Guthrie Officer, Accused Of Unconstitutional Arrest, Cleared Of Any Wrongdoing

New developments have come to light surrounding a Guthrie police officer who was fired after claims of an unconstitutional arrest.

Lt. Mark Bruning will soon be returning to work. Bruning and the city of Guthrie met earlier in the year with an arbitrator, someone to help resolve the dispute. And late Tuesday night, the ruling came down stating the city had no reason to fire him.

“He wanted to clear his name more than anything,” said his attorney, Scott Adams. “That he never did anything wrong that has occurred. So he is very ecstatic and is looking forward to getting back to the police department and what he does, which is chasing sex offenders.”

The termination stemmed from a public intoxication arrest he made during the Mumford & Son's concert in Sept. 2013. The man he arrested just so happened to be his wife's previous husband, Kyle White.

10/21/2013 Related Story: Guthrie Officer Fired Following Complaint Of Unconstitutional Arrest

The next month, White filed a lawsuit against the city. In it, he claimed the arrest was a violation of his civil rights, saying the strip search and imprisonment were done without probable cause.

Bruning, a man his attorney says had a spotless record, was fired on Oct. 21, 2013.

“Clearly he didn't do anything wrong. And he could clearly tell that it was a preset agenda by the city to get rid of him after 17 years,” said Adams.

Bruning's attorney believes politics got tangled in to the termination mess. At the time of the arrest, a state senator was nearby White. But now with a cleared name, Adams says his client plans to return to the job that let him go.

“There's no question, he wants to return back to Guthrie.”

News 9 contacted the city, but they were unable to comment on personnel matters.

As part of the ruling Lt. Bruning will not only be reinstated, but also receive eight months of back pay.