“At this time, the Glynn County Police Department does not wish to release a statement regarding the lawsuit,” said Officer Brandon Kondo, a spokesman for the department.
Police body camera video captured on May 13, 2018 shows how the department handled a domestic violence incident involving the Sassers, Penn said. The footage shows Glynn County police officers outside Katie’s home after she called for help. She told police Robert Sasser tried to break into her home and threatened to kill her.
The incident occurred more than a month before Katie’s murder.
It appears to show Glynn County police officers sharing a laugh with Lt. Sasser who is a suspect in that moment. An officer is heard saying Sasser could have kicked in the door at Katie’s home if he had wanted to.
“You probably were using a police officer knock?” the responding officer said
“Yeah,” Sasser said, followed by laughter from the two, including other Glynn County police officers on the scene.
The lawsuit contends that the department systematically protected Robert Sasser up until he was fired in June - days before the killings. It also says the named officers in the lawsuit, including Police Chief John Powell, could have intervened sooner to prevent Katie and Hall’s deaths.
