Monongah, WV is a small town with a population of 972 people. It’s crime rate is 5 per 100,000 people, or one seventh the crime rate of the US, which is 35 per 100,000. Last year, there were no reported murders, auto thefts, burglaries, rapes, or robberies. In other words, a typical American small town with little to no crime. The only real crimes in the town are physical fights, and even those occur at half the national average.
Last Thursday, some random guy with a drop leg holster and a generic “Police” t shirt that anyone can buy for $16 on Amazon tried to pull a woman out of her car in this town. She demands to see his police ID, and the man refuses, so she drives away- 30 yards to her mother’s driveway.
When he catches up to her, he tells her that he is going to “fucking shoot” her if she doesn’t roll the window down. When a bystander overhears this, she yells something that sounds like “We should take your badge,” to which the cop replies “Fuck you.”
It turns out that he is the chief of police. Go watch the video here. I will wait.
Yep, he is Monongah, WV Chief of Police Nathan Lanham. Or he was, but more on that later. He is threatening to kill someone over what? Police can’t use lethal force as a compliance device. Lethal force is not reasonable to effect a traffic stop. He feels safe enough to tell bystanders to f/o while turning his back on the ‘threat’. What he is doing would be called aggravated assault, which is a forcible felony.
At what point is it morally justified for someone to step in and shoot this fat fucking tyrant? I assure you that, should someone find me on the jury after they do this, I would NOT vote to convict. It seems that the people of Monongah feel the same way.
She was arrested and charged with felony fleeing in a vehicle with reckless indifference to the safety of others. The charges were dismissed after she spent 5 nights in jail because she couldn’t come up with $125,000 in bail money. Even though charges have been dropped, Beth Delloma says that she remains terrified that the rogue officer will attempt revenge on her in the future.
The arrest report states that he was in uniform and driving a marked vehicle. He says he activated his “marked patrol vehicle’s emergency equipment to conduct a traffic stop.” None of those statements is true. That’s called perjury, which is also a felony. With officers like this, it is hard to argue that the people of Monongah are safer with a police department than they are without one.
At any rate, the public outcry once this video went public was so great that there was a town meeting on Monday night, with the citizens showing up, demanding that Lanham be fired, but he resigned before they could do so. The odd part is that it also appears that he was a cop in the nearby town of Rivesville, WV and three other towns while also working as Monongah police chief.
In fact, as of 5/14/24, Lanham was no longer with Rivesville. He was named Chief of Monongah PD on 5/25/24.
Why do cops feel the need to wear clothes looking like they are about to assault Fallujah, or else looking like complete slobs? What ever happened to neat police uniforms?
21 Comments
dc · August 8, 2024 at 5:55 am
She was tortured after being cuffed. Her ear was twisted while she cried for help. Sickening.
Sailorcurt · August 12, 2024 at 10:28 am
After twisting her ear didn’t shut her up, he started bending her fingers back. I’m surprised he didn’t break them.
He “resigned”. He should have been arrested and charged. I hope she sues him personally and the city that hired him for millions…and then moves somewhere else. Sucks that the taxpayers will have to foot the bill for the city’s part, but that’s the only way to exact justice from an obviously corrupt city. I can’t imagine a world where the “chief” would be let off with immunity, he clearly was violating her rights.
That was a clear case of “respekt my authoratay!!!” right there.
I agree with you about the “defense of others” angle. He was obviously out of control, had means and opportunity and was presenting a threat of imminent death or bodily injury to the victim. Had someone shot that disgrace in the face, I wouldn’t vote to convict in a million years.
As far as the outfit. That’s become so commonplace it’s almost unnoticed. Even standard blue duty uniforms are more like fatigues than business clothes. The modern mindset of many cops these days is “we are warriors” and they dress up to playact the part. The problem is, if you’re a warrior, who are you at war against? Us? Message received.
Zarba · August 8, 2024 at 6:05 am
He should be indicted for his behavior.
The degradation of the police’s reputation has been building for a while. In my mind, it’s been the “militarization” of the police that has done the most damage.
