Detective Brian Koopman was acquitted in April 2016 on a felony charge of trying to influence a public official, but his legal troubles are far from over. The detective now faces two civil suits also based on cases related to his work for the Loveland Police Department. Both suits have been in the system for some time but are now moving forward.

Jeremy C. Myers v. Brian Koopman

Mr. Myers brought suit against Koopman in 2009 for violating his constitutional rights following an arrest. Mr. Myers was arrested on charges of manufacturing methamphetamine. The charges were dropped when lab testing determined that the “drugs” found on the scene were actually sugar. Mr. Myers lived near an abandoned sugar factory at the time, and the arrest took place on his property. Police said at the time that field testing falsely determined that the sugar was in fact meth.

While the initial suit named several plaintiffs, the only remaining defendant is Detective Koopman. According to Mr. Myers, Koopman conducted surveillance for months and found nothing. Detective Koopman then went forward with getting an arrest warrant based on what he says is the word of a confidential informant. Koopman’s lawyer filed a motion asking that the lawsuit be dismissed because his client had immunity while acting in his duties as a police officer. So far no judge has granted that motion and the trial can proceed.

Tammy Fisher v. Brian Koopman and Luke Hecker

Ms. Fisher is a former Lakeland police officer who also claims that her rights were violated when Koopman investigated her for tipping off the wife of an alleged child pornographer. Ms. Fisher claimed that the charges against her were invalid, and that her constitutional rights were violated. According to the plaintiff, she talked to a defendant’s wife about earlier charges against him that had been dropped, but she never tipped him off to the new charges.

Ms. Fisher also named Luke Hecker, Koopman’s supervisor, as a party in the lawsuit, which was dismissed by a lower court in August. Ms. Fisher is in the process of appealing that lower court decision to the United States Court of Appeals.