Records release: GN-ORA-2026-003, City of Coweta, NextRequest #26-116. Sections 2 and 3, released September 30 and October 9, 2026.
On the morning of August 26, 2026, Coweta Police Officer Matthew Rice stopped a black 2015 Chevrolet Cruze on State Highway 51 for driving on the shoulder.
The driver, James Edgar Rogers, 69, got out of his car. Within minutes he lay handcuffed on a chiropractor's parking lot, bleeding from his face and hands. At Wagoner Community Hospital, imaging showed his left arm was broken.
Three weeks later, Chief of Police Michael Bell published a statement clearing Rice and blaming Rogers: "this incident could have been avoided had the individual ceased resisting."
The City's own file tells a more complicated story.
Open every record in this request
What the officers wrote
- Rice wrote that he used "a balance displacement to take James to the ground," that "we both fell," and that while cuffing Rogers' left arm he "felt a pop" that concerned him. Report 2026-0493, p. 8.
- Rice asked supervisors at least twice to have EMS check the arm. Sgt. Scott Fraley sent Rogers to the hospital instead of booking him. Report pp. 8, 10.
- Sgt. Chuck McCollough wrote that Rogers told him, "What? I'm hard at hearing." McCollough also wrote that his own body camera was off, sitting in his passenger seat, when the call came out. Report p. 9.
- Officer Kellsie Davis wrote that Rice said he did not think Rogers was "all there." Report p. 11.
- Asked why he got out of his car, Rogers told Officer Nathan Jones, "I always have when I get pulled over." Report p. 12.
- Rogers was charged with misdemeanor obstruction, resisting and improper lane use, and released on his own recognizance by Wagoner County District Judge D. Kirkley.
What the review board wrote
The Use of Force Review Board found no policy violation and recommended no discipline, plus department-wide de-escalation training. Admin. Review, p. 13.
Inside the same packet, one board member's write-up says: "James appeared to not be understanding what was being asked of him nor the situation he was in," and "James appeared as if he did not understand what was going on throughout the entire incident." Admin. Review, p. 23.
The command Rogers failed to follow: put his hands on "the steering wheel," which the review explains meant the front of the patrol car.
Who reviewed whom
- Deputy Chief Ron Peterson convened the board and assigned its members. Peterson responded to the scene. Report p. 7; Admin. Review p. 6.
- Chief Bell made the final determination and published the statement. The dispatch log records Bell, unit 201, on scene at 9:18 a.m. CAD Log pp. 1-2.
- The board had four members: Sgt. B. Pickett (chair), Officer N. Winters, Cpl. Brabson and Communications Manager Christopher McHenry. The department's policy says the Deputy Chief "should staff" the board with five, and lists an officer from an outside agency "as appropriate." Admin. Review pp. 3-4, 6.
Records that disagree
The incident report lists Rogers at 5 feet 9 inches with gray hair. The handwritten Use of Force form lists a different height and black hair.
The City produced the Use of Force form with no birth date visible on the page, but the scanned file's hidden text layer still carried a full date of birth, and its year does not match the incident report. Our public copies remove dates of birth and that hidden layer.
What's missing
- Thirty-eight dispatch radio recordings released September 30 sit behind the City's portal login. We will post them once retrieved.
- Body camera video released September 3 and 4 goes through our video review before posting.
- Items 4 through 11, including communications about the incident and Chief Bell's emails and texts, remain open.
The files
| File | What it is |
|---|---|
| 00 City timing letter | Item-by-item status, Sept 17 |
| S2-01 Dispatch CAD log | Incident history, 7 pages |
| S3-01 Administrative review reports | Chief's statement, policy, board reports, 29 pages |
| S3-02 Incident report 2026-0493 | All officer narratives, 13 pages (DOB removed) |
| S3-03 Use of force report | 2 pages (hidden text layer removed) |
Editor's Note: Rogers' charges are misdemeanor accusations, not findings of guilt. This post reports what the City's records say and makes no allegation that any officer broke the law. Guerrilla News will publish any response from the City, Chief Bell or the officers named. This is not legal advice. Send corrections to Guerrilla News and we will fix errors promptly.