Douglas County Drops Battery Charges Against Woman Punched By Police Officer

Officer Responsible Will Not Be Prosecuted For Police Brutality

By
An image taken from a dashcam video showing Superior Police Officer George Gothner punching Natasha Lancour. 

The Douglas County district attorney has dropped charges against a woman who was struck by a Superior police officer during an arrest earlier this year.

Superior resident Natasha Lancour was charged with felony battery to a police officer and disorderly conduct after an arrest by Officer George Gothner in January. A police dashcam shows Lancour struggling against Gothner and him striking her.

Douglas County District Attorney Dan Blank said the state did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Gothner committed a crime. He said that Lancour deserves the same benefit of the doubt.

Stay informed on the latest news

Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“It was a fairness issue in the end,” he said.

Lancour said that she is shocked and grateful that charges have been dropped, and that it’s time to move on.

“The past is the past, and it is not something that I want to keep reliving and live in,” she said.

Lancour’s attorney Rick Gondik plans to file a civil suit for any injuries Lancour has suffered.