Police: Cop Assaulted Cop Fiancee Over Her T-Shirt

Denver officer Lane Gardner gets charged with domestic violence
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 12, 2015 6:00 PM CDT
Police: Cop Assaulted Cop Fiancee Over Her T-Shirt
Officer Land Gardner.   (Jefferson County Sheriff's Office)

A Denver police officer allegedly assaulted his fiancee—who is also a Denver officer—because he thought she was cheating on him with a firefighter, ABC 7 reports. Jennifer Jaidinger, 42, arrived home early last Friday morning to find Lane Gardner, 48, drunk and demanding to know where she had been. According to what she told police, Gardner suspected she was sleeping with a firefighter because she was wearing a Denver Fire sweatshirt at the time, CBS Denver reports. Gardner allegedly ripped the engagement ring off her finger and pushed her off the bed, knocking her unconscious. When she came to, she had a pain in her eye and thinks her fiance of 2 1/2 years hit her while she was knocked out.

In her 911 call, Jaidinger described her fiance as "very unstable" and claimed he had made earlier comments about "shooting it out with officers." A SWAT team duly arrived Friday, shouted at his door, and made phone calls that went unanswered, FOX 31 reports. But SWAT backed away that day and Gardner turned himself in Monday to face a domestic-violence assault charge. Jaidinger describes him as "a heavy drinker and usually will drink a half bottle of whiskey daily," according to an affidavit. She also said he told her that if she notified police, she'd "be dead." Gardner, a 12-year Denver police veteran, is on desk duty during the investigation. (More crime stories.)

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