1) They’re all dressed in military-style uniforms designed to intimidate the public; to give the impression that they’re a paramilitary force. Gone are simple uniforms; they demand battle gear.
2) The proliferation of military vehicles like MRAPS, etc., even in small towns with no real crime. They all have their “tacticool vehicles” they roll out for every search warrant.
3) Every town seems to have a SWAT Team, even if they only have 10 officers on the force. Every traffic stop ends up with 10 police cars and multiple fat guys running around with their AR’s. (and WHY does every police vehicle now have 500 lights on it strobing away at every stop?)
4) The “Thin Blue Line”. Too many bad cops out there, and other cops protect them. So do the DA’s and political leadership. If you want to “support the police”, and have the citizens do so as well, then you have to get rid of corrupt and abusive cops.
5) But the biggest “tell” about how bad it has gotten is the police referring to the people of their jurisdictions as “civilians”. Erm, NO, Barney. Police ARE civilians as well. By setting up this divide between the police and the people, they foster the idea that they above the people who employ them.
Most of the cops I’ve dealt with were OK, but a few were genuine psychopaths. The problem is you never know what you’re going to get.
Reader · August 8, 2024 at 9:44 am
Bingo on “civilians”. Cops dont have a Geneva Convention classification or whatever the term is.
C · August 8, 2024 at 9:05 pm
It seems to be a really common problem in West Virginia.
Carrie · August 8, 2024 at 7:56 am
This dude is either a Narcissist (lower mid-range) or your average Beta Male playing dress-up.
My hope is that the good people of this WV town will take care of it themselves, band together, and do like some Greeks do: look at each other quizzically if someone comes looking for this Beta Male loser.
C · August 8, 2024 at 8:30 am
The outer vest thing doesn’t bother me. It’s their arms being covered in tats that bothers me. Biggest gang in the country.
One day I’m going to have my dream house on a little bit of acreage. Poured concrete exterior walls, steel roof, and bullet resistant doors/windows. Concrete block wall topped with broken glass, triple apron concertina wire, and tank ditch. Camera with speaker at the fortified gate.
Not talking to nobody without a warrant. JBT threatens to arrest me for impeding an investigation? It’d be great to reply with: “You have the authority, but do you have the ability?”
Anonymous · August 8, 2024 at 9:21 am
This community’s response shows the idea that all the evil is concentrated in one bad apple James Bond villain, such as Hitler. Nobody else is evil; not the judge, prosecutor, people who run the jail, politicians who interviewed and hired the police officer, other police officers, etc.
> At what point is it morally justified for someone to step in and shoot this fat fucking tyrant?
Never. At most he can be allowed to resign with no prosecution, because he’s a noble and the victims are peasants.
Aesop · August 8, 2024 at 9:23 am
Open season on every officer who participated, and screw the bag limit.
It’s the only way they learn, in a way that sticks with them for more than 0.2 seconds.
The day is fast approaching when every cop in this country are going to simultaneously shed their uniforms like the Iraqi Republican Guard, and for the4 same reason,and you’ll be able to spot them the same way: they’ll be the guys trying to get home barefoot and in their underpants and t-shirts.
Reader · August 8, 2024 at 9:42 am
He felt empowered by the uniform he wore to command all to do his bidding and bend to his will.
My guess is, he’s never had someone tell him ‘no’ before.
Stealth Spaniel · August 8, 2024 at 10:16 am
Let’s see; multiple felonies committed, wanton destruction of her personal property, and now she will need long term mental health support. Why did no one just shoot this fat fuck and end everyone’s pain? The “police officer” needs jailed on hate crimes.
Bad Dancer · August 8, 2024 at 10:43 am
I still remember switching from that horrid periwinkle blue shirt that would show every single stain to black uniforms and hating it. About the only change I liked was being allowed to wear boots instead of dress shoes. I am very curious if there is a study of the mentality change that took place too. Rise of the Warrior Cop kind of touched on it but not to the extent I am wondering.
