McKinney Pool Party Debate Continues
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MCKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) - Reaction, discussion and debate continue Tuesday over a McKinney police officer's response to a pool party. Were the actions of Eric Casebolt justified? There were about 100 people rallying at the police department's headquarters Monday night, on both sides of the issue.
The question has many people split.
This all stems from a Friday night pool party at Craig Ranch in McKinney. Video was posted onto YouTube showing the police response when the party reportedly got out of hand. In that online video, which has now gone viral, Casebolt can be seen pinning down a 14-year-old girl and even drawing his gun.
Residents who live near the pool said that the situation started when two women got into a fight as teenagers arrived to the party, which had been promoted on social media. One mother stated that she was at the pool when teens started to jump over the fence and into the water. She added that race was not why police were called to the scene.
The protests on Monday included parents of teenagers who were at the pool party and others who think that the officer did nothing wrong.
"I speak for a lot of people when I say I'm angry. I've been angry all day," said McKinney parent Warren Barnes. "To be treated that way? I thank God it wasn't my son."
"It's absolutely ridiculous," argued a supporter of the McKinney Police Department. "At the end of the day, the children screwed up and they didn't listen to what the police officer said."
The opposing groups rallied, with varying opinions, and even came head to head at one point on Monday night. But the protesters kept things peaceful, debating and arguing, but never getting out of line. More protests are planned for later this week.
Meanwhile, the case remains under investigation by the McKinney Police Department. It could be several days before a conclusion is reached. Casebolt has been placed on administrative leave while his peers review the situation.
Casebolt has been with the McKinney Police Department for the last 10 years. He was named as the 'Officer of the Year' in 2008, but does have a disciplinary record from several years ago, when he left an on-duty training session to bail out a girlfriend who had been arrested for DWI.
The McKinney Fraternal Order of Police is standing by Casebolt. The group released a statement on Monday night that said, "This was not a racially-motivated incident."
In a separate statement, the Texas State Lodge added, "No person has the right to resist arrest or interfere with a police officer while he is attempting to detain or arrest someone."