TETON COUNTY, Idaho — Troy Lester Dameron, a former Deputy at Idaho’s Teton County Sheriff’s Office, was sentenced on Wednesday, May 15 to 15 days in jail and two years of supervised probation for exposing himself to a female dispatcher while on duty in August 2023.
Dameron originally pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge of indecent exposure but changed his plea to guilty ahead of sentencing. Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal had originally asked for a 90-day jail sentence. District Judge Daniel Clark presided over the case.
Dameron was placed on administrative leave following the incident in August and charged by prosecutors on Oct. 27. Dameron’s bail was set and posted at $15,000. He later resigned.
The victim reported that Dameron repeatedly sexually harassed her while she worked as an emergency communications dispatcher and masturbated in front of her during a shift. She said she feared he would use his various weapons issued by the department and was unable to leave the room fearing that 911 calls would go unanswered.
According to reporting by EastIdahoNews.com following the sentencing, the victim said they were disappointed by how little jail time Dameron received, saying he deserved at least three months.
“I will never forget realizing that I couldn’t even call 911,” the victim said while reading her statement during sentencing. “I knew that my name would come up on the caller ID displayed on the screen and I wouldn’t be able to create a realistic false emergency to send him to. That’s even if I was able to call 911 discreetly and pretend I was talking to someone. I also wasn’t willing to risk asking him to leave and risk him refusing. Instead, I endured his twisted fantasies until he was satisfied.”
In addition to the 15-day sentence and two years of supervised probation, Dameron was ordered to pay $1,157.50 in court fees and fines.
TCSO Idaho informed the public about the case on Oct. 30, along with news about a second officer, Fred Robert Hale, being charged with theft and alteration or concealment of evidence.
Hale allegedly altered body cam footage to conceal that he stole pornographic magazines and a screwdriver from the scene of an unattended death investigation. He was sentenced in March, pleaded guilty and took the prosecution’s deal that dropped the misdemeanor charge for the thefts. He was sentenced to 40 hours of community service and two years of probation.
In an interview with the Jackson Hole News&Guide, Hale said that he was taking medications after falling off of his roof which impaired his impulse control.
