An Elkhart police officer is now on unpaid leave, after more criminal charges were filed.
Cpl. Tyler Koeppel, 30, was arrested in July, after he allegedly texted two women who’d recently been granted protection orders against him. Now, Koeppel faces a felony charge of attempted residential entry and a misdemeanor charge of unlawful use of a police radio, in connection with what police say happened a week earlier.
Court documents say Koeppel went to visit one of the women, after she said she didn’t want to talk to him much, according to Elkhart City Attorney Rose Rivera. "He had a key to enter, which he attempted to use, but she had engaged the chain lock system," Rivera told the city's board of safety Tuesday. "He attempted to break that chain lock system, and then when the call went out, he attempted to first, slow down officers and then, ask them to disregard the call and to not respond."
Koeppel’s attorney said he believed there were “serious discrepancies” in some of the probable cause and that his client had some disagreements with the accusations. He asked that the city find him some other duties that would allow him to keep getting paid, during the investigation.
But Interim Police Chief Andy Whitmyer said that, based on the nature of the charges, there were no appropriate placements. "By no part do I personally or does the Elkhart Police Department take any of putting an officer on unpaid leave lightly," Whitmyer told the board of safety. "It’s not just something we jump to because that’s a clause in a book or a contract."
Board members unanimously approved the police department’s request to switch Koeppel from paid to unpaid leave, until the case is resolved.
