A Caldwell officer reported Joey Hoadley to superiors in 2017. He says they did nothing
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Hoadley Series
The FBI began investigating at least two Caldwell Police Department officers in 2021. So far it’s led to four federal charges against one Caldwell police officer: Lt. Joey Hoadley, who since has been fired. Here is our coverage since the investigation began.
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“What’s happening to my dad?”
The yell, heard from a 16-year-old on a Caldwell police officer’s body camera, came just as ex-Caldwell Police Lt. Joey Hoadley allegedly struck his father, who was getting arrested. Prosecutors played the video in court Tuesday at the James A. McClure Federal Building, in front of a jury that’s weighing federal charges against Hoadley.
The 14-person jury — which is made up of four men and 10 women — wasn’t able to see the incident that occurred between Hoadley and the alleged victim, a 49-year-old Caldwell man identified as B.H., as Hoadley didn’t have his body camera on him. The Statesman is choosing to withhold B.H.’s name as he is an alleged victim in the case.
But video footage surrounding the March 30, 2017, incident was played in court along with testimony from B.H. and former Caldwell Officer Eduardo Ibarra, who testified that he witnessed Hoadley strike B.H. in the face.
Ibarra reported the incident to his superiors because he said it was wrong. But he said it never resulted in disciplinary action.
“Our job is to protect the people, not hit them while they’re handcuffed,” Ibarra testified Tuesday.
The second day of Hoadley’s trial went well into the day, wrapping up around 5:30 p.m. The jury heard from four other witnesses, including current and former officers with the Caldwell Police Department, an Idaho Peace Officer Standards and Training employee and a use-of-force trainer.
Hoadley and a now-resigned sergeant are the subjects of the FBI’s investigation into officers within the Caldwell Police Department that has lasted more than a year.
Hoadley was indicted on four federal charges, including an allegation that he struck B.H. while arresting him in 2017. He’s also been charged with destruction, alteration or falsification of records in a federal investigation, tampering with a witness by harassment, and tampering with documents.
Hoadley was fired in May after a career that spanned more than 20 years with the Caldwell Police Department.
Video details March 2017 incident
The only body camera footage played in court was from now-resigned Caldwell Officer Amber Walker. In the video, Walker and Hoadley arrived at a yellow Caldwell home on what appears to be a cold spring day.
At least four officers arrived at the residence after a 911 hang-up call came from the house. The officers also alleged in the video that the department had previously received a 911 call from that residence a few days earlier.
The video footage showed Walker knock on a window, and then approximately 15 seconds later, she begins to force open a gate outside of the home. Walker can then be seen slowly walking around the backyard to another gate, which she opened to let Hoadley in.
Hoadley then approaches a door in the backyard. B.H.’s son then appears in the doorway, and Walker and Hoadley go into the house.
After an interaction between some of the officers, the son and B.H.’s mother, Hoadley says on the video that the house smells like weed and asks the 16-year-old if he’s smoking weed in the house.
The officers then learn that B.H. is downstairs and an officer calls out to him twice on the video. The unidentified officer is then seen in the video unholstering his gun and asks him to put his hands up and walk backward up the stairs.
Throughout the video, B.H. and officers discuss how police got into their home and whether there is marijuana in the house. B.H. becomes agitated throughout the conversation and accuses the officers of lying about the 911 call and asks about their probable cause for entering the home.
B.H. testified that he was arrested on suspicion of trafficking marijuana, but according to online court and Idaho Department of Correction records, he was never convicted of that. He instead pleaded guilty to illegal possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver.
B.H. is then handcuffed by Hoadley and led outside; they can be seen going out the front door. The video then pans away.
According to court documents and testimony from B.H., Hoadley told B.H. as he was leading him outside that he was “not very good at taking care of his mother.”
“You’re not very good at being a police officer,” B.H. responded.
B.H. testified that Hoadley hit him in the face, causing him to fall on the ground. He said he felt a pain in his chin.
Ibarra, during his testimony, corroborated B.H.’s testimony. He said he was looking off to the side when, out of his peripheral vision, he heard a bang and saw Hoadley strike B.H. He also testified that B.H. fell to the ground and fell by Ibarra’s feet.
Ibarra said he believed that Hoadley “was conducting an unlawful search and did not want to be a part of it,” according to a court document. He testified Tuesday that he never entered the house.
Ibarra said he resigned from the Caldwell Police Department in 2017, a few months after the incident.
This story was originally published September 20, 2022 at 7:00 PM.
