Exclusive: Dashcam video shows encounter between state trooper and Franklin County father

Exclusive dashcam video is shedding light on a tense exchange more than a year ago.

It shows the moment a Franklin County father was pulled over and held at gunpoint.

In the video, you see Virginia State Trooper T. R. Derosha pointing a gun at Michael Morris in the parking lot of LewisGale Medical Center.

Morris was rushing his 10-year-old daughter to the emergency room because she was having trouble breathing.

Trooper Derosha saw Morris speeding and driving through multiple red lights, which led him to try and pull Morris over.

When Morris saw the police lights behind him, he called 911 to tell them the situation, but that message wasn’t relayed to Derosha until after he pulled Morris over.

“Stop, don’t move,” Derosha said with his gun pointed at Morris.

“You’re going to kill her,” said Morris, talking about his sick daughter in the backseat of the car.

“I’m going to kill you if you move again. Put your hands on the steering wheel,” said Derosha.

Later in the video, Morris tries to explain he wasn’t running from the police, he was trying to get his

“I just was on the phone with 911,” said Morris to Derosha.

“I’ve got him at gunpoint,” Derosha said to dispatch over the radio.

“He has a child in the car he’s trying to take to the ER, did he tell you that?” dispatch asks Derosha over the radio.

“No, he’s just now telling me something about it,” said Derosha.

Morris was charged with felony eluding police.

After months of hearings, Morris accepted a plea deal amending the charge to an improper driving infraction.

10 News reached out to State Police for comment on the dashcam footage but told us they have no comment.

“Not even as an attorney but I think as a citizen of the Commonwealth, I think the dash cam video in the Morris case, and other cases, shows that the Commonwealth needs to properly investigate the actions of Trooper Derosha,” said Morris’ attorney, Jennifer French.

One of those other cases went before a Roanoke County General District Judge on Wednesday.

Franklin County man, Tim Anderson was involved in a road rage incident with Trooper Derosha last year while he was off-duty.

On Wednesday, Anderson was found guilty of brandishing a firearm.

Anderson’s attorney, Bill Stanley and French said there is surveillance video from the interaction between Derosha and Anderson, but it was not played in court.

10 News has filed a request for the video.

10 News asked State Police if Derosha has ever faced any kind of disciplinary actions, and we were met with no comment.


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