An Indiana police officer was arrested Wednesday night on a domestic battery charge.
An arrest report says that Ryan Miller, 32, allegedly assaulted a pregnant family member, the Times of Northwest Indiana reported.
Miller is a corporal in the Chesterton Police Department who received and Exceptional Service Award just last month for rendering first aid to a man with a severe cut on his arm in June.
Miller was arrested in the town of Portage, and Chesterton Police Chief Tim Richardson told the Times that the suspect has been on administrative leave since early December. He declined to say why he was on leave, citing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
As for Miller’s arrest, Richardson said he had not yet read reports from Portage police and couldn’t comment.
Chesterton Town Council President Erin Collins did comment in a statement posted on the town’s Facebook page.
“The Town of Chesterton has been made aware of the arrest of a Chesterton Police Department officer on allegations of domestic battery,” she wrote. “Allegations of this nature are taken extremely seriously. Conduct that endangers others or undermines public trust is not tolerated by the Town of Chesterton or the Chesterton Police Department.”
Collins said the allegations would be thoroughly investigated by internal and judicial processes, including the town’s Board of Police Commissioners.
“At the time of the arrest, the officer was on administrative leave, and the officer will remain on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, she wrote, adding that there would be no further comment from the town.
The identity of the pregnant family member is not yet known.
A lawsuit filed in October accuses Miller of negligence when he rear-ended a motorcyclist in his police cruiser in September 2024. The town is also named a defendant in the lawsuit, the Times said.
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[Featured image: Ryan Miller/Porter County Sheriff’s Office]
