FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. – A Franklin County father is taking legal action against the Virginia State Police (VSP) and Trooper Timothy Derosha after an incident in December 2022 where he was pulled over and held at gunpoint.
“Stop, don’t move,” Derosha said with his gun pointed at Morris.
“You’re going to kill her,” said Morris, talking about his sick daughter in the backseat of the car.
“I’m going to kill you if you move again. Put your hands on the steering wheel,” said Derosha.
Michael Morris is suing Derosha for his actions during the high-stress situation. He is also suing VSP for allegedly failing to properly supervise and train officers like Derosha.
On that day, Morris and his wife were rushing their 10-year-old daughter to the LewisGale Medical Center emergency room in Salem. Per their doctor’s orders, they were on their way to seek urgent care. However, just two miles from the hospital, their daughter’s condition worsened, and she began to have trouble breathing.
In a desperate attempt to get her to the hospital quickly, Morris accelerated, driving 65 miles per hour in a 45 mph zone and running red lights. At that point, Trooper Derosha began pursuing the vehicle, following them all the way to the hospital.
When they arrived at the emergency room parking lot, Derosha pulled his gun and pointed it at Morris. This occurred after Morris had already called 911 to inform dispatch about the emergency involving his sick daughter.
“I just was on the phone with 911,” Morris said to Derosha during the encounter.
“I’ve got him at gunpoint,” Derosha reported to dispatch over the radio.
“He has a child in the car he’s trying to take to the ER, did he tell you that?” the dispatcher asked.
“No, he’s just now telling me something about it,” Derosha replied.
Morris was initially charged with felony eluding police, but that charge was later reduced to improper driving, a charge to which he pled guilty.
In the lawsuit, Morris claims that he has suffered serious psychological injuries as a result of the incident. He is now seeking compensatory and punitive damages, in addition to attorney fees, interest, and court costs.