Former Keller Officer Indicted After Controversial Arrest Of Father Filming Son's Traffic Stop
KELLER, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - A former Keller officer has been indicted after an incident in August 2020 involving the pepper spraying and arrest of a father who was filming his son's traffic stop.
Former Sgt. Blake Shimanek was charged with official oppression, a Class A misdemeanor with jail time of up to one year. Shimanek resigned from the department earlier this year.
Body camera video of the incident, which involved Shimanek and another officer, showed Marco Puente being sprayed and arrested while recording his son's encounter with police.
The video showed Shimanek telling the other officer, Antik Tomer, to arrest and pepper spray Puente for recording the encounter. An investigation found Puente did nothing wrong after Shimanek claimed he was blocking the road.
The department received backlash for the incident, and Keller Police Chief Brad Fortune said it "caused great disappointment and regret." He apologized for the incident.
Puente's attorney said the family received a settlement from the city worth around $200,000.
Shimanek was previously demoted two ranks and was taken off patrol prior to his resignation. Tomer was not punished after an internal investigation was completed.
