DELPHI, Ind. Delphi’s police chief tendered his resignation Thursday night amid scrutiny regarding his actions surrounding a 2024 drug case.

A local judge had accused Chief Nate LaMar of being dishonest while trying to justify a warrantless car search during a drug arrest.

Delphi’s mayor announced the resignation in a statement:

Mayor Yates accepted the resignation and discussed temporary reassignments with the Delphi police officers. The mayor will begin search for a new Chief of Police immediately.

Mayor Yates will work closely with officers and the City Council members to evaluate the direction of the search for a new Chief of Police.

City of Delphi Statement

LaMar was accused in a recent court filing of being “dishonest and misleading” while testifying about the drug arrest of a local man during a traffic stop. The false testimony led to the man being found not guilty.

In a court ruling filed on Jan. 3, 2025, Carroll County Special Judge Troy Hawkins explained his decision to find the man – who had a lengthy criminal history – not guilty of dealing meth. The chief’s dishonest testimony was the main reason the judge cited for the not-guilty ruling.

Traffic stop, search and arrest

The man was arrested on Jan. 3, 2024, after being pulled over by LaMar for allegedly having a blue license plate light instead of a white one. The driver pulled into a gas station parking lot in downtown Delphi and gave the chief his ID, but could not provide proof of insurance.

LaMar’s body-worn camera shows that the chief immediately noticed a locked black container visible in the man’s car. LaMar is also heard saying that he walked to the passenger’s side of the car due to the man’s suspicious looks and behavior.

The chief then returned to his squad car and was given a lengthy criminal history for the driver that included a suspended license and arrests for drug possession, dealing meth and theft of a firearm. LaMar then calls for backup and a K9 unit to come inspect the car.

“I can take the vehicle, but I’ll give him a chance,” LaMar tells another officer before his bodycam goes silent for five minutes.

Once the camera’s audio turns back on, LaMar is heard talking to the suspect about what will happen next. The chief says that – due to a disagreement with the local prosecutor – the man will not be handcuffed or taken to jail. However, LaMar says that the truck will be impounded.

The suspect is then heard asking if he can just leave his car parked inside the parking lot and have someone come pick him up. However, LaMar never answers any of the questions and instead tells the man to go wait inside the gas station.

After the suspect left his car, LaMar immediately began searching inside – despite not having a warrant – and made a beeline for the black container and a nearby key. Inside the container, the chief discovered 6.7 grams of meth. He then immediately ordered officers to arrest the man.

“We will take it whatever way we can,” LaMar is later heard saying. “Some meth on inventory night.”

Trial and lying under oath

The bench trial for the arrested man began in September, with LaMar set to testify. Despite a motion to suppress the chief’s testimony being filed by the defense, LaMar was allowed to take the stand.

The chief described pulling the suspect over after seeing a blue plate light and “suspicious driving behavior.” However, the judge had suspicions that LaMar was either colorblind or purposely being “evasive and dishonest.”

LaMar said he cited the defendant for three traffic infractions and ordered his car to be inventoried and impounded, which he described as standard Delphi police procedure. The judge later determined the policy was “unreasonable” and inconsistent with sound police standards.

When asked if he suspected the defendant of being involved in drug activity, LaMar said he had no hunch that there were narcotics in the car. This was in spite of the fact that the chief had read the suspect’s criminal history, noticed suspicious behavior and saw a locked container.

“The testimony of Chief LaMar left the court firmly convinced that his inventory search was nothing more than a pretext to search the vehicle for contraband,” the judge wrote. “LaMar, when asked, said he knew he didn’t have enough evidence to get a warrant to search the vehicle, yet proceeded to subvert that by searching the vehicle under the guise of an inventory search.”

The judge went on to say that given his training and experience, LaMar would absolutely be able to recognize that there were potential drugs inside the suspect’s car. The Court “utterly rejected” LaMar’s claims trying to justify his vehicle search, documents show.

Conclusion and not guilty verdict

The judge concluded in his ruling that LaMar was clearly lying under oath about multiple aspects of the arrest and said that his own bodycam footage proves this.

“LaMar’s testimony, under oath in open court was dishonest and misleading, proven by his own body camera footage, support nothing short of his pretext to subvert the protections provided by the United States and Indiana Constitutions and execute a warrantless search of [the suspect’s] vehicle,” the judge wrote.

Given these conclusions, the judge ruled that the State failed to prove the suspect’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The Court found that the impound of the suspect’s car was “unreasonable and improper,” making the search invalid and the meth found inadmissible.

Therefore, the suspect was found not guilty of dealing and possession of meth. However, the suspect was in fact found guilty of driving without a license and without insurance as well as driving with an improper plate light.

The suspect was then released from jail immediately and ordered to pay around $2,500 in fines for his traffic violations.

When contacted by affiliate WXIN, LaMar said he had no comment at this time regarding the situation.