Former Alabama police officer sentenced for sexual assault, sexual exploitation of child

WASHINGTON (WHNT) — A former Killen police officer was federally sentenced on May 21 following a plea agreement. The sentencing was handed down to the Alabama courts Wednesday.

Federal court documents show that Jarrod Gailen Webster was sentenced to 15 years in prison following his plea agreement. The document stated that he is also sentenced to a term of supervised release. The time frame for the supervised release has yet to be set but is recommended to be at least five years.

On November 12, 2023, the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office received a call from Crestwood Medical Center stating a female patient disclosed a Killen police officer had sexually assaulted her during a traffic stop early that morning.

Because of the allegations, including a police officer being involved in a sexual assault while on duty, Lauderdale County investigators began a joint investigation with the FBI. Killen Police Chief Bryan Hammond said on November 16, 2023, one of his officers was on leave during the investigation.

After investigating the incident and after hearing evidence, a Lauderdale County grand jury, which was currently in session, issued an indictment for Jarrod Gailen Webster on November 17, 2023, for first-degree sodomy and first-degree rape.

Hammond said the mayor and town council accepted Webster’s resignation during the special meeting on November 20, 2023. He appeared in court the same day, and court records showed he pleaded not guilty to both charges.

On March 4, 2025, as part of a plea agreement, Webster admitted that he “violated the civil rights of a woman after initiating a traffic stop on the woman’s vehicle.” The U.S. Department of Justice said Webster asked the woman to step out of her vehicle and asked her what she wanted to do to “get out of this.” When the woman told Webster she was not going to do anything for him, Webster handcuffed the woman and sexually assaulted her.

Furthermore, on March 4, Webster admitted that between June 2016 and October 2018, he was in contact with a child on a phone via Snapchat. The DOJ said Webster asked the child to produce and send him sexually explicit images of herself.

The DOJ said the victim sent photos to Webster, at least one of which was categorized as child sexual abuse material. Webster pleaded guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of sexual exploitation of children.

“Jarrod Webster took an oath to protect and serve citizens of his community,” said U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona. “He violated that oath when he sexually assaulted a woman and exploited a minor to produce and send sexually explicit images. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who violate positions of public trust are held accountable for their actions.”