This is the toughest letter I've ever had to write.

I know that we've never met, but that is a
picture of me and my husband, Chance, so you at least know what
we look like.
















Chance is an officer in the Austin, TX Police
Department - APD for short.

As the wife of a law enforcement officer, I
understand that my
husband is often put in life-threatening
situations on the job.
























But what I never expected is for him to be
threatened with a lifetime prison sentence for doing his job and
taking convicted drug dealers off the street.

Now, I have no choice but to ask complete
strangers for help in keeping my husband out of prison for a
crime he's completely innocent of.

Please let me explain.

It all started on the evening of March 28th,
2019.

My husband Chance - and his partner Officer
Gregory Gentry - were assigned to the Street Narcotics Unit of
the Austin Police Department.

That day, they were tasked with conducting a
special narcotic operation in a dangerous part of town where
there was a high level of violent crime. In fact, there was a
shooting in the same small apartment complex just the night
before.

As Chance and his partner approached the
apartment courtyard to arrest two well-known drug dealers, they
knew that they had to move quickly and effectively to avoid being
hurt or killed.

When they got into the apartment courtyard,
one of the suspects immediately submitted to arrest and was taken
into custody.

But the other suspect - a man named Paul
Mannie - didn't go down easily. Chance repeatedly yelled at
Mannie to put his hands up and get on the ground - but Mannie
ignored all his orders. After a struggle, Mannie was forced on
the ground so that he could be handcuffed.

Then, as Chance tried to put Mannie in
handcuffs, Mannie got one of his hands free and reached toward
his front waistline.

As an eight-year veteran of the Austin Police
Department, my husband had been in plenty of these kinds of
situations before.

So when Mannie reached his hand underneath
his body, Chance and the other officers were worried that he was
reaching for a weapon.

The officers had no choice but use advanced
physical force to neutralize the threat. And after nearly a
minute long altercation, Chance finally got Mannie in handcuffs.

When Chance got home later that night and
told me the story, all I could do was thank God that he made it
home safely.

I've seen so many tragic headlines in the
news lately about officers getting killed - and I was just
thankful that Chance wasn't one of them.

But what I didn't know at the time was that
the worst was yet to come.

Chance and Greg's actions were cleared by the
Austin Police Department's Executive Management, the Internal
Affairs Division, the Criminal Special Investigations Unit, the
Force Review Board, the independent Office of Police Oversight,
and the-then District Attorney.

However, two years later, after a new
"progressive" activist District Attorney was elected, Chance and
Greg were charged with aggravated assault - a felony that is
punishable by life in prison.

My husband did nothing wrong. He followed his
training and protocols and successfully took down two convicted
drug dealers.

And if he's wrongfully convicted, he'll miss
our wedding anniversaries, our children's birthdays, and our home
will be left without the father and husband we love.

I'd do anything to help Chance. But our
family just doesn't have the kind of money it takes to stand up
to a prosecutor who is determined to put an innocent police
officer behind bars.

That's why it felt like a God-send when Jason
Johnson from the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund called us to
offer their help.

Not only did the Law Enforcement Legal
Defense Fund decide to help my husband get the legal defense he
deserves - they're also trying to raise money to pay for the best
attorneys and expert witnesses.

And that's why I'm reaching out to you today.

As a non-profit organization, they depend
entirely on the generosity of folks like you to defend officers
like Chance.

So, I have to ask you one of the toughest
questions I've ever asked anyone.

Will you help my husband avoid being
wrongfully convicted by making a tax-deductible contribution of
$25, $35, $50 or more to the LELDF today?

Chance and I had just started dating when he
started the academy. And I was so proud to be dating a future
police officer.

But after he graduated, I started to become
nervous when he would leave for work.

If your loved ones have ever served in law
enforcement, you probably know the feeling.

While I understand that any day can be the
last for anyone, the thought is always in the back of my mind
when I kiss him goodbye before each shift.

Being an officer or being their immediate
family is truly a sacrifice. My husband has missed countless
special occasions and holidays to serve and protect his
community.

But now, I'm worried that he'll miss our
children's entire childhoods if he's wrongfully convicted and put
behind bars.

So if you are able, would you please consider
sending a gift of $25, $35, $50 or more to the Law Enforcement
Legal Defense Fund to help Chance?

Chance and I - and our two kids - can only
rely on the good nature and generosity of kind neighbors like
you.

So thank you for reading my letter.

And thank you - in advance - on behalf of the
families of wrongly-accused police officers being helped by
LELDF.

Sincerely,

Kim Bretches



Please support the LELDF today!














More such officers who sacrifice so much for
will face similar fates unless we speak out and stand up for the
brave men and women in blue. The next time you see a police
officer in your community, please thank them for their service.
To read more about our mission or the other Law Enforcement
officers we're defending, please visit www.leldf.org. And
remember - Blue Lives Matter!





Support our Mission to Protect America's
Protectors





© Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund |
www.PoliceDefense.org
2560 Huntington Ave. Suite 203, Alexandria,
VA, 22303























Privacy Policy

This message was intended for: [email protected]
You were added to the system December 18, 2021.
For more information please follow the URL below:
[link removed]

Follow the URL below to update your preferences or opt-out:
[link removed]

To unsubscribe from future mailings, send an email to mailto:unsub-67645978191-echo3-5F32D09E8C7B0BB5F6E689F30111F9B3@emailsendr.net?Subject=Unsubscribe&body=Please%20remove%20me%20from%20further%20mailings
with "Unsubscribe" as the subject line.