Austin Lee Edwards, the now-deceased cop who “catfished” a 15-year-old Riverside woman and killed her grandparents and mom final month, disclosed throughout his utility to turn out to be a Virginia state trooper that he had voluntarily checked himself right into a psychological well being facility a number of years earlier, in keeping with data reviewed by the Los Angeles Occasions.
The Virginia State Police employed him anyway.
Corinne Geller, a Virginia State Police spokeswoman, stated final month that there weren’t “any indicators of concern” that surfaced throughout Edwards’ “intensive” hiring course of. However the data reviewed by The Occasions present the company had at the very least some indication of Edwards’ psychological well being struggles.
Edwards’ disclosure ought to have triggered additional investigation earlier than he was employed, stated William Pelfrey, a professor of felony justice at Virginia Commonwealth College’s Wilder College of Authorities.
It’s unclear if Virginia State Police requested any follow-up questions as soon as Edwards disclosed his previous psychological well being difficulties. Geller stated in a earlier assertion that “human error resulted in an incomplete database question throughout Edwards’ hiring course of.”
Geller didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark Tuesday.
The Occasions reported final week that Edwards was detained for psychiatric analysis in February 2016 after chopping his hand and threatening to kill his father. Based on an Abingdon, Va., police report obtained by The Occasions by a public data request, Edwards was taken into custody after emergency medical technicians known as police to assist restrain him.
EMTs, accompanied by police, took Edwards to an area hospital, the place he was detained underneath an emergency custody order. Later the identical day, a choose accredited a brief detention order and Edwards was transferred to an area psychiatric facility.
The brand new data present that, whereas making use of to turn out to be a state trooper, Edwards instructed his background investigator in a pre-test interview that “he had voluntarily checked himself right into a psychological well being facility in 2016.”
The Occasions in a Dec. 6 e-mail requested Geller if Edwards had disclosed the 2016 incident. She stated he had not.
Geller stated the state company wouldn’t have employed any officer candidate whom it knew had been detained underneath an emergency custody order or a brief detention order.
Geller additionally beforehand declined a public data request despatched by The Occasions for Edwards’ background verify and psychological analysis, stating that it was exempt from the general public data legislation as a result of they’re a part of Edwards’ personnel file, which is exempt from obligatory disclosure, she stated.
Pelfrey, the felony justice professional, stated that relying on the character of the incident, a legislation enforcement company ought to search further particulars when a police officer applicant discloses that they voluntarily sought psychological well being therapy, notably if the incident concerned violence or suicidal ideation.
“As a result of legislation enforcement is empowered to make use of violence after they deem it obligatory, pressure could also be required to take a suspect into custody,” Pelfrey stated. “So that you need any person who has actually good, goal judgment in when to make use of a pressure with a suspect.”
“If somebody has a historical past of violence in opposition to themself or others, then their objectivity could also be compromised,” Pelfrey added. “It doesn’t disqualify them, however it does warrant additional investigation as a part of the background course of.”
Based on the data reviewed by The Occasions, Edwards instructed the company in an interview previous to his polygraph check that he had voluntarily checked right into a psychological well being facility. The polygraph examination was administered Feb. 9, 2021, in Lebanon, Va.
The data displaying that Edwards disclosed a lot of his private historical past have been shared with The Occasions by Jeff Pike, chief govt of investigation firm Full Surveillance and Investigative Providers. Pike used to work in legislation enforcement in Virginia for practically 20 years and stated he shared the data to make clear the decrease hiring requirements for legislation enforcement in Virginia.
“The official narrative was not in line with the info,” Pike stated.
Two individuals with deep information of the Virginia State Police’s inside methods and protocols, who have been granted anonymity as a result of they worry retaliation for talking to the press, verified the data’ authenticity.
Edwards additionally disclosed previous to the polygraph check that he had earlier site visitors infractions for following too carefully in his car and had beforehand been in a crash. The Occasions obtained data of each site visitors infractions, which occurred in Virginia’s Washington County. Edwards additionally instructed the company he had “mistakenly” eaten marijuana brownies about two years previous to becoming a member of the pressure. He additionally stated that he “stop” his job at Walmart in July 2020 “with out discover,” in keeping with the data.
Edwards admitted that he had three excellent payments at two native hospitals “from 2016 by 2018,” in keeping with the file.
In the course of the polygraph, Edwards stated he hadn’t falsified any info on his utility and that he hadn’t dedicated any severe intercourse acts that led to an arrest. Edwards additionally stated that he had by no means dedicated any severe crime or hid any unlawful drug exercise.
Pelfrey, the felony justice professor, stated that Virginia State Police ought to have uncovered details about Edwards’ detention and custody orders as a result of the data was publicly obtainable.
“A great background investigation ought to’ve discovered this,” he stated.
Edwards, 28, stop the Virginia State Police in late October and joined the sheriff’s workplace in Washington County as a deputy in mid-November. Police stated he catfished the Riverside woman by portraying himself as a 17-year-old on-line. Final month, he killed her grandparents and mom at their Riverside dwelling, earlier than setting fireplace to the residence and driving off with the woman.
Edwards died of a self-inflicted gunshot from his service weapon after deputies tried to intercept him in San Bernardino County and he shot at a legislation enforcement car, in keeping with a spokesperson for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Division. The teenage woman was discovered bodily unhurt.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Workplace beforehand stated they’d contacted Virginia State Police throughout Edwards’ hiring course of and that “no employers disclosed any troubles, reprimands, or inside investigations pertaining to Edwards.”
The Washington County Sheriff’s Workplace didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark Tuesday.
Occasions workers author Grace Toohey contributed to this report.
