MUNCIE — Four former Muncie police officers are now convicted felons following a federal investigation into police brutality and attempts to cover it up.
WRTV Investigates has been following this case since 2019 when we reported the federal government was looking into the Muncie Police Department.
The U.S. Attorneys Office charged five former police officers and all five cases are now resolved.
Earlier this month, a jury found former Muncie Police Officer Corey Posey not guilty of false reporting.
Chase Winkle and Jeremy Gibson were convicted of assaulting suspects and writing false reports.
They’re both currently in federal prison:
- Chase Winkle- incarcerated starting in October 2023 at Memphis FCI in Memphis, TN; projected release date is 12/22/2031
- Jeremy Gibson- incarcerated starting in January 2024 at Elkton FCI in Ohio; projected release date is 11/23/2024
Two other former officers were convicted of writing false reports.
- Sgt. Joseph Krejsa- incarcerated starting in August 2023 at Gilmer FCI in West Virginia ; projected release date is 8/13/2024
- Dalton Kurtz- previously incarcerated in September 2023 at Beckley FCI in West Virginia; released on 2/1/2024
WRTV Investigates has obtained the body camera footage that was key in the FBI’s probe into the Muncie Police Department.
WARNING: Some viewers may find the following content disturbing
An attorney provided WRTV Investigates with body camera footage from the August 2018 arrest of Lonnie Gannom.
The body camera video and Gannom’s arrest were a focal point in the FBI’s investigation into former Muncie Police Officers.
It’s the first time this video has been seen publicly, and WRTV is showing it to you because all the criminal cases for all five officers are now resolved.
On August 9, 2018, officers Corey Posey and Chase Winkle responded to a report of a burglary on West Adams in Muncie when the encountered suspect Lonnie Gannom.
Posey told Gannom to put his hands up.
Gannom: I’m looking for my kids!
Posey: Get down, get down.
Gannom: I haven’t done anything.
Posey: Give me your hand.
Federal prosecutors say Posey had both of Gannom’s hands when Gannom hurled an insult, prompting Winkle to drop his body weight onto Gannom’s head and neck.
Gannom: I’m not even fighting you f**king dumbass. Ahhhh (screaming). I didn’t even do anything. I didn’t do anything. They broke my whole face.
Federal prosecutors also say Winkle then used a taser on Gannom without any legal justification.
At the time, Winkle was the son of then-police Chief Joe Winkle, who stepped down at the end of 2019.
Officer Jeremy Gibson also arrived on scene during the Gannom arrest, and you can see him punching Gannom.
Gannom: OK, guys stop! (Moaning)
Officer: Put your other hand behind your back!
Gibson stomped on and used his knees to strike Gannom in the head.
Officers eventually shackle Gannom’s legs and Gannom is taken to a hospital, his face bloody.
“The damage has been done,” said Rob King, an Indianapolis attorney representing Gannom. “The facial fractures that he sustained were serious and they required surgery. He had a serious injury at that point."
Gannom filed a civil lawsuit against the City of Muncie.
King obtained the body camera footage through the lawsuit’s discovery process and shared them with WRTV Investigates.
"From a legal standpoint, I would say (the videos) are powerful, compelling,” said King. “I think the emotional reaction of any reasonable person is— it’s quite disturbing.”
King said the video shows Gannom was not resisting, he was scared for his life.
“The situation was escalated by officers,” said King.
King reviewed the video with WRTV Investigates.
Gannom: I’m not even doing anything you f**king dumbass. Ahhhh (screaming). I didn’t even do anything. I didn’t do anything. He broke my whole face.
“They reacted to his words, not necessarily his conduct,” said King.
Records show the Muncie City Council approved $450,000 to settle Gannom’s lawsuit against the city. King said the total settlement amount was $575,000.
King said officers should have stood up for Gannom and his civil rights.
“No one said ‘hey, that's out of bounds, take a step back. We got this.’ Nobody did that,” said King. “It was clearly out of bounds and unnecessary and excessive and it says to me they should have stood up for what was right."
Four former Muncie Police Officers were criminally charged in connection with the Lonnie Gannom case.
Chase Winkle pleaded guilty to assaulting Gannom and other suspects, and also writing a false report about the incidents.
WATCH | Chase Winkle convicted on 11 felony counts
Winkle is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence.
After the Gannom incident, Winkle bragged about what he did.
"I f**ked his face up when I dropped my knee on his neck when he first started pulling away from Posey," said Winkle. "I think it split and I heard him b**ch about it. Then when i tased him, I could see that he was bleeding heavy so i was trying not to f**k him up."
"He just wouldn't stop," said Winkle. "Did you see me launch him into the police car? I f**king gave him a one legged kick into the police car."
Sgt. Joseph Krejsa pleaded guilty to writing a false report about the Gannom case.
The day after the arrest, Krejsa conducted a supervisory review of the incident, during which he noted that he had watched the videos of the incident and falsely deemed those uses of force “justified,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Krejsa is currently serving a 19-month sentence at FCI Gilmer, a medium security federal prison in West Virginia with an adjacent minimum security camp.
Officer Jeremy Gibson was charged with using excessive force against Lonnie Gannom, but those charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
Gibson pleaded guilty to using excessive force against another suspect, and he was sentenced to 14-months in prison.
WATCH | Jeremy Gibson police officer pleads guilty, agrees to testify against others
Corey Posey was also charged with writing a false report in the Lonnie Gannom case.
Federal prosecutors say Posey implied that at the start of the incident Gannom did not comply with officers commands and omitted any reference that Winkle kneed Gannom in the head.
Posey’s report also omitted that Winkle’s use of force caused Gannom’s injuries, federal prosecutors said.
This month, a jury found Posey not guilty of false reporting.
A fifth officer, Dalton Kurtz, pleaded guilty to writing false reports stemming from a separate case involving juveniles.
Since the FBI's investigation began into Muncie Police Department, the city has changed its administration.
Mayor Dan Ridenour took over in 2020 and appointed Nathan Sloan as Muncie Police Chief.
WRTV Investigates requested an on-camera interview with the mayor and police chief to talk about how the city is moving forward now that the federal government's case is resolved.
Muncie Police Chief Nathan Sloan issued a statement following Posey's acquittal that said that the department is "relieved" the matter has "finally been resolved and that justice was served."
"Special thanks to the jurors on this and all cases who work diligently to find the truth," read Sloan's statement. "We consider the matters of past administrations to be closed as the Muncie Police Department is a fundamentally different organization focusing on the needs of Muncie and Delaware County."
Family members say Lonnie Gannom died in December 2023.
