Police chief, officer accused of shipping inmate out of town on trial
A suspended police chief and police officer were on trial Monday.
Chief Michael Willhoite and Officer Ron Dickow are accused of putting an inmate on a bus to Florida last year against a judge's order.
The chief took the stand Monday in his own defense.
The entire case centers around a former inmate in Carrollton named Adam Horine.
The suspended police chief orchestrated a plea deal last year for Horine to be sent to Fort Myers, Florida, on a Greyhound bus.
But prosecutors said that deal never got the green light in court.
Instead, a judge ordered Horine to be transferred to Eastern State Hospital for psychiatric evaluation and treatment.
On April 16, 2015, Willhoite responded to a disorderly conduct call involving Horine. The incident landed Horine in the Carroll County Detention Center.
"I went to see him at the detention center. He came out, spoke to me voluntarily. I asked him, hey Adam, you're going to court tomorrow. If what you said last week on the street, do you want to leave town? Where would you want to go? If you want to do that, the Carrollton Police Department will buy you a bus ticket. You pick the destination," Willhoite said.
Willhoite said he put the plan in motion to send Horine with a one way ticket to Florida.
The attorney for Dickow said his client was simply following his chief's orders.
But now he and Willhoite face charges of complicity to commit kidnapping, custodial interference and official misconduct.
Both are still working for the city but in a non-law enforcement capacity.
Prosecutors said there's no way the chief didn't know that his deal fell through in court, and he went ahead with it anyways.
The trial will continue on Tuesday.
If convicted, Willhoite and Dickow could face 20 years in prison.
The charges against Horine were later dismissed.