IBPO Member “Thanks God,” His Wife and His Union after Being Found Not Guilty on 20 Felony Indictments
March 3, 2008
A former Chattanooga police officer and member of IBPO Local 673 was found not guilty of 20 felony indictments related to an alleged theft during traffic stops he made in 2006 and January 2007.
Lawrence Goodine was arrested and charged with eight counts of official oppression, eight counts of theft, and extortion, after accusations surfaced that he had taken and pocketed money from individuals he stopped for traffic violations.
“When they announced the verdict, I just stood there numb,” Goodine said. “I was crying. Some of the jurors were crying. I just thanked God, and my wife, and my union, who stuck with me through this whole ordeal. I would travel across the country to talk about how good the IBPO was to me and my family.”
National President David J. Holway reported that the IBPO was proud to stand by the innocent officer during the very tumultuous months leading up to the trial.
“This ordeal truly shook Officer Goodine and his family and I’m very glad that we could be there to help,” he said. “We’re an organization that cares about our members, and by extension, our members’ families. Being able to help this man clear his good name and get on with his life means so much to me personally and to this organization.”
Chattanooga attorneys Lee Davis and Bryan Hoss, of Davis&Hoss, represented Goodine.
“This was a huge win and we were able to prevail because of the support we received from the IBPO,” said Attorney Davis. “We are very pleased for Lawrence. Here was a young man who is an outstanding citizen, a commendable person, and a gung-ho officer who had always wanted to go into law enforcement. In a series of traffic stops, he finds drugs, arrests the offenders, and then he has these admitted drug dealers claim he kept some of their money.”
Goodine said he was grateful for the representation he received from Davis&Hoss, the IBPO, and his local president, Sgt. Julia Dean.
“I am so thankful for [IBPO General Counsel] Richard Barry, and his staff, for my lawyers and for Sgt. Julia Dean,” he said. “It was surreal to wake up on Sunday without this hanging over my head. For almost a year I have slept only a couple of hours at a time; my kids were made fun of at school; my wife is a nurse and had to hear doctors and patients talking about the case. It has been hell.”