Lexington cop resigns after multiple complaints filed, including improper arrest
A Lexington police officer accused of an improper arrest, disobeying department pursuit policies and repeated tardiness in court has resigned.
Lexington officer Samuel Sheehan resigned Jan. 9 rather than face disciplinary action after three formal complaints were filed against him by his superior officers in 2025, according to police disciplinary records. Sheehan had been with the department since June 2023.
“He has shown a lack of knowledge in laws and when it is legal to arrest someone, he has shown a lack of knowledge with the policies that outline pursuits, and when the taser can be used. He has a number of other issues including complaints by citizens he has come into contact with during the calls he has responded to,” according to a summary of issues outlined in a Sept. 11 formal complaint filed by Lt. Guy Miller, his superior officer.
Sheehan could not be reached for comment.
Sheehan had previously been placed on a performance improvement plan prior to the Sept. 11 formal complaint. One of the issues concerning to his superiors included an arrest for marijuana possession that did not meet legal requirements.
He had previously arrested someone for marijuana possession after a traffic stop. It wasn’t until after Sheehan took the marijuana to the jail and weighed it that he realized the amount was less than 8 ounces, the legal threshold for a possession charge. He later dismissed the charges against the person, according to police disciplinary records.
Sheehan was also frequently late to testify in court, sometimes by as much as 30 minutes . One hearing had to be postponed due to Sheehan’s tardiness, records indicate. Between March 14 and Aug. 19, Sheehan was late to court 11 times, according to the September complaint.
His superiors also questioned his judgment involving an assault case.
He was sent on a call involving a possible sexual assault on Aug. 19. Sheehan “advised a possible sexual assault victim a report could only be taken for ‘harassment — physical contact’ and advised them the report would not go anywhere,” the complaint said.
“Officer Sheehan was incorrect on his assessment of the proper report to be taken and he was also incorrect in his decision to advise the potential victim the report would not go anywhere,” the complaint said. “Officer Sheehan also directed the potential victim to re-enter the apartment without them, while the potential suspect was still present in the apartment.”
On Aug. 30, Sheehan was pursuing an alleged suspect on a stolen moped. Lexington police said Sheehan never advised dispatch he was in pursuit of the stolen moped.
At one point, he stopped his patrol car and chased the person on foot, and dispatched his taser but missed. Lexington police have strict guidelines on when a vehicle pursuit can be conducted. That’s typically when there is an immediate threat to human life, such as a kidnapping.
In his interview with police investigators, Sheehan said he realized he sometimes needed to both slow down and ask for more help from his supervisors when there were questions on what he should do.
On Oct. 20, Miller filed a second formal complaint after Sheehan was again tardy to court on Oct. 7 and Oct. 9, police records show.
Sheehan had previously told Public Integrity Unit investigators, the police’s internal affairs division, that he lived in Richmond and traffic back-ups on Interstate 75 were the cause of his late court appearances.
Miller, in interviews with PIU, said he was concerned Sheehan still had problems making it to court on time despite prior complaints. In one instance, Sheehan had been working in the central sector on third shift when he reported late to court, Miller said.
“With that in mind, he really had no excuse to be late to court when he was working in the sector where the courthouse is. Instead of leaving to ensure he could get to court early based on previous issues he still waited too long and was late to court again,“ the October complaint said.
In his interview with PIU investigators, Sheehan said he had fallen asleep in the police training academy parking lot after his shift. He set his alarm and got to court a little bit late. He said he had texted police court liasions when he realized he may be late.
But Sheehan’s troubles continued.
On Dec. 20, Miller filed a third formal complaint against Sheehan.
On Nov. 9, while responding to a disorder, Sheehan accidentally hit a civilian car. Sheehan stopped and looked at both vehicles and determined there was no damage. Sheehan did not activate his body camera at the time of the incident or report it to police, which is against department policy, according to the complaint.
On Nov. 14, while a sergeant was conducting an inspection of Sheehan’s vehicle, a small dent was discovered.
Sheehan told investigators that the damage was minor and he did not think it was necessary to report it.
