Charges against Jefferson police officer dropped
Battery charges filed against former Jefferson police officer Stephen Taylor have been dropped. State court solicitor Don Moore decided not to pursue the charges after conducting an investigation of the incident.
“We reviewed the case and the five witness statements,” Moore said. “There is a video without volume which shows two grown men in a bar fight after midnight for three minutes. They stand face to face and talk. The victim then placed his hand on Stephen Taylor’s shoulder and a brief fight ensued. The victim came to my office and we interviewed the victim. Based on all of the evidence, it is my determination not to prosecute the case. There is insufficient evidence to go forward with a battery charge.”
Taylor, who reportedly got into a fight at Mike’s Down Under Bar while off duty, was charged with one count of misdemeanor battery. He was fired from the Jefferson Police Department after his arrest.
Taylor and James Tyler Beck, 22, reportedly got into a shoving contest at the bar around midnight on Aug. 24 over comments about the color of Taylor’s shirt.
In Beck’s version of events to JPD officers who responded to the incident, he said he had made a comment to a third party in the bar about Taylor’s pink shirt. The comment was not made in Taylor’s presence, he said, but someone told Taylor about it.
Beck said he stood up to leave the bar when Taylor confronted him about the pink shirt comments. Beck said he put his hand on Taylor’s shoulder and told him he didn’t want any problems, but that Taylor responded by pushing him in the chest and then hitting him with a closed fist on the left side of the face.
A blood alcohol test of both men taken by the JPD reportedly showed Taylor at .183 while Beck was .00.
Taylor, who reportedly got into a fight at Mike’s Down Under Bar while off duty, was charged with one count of misdemeanor battery. He was fired from the Jefferson Police Department after his arrest.
Taylor and James Tyler Beck, 22, reportedly got into a shoving contest at the bar around midnight on Aug. 24 over comments about the color of Taylor’s shirt.
In Beck’s version of events to JPD officers who responded to the incident, he said he had made a comment to a third party in the bar about Taylor’s pink shirt. The comment was not made in Taylor’s presence, he said, but someone told Taylor about it.
Beck said he stood up to leave the bar when Taylor confronted him about the pink shirt comments. Beck said he put his hand on Taylor’s shoulder and told him he didn’t want any problems, but that Taylor responded by pushing him in the chest and then hitting him with a closed fist on the left side of the face.
A blood alcohol test of both men taken by the JPD reportedly showed Taylor at .183 while Beck was .00.
He provoked an incident and hit a guy for nothing more than putting his hand on his shoulder and telling him he didn't want any trouble. If he is so weak minded that a comment about his 'pink' shirt offended his manhood, he has no place as a police officer.
Additionally- he was drunk. He is supposed to be an example to others not hanging out at a bar with a .183 bllod alcohol limit.
Mr. Taylor is still liable for a civil suit that he will almost certainly lose.
Mr. Taylor lost his job. (no small thing)
Why does everyone want a man's scalp everytime he makes a mistake? I am so happy to know that Don Moore doesn't go out to ruin a man's life for a mistake. There are a lot of folks in Jackson County that are not bad folks but have made a mistake. I applaud Don Moore for taking the high road in this case and in others. No good could have come from further harming this man's life. Surely he has learned a hard lesson already.
Thank you Mr. Moore! You're a good guy who deserves praise and not scorn in this case.
I don't know either of these men so I consider my opinion unbiased and solely based on how I would react. Bottom line... don't put your hands on someone especially when the conversation is confrontational.