Ex-Caldwell cop called FBI investigation a ‘witch hunt,’ wiped laptop, court record says

In 2017, while three officers — including Lt. Joey Hoadley — searched a Caldwell home after smelling marijuana, one officer decided to stay outside. He believed Hoadley’s search was “unlawful,” according to a new court record obtained by the Idaho Statesman.

The four officers had first arrived to respond to a disconnected 911 call and, according to the record filed last week, smelled pot coming from downstairs. Hoadley not only searched the place but arrested a resident after officers allegedly found marijuana, according to a 17-page motion to admit evidence, which was submitted by federal prosecutors.

That resident arrested was identified as B.H. — the Caldwell man who was allegedly struck by Hoadley, and who later became a focal point of an FBI investigation into Hoadley’s reported use of excessive force.

New court records filed last week for the first time provide details of the FBI’s probe into the allegations against Hoadley — including that he called the investigation a “witch hunt,” and later wiped his laptop and cellphone of evidence before turning it into investigators, according to the government motion to admit evidence.

“The government’s intention is to introduce evidence that paints Mr. Hoadley as a bad cop, dangerous and abusive with a criminal disposition,” Hoadley’s attorney, Charles Peterson, wrote in a motion to exclude evidence.

Hoadley was fired from the Caldwell Police Department in May. He pleaded not guilty to four federal charges, which included an allegation that Hoadley 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.

Court document details FBI investigation into Hoadley

On June 29, 2021, Hoadley called a lower-ranking officer, identified in court records as C.H., into his office and “ambushed” the officer, alongside another unidentified Caldwell officer who was also being investigated by the FBI. Hoadley and the unidentified officer asked C.H. about his communications with the FBI.

“C.H. immediately reported this conversation because he understood Defendant Hoadley to be threatening (C.H.’s) career if he reported anything to the FBI or was otherwise not loyal (to Hoadley),” the motion to admit evidence said.

Hoadley received a letter from the U.S. attorney’s office in Idaho in March officially informing him that he was being investigated, the document said. Before Hoadley was initially indicted, he signed a plea agreement admitting that he assaulted B.H. and pleaded guilty to depriving B.H. of his constitutional rights.

Hoadley withdrew from the plea agreement sometime in late March or early April, the document said. He was then indicted on the charges of assaulting B.H. and destroying, altering or falsifying records in a federal investigation. Hoadley was later indicted on two additional federal charges related to harassing C.H. and document tampering.

On April 20, a lieutenant with the Caldwell police told Hoadley he needed to return his laptop, cellphone and firearms, which were all department issued, as Hoadley was on administrative leave, the document said.

Hoadley did not turn over the items until the next day, when the lieutenant picked up the items from Hoadley’s house. During their interaction, Hoadley told the lieutenant that “the investigation and charges were unfounded and unfair,” according to the document.

The FBI and Caldwell city staff said Hoadley had wiped his computer and cellphone on April 20, shortly before they were seized, according to the motion — which prompted the document tampering charge.

Newly hired Caldwell Police Chief Rex Ingram told the Statesman by phone Friday that it is “almost like PTSD” every time the department has to deal with another news story about Hoadley or other negative news.

“Our officers have a tough enough time dealing with the things that have nothing to do with this investigation on a daily basis because of the nature of their job — that it rehashes an old wound for the good officers, which is about 99% of them,” Ingram said. “It distracts them from actually protecting the citizens that they come to work to protect every day — and that’s really my issue with the rebirth of this ongoing case.”

Former Caldwell chief aware of probe last year, record says

The FBI was notified of alleged “abusive police practices within the (Caldwell Police Department)” nearly two years ago, according to the motion to admit evidence.

Retired Caldwell Police Chief Frank Wyant was notified of the FBI investigation into Hoadley and another unidentified officer in June 2021. The department didn’t announce the investigation until March — nearly nine months later. The city of Caldwell announced Wyant’s retirement on March 31; the city has previously said that he was not part of the investigation.

Ingram said that there was a lack of communication before he joined the department in July.

