The state has charged a former Bethel Police Department officer with multiple misdemeanors for a 2023 incident that left a man in the hospital.
According to a charging document filed in Bethel District Court, Jonathan Murphy allegedly struck 44-year-old Bernard Mael repeatedly with a closed fist, lied to a fellow officer about being struck by a vehicle Mael was driving, and provided a false report of the incident.
The charging document alleges that on or about Dec. 23, 2023, Murphy responded to a traffic stop already underway for a vehicle reported to be stolen, driven by Mael.
According to the charging document, body cam footage from the incident shows Murphy attempting to pull Mael from the vehicle and striking him with a closed fist. At some point Murphy lets go of Mael, who pulls away in the vehicle and leads officers in pursuit through a residential area, according to the charging document.
The charging document alleges that just after Mael pulled away, Murphy radioed to say that Mael had hit him with the vehicle, an assertion Murphy allegedly made multiple times in the events that followed.
The charging document alleges that Murphy’s own body cam was not activated at the time of the incident. However, footage captured by the body cam of another officer does not show the vehicle hitting any part of Murphy’s body at any point, according to the charging document.
Following the pursuit, the charging document alleges that officers forced the vehicle driven by Mael off the side of the road, where Murphy tased Mael multiple times, pepper sprayed him, and punched him in the head repeatedly.
It is not clear when Murphy’s body cam was activated, but the charging document says that footage of the incident was captured by all three officers at the scene.
Mael was placed under arrest and transported to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation to be treated for his injuries. According to the charging document, Mael’s booking photo shows “bruising, swelling, and wounds.” Court records show that Mael was not charged with any crimes for the incident.
On the day of the incident, Murphy also sought treatment at the hospital, where he reported having a broken right hand and back pain from being struck by a vehicle, the charging document alleges.
In his incident report, Murphy implied that Mael had attempted to run him over with the vehicle, and that his back pain was a “result of Mael driving off with me.” Murphy later told investigators that his assertion of being hit by the vehicle was based on his review of body cam footage captured by the other officer present at the initial traffic stop, Jonathan Bouma.
Bouma’s own report from the time backs up Murphy’s account of the event. However, Bouma later told investigators that the report was based on what Murphy told him, rather than his own observations or review of his own body cam footage, the charging document says.
Bouma also backed up Murphy’s account of the incident in a sworn affidavit charging Mael with felony assault that was later dismissed, according to the charging document.
The Bethel Police Department said that Murphy has resigned from the department, though they declined to say when. A court summons document shows Murphy was no longer residing in Bethel as of July 22, and will be attending hearings remotely.
Murphy has been charged with misdemeanor fourth-degree assault, providing false information implicating another in a crime, and second-degree tampering with public records. All three carry maximum sentences of one year in jail.
Fairbanks-based attorney Joseph W. Miller is representing Murphy. The next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 9 in Bethel District Court.
In 2016, another former Bethel police officer, Andrew Reid, pleaded guilty to charges of fourth-degree assault and official misconduct for repeatedly slamming or throwing a man to the ground in the Alaska Commercial Co. store parking lot. In this case, the incident was captured by the store’s surveillance camera.
