[TN] Officer Devers allowed to retire before re-arrest for breaking in, throwing gas on & threatening his girlfriend

A Bartlett police officer, released from jail after allegedly threatening to set his girlfriend on fire was arrested again on Tuesday, on aggravated burglary charges stemming from the same incident, only this time, no bond was set. Before 44-year old Phillip Devers was re-arrested Tuesday, the officer was allowed to retire from the Bartlett Police Department...

BARTLETT OFFICER ARRESTED AFTER CHILLING 911 CALL
WREG
Kelly Hessedal
June 29, 2009
[Excerpts] A Bartlett police officer faces charges tonight after a chilling 911 call. Tipton County deputies say Officer Phillip Devers forced his way inside his girlfriend's home and attacked her... The victim called dispatchers moments after she says he attacked her. Dispatcher: "Take a deep breath for me, did he hit you?" Caller: "He forced his way into my house (inaudible) ..he poured gasoline on me." Dispatcher: "He poured gas on you?" Caller: "Yes." Caller: "He refused to get out of the house. He forced his way into my house. Can you get someone here?" Dispatcher: "Sweetie, I'm gonna get someone out there, I'm gonna need you to take a deep breath, ok?" According to sheriff's deputies, the veteran Bartlett cop also spit in his girlfriend's face and then took off before investigators arrived. Caller: "I'm so afraid he's gonna twist it around (crying)." Dispatcher: "Listen to me, listen to me, what's his name?" Caller: "Phil Devers. D-E-V-E-R-S." Dispatcher: "Charles?" Caller: "No, Philip. Philip R?. He's a Bartlett cop." Dispatcher: "Did you get gasoline off you?" Caller: "No, it's still on me. He poured it on me on the steps of my house and said he was gonna burn it down"... [Full article here]



MORE CHARGES FOR BARTLETT EX-COP
myfoxmemphis.com
30 Jun 2009
[Excerpts] A Bartlett patrol officer resigned Tuesday on the heels of accusations he doused his ex-girlfriend in gasoline, as well as new charges filed against him that same day. 44-year old Phillip Devers is charged with domestic aggravated assault... Devers was released on bond on the aggravated assault charge, but Deputy Chief Donna Turner with the Tipton County Sheriff's Department stated once they investigated the case further they added the charge aggravated burglary and a judge ruled Devers be held without bond. Bartlett Police Chief Gary Rikard says Devers had been on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of an investigation unrelated to this inceident... [Full article here]



9-1-1 CALL RELEASED IN GAS ATTACK
myfoxmemphis.com
Amy Cowman
30 Jun 2009, 5:21 PM CDT
[Excerpts] "My ex-boyfriend he's already left but I need to file a report against him, I don't want him to come back he's a cop, send someone out please"... [LK] goes on to tell police she's filed charges on Devers in the past but dropped them, and was able to get him to leave before he could set her on fire which she says he threatened to do. "Did you get the gasoline off you or is it still on?" asks the dispatcher. "No it's still on me, he poured it on me and the steps of my house and said he was going to burn it down," answers [LK]. [LK] says she was able to get her phone before he could do that. "I told him I was calling ya'll and he got mad and finally left, I started yelling help but I live in a rural area so I don't think anyone heard me." Devers was released on bond on the aggravated assault charge, but Deputy Chief Donna Turner with the Tipton County Sheriff's Department says once they investigated the case further they added the charge aggravated burglary and a judge ruled Devers be held with no bond. "For the severity of it and also that there is some type of past history there between the two and the violence obviously the judge's goal as well as ours is for any type of violence to not continue," says Chief Turner. http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/local/063009_911_Call_Released_in_Gas_Attack



BARTLETT EX-COP ARRESTED AGAIN
Aggravated Burglary Added to Charges
myfoxmemphis.com
Jill Monier
30 Jun 2009, 9:14 PM CDT
[Excerpts] A Bartlett police officer, released from jail after allegedly threatening to set his girlfriend on fire was arrested again on Tuesday, on aggravated burglary charges stemming from the same incident, only this time, no bond was set. Before 44-year old Phillip Devers was re-arrested Tuesday, the officer was allowed to retire from the Bartlett Police Department... In a 911 call made by [LK], she claimed the officer had been abusive before. [LK] claims, "He's had a history of domestic violence with me and I let him go when I went and had charges against him, but I had them dropped. I probably should have never done that." Fox 13 could find no record of any prior domestic violence incidents between [LK] and Devers in Bartlett or Tipton County... Fox 13 wanted to know about the Bartlett Police Department’s domestic violence policy and training for officers, but the Bartlett Police Chief did not return our calls. Meanwhile, Tipton County deputies say Devers will be held in segregation since he was a police officer. His court date is set for July 14th. [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence law enforcement tennessee terroristic threatening history repeat]