Patriot,
This is a disgrace—and every American who believes in law and order should be furious.
Two police officers—Josh Taylor and Brandon Dingman—are currently serving prison sentences for doing exactly what they were trained and ordered to do: respond to a dangerous call, use non-lethal force, and protecting their community.
Let me tell you what really happened—because the media and the District Attorney certainly won’t.
On the night of July 4th, 2019, Officer Josh Taylor responded to a domestic disturbance call in Wilson, Oklahoma. When he arrived, he encountered Jared Lakey—a large, fully grown man walking naked down the street wearing nothing but socks.
Josh immediately recognized this situation for what it was: dangerous and unpredictable. Whether it was drugs, mental illness, or something else—this wasn’t a man in his right mind. And Josh knew he couldn't handle it alone. He called for backup.
Officer Brandon Dingman arrived on scene, and the two officers tried to do what they were trained to do: safely and professionally bring Mr. Lakey into custody.
But Lakey was 350 pounds, combative, and resisting arrest. When verbal commands didn’t work and physical restraint proved impossible, they turned to their department-issued, non-lethal tasers.
They deployed them multiple times, but Lakey kept tearing the barbs out. He was clearly not being fully affected by the tasers—and even after repeated attempts, the officers were unable to subdue him.
Eventually, Josh and Brandon were able to get his arms and cuffed him. They immediately called for medical assistance. An ambulance arrived. Lakey was taken to the hospital.
At that point, the officers had done everything they could—and everything right.
But tragically, Jared Lakey passed away two days later. The autopsy was inconclusive. He had an enlarged heart and lung issues. Drug screenings were unreliable due to the fluids pumped into his system at the hospital. There was no determined cause of death.
Even so, the department launched an internal review. Then the City Council reviewed the case too.
Both cleared the officers. That’s two separate investigations concluding Josh and Brandon followed procedure.
Case closed, right?
Wrong.
A full year later, a politically motivated District Attorney, smelling an opportunity, dragged the case back up and charged these officers with second-degree murder.
Let that sink in: second-degree murder.
He ignored the internal findings. He ignored the medical uncertainty. He ignored the fact that these officers never even laid a hand on Lakey’s neck or airway. They followed their training, used the gear they were issued, and even called for medical help.
But none of that mattered to a DA looking to make headlines.
Now, these two good cops—family men, community protectors—are sitting behind bars.
The National Center for Police Defense is fighting to overturn this injustice. We’re supporting their legal appeals, helping their families, and backing efforts to remove the biased District Attorney who never should have touched this case in the first place.
But appeals are costly. And the longer this drags on, the longer Josh and Brandon sit in prison—separated from their families, their children, their lives.
That’s why I’m writing you today. We need your help.
We need to raise funds to fuel the legal defense and appeal process. These officers deserve their freedom. They deserve a fair hearing. And they deserve to come home.
We cannot let this go unanswered. If we don’t stand up now, more and more police officers will suffer the same fate: thrown to the wolves by political activists in prosecutor’s clothing.
Josh and Brandon were railroaded, plain and simple. And now we need to right this wrong.
Will you step up today and donate to support their appeals?
