By Matt Zapotosky
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, May 18, 2008

A St. Mary's County sheriff's deputy was suspended with pay last week amid allegations that he was intoxicated when he pulled over a Lexington Park ATV driver while off duty and assaulted him while another deputy watched.

Deputy David Goff, a three-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office, was suspended immediately after he participated in the arrest of Shane R. Weasenforth, 25, who was driving the ATV. Goff apparently was driving his personal truck when he stopped Weasenforth along Route 235 near Mattapany Road.

"My client is kind of like, 'Excuse me. Who are you?' " David Weiskopf, Weasenforth's attorney, said of the encounter with the deputy. "You could tell something wasn't right with him."

A preliminary breath test given to Goff at the scene showed he had a blood alcohol level of more than 0.14 percent, said Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron (R), adding that Goff was given another test later.

Cameron declined to specify Goff's blood-alcohol level on the second test. He said Goff, who was supposed to work a shift that evening, was suspended amid ongoing criminal and administrative investigations into his conduct.

No criminal charges have been filed against Goff, Cameron said.

"We're concerned about our community's trust and how we represent our agency and our profession," he said. "Now, as an agency, we have to prove to the public that we're capable of policing ourselves."

According to Weiskopf, a plainclothes Goff stopped Weasenforth about 7 p.m. Tuesday on Route 235. Goff quickly flashed his sheriff's deputy badge and started yelling that he would have Weasenforth's ATV impounded, Weiskopf said.

Not understanding the off-duty officer's "odd" behavior, Weasenforth said, he hopped back on his ATV and tried to drive down the road to his cousin's driveway.

As Weasenforth pulled away, Goff punched him in the elbow, Weiskopf said. When Weasenforth tried to turn around in his cousin's driveway, Goff pulled up in a cruiser driven by another sheriff's deputy, Weiskopf said.

The other deputy, Dale Reppel, told Weasenforth to get on the ground, Weiskopf said. When he did so, Goff ran up and began to slam Weasenforth's head into the pavement while Reppel yelled, "Stop resisting," Weiskopf said.

"And Shane's thinking, 'I'm not resisting,' " Weiskopf said, adding that Weasenforth's fiancee and 6-year-old daughter were among those who witnessed the incident.

Weasenforth was eventually arrested and charged with second-degree assault and resisting arrest. He was released on his own recognizance.

According to charging documents, Weasenforth spit on Goff and attempted to hit him and he did not follow Reppel's commands to put his hands behind his back.

In the documents, Weasenforth denied attempting to spit on Goff or strike him.

"Maybe my client was smart to him," Weiskopf said, also denying that Weasenforth spit on anybody. "Nobody is more indignant than somebody in the right."

Weasenforth accused Goff of being drunk, Weiskopf said, because he smelled alcohol as he was being assaulted.

Cameron would not confirm Weasenforth's account of what happened, saying that all Goff's actions and those of other deputies on the scene were under investigation. He said that investigation should be completed this week.

Cameron said deputies are generally not supposed to make traffic stops in their personal vehicles. He said that as in all cases, charges against Weasenforth might be dropped but that Goff could face charges without any change to the charges against Weasenforth.

Weiskopf said that the charges against Weasenforth added "insult to injury" and that his client was weighing whether to sue the Sheriff's Office. He said Weasenforth went to the hospital, where a CAT scan found he had a swollen skull.

"You beat him up, and then you charge him," Weiskopf said. "It's something you see on TV."