In 2014, Indianapolis State Police trooper Brian Hamilton pulled a woman over and gave her more than a warning—he asked if she had a home church and whether she had accepted Jesus Christ into her heart. The woman he pulled over felt trapped:
Bogan, who lives in Huntington, said Hamilton asked her about her faith multiple times during the traffic stop. Because he was a trooper and his police car was still parked behind hers, she said she felt she could not leave or refuse questioning.
"The whole time, his lights were on," Bogan said. "I had no reason to believe I could just pull away at that point, even though I had my warning."
He handed her a pamphlet which instructed her to “acknowledge she was a sinner.” Trooper Brian Hamilton kept his job, but was ordered to attend counseling. It seems Hamilton didn’t learn his lesson. This week he was fired after another complaint was filed that was eerily similar to the first:
The ACLU filed a claim Tuesday on behalf of a Fayette County woman, Wendy Pyle, saying her constitutional rights were violated.
The lawsuit alleges Trooper Brian Hamilton of the ISP Pendleton post pulled the woman over for speeding and gave her a warning. He then asked her what church she went to and if she was saved. Documents said Hamilton invited Pyle to his church and even gave directions.
The complaint alleges Pyle answered “yes” to both questions because she was uncomfortable and wanted to end the stop
FOX59 called Hamilton to get reaction to his termination:
“Oh well…I’m just following what the Lord told me to do and you can’t change what the Lord tells you to do. So if the Lord tells me to speak about Jesus Christ, I do. And that’s why they fired me so that’s where we’re at,” he said before disconnecting.