INDIANAPOLIS — Delphi Police Chief Nathan Lamar has resigned following a court ruling that found he provided misleading testimony during a drug arrest case.
Mayor Kamron Yates announced that Chief Nate LaMar tendered his resignation from the Delphi Police Department Thursday evening.
The resignation was announced with a statement:
Mayor Yates accepted the resignation and has discussed temporary assignments with the Delphi Police officers. The Mayor will begin searching for a new Chief of Police immediately. Mayor Yates will work closely with the officers and the City Council members to evaluate the direction of the search for a new Chief of Police.
Accusations of Misleading Testimony
In a recent court filing, LaMar was accused of being “dishonest and misleading” in his testimony regarding the drug arrest of a man during a traffic stop.
According to the filing, on January 3, 2024, Chief Lamar pulled over a man for having a blue license plate light. During the stop, the man could not show proof of insurance, prompting Lamar to call for a K9 unit. Although the K9 did not alert to drugs, Lamar searched a locked container in the man's car and found 6.7 grams of meth.
During the trial, Lamar testified for the prosecution, however, Senior Judge Ellen Brown scrutinized his testimony. "The testimony of Chief Lamar left the court firmly convinced that this inventory search was nothing more than a pretext to search the vehicle for contraband," court documents read.
Court documents reveal that Brown noted that when asked to identify the color of the license plate light, which was shown in a photograph submitted by the state, Lamar expressed uncertainty and refused to confirm it as blue.
Although he denied suffering from color blindness, he could not accurately identify the color. The judge stated that "Lamar's answers appeared to be evasive and dishonest."
Furthermore, when asked by the state if he had any hunch that there were drugs in the car, even after reviewing the man's criminal history, Lamar maintained, “No sir.” However, court documents revealed that body camera footage contradicted this statement. Lamar was seen calling for the K9 unit before he finished reading the man's lengthy criminal record. Lamar justified this during his testimony by stating it was based on his “looks and behavior.”
The court believed the body camera footage was particularly damaging. It captured Lamar stating, “...we will take it whatever way we can...” and mentioning that he seized “...some meth on inventory night...” leading the court to believe Lamar's actions lacked legal justification.
Court's Verdict
As a result of the judge's ruling, the evidence obtained during the stop was deemed inadmissible in court, leading to the accused man's acquittal on serious charges, although he was convicted of lesser offenses.
He was promptly released from jail and required to pay approximately $2,500 in fines for his traffic violations.
