Trial dates have been set for the two West Tennessee deputies who still face charges tied to the October 2024 arrest of convicted killer Jackson Hopper, Action News 5 reported Thursday.
Court records cited by the Memphis station show Matthew Lawler and Benjamin Stanifer are scheduled to stand trial on June 17 and June 18, after a pretrial conference set for May 4. Each faces one count of tampering with evidence.
Lawler, 29, works for the Tipton County Sheriff's Office. Stanifer, 30, works for the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office. Their cases were previously severed from four other officers who went to trial in August.
Those four — Bryan Lane, Dakota Wilkerson, Samuel Chastain and Lynn Waller — were acquitted of charges that had included official misconduct, official oppression and assault. Charges against a former Mason Police Department officer were previously expunged, the station reported.
The charges grew out of Hopper's arrest after a multi-county high-speed chase in October 2024. Action News 5 said video of the arrest showed officers allegedly using excessive force. Hopper later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the shooting death of 22-year-old Ellie Young and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
The report did not describe the specific evidence alleged to have been tampered with. The June trial dates had not been set when the first group of officers was acquitted in August.
Sources: Action News 5