Last Updated on November 28, 2023, 9:02 PM | Published: November 28, 2023
OKLAHOMA CITY — A sergeant with the Oklahoma City Police Department has been booked for child abuse and other complaints.
Sgt. Kristopher Gellenbeck, a ten-year veteran of the department was arrested Monday, according to Capt. Valerie Littlejohn, pubilc information officer for OKCPD.
Gellenbeck was then booked on the following complaints:
- Child abuse.
- Domestic abuse in the presence of a minor.
- Interfering with a 911 call.
Gellenbeck turned himself in at the Oklahoma County Detention Center where he was processed and then released on bond.
He is now on paid administrative leave as both criminal and administrative investigations begin.
Criminal and administrative investigations
“He has been placed on administrative leave with pay at the moment,” Littlejohn told Free Press by phone Tuesday. “And the criminal process is obviously going to be up to the DA.”
“As to our investigation, we’ll get all the information, put it all together, we’ll present it to the DA, the DA decides what happens from there, ultimately. But our administrative investigation goes along with the criminal process,” said Littlejohn.
The Office of Professional Standards (called “Internal Affairs” in earlier times) now has the responsibility of investigating Gellenbeck and reporting what they find.
Littlejohn said that in 2021 Gellenbeck was arrested on a “domestic violence charge” and “through the court process” the charges were dismissed.
“There was one charge that was amended to a Disturbing the Peace [charge]. So that’s what the conviction is for,” Littlejohn told Free Press about the 2021 charges.
How it affects other officers
We asked Littlejohn what effects a situation like this has on other sworn officers.
“It’s disheartening when an officer is doing something they’re not supposed to be doing,” said Littlejohn. “I think every other officer, hates when it happens. But just like we always say, we, just as much as anybody in the public, want to make sure our officers are held accountable and are doing what they’re supposed to be doing.”
Note: As of publication, the information provided by the OKCPD has not yet been tested in court. Under the law, all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty before a jury of their peers or a plea of guilt.
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
