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An autistic child assaulted by an officer, and the city leaders who resigned after.
Latest in this investigation · Jan 12, 2026
When Watonga's mayor and vice mayor both resigned amid a police brutality scandal, our correspondent went to City Hall for answers. What happened next was something out of a spy thriller.
Read the latestAn autistic child assaulted by an officer, and the city leaders who resigned after.
Every story, video and filing in this investigation, in order.
In Watonga, OK, a single officer's body cam footage triggered a cascade of resignations, OSBI investigations, and a brazen attempt to hide public records from a correspondent in plain sight.
A Watonga police officer caught on body cam punching an autistic child and tackling a man for walking on a sidewalk is out of a job. But the cover-up inside City Hall may be just getting started.
When attorney Ron Durbin requested meeting minutes in Watonga, Oklahoma, the city clerk had them in her hands but refused to hand them over. Instead, she called police on Durbin and planned an elaborate escape with an officer's help.
When a mother called Watonga police for help with her overwhelmed autistic son, Officer Monty Goodwin responded by punching the child three times in the face. The district attorney won't prosecute. Now the mayor and vice mayor have mysteriously resigned, leaving behind unanswered questions.