As Zarba said police are civilians and if I heard ANY of my guys refering to a citizen as a civilian they were in for an earfull. I can remember being told in the academy that as of this moment everyone outside these walls was the enemy out to get us and how some instructors tried to drum that lesson home. To the point that some guys who had grown up in the area and never left were sure that the Hells Angels must have joined up with the Black Panthers and Mexican Mafia to ambush officers at every traffic stop. That kind of parianoia and mental framework for every interaction with people.
Snuffy · August 11, 2024 at 4:00 pm
Not sure of anyone mentioned this, but I think he is the chief of police at a nearby town, was working part time as a regular officer in Monongah. Don’t quote me, as I’m only about 90% sure.
IcyReaper · August 8, 2024 at 1:14 pm
I could understand if he was a county cop that serves multiple towns, but he was employed by 5 different towns. Never heard that before.
If that was me, get a great lawyer and you would own that little shit hole in 90 days. As for the other towns, they will be paying also.
One good thing about these fat jerkoff townies playing military and having full battle rattle. That’s just makes it easier to get what you need, why spend $20K when its so easy to get for free.
Unfortunately, a lot of places are moving more and more to a paramilitary style setup. But the flip side is you want to be a military force, Fine. I will consider you one and treat you based on your actions on the citizens as a hostile force. Way different rules of engagement…
Jonathan · August 9, 2024 at 12:18 pm
State and federal regulations, and federal grant regulations, pretty much require a militarized police unfortunately.
To be eligible for federal equipment and grants, departments have to require specific gear. I don’t know the full list, but it starts with vests and goes from there
Dirty Dingus McGee · August 8, 2024 at 6:07 pm
The amazing thing to me is that these toads are shocked, SHOCKED, when the population they harass rise’s up against them. Doesn’t matter if it’s the local donut molester or some fed, they don’t seem to get that most folks are getting tired of their BS.
The way things are going with current events, the time is coming soon where the “law enforcement” folks are going to have some hard choices to make. Will they be seen as friend or foe? So far, most are picking foe.
anonymous coward · August 8, 2024 at 6:14 pm
De-Escalation – how many hours of mandatory de-escalation techniques are required per year. I think in the peace officer line, that would be a perishable skill and an evolving one at that.
TRX · August 9, 2024 at 7:26 am
You don’t get commendations and the respect of your peers for “de-escalation.”
The system it set up to encourage certain types of behavior, no matter what the public rules say.
TakeAHardLook · August 8, 2024 at 6:20 pm
When our SWATTED-up, paramilitary, heavily-armed police roll up in their MRAPS they will swarm in to shoot your dog, intimidate your teenage daughter, cuff your wife and you may be pistol-whipped/killed outright They might even have the wrong address, but, hey! There’s never been a successful indictment regarding same.
Unless, of course, you are a sicko punk who is systematically killing grade school kids in another Uvalde, TX-type scenario.
Then they may not go charging in, as they can hear gunfire, screams and the police radio telling them to “hold position” to see what develops.” Waiting for the appropriate tactical situation…..
Gotta listen to one’s watch commander or maybe get written up.
Jonathan · August 8, 2024 at 10:59 pm
In my opinion, a town that small is too small to be incorporated. It should disincorporate and be patrolled by the local sheriff.
Some states have minimum population requirements to be incorporated.
My “town” is almost 5,000 and is considered too small to incorporate… I bet that Monongah used to be much larger.
Sailorcurt · August 13, 2024 at 10:48 am
I suppose it’s a matter of perspective. The county seat of the rural Indiana county I grew up in had a population of about 3k at the time. I think it’s up to about 6k or maybe a little over that now.
I own 19 acres in the mountains of TN that is our vacation/emergency retreat/future retirement home spot. The county seat there currently has a population (according to Wikipedia) of about 4.5k.
It’s not uncommon for rural areas to have relatively small cities compared to more populous areas. If none of them were incorporated, there wouldn’t be a county seat in a lot of counties.
Comments are closed.