The former Delphi police chief is accused of providing misleading testimony during a court case involving a traffic stop and drug charges.
This came just a week after a court filing claimed LaMar’s testimony was “dishonest and misleading.” It also alleged he bypassed constitutional protections to conduct a warrantless search.
The court documents revealed that LaMar pulled over a man named Michael Mazzerle on January 3, 2024. He claimed the reason was that the license plate light on Mazzerle’s truck was blue instead of white.
By the end of that encounter, Mazzerle faced serious charges for dealing and possessing meth. However, Judge Troy M. Hawkins later dropped those charges.
Mazzerle had been in custody since his arrest, but a year later, the judge ordered his release.
During the traffic stop, Mazzerle had pulled into a gas station parking lot. He showed LaMar a government ID but couldn’t provide proof of insurance since the truck was registered to his mother.
LaMar then asked about a locked container under the center console. After inspecting it, he returned it to Mazzerle, even noting a key in the ignition that looked like it would fit.
LaMar’s body cam footage showed him saying he approached Mazzerle’s vehicle based on his “looks and behavior.”
After running Mazzerle’s driving record, LaMar found prior offenses and told another officer to “pull him out and hang out with him.” He also mentioned calling for a K9 officer but said he’d give Mazzerle a chance.
About five minutes later, LaMar asked Mazzerle if he had contacted his mother. Mazzerle said he had, but didn’t have the insurance card. LaMar then printed a ticket for three traffic infractions, telling Mazzerle he was lucky not to be handcuffed.
When Mazzerle went inside the gas station to wait for a ride, LaMar found the locked container with 6.7 grams of meth inside and ordered his arrest.
During the trial, a K9 deputy testified that his dog didn’t indicate any narcotics in Mazzerle’s vehicle. Another officer found evidence on Mazzerle’s phone suggesting illegal activity.
LaMar claimed the police department had a policy for impounding vehicles, but the judge found his actions unreasonable. Judge Hawkins concluded that LaMar’s search was just a pretext to find drugs.
As a result, the judge ruled the search was inadmissible, and the felony charges were dropped. Mazzerle still faced three traffic infractions, with fines totaling $5,000, but he only had to pay a fraction of that.
The Pharos-Tribune requested LaMar’s body camera footage, but it wasn’t available by Friday afternoon.
