A Petersburg jury has found residents Julie Ruhle and Jim Vick liable for defaming a former police officer. Two years ago, the couple pled guilty in a criminal court for falsely accusing Louis Waechter of sexually assaulting Ruhle during a traffic stop. Now, the couple is obligated to pay Waechter over $1 million in damages.
The jury handed down their first verdict on May 22, after less than a day of deliberation. Their second verdict came down the following day.
According to testimony presented in court, in the fall of 2020, then-Petersburg police officer Louis Waechter located an SUV that an off-duty officer reported was serving down the road. Waechter found the driver, Julie Ruhle, with her partner, James Vick, about three miles south of town. He ordered Ruhle to complete part of a field sobriety test, after which he arrested her for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Then, he physically assisted her into the back of his patrol vehicle. Waechter’s body camera footage from that night was played in court. In it, Ruhle is heard threatening to make the arrest “personal,” and referencing her friendship with Petersburg’s Police Chief, Jim Kerr.
But what Waechter’s body camera didn’t capture was the alleged sexual assault. Waechter’s right hand is just out of frame in the video as he helps her into the vehicle. In his left hand, he’s carrying a flashlight.
A few days after the arrest, Ruhle and Vick reported Waechter for sexually assaulting Ruhle when he put her in the vehicle. The couple claimed that the officer touched Ruhle inappropriately, using both hands, and digitally penetrated her through her leggings.
After reviewing Waechter’s body camera footage and giving the couple a chance to retract their statements, Chief Jim Kerr charged them with filing a false report.
The couple pled guilty to the charges in 2022. But Waechter testified that his future in Petersburg was basically over. He resigned from the police department and moved his family out of town. And he filed a lawsuit against the couple for damages resulting from the false report.
In his testimony, Waechter said he and his family never wanted to leave town, or the local police department. Building a life in the community — in proximity to good schools and extended family — was their dream. Waechter said his decision to move on was the result of severe damage to his relationship with the public that followed the accusation.
“It didn’t seem fair to my co-workers,” said Waechter.” To that worry about my reputation affecting them, the damage to my reputation in the court of public opinion affecting them, and the department’s trustworthiness as a whole — we worked really hard to build that relationship with the community, and it goes [away] as quick as you gain it.”
Julie Ruhle declined to comment on the case, she said, for fear of retaliation by local police. Her partner and co-defendant, Vick, and their attorney, Michael Heiser, did not respond to repeated requests for comment. In his closing statements, Heiser argued that in the years following the accusation, Waechter appeared to be doing just fine by many metrics. He pointed out that Waechter, who is 29, is employed by the U.S. Navy, he’s in good health, and his marriage is intact.
“He chose to leave,” said Heiser. “He could have stayed. No one told him to quit. And there’s no evidence that he applied for jobs in Southeast Alaska, or reapplied for a job at the Petersburg Police Department . And he is still young, he has many opportunities ahead of him.”
A few Petersburg police officers attended the trial. Heiser said that indicated their abiding respect for their former coworker, which meant the stain on his public image wasn’t enough to justify punitive damages.
“Certainly, there’s a lot of respect from the officers,” said Heiser. “So as far as harm to his reputation, it just hasn’t been shown — there’s no evidence.”
Through his attorney, Eric Derleth, Waechter said it’s hard to put a price on this type of injury to his reputation. But he believes justice was done.
“It’s not like damaging a fender on a car,” said Derleth. “Your most important, non-economic asset is your sense of wellbeing and your peace of mind. And a ll of that was taken from him for selfish and illegal reasons. And as many tools as officers have to protect themselves and their fellow officers — this is one thing they simply can’t. So we need community members to step in and say this is wrong, and it won’t happen again. And their message is that it should deter anybody else from trying to make a false allegation.”
Judge Katherine Lybrand, who oversaw the case, ruled that Vick and Ruhle are liable for defamation as a matter of law. The jury found that both parties had engaged in a conspiracy to defame Waechter, with Ruhle 30% at fault, and Vick 70% at fault. And they decided that the defendants will have to pay 100% of the punitive damages, which could amount to just over $2 million — if attorney’s fees and interest are factored in.
Negotiations for that final total are ongoing, but half of the damages will be paid to the state to cover court costs and other expenses related to the case.
