Pct. 4 Constable Jamie Beene (Courtesy Rusk Co.)
Anyone with two working brain cells knows the consequences for evading arrest. Especially in East Texas in the dead of night. A Cherokee County jury recently indicted Precinct 4 Constable James “Jamie” Beene for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon from an incident two-years prior when he pulled his service vehicle out in front of a fleeing motorcyclist during a high-speed chase. The driver, Jerry Stanfield, had a record of running from the law, displaying stolen license plates, drugs, and other petty bullshit that put him on their radar. (Source: Henderson man arrested by OPD on drug charges, Dec 21, 2012 The Henderson News) East Texas media initially hid the fact Beene's vehicle was his Precinct 4 patrol car, deliberately leaving the impression the whole "vehicular aggravated assault" was on personal time. It took CBS 19 in Tyler to uncover the truth, and the sole East Texas news agency to report the police crash.
Documents, body camera video reveals new details about police chase that led to Cherokee County constable's indictment.
The indictment alleges that on Oct. 26, 2021, Beene intentionally, recklessly or knowingly caused serious bodily injury to motorcyclist Jerry Stanfield by hitting him with a vehicle.
For the first time, CBS19 obtained the dash cam and body cam footage from that 2021 chase and crash. Stanfield's mother Susan Ward wants answers to what really happened.
Stanfield loved motorcycles. His nickname was Crash, and he loved to flaunt the law, Ward said.
According to jail records he faced several charges in Smith and Cherokee counties, ranging from assault, to evading arrest, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
On the night of Oct. 26, 2021, he was back in the headlights of law enforcement. Stanfield sped away from a traffic stop for a fictitious license plate in New Summerfield. (Source: CBS 19 Nov 21, 2023
Jerry Brenton Stanfield, circa 2022
Body camera video from the scene of the crash explains how the collision happened.
"James [Beene] saw him coming, pulled over there and came to a complete stop. Came to a complete stop. Just the way he is. He was completely stopped in time of collision. The guy leaned over and slid into him," officials on the body cam said.
Over two years after the chase, Beene was indicted Oct. 30, 2023.
(Source: Documents, body camera video reveals new details about police chase that led to Cherokee County constable's indictment, Nov 21, 2023 CBS 19 Tyler)
"We didn't give you permission to wreck that cop car..."
The Cherokee County DA and Commissioner's Court now pretend they have a fiduciary duty to reign in their high-risk law enforcement insurance, when they've never done anything in the past to deter police misconduct. With over $430,000 still missing from the coffers of the Tax Assessor's office and elections right around the corner, county officials want to stave off any more embarrassing Civil Rights lawsuits. Constable Beene's prior actions as a deputy sheriff have cost the county huge attorneys' fees, forcing his employers to stick to their stories on the stand. (Source: Allegations of Brutality Investigated- April 21, 2005 KTRE)
Constable James Beene is running for re-election despite being under indictment. Despite previous brutality allegations, Beene will most likely face a jury acquittal in the coming months with former Cherokee County Sheriff James Campbell being called again as a character witness.
Law enforcement protocols during police chases are always up for debate and interpretation. The so-called "victim" named in the indictment is now deceased. The night of October 2021 wasn’t the last time Jerry Stanfield pulled a Dukes of Hazzard getaway. Stanfield eventually killed himself in another motorcycle wreck in August 2023 after a few more years of running from the law. Obviously, 'Crash' Stanfield was a flight risk and danger to the public. Idiots who resist and evade arrest are lucky if they don't killed on the way to jail.
Jerry Stanfield, circa Feb. 2023
POLICE: East Texas man wanted for assault, harassment
ARP, Texas (KETK) – A man is wanted by the Arp Police Department and Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office for multiple charges.
Officials said that Jerry Brenton Stanfield is wanted by Arp police for harassment, which is a class B misdemeanor.
According to a release, Stanfield is also wanted by Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office for evading arrest with a vehicle, assault causing bodily injury and failure to appear. (Source: KLTV Feb 17, 2023)
Police have legal discretion as to what constitutes deadly force and when to use it.
A grand jury was never called on Cherokee County law enforcement before
for beating handcuffed detainees, putting them in the hospital, and
running over fleeing suspects. So the real question is why would the Cherokee County District Attorney's office wait two years after the fact to indict a Constable on restrictive high-speed pursuit policies? Out of thin air they changed their minds on their Willy Nilly traffic stop procedures when the county liability insurance is up for renewal. Somebody less ostentatious in the Good Ol' Boy clique must be vying for the Precinct 4 position.
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