Delaware trooper charged with felony counts after assault on teenager
Bodycam footage shows the moment four teenagers were arrested after targeting a state trooper's house for a 'ding-dong ditch' prank that involved one teenager kicking the door in Dover, Delaware. (Delaware DOJ)
Delaware officials have released bodycam footage showing the moments a doorbell prank on a state trooper’s home last month escalated into a physical altercation that left one boy with a broken orbital bone and an uninvolved teen also injured.
Delaware State Trooper Dempsey R. Walters, 29, was charged with felony assault, two counts of misdemeanor assault and two counts of official misconduct and Deprivation of Civil Rights following an incident on Aug. 21, when he is alleged to have brutally assaulted a teenager who kicked on his door as the teen and his friends played a prank commonly called "ding-dong ditch," where a person rings the doorbell or hits the door of a home and runs away.
The released body camera footage shows both alleged assaults.
"As a mother and grandmother, the footage in this case is hard to watch," Democratic Attorney General Kathy Jennings said in a prepared statement. "As a prosecutor, the constitutional violations are stunning."
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The Delaware Department of Justice released bodycam footage showing the moments a doorbell prank on a state trooper’s home last month escalated into a physical altercation. This photo shows the officers arriving at the second victim's address. (Delaware Department of Justice)
The new bodycam footage shows a series of events on Aug. 21 that reportedly stemmed from an altercation with a different teenager the previous week.
According to authorities, Walters clashed with a 17-year-old boy on Aug. 17, when he was off duty. As he was on his way to his home in Elsmere, the two got into an argument, and Walters called the Elsmere police before leaving the scene.
Responding officers took the boy to his home on Taft Avenue and turned him over to his mother.
The next day, Walters was accused of looking up the juvenile on the state law enforcement database, the Delaware Criminal Justice Information System (DELJIS).
Officers from different departments responded after Delaware State Trooper Dempsey R. Walters' called for help. (Delaware Department of Justice)
Days later, on Aug. 21, four teens were walking by Walters’ residence when they decided to prank his home.
A home security camera captured one of the boys, a 15-year-old, running up to Walters’ house, covering his face, and kicking the door before fleeing.
Walters’ girlfriend then called him and gave him a description of the boy, according to police.
Walters, who was on duty at the time, reportedly responded to the scene, drove to his neighborhood and called other troopers and police departments for help tracking the culprits.
Once in his neighborhood, a witness told Walters that several teens had run down Taft Avenue, apparently prompting Walters to think of the 17-year-old he had previously clashed with.
Walters again used DELJIS to look up the 17-year-old’s address on Taft Avenue.
When he and two Newport officers arrived at the boy's house, the teen and a friend answered the front door.
According to investigators, Walters exited his vehicle and almost immediately dropped his knee onto the back of the boy’s head and neck area. (Delaware Department of Justice)
The released body cam footage appears to show Walters grabbing the boy from the doorway and forcing him to the ground. The boy was injured as a result of the interaction, police said, adding that the teen was handcuffed and detained but never formally arrested.
The incident was captured on Newport police body cameras and Walters’ own body camera.
His alleged criminal conduct did not stop there, as Walters was then notified the group involved in the doorbell incident had been found and detained at a separate location.
He then reportedly drove there, and when he arrived at their location, the 15-year-old responsible for kicking the officer's door was face-down on the ground with a trooper already handcuffing him.
According to investigators, Walters exited his vehicle and almost immediately dropped his knee onto the back of the boy’s head and neck area.
The maneuver was captured on the police vehicle camera and Walters’ body camera.
The 15-year-old was then put in a police vehicle, where Walters allegedly assaulted him again.
The 15-year-old was then put in a police vehicle and Walters allegedly assaulted him again. (Delaware Department of Justice)
After confirming with another trooper that the boy inside the vehicle was the same juvenile who had kicked his door, Walters turned off his body-worn camera and walked over to the boy.
While the boy was handcuffed in the back seat, Walters allegedly punched him in the face, fracturing his right eye socket.
The trooper then exited the vehicle and turned his body camera back on.
Both alleged assaults were recorded at different angles on the responding officers' body cameras. (Delaware Department of Justice)
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Delaware State Police Col. Melissa Zebley said that ensuring public safety and continuing to rebuild public trust are top priorities for her agency.
"During the indictment announcement, Colonel Zebley expressed the Delaware State Police’s sadness and anger about the incident. We hope that the actions of one person do not overshadow the dedicated work of over 700 troopers who serve and protect our community on a daily basis," Sergeant India Sturgis told Fox News Digital.
The statement continued: "We understand the seriousness of this situation and want to assure the public that we are taking all necessary measures to prevent any similar incidents from happening again. More broadly, we are committed to restoring the trust that has been damaged, no matter how long it takes. The Delaware State Police is grateful for the continued support and understanding of our communities."
Walters, who has been a trooper for more than six years, was suspended without pay. He turned himself over to authorities Tuesday afternoon and was released after posting a $29,000 bail. He subsequently pleaded not guilty to the charges.
A spokesperson for Walters did not respond to requests for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
