Police Officer Resigns After Body Cam Footage Shows Him Ripping Off Woman’s Shirt

Trinity Clark, a woman from Tennessee, is set to take legal action against the police department in her town. This comes after she was exposed as an officer ripped her top off and tackled her to the ground. Then, he hit her with several accusations that resulted in charges that were all dismissed.

Body cam recordings show an officer lied about much of the information regarding the incident. The police officer in Knoxville, Joseph Roberts, is no longer with the force.

Roberts’ superiors didn’t address the issue. Information about Clark’s arrest only came to light after Roberts didn’t tell the truth about a police pursuit with another woman, Sara Davis. This occurred months after as Clark was still dealing with what she had gone through.

21-year-old Clark had said that she observed Roberts conducting a traffic stop on a woman in front of her residence. Clark’s attire included a three-quarter sweatshorts and a sports bra. The temperature was 93 degrees on that particular day.

Camera footage shows the officer stationed by a red Chevrolet Camaro as Clark drove away from her driveway. Roberts then entered his vehicle and drove the same path. The officer had noted in his report that Clark had turned on a road “at a high rate of speed, causing the tires to squawk.”

On the contrary, reports indicate that the woman’s tires didn’t squeak. The officer also wasn’t truthful when he stated that Clark had fled from him as he traveled behind her. His body cam video didn’t reveal that Roberts was behind the woman’s vehicle until after she exited the car.

Clark arrived at a friend’s residence and was walking up to the door when Roberts turned on his flashing lights. He wrote in his report that the lights were already on when she got out of the car.

Roberts told the woman to come to him as she questioned what he wanted. Clark, feeling unsafe, stayed on the friend’s porch and told the officer to come to her.

The officer then tried to pull Clark’s hand as she jerked away. During the struggle, Clark’s sports bra came off, she tried to cover her breasts, and Roberts still tried to detain her.

Six more officers arrived to the location and detained Clark. One officer retrieved a shirt for Clark and covered her. Roberts told officials that the friend and her mother had “just come out of the house on him.”

Roberts also accused Clark of punching him and hitting his car which camera footage didn’t show.

Clark had been charged with evading arrest, resisting to stop, simple possession of marijuana, and other charges. She had no clue that she was being arrested for those offenses.

After noting all of the fabrications, charges against Clark were dropped. However, Clark still feels that her arrest may prevent her from finishing her degree at Tennessee State University. Her mugshot and her arrest were widely-known.

In April, Roberts quit the department. He pleaded guilty to destroying or tampering with records.