Three Kentucky State troopers have been placed on "modified duty" and are under an internal investigation after a video widely circulated on social media showed an explosive confrontation between the troopers and an Ohio woman in a May traffic stop in Lawrence County.
The video, posted May 20, shows an interaction between Morgan Branch, who had been traveling in Kentucky with her young children, and Trooper Christin Mitchell, who pulled Branch over May 1 for expired registration plates, among other charges, according to records obtained by The Courier Journal.
When the interaction begins, Branch asks Mitchell to step away from her vehicle out of concern for her children in the car.
"Don't tell me what to f------ do. I run this f------ show," Mitchell responded.
Branch and Mitchell continued exchanging heated comments until a male trooper is seen trying to take Branch's phone and demanding she step out of the vehicle, but Branch continually responds that she can't leave her car due to a faulty emergency brake and asks for a supervisor.
A second male trooper is later seen entering the altercation in an attempt to de-escalate the situation, but after Branch asked for a ticket to be issued, that trooper is seen raising his voice and demanding information from Branch that had previously been given.
"I'm getting pissed off and you don't want me to get pissed off, alright? I need your name and I need your date of birth and I need it right f------ now," the unidentified trooper said.
In an email, KSP spokesperson Sherry Bray said the agency "is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of professionalism, ethics, and morals in service to the citizens of the Commonwealth of Kentucky" and will issue "appropriate correction action" to the involved troopers, if warranted.
A pretrial conference for Branch is scheduled for July 24 in Lawrence District Court.
This story may update.
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