HELENA — The arrest of Christopher Martínez-Marvan, a Mexican national who was living in Helena, by federal immigration officers has been a hotly discussed topic in Helena over the past weeks. One aspect of the conversation has been comments from law enforcement that were captured by body camera footage.
On Wednesday, the Helena Police Department clarified with MTN the steps the department is taking following the incident.
Body camera footage released last week raised new questions, particularly around the interaction between two HPD officers at the end of the arrest of Martínez on July 1.
(Watch the full interaction recorded on body cameras here.)
There was some confusion about the officer who made the statements about Martinez being "kidnapped." It was reported by other media outlets that the officer was on leave; however, the police department told MTN he was actually on pre-planned time off for vacation.
According to HPD Lieutenant Adam Shanks, all situations like this are reviewed by the chief, and then a decision is made whether action needs to be taken.
Shanks emphasized that Martinez's arrest was a unique situation and that HPD’s mission is always to keep the citizens of Helena safe.
Martinez challenged his arrest in federal court. On Tuesday, a federal judge in Missoula ruled that the case does not fall within the court's jurisdiction. That ruling clears the way for Martinez to be transferred out of state.
His next hearing is scheduled for August 19th in Tacoma, Washington, before an Immigration Court judge.
