Peoria cop who resigned after internal investigation gets license back

Peoria police officer Danielle Trouton had her law enforcement license revoked in January. After she testified to the state’s law enforcement disciplinary board on June 19, she got it back.

The Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, which is known as AZPOST and licenses all law enforcement officers in the state, reconsidered Trouton’s case at its monthly board meeting.

The agency is one of the few in the state with the power to discipline police. Its principal task is certifying all officers across the state, but it also has the power to revoke or suspend the certifications of officers who demonstrate troubling behavior.

The 12-member board includes Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, two rural sheriffs, Phoenix Councilmember Kevin Robinson and Ryan Thornell, director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry. As of its June meeting, AZPOST has opened 35 investigations into officers and punished 23 this year.

So far this year, the board has punished an officer who put the muzzle of his gun to a woman’s head and another who asked two high school girls when they lost their virginity, among other incidents.

Trouton resigned from the Peoria Police Department last year after an internal investigation revealed that she made an arrest in a domestic violence incident without enough probable cause.

Compliance manager Mark Post said at the board’s June 19 meeting that there had been “vast differences” between Trouton’s statements in her police report and what was captured on her body-worn camera. He added that Trouton failed to document evidence and upload photos from the incident “in a timely manner.”

Post said Peoria police moved to fire Trouton, but she resigned first. The board revoked her license in January for being dishonest in her police report. But after Trouton spoke at the board’s June 19 meeting, the board reopened her case.

At the meeting, Trouton read a statement from her phone and said she made honest mistakes.

“I am begging for forgiveness to continue my career as a police officer,” Trouton said before taking questions from the board. “Since my mistakes, I’ve strived to make many improvements and improve my personal and professional skills.”

Discussion around Trouton’s case took about 40 minutes — nearly half the meeting — before civilian board member Leesa Weisz motioned to close the case with Trouton’s license intact.

“She’s no longer employed. It’s going to be incumbent on the hiring agency to make sure that (Trouton) is a fit at that agency,” Weisz said, adding that revoking Trouton’s license seemed severe. “They’re going to have full knowledge of what transpired at Peoria. Everything is on paper.”

The board voted in agreement, restoring the license. Mohave County Sheriff Doug Schuster and Arizona Department of Public Safety Deputy Director Ken Hunter voted against the motion but did not explain their reasoning.

Other punishments and investigations

The board issued two punishments to other officers at the meeting.

The board suspended the license of Coconino County Sheriff’s Deputy Justin R. Harvey, who last December drove on a median and rolled his car while under the influence of alcohol. His license was suspended until it expires on Oct. 17, 2025.

Samantha Webster of the Goodyear Police Department was retroactively suspended for 40 hours for disorderly conduct and making verbal threats to her brother in February 2023 after Glendale police responded to a call. She pled guilty to a misdemeanor in October and was suspended for 40 hours by Goodyear police. Assistant Attorney General Joe Dylo said at the board meeting that the incident was “nothing more than a verbal argument that got a little out of hand.”

Investigations also were opened into five current officers:

• Phoenix police officer Edward Carnes, who was arrested on March 18, 2023, by Queen Creek police for a DUI with a blood alcohol content of 0.157. He was seen sleeping in his driver's seat before driving away and committing a traffic violation. Carnes entered a plea deal in November 2023 and was suspended by Phoenix police for 120 hours.
  
  
• Buckeye police officer Brian Hawkins, who was stopped by DPS on I-10 near Casa Grande for speeding and driving with a canceled license plate with his emergency lights activated on Aug. 26, 2023. Hawkins told the officer who stopped him that his car was an authorized emergency vehicle before later admitting it wasn’t. Hawkins didn’t receive a citation and retired from his reserve position before Buckeye police completed an internal investigation.
  
  
• Former Round Valley police officer Benjamin Harrison, who was fired on April 8 for failing to respond when on call and then allegedly lying to his superiors. Days before his firing, the Round Valley police chief told Harrison he was not fulfilling his responsibility to respond when on call. Harrison responded that he did not believe he was legally required to do so, despite being informed about his on-call obligations in July 2023. Harrison claimed that July conversation did not happen.
  
  
• Former El Mirage police officer Ernesto B. Guzman, who resigned in May 2023 but went on to work 25 private security gigs between June 2 and Aug. 18 while claiming to be an active peace officer. According to Post, Guzman wore no official police patches but had the word “police” on his clothes on at least one occasion. No criminal charges were filed against him.
  
  
• Ft. Mojave police officer William Adams, who was arrested for an off-duty DUI in April 2023. Compliance specialist Dave Toporek said Adams’ car was found crashed into a house’s wall and fence. Adams had blood on his head, was slurring his speech and smelled like alcohol. He told Department of Public Safety officers that he’d had only two shots of whiskey three hours earlier, but his blood alcohol content was 0.269. A criminal complaint against Adams in Mohave County is pending.