Conroe Sued By Parents Of Former Oak Ridge High School Teacher

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX — The parents of a former Montgomery County teacher are suing Montgomery County, the City of Conroe and a Conroe police officer.

Douglas and Pamela Petersen, the parents of former Oak Ridge High School teacher Brian Petersen, filed the suit in the U.S. District Court Texas Southern District.

Brian Petersen was accused by Conroe police of online solicitation of a minor in August 2019. The lawsuit alleges that false arrest and medical malpractice by the involved parties caused Brian to commit suicide Aug. 4, 2019, two days after he bonded out of jail, according to court documents.

In a note to family and friends, which was attached in the lawsuit, Petersen said his account was the truth but decided to "choose oblivion" because regardless of the outcome in court, his life was ruined. Petersen was never accused of wrongdoing with a student at Oak Ridge and had no prior criminal history.

The suit names Conroe Police Department Detective Darrick Dunn, 41, in the lawsuit and accuses him of false arrest and malicious prosecution. According to the suit, Dunn used an interaction with Petersen on Grindr, an adult gay dating app, to pretend to be a minor, telling him he was 14 years old. According to the suit, Petersen claimed he could tell Dunn was not a minor based on a 13-second voicemail Dunn left him.

The lawsuit says Conroe Police Department acknowledged that Dunn left the voicemail but didn't retain a recording of it in evidence. It also accuses Dunn of leaving the voicemail off the police report.

The lawsuit also names EMT Bridgitt Johnson, Wellpath Recovery Solutions LLC, and Southwest Correctional Medical Group, Inc. as defendants, claiming they along with the other defendants are responsible for treating Petersen with indifference, recklessness and gross negligence in regards to his "serious medical needs" relating to his mental health

"He was on an 18 and over website," Chad Petersen, Brian's brother, told ABC13 Houston. "He was doing everything legal. But to be caught up in something like this just destroyed his life."

Conroe Police Department declined to comment on the lawsuit, and the City of Conroe did not respond to an inquiry from Patch.

Suicide hotline

If you are having suicidal thoughts, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7: 800-273-TALK (8255) Spanish line: 888-628-9454 TTY: 800-799-4TTY (4889)