Former Sanger 'Officer of the Year' charged with oppression, assault for use of force during arrest
SANGER, Texas - A Sanger police sergeant, who was previously named Officer of the Year, was fired and is facing charges after allegedly using excessive force during an arrest.
On Oct. 23, 2022, officers pulled over a car after a report of a "vehicle disturbance" from the Denton County Sheriff's Office.
Cole Thompson (Source: Denton County Jail)
The car came to a stop on Willow Street in Sanger and the officers ordered the driver to walk to the back of the vehicle.
The driver complied, according to Sanger police, but Sergeant Cole Thompson used physical force and a taser before putting handcuffs on them.
Sanger Police reviewed the body-worn camera and dashcam footage of the incident and said Sergeant Thompson's report did not match what the video showed.
On Dec. 9, 2022, Thompson was fired by Sanger Police.
The incident was reported to the Texas Rangers.
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12 suspects were from Denton County, two were from Cooke County and there was one each from Tarrant County, Grayson County and Kaufman County.
On Thursday, March 30, a Denton County Grand Jury indicted Thompson for one count of official oppression and one count of assault.
Jail records show Thompson was booked into the Denton County Jail on April 5 and released $10,000 bond.
Sergeant Cole Thompson (Sanger Police/Facebook)
Thompson had been with the Sanger Police Department since February 2020, and according to a social media post was named the 2020 Sanger Police Department Officer of the Year.