DeKalb Police Department resignations follow April 2025 traffic stop

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On April 9, 2025, officers from the DeKalb Police Department in Bowie County, Texas, initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle for a broken tag light. The vehicle was occupied by driver Jacob Jackson, who is paralyzed, and passenger Dallas Bruce, who is legally blind. During the stop, officers Will Rhodes and Kenny Foster claimed to smell marijuana and ordered both men to exit the vehicle. Despite Jackson explaining his physical limitations and lack of a wheelchair, officers insisted he exit, eventually forcing him to crawl onto the pavement. No marijuana was discovered during the search of the vehicle. Following the incident, public scrutiny intensified regarding the treatment of the two men. By June 18, 2025, DeKalb Police Chief Chris Atkinson and Lieutenant Alexander Norman resigned from their positions. Mayor Lowell Walker confirmed the departures, which left the department with only two remaining full-time officers. As of September 2026, there have been no reports of criminal charges filed against the officers involved in the stop, and the status of any formal disciplinary investigation remains unclear.