Protesters call for Danville officer’s termination over excessive force allegations

DANVILLE, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) – Protesters gathered outside the Danville Police Department on Friday, demanding the termination of Officer TJ Godbey following allegations that he used excessive force on two elderly, disabled men.

One of the cases involves 66-year-old John Hardwick, whose family says he has dementia. Hardwick was arrested at a Walmart last October, but his charges were later dismissed. His attorney claims discrepancies between body camera footage and Walmart security video, and a civil rights case is now being filed against the city.

Officer Godbey has faced similar allegations in the past. While previously serving on the Stanford Police force, he was involved in the 2021 arrest of William Goode, another elderly man with dementia. Goode’s family has since gathered thousands of signatures on a petition to have Godbey removed from duty.

“We’ve got 27,307 signatures of people around this area…speaking to the mayor and city council, ‘Hey, get rid of this cop. He’s bad for the community.’ Why’s it taking so long?” said Goode’s son, Bill.

ABC36 NEWS NOW has repeatedly reached out to the Danville Police Department and its chief for comment, but so far, they have declined to respond.