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Residents accuse Sedona Police of misconduct at city meeting; officers' written account also read into record
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Summary
Multiple residents used the public‑comment period to accuse Sedona police of misconduct and withheld records in the prosecution of a local resident; a written officer report describing the incident was also read aloud to the council. No formal council action was taken on the allegations at the meeting.
Several Sedona residents raised serious allegations about police conduct during the public‑comment portion of the April 14 council meeting, citing specific court cases and records requests while urging the city to provide withheld evidence and to pursue accountability.
Rachel Collins opened the sequence of comments and said she and other residents have litigated and documented what they described as a pattern of misconduct by Sedona Police Department officers. Collins asked why records she requested were priced at $2,000 and said video provided to her was redacted and missing a critical 22‑minute segment she said is needed to prove her view of an incident involving Erica Montgomery, whom Collins said is serving a lengthy sentence. "We're holding you accountable for and exposing the actual case of one of our own residents named Erica Montgomery," Collins said, and added that citizen investigators have since obtained the missing video portion privately.
A separate segment included a verbatim reading of an officer's submitted report (identified in the presentation as Officer Jesse Santos's report). The account, read aloud by a meeting participant, described a November 3, 2023 traffic stop in which the officer reported being struck by a metal crowbar and said a newly issued body‑worn camera failed to record audio due to a technical error. The reader noted the body camera did not initiate until later and that some footage lacked audio.
Other speakers at the meeting described personal encounters they called excessive or retaliatory. Edward Perry said he was present as a professional bail bondsman and described being handcuffed and injured during interactions connected to the Montgomery matter. Tim Bush and others described what they called repeated intimidation by officers and urged council intervention in police leadership and training.
City staff did not announce a disciplinary or investigatory outcome during the meeting. The officer's written account on the record conflicts with the versions offered by several commenters; Collins and other residents said they are pursuing legal avenues, including FOIA requests and litigation, to obtain unredacted records. Staff noted some records had been provided in redacted form and that technical issues with body‑worn cameras were part of the officer's narrative. No formal inquiry or executive‑session direction to staff was recorded on the meeting minutes during this session.
What's next: Residents said they will pursue legal review of public‑records handling and continue to present concerns to council; staff did not announce a timeline for follow‑up at this meeting.