“I don’t know why Chief Wyant did not report it to the media. I can’t comment on that,” Ingram told the Statesman on Friday. ”What I can say is ... I would be very transparent from the onset of that investigation. The taxpayers deserve an answer. They deserve to hear what is going on and as the chief, that is what I’m committed to doing.”

The prosecution said in the motion in limine — which was submitted as part of a legal process to decide what evidence can be admitted during Hoadley’s jury trial — that they received “multiple internal whistleblower reports of abusive police practices” within the department. Ingram also confirmed to reporters in early August that the initial allegations that sparked the FBI investigation came from within the department.

Federal prosecutors in the filing asked the court to allow them to present evidence that Hoadley allegedly used excessive force on at least four other people from 2012 to 2017. It also included an instance in which the former lieutenant allegedly showed multiple other officers a video of him using excessive force on a detainee.

Hoadley in a five-page declaration submitted to the court denied all the allegations.

In 2013, Hoadley assisted another Caldwell police officer in arresting a male, identified in the court document as S.C. The officer is expected to testify in Hoadley’s case that Hoadley “punched S.C. in the back of the head while S.C. was handcuffed with his arms behind his back,” the Statesman previously reported.

Hoadley denied punching S.C. In the declaration, Hoadley said he and two other officers were internally investigated for alleged excessive force after a citizen complained, but that all were cleared of any wrongdoing.

Peterson, in his motion to exclude the evidence took issue with an additional motion in limine filed by the state, which wants to prevent any evidence or testimony that would speak about Hoadley’s “good character” as a cop.

The nine-page motion filed by the prosecution argued that evidence like Hoadley winning awards or receiving recognition for his work shouldn’t be presented during the trial, and that Peterson cannot argue “that the jury should nullify because of the defendant’s good character or the victim’s bad character.”

A hearing on several motions has been set for 9:30 a.m. Sept. 2, online records showed. Hoadley is expected to stand trial on Sept. 19 at the James A. McClure Federal Building.

Details on the arrest of B.H.

Prosecutors’ motion to admit evidence also disclosed additional details on the March 2017 arrest of B.H. Up until now, the details of B.H.’s arrest and the subsequent allegation that Hoadley assaulted him were scarce.

On March 30, 2017, four Caldwell officers — including Hoadley — responded to B.H’s Caldwell home after a 911 call from the home was disconnected, the document said. Hoadley and another officer, Amber Walker, first arrived at B.H.’s home, and Walker knocked on a side window and then unlocked a backyard gate. Walker unlocked a second gate to admit Hoadley.

The pair entered through a rear door and found B.H.’s child, who was standing just inside the door frame, the government’s motion to admit evidence said.

Walker was one of six officers who resigned from the department last year, according to prior reporting from the Statesman.

Inside the house, officers found the child’s grandmother, identified in court records as S.H., sitting in the living room, the document said. While the officers began to question S.H. about the disconnected 911 call, Hoadley said he smelled marijuana and began to search the house.

At this point, federal prosecutors said B.H. came upstairs at the officer’s request and was searched by Sgt. Adam Matthews. Hoadley and Walker questioned the residents while Matthews searched the basement, according to the document. He returned quickly afterward and said he had found marijuana.

Hoadley then handcuffed B.H. and escorted him out the front door. B.H. verbally protested the officers searching his home and accused them of “fabricating” the 911 call. The motion noted that B.H., despite his verbal comments, did not physically resist.

An additional officer, Eduardo Ibarra, was outside the home — and witnessed the alleged assault — when Hoadley was escorting B.H. as he believed that Hoadley “was conducting an unlawful search and did not want to be a part of it,” the government motion said.

Hoadley told B.H. as he was talking the man out 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, according to the filing.

Ibarra then watched Hoadley punch B.H. in the face while B.H. was handcuffed, the document said. B.H. reportedly fell to the floor and began yelling about the assault. Hoadley was then heard saying, “Stop trying to escape, nobody punched you in the face,” the motion said.

“Yeah you did ... and this dude’s seen it!” B.H. responded, according to the motion.

In Hoadley’s police report, he alleged that B.H. became aggressive and attempted to escape when Hoadley used his “left hand to force him to the ground by his shirt collar.”

Federal prosecutors called those statements written by Hoadley “false.”