On August 1, a woman in Monongah, a small community in Marion County, was threatened with her life following a traffic stop that went awry.
Beth Delloma found herself at the center of a social media storm when a video emerged of Monongah Chief of Police Nathan Lanham threatening to kill her. The video was initially posted by a family friend and quickly went viral.
According to Delloma’s attorney, she was initially stopped by the authorities for having expired registration tags on her license plate.
At the time, Delloma would have been positioned just inches away from the window.
After exiting the vehicle, she attempted to flee from Lanham and he swiftly tackled her to the ground before proceeding to handcuff her.
As the video nears its conclusion, Delloma makes a subtle movement towards Lanham’s leg. This prompts him to take action by quickly pinning her head to the ground by her ear. He then warns her not to try to grab his leg again.
Following the conclusion of the video, Delloma was apprehended and now faces charges for committing a felony by driving in a manner that exhibited a reckless disregard for the safety of those around him.
Since Thursday, she has been sitting in a jail cell, being held on a bond of $125,000.
Delloma has brought on local attorney Joe Shaffer to serve as their defense.
According to him, the charge’s portrayal of the story is not entirely accurate.
According to him, this is how the events unfolded:
According to 5 News, Shaffer stated that while the woman was on her way back home after dropping off her sister at the brake shop, she observed a white vehicle approaching her from behind at a high speed.
As the gentleman stepped out of his vehicle, he was not dressed in the typical police officer uniform, leaving the woman to wonder about his identity. She was uncertain whether he was a police officer or someone else entirely.
As the air inside the car grew stuffy, she decided to crack the window a little. However, the situation quickly escalated when the officer demanded to see her driver’s license, registration, and proof of insurance. She calmly asked to see some identification and inquired if he had a badge.
“He started to verbally attack her, using foul language and refusing to show his badge,” is what happened next.
As she sat in the car, fear gripped her tightly. Her previous job with the town of White Hall and her experience with the police officers there had left her with a certain expectation of how law enforcement officials should behave. She couldn’t believe that the officers in front of her were acting in such a way. Despite her apprehension, she refused to leave the safety of the car.
“‘Sir, my information is about 30 yards down the street at my house. If you allow me to go down there and retrieve it,’ she said.”
According to the account, the woman was feeling extremely frightened and cornered. With limited options available, she could only head in the direction of her house, which happened to be a dead end. Her hope was that if she could make it to her mother’s residence, either her mother or someone else would be able to offer her assistance.
Following the release of the video online, rumors began to circulate that Nathan Lahmam had been dismissed from his position at the Rivesville Police Department, supposedly due to the incident.
This statement is false.
Lanham parted ways with the city of Rivesville back in April of this year.
At the moment, it is unclear where Lanham is employed other than at Monongah.
There have been no lawsuits filed against the officer thus far.
Beth Delloma will have to stay in jail until at least Monday, August 5. Her attorney plans to appeal for her bond to be reduced to a personal recognizance bond.
The story is currently unfolding and there are ongoing developments.