Former Redkey (Indiana) Police Officer Charged With Felony

July 1, 2022

A former Redkey police officer, Bradley R. Ridenour (45), was recently charged with a level 6 felony of obstruction of justice in Jay Superior Court. He has been released on a $3,000 bond from Jay County Jail.

Ridenour resigned from his position in November (2021) and is accused of tampering with evidence in a drug-related investigation. His initial hearing is set for July 11.

In late October of 2021 Ridenour conducted two trash pulls between 10 and 11 p.m., including a bin outside a home on Meridian Street in Redkey. The home owner had allegedly dealt heroin to a rural Redkey resident who overdosed earlier that day.

In the trash Redkey officers found ripped bags with a powder residue, a cigarette package with two orange syringe caps and white paper with blood spots. Two other Redkey officers said Ridenour walked into the evidence room and returned with a syringe and placed it in the cigarette package. Ridenour's report on the incident did not list a syringe as evidence found during the trash pull.

Ridenour would admit to Indiana State Police during an interview there was no syringe found in the trash and said said he had found the syringe at Redkey Morgan Park and placed it in his patrol vehicle. As a "joke," Ridenour said he retrieved the syringe and placed it with the evidence in front of the two officers.