DA: Fired Fort Collins Police Officer May Have Stalking Past
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4)- A Fort Collins police officer who has been fired after stalking allegations surfaced may have a history of the suspected behavior. Police are investigating whether he's connected to a stalking claim in the town where he previously worked.
Former Fort Collins Police Officer Jarett Branson is accused of stalking a woman. Investigators say he used police resources to find out where the woman worked and lived.
Branson allegedly contacted the woman while he was in uniform and on duty, both at her workplace and at home. He has been charged with felony stalking, criminal trespass and official misconduct.
"There was more than a preponderance of evidence that there was something going on that we did not need this person as a police officer in the city of Fort Collins," said Fort Collins Police Chief John Hutto.
Hutto fired Branson on Tuesday when the district attorney filed the charges against him.
"To have someone we put the trust in and the community put trust in and that we invest time and effort in to betray that trust, it's very troubling and it's very angering," said Hutto.
During a court appearance Wednesday, the judge set Branson's bond at $10,000.
Branson joined Fort Collins Police Services as a patrol officer in January. Branson was born and raised in Colorado. He has a wife and child.
Branson previously worked as an officer in Butte, Mont., where he received an Officer of the Year of award in 2011. Police are investigating a Montana woman's claims that Branson stalked her.
