Quincy officer sues for defamation

EPHRATA — A Quincy police officer is suing a Quincy couple for defamation of character following two attempts to gain restraining orders against him.

Quincy officer Aaron Doyle is claiming Robert Gray and Peggy Gray, along with their daughter, Haley Taylor, conspired to violate his civil rights by filing for protection orders in Grant County Superior Court.

Both the Grays and Taylor were unsuccessful.

Doyle and Taylor had a five month long relationship, ending roughly at the beginning of the year, according to court records.

During the time he and Taylor were dating, the Grays and Taylor claimed Doyle allegedly entered their house while they weren’t there and left his uniform and firearm in the bathroom, as well as spending time watching the house.

In a separate incident, Peggy Gray claimed Doyle harassed her while she was working at Quincy Valley Medical Center, according to court records.

Garth Dano, one of Doyle’s attorney’s, said he sees this as an unfortunate case. He said there is a video tape from Quincy Valley Medical Center, which reportedly shows Peggy Gray harassing Doyle rather than the other way around.

“They made some pretty horrific claims against him that aren’t true,” Dano said. “The video tape shows that he did nothing wrong or improper at all.”

Visiting Douglas County Superior Court Judge John Hotchkiss denied the Grays’ restraining orders on Feb. 17. Taylor withdrew hers on Feb. 24.

Brian Chase, their attorney, said the judge found there wasn’t a “continuity of purpose” to the alleged harassment of the Grays and decided against providing protection orders.

Since the court’s ruling would affect Taylor’s case, she decided to withdraw her attempt for a protection order, Chase said.

Doyle claims the Grays’ and Taylor’s accusations are not true. He accused them in his lawsuit of planning these cases with other Quincy police officers in retaliation for his testimony against Quincy Sgt. Scott Jones.

Doyle was one of the officers who reportedly witnessed Jones putting his 16-year-old stepson in a “choke hold” in June 2008.

Jones’ trial on the charge of assault in the fourth degree-domestic violence is scheduled to start June 1.

Doyle’s attorneys claim the Grays tried to invade his privacy by attempting to have the sealed files of a civil suit in Sierra County, Calif., opened. The Grays did not succeed and the details of the civil lawsuit remain undisclosed.

Chase said the timing of Doyle’s case, which was filed shortly before Taylor’s attempt at a protection order in superior court, is suspicious. He said it seems like it was aimed at getting the Grays and Taylor to withdraw their cases.

The Grays case was dismissed, Taylor withdrew but Doyle’s litigation continues. No trial date is set for Doyle’s lawsuit.