A Loveland police detective Wednesday was charged with a felony count of trying to influence a public servant after an investigation by the Weld County district attorney’s office.
Officials said Brian Koopman was the subject of a March investigation launched because of his conduct during the investigation and prosecution of a homicide case.
The DA’s office did not give any details of the case against Koopman. Weld County conducted the investigation at the request of the Larimer County district attorney’s office.
In February, less than a week before his trial was scheduled to begin, Leroy Wallace pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 2013 death of Christina Anjoleen Gray, 42. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
According to the Loveland Reporter-Herald, Gray’s body was found Dec. 18, 2013, in her apartment by two friends who were checking on her. Wallace was arrested several days later by a SWAT team from the Loveland Police Department. Police said Gray died from blunt-force trauma and strangulation.
On Wednesday, District Attorney Michael J. Rourke said, “No prosecutor relishes the notion of charging a law enforcement officer with a crime. However, police officers are held to a higher standard than other members of our community. And when there are allegations that an officer committed a crime, the allegations must be taken very seriously and investigated fully.”
According to the Reporter-Herald, Koopman is also the subject of two recent lawsuits.
The oldest lawsuit, filed in November 2009, was brought forward by plaintiff Jeremy C. Myers, who is suing Koopman for allegedly violating his constitutional rights when investigators searched his property near the old sugar factory in September 2007 and arrested him for allegedly making methamphetamine. The charges were dropped two months later.
The second lawsuit, filed by Tammy Fisher in January, alleges Loveland Police Chief Luke Hecker and Koopman violated her constitutional rights when they initiated what she called an invalid criminal investigation against her in connection with another case.
The Reporter-Herald contributed to this report.