An ex-Caldwell police sergeant allegedly victimized women. His trial won’t be till 2025
Ex-Caldwell Police Sgt. Ryan Bendawald’s federal trial, which was scheduled to start next month, has been postponed until January 2025.
The 41-year-old is accused of abusing his law enforcement role to victimize women. Specifically, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Idaho alleged that Bendawald engaged in “unlawful sexual conduct” with at least seven women he met during work from at least 2017 to 2021, according to a previous news release. Authorities alleged that he exchanged and offered to exchange better treatment by police for sex and sexual favors.
Bendawald was indicted in October on seven felonies: five counts of federal program bribery and two counts of deprivation of civil rights under color of law involving aggravated sexual abuse and attempted aggravated sexual abuse. He pleaded not guilty in November.
Bendawald’s attorneys filed a motion earlier this month asking to push back the trial to allow them additional time to conduct their investigation, because of the sheer amount of court documents and evidence involved in the case. There were roughly 193,396 documents along with additional evidence that the defense was still receiving, according to the motion.
U.S. District Judge David Nye granted the defense’s request and set Bendawald’s four-week trial to begin Jan. 21, 2025, according to an order obtained by the Idaho Statesman. The prosecution didn’t oppose the new trial date.
The five counts of program bribery stem from allegations Bendawald traded sex and sexual favors with five women instead of arresting them for various crimes, according to his indictment, which the Statesman previously obtained. Bendawald allegedly penetrated two women following traffic stops in July 2017 and March 2021, the indictment said.
He’s also accused of touching a woman under her clothing without her consent while working as an officer in June 2019, the indictment said. Those allegations are the basis for prosecutors charging Bendawald with the two felonies, as well as a misdemeanor count, of deprivation of rights.
If convicted on either of the felony deprivation of civil rights under color of law counts, Bendawald could face up to life in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Federal authorities began investigating Bendawald, along with former Caldwell Lt. Joey Hoadley, more than two years ago. During Hoadley’s 2022 trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis Joseph Zebari said the FBI notified the Caldwell Police Department in June 2021 that it would investigate two officers who were said to be friends: Bendawald and Hoadley.
Bendawald resigned shortly after, in November 2021, according to a copy of his resignation letter the Statesman obtained. Hoadley stayed with the department until he was fired in May 2022 after being federally charged.
Hoadley, who had a law enforcement career stretching more than two decades with the Caldwell Police Department, was sentenced to three months in prison after a jury convicted him of destruction, alteration or falsification of records in an FBI investigation, tampering with a witness by harassment, and tampering with documents. He was also accused of striking a man in the face during a 2017 arrest, but the jury acquitted him on that charge.
