3 Denver Police Officers To Appear In Court This Week

DENVER, CO – Three officers from the Denver Police Department are scheduled to appear in court this week for charges ranging from domestic harassment to excessive force.

Cases for Sergeant Joseph Rodarte, Corporal Michael Oestman and Officer Ryan Burke will be called. All three were put on administrative leave, with pay, when charged.

Sgt. Joseph Rodarte, 50, a 24-year veteran of the force, appears in Denver District Court Monday to be advised of second-degree assault charges. He was arrested Oct. 18, after an internal investigation, for a use-of-force incident on Aug. 22. Rodarte is accused of using a metal baton to beat up a teenager who was allegedly having a "manic episode." The teen was hospitalized with "several stitches above his right eye, had a broken nose, and fractured his tibia and fibula," an arrest affidavit said. Rodarte has a history of more than 20 complaints of inappropriate force during his career including at least three suspensions.

Corporal Michael Oestman, 38, is scheduled to appear in Denver Municipal court on Monday for a plea hearing after being charged with third-degree assault. Oestman was working off-duty at a Jackson's Sports Bar April 14, when he allegedly broke up a fight and took a man into custody, handcuffing him in a chair with his hands behind his back, an arrest affidavit said. After the man in custody berated and insulted Oestman for about ten minutes, including spitting in Oestman's face, Oestman allegedly responded by "kneeing (the man) in the chest, and punching him in the face, [and] knocking him unconscious," an arrest affidavit said.

Officer Ryan Burke, 47, is scheduled to appear before a jury in Denver Municipal Court Wednesday. Burke was accused of harassment of his estranged girlfriend at a hotel in September of 2017. Burke was put on administrative leave after the arrest, but had a string of other excessive force complaints against him, as well as two unpaid suspension in 2013 and 2016, as reported by Westword.

Related: Accused Denver Cop Allegedly Beat Manic Teen With Metal Baton

Related: Cop Accused Of Punching Suspect Charged With Assault

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