A Chattanooga police officer was fired Thursday for wrongly arresting a citizen, harassment and for violating the department's vehicle use policy.
Police Chief Fred Fletcher sustained the allegations against Officer David Campbell on Feb. 10 after an internal affairs investigation.
The firing seems to stem from two incidents. In May, Campbell arrested 27-year-old Hanson Melvin and charged him with disorderly conduct after Melvin declined to provide a driver's license while he was walking past officers in Hixson.
The officers had been called to an unrelated fight when they spotted Melvin walking, according to court records that since have been expunged.
Campbell wrote in an affidavit that Melvin began yelling and screaming about police harassment during the encounter. Melvin said he never raised his voice or resisted in any way.
He could not provide his license because he did not have it on him, he said when filing a complaint with internal affairs. Melvin did not immediately return a request for comment Monday.
The disorderly conduct charge against Melvin since has been dismissed and expunged.
In August, internal affairs began a separate investigation at the request of one of Campbell's supervisors, according to police. That investigation found that Campbell violated the department's vehicle use policy.
Police could not provide more details on that incident on Monday.
Campbell will appeal Fletcher's decision, said his attorney, Janie Parks Varnell. Campbell has been an officer since 2010.
"He plans to exercise his right to appeal this decision to an administrative law judge who will determine whether Officer Campbell's termination was appropriate and reasonable," she said in a statement.
An online GoFundMe campaign apparently started to raise money for Campbell had reached nearly $700 of a $10,000 goal by Monday, with some donors encouraging Campbell to "stay strong."
Fletcher declined to comment on Campbell's firing.
The May incident was not the first time Campbell had been accused of wrongly arresting someone. In 2012, Campbell was suspended for three days after he improperly arrested a man and cursed at him for not moving a vehicle.
In that June 2012 incident, Campbell pulled over 20-year-old William Boston for improperly displaying a temporary license tag in his rear window. At the end of the traffic stop, Boston received permission to take photos of his tag in order to fight the ticket in court.
Boston began taking the photos after Campbell returned to his patrol car, and the officer - who didn't want to leave until Boston was finished - became impatient.
A video of the incident shows Campbell charging up to Boston and demanding that he leave.
"Get away from my [expletive] car. Get back in there. I need to leave and you're standing in front of my car. I cannot pull out. Or do I need to run you over?" Campbell says in the video.
He then arrested Boston for disorderly conduct and obstructing a roadway, but both charges later were dismissed. Internal affairs investigators at the time said it was clear Campbell behaved unprofessionally, and said it seemed he arrested Boston simply because he became angry.
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