Former Hillsboro cop says prosecutors asked him to lie
HILLSBORO, Ore. - A decorated former police officer is fighting to keep his badge while accusing prosecutors of asking him to lie, according to documents obtained by KATU News.
The documents reveal the reason Justin Morris resigned from the Hillsboro Police Department earlier this year. In a 10-page letter he admitted having sexual contact with a woman, who wasn't his wife, while on duty as an officer. He also made huge claims about the shooting that led to his awards.
The incident in June last year left him wounded. He received a Purple Heart and Medal of Valor for his courage. Military veteran Sepp Tokanaga pleaded guilty for shooting him.
But in a letter to the state agency that could revoke his license to be a police officer in Oregon, Morris alleges he was shot in friendly fire.
"At the same time as I was firing my rifle I was shot in the upper back near my spinal cord," he wrote. "I turned around to find a rifle of a Washington County Sheriff Deputy pointed toward my neck and back area, a few inches away."
Prosecutors and police say all the evidence, including the bullet recovered from Morris' body, pointed to Tokanaga as the shooter.
Yet for months Morris has maintained his position.
"The district attorney's office and the police union attorney wanted me to testify against the suspect in a grand jury hearing shortly after the incident, but I was not comfortable lying under oath," he wrote. "They were also confused why I couldn't just 'see things differently' so the suspect could be held accountable for the shooting."
Prosecutors say that is outrageous and false, and Hillsboro police say it's regrettable a fellow officer would be lauded for his courage then resign to avoid being fired over misconduct involving a woman just six months later.
"I think that's a fair statement. I think it's fair to say that it is unfortunate," said Lt. Michael Rouches with the Hillsboro Police Department. "We live by these decisions we make in the field and our interactions with others."
Outside his home Thursday, while taking out the family Christmas tree, Morris told a KATU News reporter he wasn't interested in talking about his side of the story.
Prosecutors aren't indicating they are interested in reopening the shooting case for which Tokanaga is serving 10 years in prison.
The Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training will decide Jan. 26 whether to strip Morris of his badge for 10 years.
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