Ex-Iowa officer fired after PTSD-related incident awarded $2.6M in discrimination suit
Summary
In June 2021, the Indianola Police Department arrested then-officer Matthew Hunter for public intoxication after he attempted to get into his truck and drive away, swearing at and threatening officers who tried to stop him, according to the report. That incident led to Hunter’s PTSD diagnosis, which was related to the 2020 death of his friend, Sgt. It came as a total shock to Hunter when instead of a suspension or reprimand, Wingert fired him, according to the report. On Wednesday, after a weeklong trial, the jury sided with Hunter, finding the city hadnt shown nondiscriminatory reasons for its actions, according to the report. "Dismissing mental health issues only reinforces the stigma that many officers face when considering whether to disclose their struggles," Hunter’s attorney, David Albrecht, said.