WAXAHACHIE – Former Cedar Hill Police Officer Donald Mercer was convicted and sentenced to jail time last week in Ellis County.
Mercer, from Dallas County, was convicted by a jury of the Class A Misdemeanor offense of Official Oppression and sentenced to 300 days in the Ellis County Jail.
According to the Ellis County DA’s office, the evidence showed on Aug, 7, 2024, Mercer pulled over a woman in Cedar Hill.
He was driving a marked police car and dressed in uniform.
He then conducted field sobriety tests, arrested her for Driving While Intoxicated, and took her to Midlothian Methodist Hospital for a blood draw.
When she was brought back to the police vehicle in the parking lot, the detainee let Mercer know that she had marijuana in her left pocket.
At that time, Mercer and the detainee kissed.
Mercer took the marijuana out of her pocket and never booked the marijuana into evidence or included it in his police report.
He later informed her it had been “disposed of.”
After exiting the parking lot of the hospital, Mercer took her to the Navarro College parking lot in Midlothian and turned off all his vehicle lights and body camera.
Mercer then asked her to perform oral sex, which she refused.
In the punishment phase of trial, testimony revealed that this was not Mercer’s first incident of sexual harassment to a detainee.
There were at least two more incidents that were discovered, including one woman who testified that Mercer had groped her breasts during a traffic stop.
“The citizens of Ellis County deserve to know they are going to be safe when they are pulled over,” stated Assistant County and District Attorney Christopher Schwieg.
“This is why this flagrant behavior is unacceptable and will be taken seriously by our office.
“No one deserves to feel unsafe or scared due to the actions of those employed to keep the community safe. This was an egregious abuse of power, as the defendant was taking advantage of women when they are in vulnerable states.”
It was also reported Mercer was probation eligible, but the verdict was meant to send a clear message by denying probation and requiring he serve the 300-day sentence in the County Jail.