Deputy accused of exposing himself to female dispatcher, and another allegedly stole porn from a dead man

By Kaitlyn Hart

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    DRIGGS, Idaho (eastidahonews.com) — Two Teton County Sheriff’s deputies have been arrested and charged in separate incidents.

Troy Lester Dameron, 53, of Rexburg, has been charged with misdemeanor indecent exposure.

Fred Robert Hale, 47, of Tetonia, has been charged with misdemeanor petty theft and alteration or concealment of evidence.

On Aug. 28, a detective with the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office and a detective from the Caribou County Sheriff’s Office were asked to investigate a complaint regarding Deputy Dameron with the Teton County Sheriff’s Office.

According to court documents, a Teton County dispatcher reported on Aug. 25 that Dameron exposed his genitals to her, made several sexual comments and masturbated “in plain view” during work.

Magistrate Judge Brendon Taylor issued an arrest warrant and a no-contact order on Friday, prohibiting Dameron from having any contact with the dispatcher.

Dameron surrendered himself to Madison County Sheriff’s deputies on his warrant on Friday night, where his bond was set to $15,000. He later posted bond and was released.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge on Monday and is awaiting further court scheduling. If convicted, he could face up to six months in local jail and a $1,000 fine.

On Sept. 11, a special agent with the Bonneville County Prosecuting Attorney was asked to investigate a complaint about Lt. Hale with the Teton County Sheriff’s Office.

Court documents allege Hale stole three pornographic magazines from the home of a deceased man, and a screwdriver out of his truck, while investigating the man’s unattended death.

Police say Hale took the magazines out of the house with a paper bag and concealed them in his patrol car. He then allegedly got into the deceased man’s vehicle and removed the screwdriver with the intent of concealing it.

According to court documents, Hale also reportedly manipulated his body-cam footage to edit out the alleged theft by “detaching it from the incident, untagging his name and placing the video in an archived area of the system so it would not be discovered.”

Magistrate Judge Brendon Taylor issued an arrest warrant for Hale on Friday. Hale surrendered himself to deputies at the Jefferson County Jail on Saturday morning.

Taylor set bond at $10,000 for Hale. He later posted bond and was released. Hale pleaded not guilty to the charges on Monday, and further criminal proceedings have yet to be scheduled.

If convicted, he could face up to a year and a half in local jail and $2,000 in fines and restitution.

Magistrate Judge Jason Walker, who would typically be assigned the Dameron and Hale criminal cases, voluntarily disqualified himself from both prosecutions. Magistrate Judge Daniel Clark was assigned to both criminal cases.

Randy Neal, the Bonneville County prosecuting attorney, has been court-appointed as a special prosecutor in both criminal cases.

“Now that the criminal investigations are concluded, it is anticipated that the internal investigations will be concluded within two weeks, and decisions regarding each officer’s employment will be made accordingly,” states a news release from the Teton County Sheriff’s Office.

Though Dameron and Hale have been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean they committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.

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