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Trooper fired for preaching faith during traffic stops

INDIANAPOLIS — A 14-year veteran of the Indiana State Police was fired following a second lawsuit filed against him for preaching to people during traffic stops.

The Indianapolis Star reported that a complaint was filed Tuesday in federal court by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana on behalf of Wendy Pyle.

The complaint said Senior Trooper Brian Hamilton asked Pyle if she "had been saved" during a traffic stop in January. He told her about his church and gave her directions to it.

"Ms. Pyle was extremely uncomfortable with these questions," the lawsuit said. "In order to hopefully end these inquiries Ms. Pyle indicated that she did attend a church and that she was saved."

The first complaint against Hamilton for proselytizing was in 2014. The ACLU filed  a suit on behalf of a woman named Ellen Bogan, who said Hamilton asked her if she had accepted Jesus Christ as her savior and if she a home church. He also handed her a warning ticket for an alleged traffic violation.

"I felt compelled to say I (went to church), just because I had a state trooper standing at the passenger-side window," Bogan said. "It was just weird."

That suit was settled. Hamilton was ordered not to question citizens on their religious belief or give out religious pamphlets, according to WISH-TV.

This second complaint violates that order.

"I'm just following what the Lord told me to do and you can't change what the Lord tells you to do," Hamilton told WXIN. "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."

Chief Public Information Officer for the state police Captain David Bursten said the termination of Hamilton's employment would have happened regardless of any lawsuit.

The New York Times reported that the State Police superintendent, Douglas G. Carter, released a statement, saying, "While I respect Mr. Hamilton's religious views, I am also charged to respect every citizen's rights, and the best way forward for the citizens of Indiana, and for Mr. Hamilton, was to end his employment as a state police officer."

Indiana State Police fired a trooper after two complaints in 18 months that he preached to people during traffic stops...

Posted by Fox 59 WXIN Indianapolis on Thursday, April 7, 2016