Ex-Caldwell sergeant who allegedly traded police favors for sex indicted on 7 felonies

Editor’s Note: This story contains descriptions of alleged sexual abuse.

CALDWELL (Idaho Statesman) — Ex-Caldwell Police Sgt. Ryan Bendawald has been indicted on several felonies, with prosecutors alleging he “abused” his law position by “sexually victimizing women,” according to a news release Tuesday from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Idaho.

Bendawald, who now lives in Franklin, Tennessee, was charged with two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and five counts of federal program bribery, according to the release. The 41-year-old is also charged with a misdemeanor count of deprivation of rights under color of law.

He could face life in prison if convicted of all counts, the release said.

Authorities alleged that Bendawald, from at least 2017 through 2021, engaged in “unlawful sexual conduct” with at least seven women he met during work, and that he exchanged and offered to exchange better treatment by police for sex and sexual favors, the release said.

Bendawald allegedly penetrated two women following traffic stops in July 2017 and March 2021, according to the indictment, which Idaho’s U.S. Attorney’s Office provided to the Idaho Statesman.

He’s also accused of touching a woman under her clothing without her consent while working as an officer in June 2019, the indictment said. “… Bendawald abused his position as a law enforcement officer to engage in unlawful sexual conduct with at least seven members of the public through bribery and sexual assault,” according to the indictment.

Caldwell Police Chief Rex Ingram said in a statement that the allegations against Bendawald don’t reflect the police department and “do not embody the bravery, integrity, and resilience” of officers nationwide. He said the department would continue to cooperate with federal authorities.

“The Caldwell Police Department has unified behind a concerted effort to renew and restore the cornerstones of a successful police agency,” Ingram said in the statement. “From relationships with surrounding agencies, to public trust, to internal culture — our purpose here at the Caldwell Police Department is more pointed and focused than ever before.”

Bendawald was arrested by the FBI in Tennessee, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit told the Statesman in a text. He is expected to have his initial appearance there and will be given a court date in Idaho, Hurwit said.

Hurwit said he doesn’t expect that Bendawald will be remanded.

The FBI Salt Lake City Field Office Boise Resident Agency is investigating the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact the office at 208-344-4875.

BENDAWALD RESIGNED IN 2021

The indictment was a long time coming after the FBI started investigating Bendawald in 2021. During former Caldwell Police Lt. Joey Hoadley’s 2022 trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis Joseph Zebari said the FBI notified the Caldwell Police Department in June 2021 that it would investigate two officers who were also friends: Bendawald and Hoadley.

Bendawald left the department a few months later.

Hoadley was sentenced to three months in prison after a 12-person jury convicted him of destruction, alteration or falsification of records in an FBI investigation; tampering with a witness by harassment; and tampering with documents.

In an October 2021 resignation letter, which the Statesman obtained through a public records request, Bendawald told then-Caldwell Police Chief Frank Wyant that his last day would be Nov. 7, 2021.

“It is with deep sadness that I am writing this letter which will serve a formal notification of my decision to resign from the Caldwell Police Department,” Bendawald wrote in the letter, which was partially redacted. “I wish you and the rest of the Caldwell Police Department nothing but the best, and I thank you for the opportunity to serve this community.”

Wyant notified the department of Bendawald’s departure in a Nov. 5 email: “Sgt. Ryan Bendawald has recently resigned and separated his employment with the city of Caldwell. Wish Ryan well in his new endeavor and season in his new career.”