In 2014, Sgt. Hale was found to have deceived a judge to obtain a warrant for the arrest of Ethan Morse, who was falsely charged with murder. This judicial deception led to Morse spending nearly four months in jail before being declared factually innocent. A jury awarded Morse $526,649 in damages, and his legal team sought $1.76 million in attorney’s fees and $68,303 in court costs. The case highlighted serious misconduct within the department and resulted in significant financial liability for the county. ([fresnobee.com](https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article215042915.html?utm_source=openai))
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