Former Selma policeman sentenced to five years probation for obstruction of justice

A former officer of the Selma Police Department has been sentenced to five years probation after pleading guilty to felony obstruction-of-justice charges for an incident that occurred in April 2020. 

According to a recent announcement from U.S. District Attorney Richard Moore, the former officer, Matthew Blaine Till, 34, was accused of "corrupt persuasion of a witness."

The incident took place on April 30 in 2020 where Till was said to have used force on a citizen while on duty. Following this Till then instructed another officer not to speak to anyone regarding a call Till received from his wife before the incident occurred. 

In his guilty plea Till said that he had given the instructions not to speak to any one - which included a federal agent - in order to hinder information that involved a possible civil rights violation. 

In September of 2020, Till was charged with obstruction of justice following an investigation by the FBI. The federal case was prosecuted by U.S. Attorneys Justin Roller and Deborah Griffin.

Till was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock. 

“We have always made clear that the U.S. Attorney’s Office supports law enforcement officers and we have specifically emphasized that you do not assault those officers," Moore said in the announcement.

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"It is equally true that we hold law enforcement officers to a high standard and if they violate the rights of citizens and, as in this case, obstruct justice by attempting to cover up what they have done, we will vigorously prosecute them. I appreciate the investigation done by the FBI and the Alabama Attorney General’s Office in this case."

In the announcement Moore said that Till was removed from the Selma Police Department and will not be able to serve as a policeman in any capacity or as a corrections officer or private security guard.

"This former Selma police officer has been removed permanently from law enforcement," he said. "We recommended to the district court judge a custody sentence within the guidelines but ultimately it was the judge’s decision to put Till on probation.”

According to the announcement, Till will not have to pay a fine but he was ordered by the judge to pay $300 in special assessments. 

However, Till still faces state criminal charges in Dallas County as a grand jury indicted him in September 2020. He was charged him with felony second-degree assault, misdemeanor first-degree unlawful imprisonment, and obstructing governmental operations. 

Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson is prosecuting the state case.