'I won't participate in the coverup:' State Police detective facing heat abruptly retires
MONROE - Albert Paxton, a State Police detective whose notes on a trooper-involved death investigation showed attempts by LSP brass to muddy the truth, has retired from his position, WBRZ Chief Investigator Chris Nakamoto has learned.
State Police confirmed Paxton submitted his retirement plan Monday and will formally leave the agency in February.
Advocates are concerned because Paxton's integrity and conscience allowed the public to see the truth behind the problems he encountered trying to seek the truth.
Paxton, whose investigative notes were leaked to WBRZ and featured in Emmy award-winning coverage by Nakamoto and the Investigative Unit team last year, told lawmakers in December he was being investigated by State Police because of his dogged internal probe into the death of Ronald Greene.
Click here to see WBRZ's previous coverage of Ronald Greene's death
Greene, a Black man, died after a bloody altercation while in State Police custody in May 2019.
"I'm being investigated because I won't participate in the coverup," Paxton told lawmakers in December. "I won't hide evidence, and won't lie."
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WATCH: Nakamoto reports on the legislative hearing where Paxton testified
During that hearing, Paxton said it was not easy for him to easily gather information even though he was investigating. Among some of the evidence he had trouble obtaining was body camera footage.
"There's certain people who have control over it, and they give you access to it," Paxton said. "I just have an account. I still have to be given permission to look at it from supervisors from our department or others."
Paxton told lawmakers he believed there was a reason some of the footage was purposely concealed, and it was to hide the truth.
Paxton's notes tied to the investigation were first published by the WBRZ Investigative Unit in 2021. Those notes indicated that Paxton wanted some of his colleagues arrested for Greene's death. During the hearing in December, Paxton said all but one person in his chain of command disagreed with his findings.
The FBI continues to investigate State Police, there's been no announcement of charges for the troopers involved in Greene's death.
A State Police spokesman said Paxton has been a trooper for 14 years.