on April 2, 2024:
- The photograph of the Tyler-sized hole in the wall
- The concerning text messages Tyler sent me about Duke pushing him through the wall, taking his communication devices away, and threatening to falsely accuse Tyler of being the violent one (even though the hole was clearly Tyler's size)
- My black eye, and explained the weird context of dissociative amnesia and Duke being the only person awake other than me
...and the officer lied to me, and said there was nothing he could do unless Tyler reported it himself. If not a lie, and he genuinely did not know, than he should be better-educated on the law. I'm disgusted that this got so far in spite of all my efforts.
This is especially dim when you consider Tyler is a vulnerable adult under the following criteria:
- Domestic violence survivor
- Sexual abuse survivor
- Has disabilities
- Has been homeless
- Arguably more
This also could have been over on July 31, 2024, when Tyler himself DID call the police and report it.
It was Tyler's biggest effort to leave Duke. He thought if he could provoke Duke into kicking him out, he would leave him alone, so he invited me out to the bar and updated his snap story to the bar's interior. Duke followed us to the bar, and watched us for a few minutes. He then approached Tyler, threateningly whispered "you've made your choice," drove home, and locked himself in the house. To retrieve his belongings, Tyler called the police to intervene.
While one officer was trying in vain to deescalate the situation, another was talking to me and Tyler. Tyler asked me to show him the evidence of domestic violence, and he explained, "He pushed me into the wall and made me fix it!" I provided further context on the nature of the "relationship" and the lack of consent on Tyler's part. The officer handed him a sheet of paper on how to get an EPO, but no arrest was made, and no help was offered. Giving a long sheet of paper with legalese and numbers on it is no help to someone with ADHD, which Tyler and I both have.
Someone who had been then-brainwashed by Duke later picked Tyler up and, instead of dropping him off at my house, dropped him off at Duke's a week later. Duke proceeded to shut off the Internet so that Tyler could not call for help, and that's when he ran to my house in the night to seek safety. The night in question? August 7-8. Sound familiar? That's because, because of the neglect of the Ashland Police, Duke was free and at large to set Tyler up for a DUI.
This all could have been avoided if the APD had made an arrest on July 31 and saw their responsibility to help Tyler get a restraining order through to the end.
You know the story. Tyler ended up stuck on house arrest with Duke, trying desperately to make it to my house, but leaving is never easy.
Tyler gave me the full story about what happened on December 30, and gave me additional info that made me even more livid about the situation. Tyler's initial response was not a fight response, but a flight response. He ran to his uncle (another victim of Duke's) for assistance, only for Duke to follow him and provoke him into a fight response. Meaning, Duke didn't just get hit and see the opportunity to get Tyler in trouble. He provoked Tyler, who was clearly in "fight or flight" survival mode, to hit him so that he could cry wolf.
Before calling the Police, Duke gleefully declared Tyler's probation was forfeit. He knew exactly what he was doing. This is disgusting, and I may never forgive Tyler's uncle for betraying his nephew just because Duke broke his ribs. The uncle (who I will not identify) is an adult with a job, a vehicle, and a license, and who should reasonably have no ties to Duke, yet he blames Tyler for the fact that Duke broke his ribs. Yet, Tyler is the "adult" who, according to police, should have taken charge and gotten out.
Again, it should have never gotten to this point. The police had opportunity after opportunity to act. Instead, Tyler was arrested without being read his Miranda Rights or given the opportunity to share his side of the story, even though he had a huge, purple, defensive wound on his forearm. All the times the APD had evidence fed to them on a silver platter by Tyler and me, and they did nothing... yet, Duke points his fat finger to a bruise and all the sudden, it's guilty until proven innocent.
To add insult to literal injury, had the police acted on April 2, I wouldn't have had my skull bashed in on May 10. The police could have saved two vulnerable adults, but they instead chose to be the personal lapdogs of Duke. Whether through collusion or negligence, this was indeed an irresponsible choice on their part.
I will be reporting this to the proper authorities once I get all my notes together. I admit, I'm no longer certain Tyler has a restraining order; he hasn't heard anything about it, so this may have been a miscommunication between me and his mother, or his mother and another entity. If he doesn't have one now, I will do everything in my power to make sure he has one by the end of it.
I am encouraging Tyler to plead Not Guilty and to fight this instead of taking another curse-in-disguise plea deal and giving up. Please leave Tyler encouraging words, so he knows to keep fighting, because the world has his back.
I have made a printable, 8.5 x 11" flyer. If you want to help, you can print this out and pass it around, stick it on bulletin boards in your local office, or whatever suits you. It will be available on my website, https://sullivansweeney.com/ They are on the front page, third button down on the right.
Thank you all for your time, and don't forget to share. Together, we can end this insanity.