Dessislava Yankova

dyankova@mtcngroup.com

A former Gallatin sergeant and national police officer of the year resigned in August after a state investigation into allegations that he did not tell the truth in court under oath.

Daniel Soto, a former sergeant with the Gallatin Police Department, resigned on Aug. 2 after Tennessee Bureau of Investigation officials examined an aggravated perjury allegation that was not prosecuted, documents in Soto’s personnel file show.

The allegations stem from a testimony Soto gave during a trial in the Sumner County Criminal Court on June 29. When attorney Walter Stubbs asked Soto whether the former sergeant was fired from his previous job in Mississippi for falsifying two incident reports, Soto answered “no.”

Soto’s former boss at the Ridgeland Police Department in Ridgeland, Miss., Chief Jimmy Houston, however, gave Soto an intention letter on Feb. 5, 2010 suggesting termination.

Substantial evidence was presented that Soto violated the City of Ridgeland personnel regulations. Most specifically, Houston said Soto falsified or willfully misrepresented two incident reports, which led to dismissal of the charges against the alleged defendants, according to Houston’s letter that Stubbs presented as evidence.

Houston’s letter also indicates a pre-termination hearing for Soto to defend himself and object to the termination with evidence. Soto said in court on June 29 he felt that if he attended the hearing, he would have kept his employment. He said he did not attend because he was already being hired by the GPD and therefore resigned.

“I don’t want this sergeant testifying in my courtroom in the future, period,” said Judge Dee David Gay, who presided during the June 29 hearing.

The next day, on June 30, Gay sent a letter to GPD Chief Don Bandy and Sumner County District Attorney Ray Whitley recommending an investigation of Soto.

“I heard evidence sufficient enough for me to believe that Sgt. Daniel Soto had committed perjury,” Gay wrote. “I ‘temporarily’ barred Sgt. Soto from testifying in criminal court. I will decide Sgt. Soto’s ‘permanent’ status with the criminal court after an investigation is complete and a decision is made by the district attorney whether perjury was committed.”

On July 7, the TBI began investigating the alleged perjury at the request of Whitley. The TBI turned over its findings to Whitley, who subsequently asked the agency to close the probe, TBI Spokesman Susan Niland said.

The allegations did not warrant criminal prosecution, said Whitley to TBI Special Agent Brian Harbaugh and Bandy in an email on Aug. 2.

The same day, Soto’s attorney, Daphne Davis, sent Bandy the resignation letter described as “irrevocable.”

Bandy described the matter as “a very unfortunate incident” and declined further comment.

Soto was named The American Legion’s National Law Enforcement Officer of the Year in July 2016. The GPD also selected Soto as the 2014 Officer of the Year.

Reach Dessislava Yankova at dyankova@mtcngroup.com. Follow her on Twitter @desspor.