A 67-year-old Ramona police officer was fired and arrested within about a day of a city employee accusing him of sexual misconduct during a patrol ride-along, according to court documents. Gerald Garrison had worked for the Washington County department for roughly five years before the allegations upended his career almost overnight.
According to newson6.com, the employee told investigators that Garrison touched them inappropriately inside the patrol car during his shift, and that the contact continued later at Ramona City Hall. The station reports that surveillance video showed the two entering the building together, and that evidence collected from a room there was consistent with the employee's account. Garrison is charged with sexual battery and forcible sodomy, per that same report.
Garrison acknowledged that some sexual activity took place but denied touching the employee in the way described, the outlet's report states. He reportedly admitted to kissing the victim, though he initially denied the broader allegations before that partial admission. The employee told investigators they were scared and shocked and did not know what to do in the moment, according to the affidavit referenced in the reporting.
A Rapid Chain of Command Moves
The sequence that ended Garrison's career moved fast. Per the reporting from newson6.com, the Ramona police chief said he learned of the allegations around 10 p.m. on Friday and immediately removed Garrison from duty. Garrison was fired and arrested the next day, the outlet notes.
Court documents cited in the coverage describe how the suspension unfolded before Garrison fully understood why. He reportedly sent a text message to Ramona Police Chief Daniel Blevins on Friday, saying the town's mayor had told him he was being suspended and needed to leave his badge at the police department. Blevins said he did not yet know why Garrison was being suspended when he then contacted Ramona Mayor Cyle Miller, according to the affidavit. Miller said he had received a report from a victim alleging sexual misconduct by Garrison, per the mayor's account described in that filing.
Arrest and Charges
Washington County Jail records show Garrison was arrested shortly after an investigative interview, at around 3:17 p.m. on Saturday, according to ktul.com. That report states Garrison is set to be charged with sexual battery and forcible sodomy. A separate account from bartlesvilleradio.com describes the charge differently, saying Garrison is being charged with a felony count of sexual battery. The two accounts differ on the precise charges filed, and it is not clear from available reporting which characterization reflects the final charging document.
Part of a Broader Pattern in Oklahoma
Cases like Garrison's are not isolated in the state's law enforcement history. From 2010 to 2012, 66 Oklahoma officers had their certifications revoked or suspended, received a letter of reprimand, or surrendered their certifications, according to a review by Oklahoma Watch. At least five of those cases during that period involved on-duty sexual crimes, the outlet found. State law requires the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training to revoke an officer's certification following a felony conviction or guilty plea, as well as for certain misdemeanors, per that same review.
Other Oklahoma cases have drawn national attention. A federal jury found former Savanna police officer Jeffrey Scott Smith guilty of sexually assaulting a woman during a traffic stop and of obstructing justice by disabling his body-worn and dash cameras to avoid recording the incident, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. In a separate case highlighted by Oklahoma Watch, Highway Patrol officer Patrick Venable pleaded guilty to assault and received a five-year suspended sentence along with 90 days in the Logan County jail and two years of probation.
Garrison's case remains in its early stages. The details of the charges he ultimately faces, and how the department's response will hold up under scrutiny, are likely to come into sharper focus as the case moves forward in Washington County.
