Officer Detail: Robbie Oberholzer

This entry serves to consolidate records on officers who have gained new employment recently (at either a different department or once again at an old department) after resigning or being dismissed amid a controversial incident, lawsuit, or highly public incident of misconduct while in their previous role.

A lawsuit mentions a report of officers engaging in "unlawful, criminal, departmentally inappropriate, misogynistic, harassing, and racist behaviors" that sparked an investigation into Cpl. Robbie Oberholzer, Sgt. Scott Godfrey, Sgt.

Michael Hudson, Cpl. Steve Young, Officer Bethany Denault (Boury) by the police chief, for which she later claimed she faced retaliation.

After the Charlottesville Police Department, Oberholzer went on to work for the Augusta County Sheriff's Office while Godfrey went on to work for the Albemarle Police.

Jamar Gladden, appearing pro se and proceeding in forma pauperis, filed this

civil action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging that Defendant R.A. Oberholzer, a police officer for the City of Charlottesville, used excessive force against Gladden during a traffic stop on July 29, 2015.

On February 6, 2019, Gladden filed a one-count complaint alleging that Oberholzer violated his Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights. Gladden claims that he suffered a broken tooth, at least one cut requiring stitches, and a dislocated shoulder.

Gladden complied. Instead of restraining Gladden’s wrists, however, Oberholzer “grabbed [him] around the neck with his forearm in a ‘choke hold’ fashion” and “used his body weight to throw” Gladden to the ground. Oberholzer kept choking Gladden and holding him down while unknown “detectives kicked, punched[,] and struck” him.

On Nov. 7, 2016, Jamar Antwaun Gladden filed a complaint under the Civil Rights Act against Charlottesville Police officers R.A. Oberholzer, J. Seitz, and T.A. Lucas (also naming the JADE Task Force) for attacking, brutalizing, and nearly asphyxiating him on July 29, 2015.

Gladden's complaint alleges excessive force, unreasonable aggression, the use of a chokehold, unlawful seizure, and violation of his Fourth Amendment rights.

Gladden describes the incident in his own words (from "Gladden v. Charlottesville Va. Police Dept"):

"Officer Oberholzer put me in a chokehold with his arm around my neck/throat, never reaching for my hands or arms making a[n] attempt to arrest or detain me. Just a[n] immediate instinct reaction to put his arm around my throat and to throw his body weight against me and we immediately went crashing to the ground (his stomach to my back).

Officer Oberholzer layed on top of me while still continuing to squeeze his arm tighter around my throat, in which at this time it was extremely hard for me to breathe.

"I was beginning to lose consciousness when a number of 'Jon Doe' detectives of JADE Task Force also appeared on the scene and begun to physically and maliciously plant knees and feet on my body while still on my stomach with Officer Oberholzer's arm around my throat. Along with said 'John Doe' detectives of JADE Task Force, Detectives McCall, Seitz, and Lucas begun to become overly aggressive when 'John Doe Detective' of JADE Task Force started to holler 'Knife, knife[!]' Again, I was on my stomach. [I] believed I blacked out slightly at some point[] so I wasn't able to see the above named JADE Task Force members or the John Doe Detectives' faces at the time when a foot, knee or whatever force that came down on the back of my head to make my face make contact with the ground...

"Before being sat up, Officer Oberholzer kicked me after I was already being handled by JADE Task Force Detectives John Does and cuffed... At no time did I offer a reason for this inhumane attack on me..."