Danville Police Exposed: It was supposed to be a routine trip to Walmart. Instead, for 66-year-old Mr. Hardwick, it turned into a nightmare—one resulting in a violent, humiliating arrest that never should have happened.

Hardwick, who suffers from severe dementia, was accused of shoplifting alcohol in Danville, Kentucky. But did he steal anything? No. Did he even make it past the checkout? Also no.

That didn’t stop Walmart employees and local police from escalating what should have been a minor misunderstanding into a full-blown case of brutality.

And now, thanks to bodycam footage and public outrage, their cover-up is unraveling.

The bodycam footage shows Hardwick, confused and disoriented, walking behind the customer service counter to retrieve the beer Walmart employees had taken from his cart. That was enough for store security to call the police. The moment officers arrived, the situation went from bad to worse.

“Just put your hands behind your back,” one officer demanded as Hardwick begged them to loosen the handcuffs, complaining they were too tight.

In the footage, you can hear Hardwick continuing to complain: “It hurts! Please get this off!” he pleaded.

But they didn’t care. Officers took him into custody anyway, with zero regard for his medical condition or the pain he was in. It wasn’t until they tried to book him into jail that their story started to fall apart. The jail refused to accept him. Why? Because they recognized what Walmart and the Danville police conveniently ignored: Hardwick wasn’t a drunk shoplifter. He was a confused elderly man clearly exhibiting signs of dementia—and he was in distress.

Only after growing public outrage did Danville’s mayor, James (J.H.) Atkins, finally break his silence. But instead of accountability, he doubled down, defending the officers’ outrageous behavior.

“The Danville Police Department consists of highly trained and certified officers,” he said in a statement, adding that the situation was “complicated.”

Translation: We’re going to pretend nothing is wrong, and no discipline will be given.

Meanwhile, Chief of Police Tony Gray offered little more than empty platitudes about “preserving the community’s trust.” Trust? Really? That ship sailed the moment his officers ignored Hardwick’s cries for help.

The real bombshell? Newly released bodycam footage, which shows just how cruelly Hardwick was treated.

The video shows officers debating whether they were even responsible for him anymore after the jail refused to take him. Officer T.J. Godby—yes, the same officer caught on camera punching Hardwick six times—was more concerned about covering himself than helping the dementia patient he had just brutalized.

Hardwick’s wife told officers multiple times that he was in pain, but they continued treating him like a criminal.

Even when medical staff got involved, the officers wouldn’t let up. Officer Ray was caught texting a supervisor, questioning whether Hardwick was really confused or just “putting on an act.”

If you needed more proof these cops didn’t care, there it is in black and white.

The police report tells a very different story than reality. According to the official report, Hardwick reeked of alcohol and refused a breathalyzer. But the bodycam footage doesn’t show any officer mentioning the smell of alcohol. No test was run. No signs of intoxication. Just a confused victim of police brutality.

And yet, when Hardwick’s wife arrived at the hospital, she was told her husband was a “binge drinker” (yes, the Danville Police are apparently trained neurologists) and that the entire incident was her fault for not being there.

That’s how deep the cover-up runs. They keep pushing their narrative, refusing to acknowledge reality. The truth is, they ignored the dementia diagnosis, dismissed the violent assault, and twisted the facts to paint Hardwick as just another drunk causing trouble at Walmart, that’s how you end up with a Danville Law Enforcement Scandal. at tax payers expense

The people of Danville aren’t letting this slide. A petition demanding Officer Godby be fired has already racked up over 6,700 signatures. And for good reason—what happened to Hardwick wasn’t just a mistake. It was a deliberate abuse of power.

Hardwick wasn’t a danger to anyone. He wasn’t resisting arrest. He was a confused, elderly man trying to buy his groceries. Instead, he was beaten, handcuffed, and humiliated while his wife was kept in the dark.

How many other cases like this have been swept under the rug? How many more people have been brutalized by officers who see their power as a weapon, not a responsibility?

The people of Danville deserve better. Hardwick deserves better. And Officer Godby? He deserves to be held accountable.

This story isn’t over. Not by a long shot.