City Of Vian Defends Dismissing Ticket Against City Councilor's Son

Officials with the town of Vian issued a release defending the decision to dismiss a ticket written to a city councilor's son earlier this month. The decision came into the public spotlight after the officer who wrote the ticket to Josh Smith resigned her job.

The chief of police in the town, Ted Johnson, also resigned - in support of Officer Lindsey Green.

Green was patrolling the town when, according to her arrest report and the city release, she pulled over the city councilor's son. Another officer had informed Green that Smith was driving with a suspended license, and she said she stopped him and put him under arrest on that complaint.

The release from Vian notes it has been suggested that Green and Johnson resigned because of the decision to dismiss the citation to Smith and that the decision was based on political rather than legal reasons.

5/11/2017 Related Story: Former Vian Officer Who Resigned After Controversial Arrest Hired By Webbers Falls

"The ticket was dismissed based on there being no apparent probable cause to initiate a traffic stop of Smith and not because of any family relationship," the news release states.

"A report that a driver's license was suspended in the past is not enough to justify conducting a traffic stop without verification that the license is currently suspended," it continues. If Smith had checked with dispatch and confirmed the license was suspended, it would have been valid, but she did not, according to the City of Vian.

Her body cam footage backs that up, the release states.

Green told News On 6 she resigned after being told she'd likely be fired.She went on to accept a new job with the Webbers Falls Police Department.