2 Franklin police officers face sexual harassment lawsuit - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Jennie Runevitch/Eyewitness News

Franklin - Two Franklin police officers face a sexual harassment lawsuit from a former police informant.

The woman claims one of the officers promised her favors in exchange for busting drug dealers, then both officers sexually harassed her for months.

Attorney Richard Waples says his client, Toni Twyman, moved from Indianapolis to Franklin to keep her family safe and start her life anew.

Twyman had a DUI, and because of previous alcohol problems, the state threatened to take away her kids.

Then in her new Franklin neighborhood, Twyman suspected someone was selling drugs to her son and that her car mechanic ran a meth lab. She reported it to police.

"She went to the police for help and instead of help, she got harassed and you know, really abused,"  Waples said.  "Officers are there to serve and protect, not to harass and annoy. He took advantage of her at a time when she was most vulnerable."

The lawsuit alleges that Franklin Detective Bryan Burton made a deal with Twyman. He would "take care" of her DUI and child custody problems "in exchange for becoming a confidential informant for him, setting up this guy who was running a meth lab and setting up other people to sell (him) drugs,"  Waples explained.

Her attorney says Twyman agreed to help Burton because he agreed to help her. She wore a wire and a concealed camera, but that's when the lawsuit says things turned inappropriate.

"They had access to her house. They took pictures of a sex toy in her house. They put a sex toy in her car when she didn't know it was there and she sat down on it,"  Waples said.

Twyman also claims Detective Burton fondled her, exposed himself to her and that his partner, Officer Ryan Mears, went along with all of it.

Burton has been in trouble before. He was demoted and suspended in March, accused of drinking on duty, providing alcohol to minors and making suggestive comments to female informants.

At that time, Franklin Mayor Fred Paris told Eyewitness News, "I don't believe you throw away a career or throw away an individual for making bad decisions and stepping over the line.  In this particular case, when I first came to office, we declared an all-out war on drugs and we put an undercover officer in a situation with maybe not as much leadership and follow up he probably needed.  We need to have more control on his weekly activities and I will take responsibility for not supervising him the way I should have."

Franklin Police say they cannot comment on the lawsuit. Mayor Paris told Eyewitness News that Indiana State Police are investigating this latest claim of possible sexual harassment involving both officers.