PLAINFIELD, Ind. — A Plainfield police officer involved in a police chase that killed an elderly couple in August has now resigned.
The Plainfield Police Department announced Wednesday evening that Officer Logan Westerfield, a five-year veteran, has resigned following the department’s conclusion of its internal investigation.
According to PPD, the purpose of the internal investigation was to determine if Officer Westerfield complied with the department’s policies and procedures during the chase.
PPD did not explicitly state in its news release if its policies and procedures were followed when confirming Westerfield’s resignation. FOX59/CBS4 has contacted the department for clarity.
“We understand that this has been a challenging and emotional time for our community, and we deeply appreciate your patience and trust throughout this process,” said Plainfield Chief of Police Kyle Prewitt. “It is imperative that we preserve the integrity of our investigations and uphold the values of our department. Our commitment remains to be a police department that our community can be proud of.”
According to previous reports, the incident stemmed from a police chase involving 38-year-old Bryan Goodmon and Officer Westerfield at the intersection of U.S. Highway 40 and Smith Road on Aug. 30.
The Avon Police Department prepared a detailed crash report as the department led the criminal investigation of the circumstances that led up to the deadly crash. FOX59/CBS4 reported the findings of this report on Sept. 30, which can be viewed here.
The chase was initiated when Westerfield was dispatched to a Long John Silvers at the 2300 block of East Main Street.
The officer subsequently arrived at the scene and came into contact with multiple suspects, including Goodmon.
Westerfield then got into an altercation with the suspects. As the altercation developed, PPD said at the time that Goodmon and the other suspects fled the scene in a white Kia.
The officer was nearly struck by Goodmon as he departed the restaurant’s parking lot, PPD said.
A chase ensued to catch up to Goodmon, with PPD stating that police believed he was possibly intoxicated. The officer’s police lights and sirens were activated during the chase.
The chase led Goodmon and the officer toward the intersection of U.S. Highway 40 and Smith Road. Around that same time, 78-year-old Barbara Williams and 79-year-old Bennie Williams were in the process of turning their 2009 Ford Fusion onto U.S. Highway 40 when they were struck and killed by the PPD officer.
Previous reporting shows the officer sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The crash report compiled by APD said the Williams’ had a green arrow as they were preparing to complete their turn onto Smith Road.
The report also determined that the PPD officer had an “unobstructed” view of the intersection in the moments preceding the fatal encounter.
The report also found that the officer’s vehicle recorded speeds of 100 mph roughly 2.5 seconds before the crash. The officer’s speed is believed to have reduced to between 56.78 and 58.64 mph at the time of the crash.
Previous reporting indicates bodycam footage appeared to show the officer trying to hit the brakes and swerve while attempting to avoid slamming into the Ford Fusion.
APD’s crash report concluded that the PPD officer complied with a lawful pursuit of the criminal suspect.
The PPD officer was immediately placed on administrative leave after the crash. Additional officers soon located Goodmon’s vehicle the same day the crash occurred. Goodmon was not inside the vehicle and a search was activated to find and apprehend him.
Goodmon was ultimately apprehended on the east side of Indianapolis on Sept. 16 roughly two weeks after the incident. He was arrested and brought to the Hendricks County Jail where he faces two felony counts of resisting law enforcement causing death or catastrophic injury and one count of resisting law enforcement causing bodily injury.
A jury trial has been set for Nov. 26 in Goodmon’s case.
