Acquitted West Memphis Police Employee talks for the first time | News

WEST MEMPHIS, AR- (WMC-TV) - "This is one where I said I'll go to my grave fighting because I know we're right," Lester Ditto said after being acquitted by a federal grand jury on charges of witness tampering involving a West Memphis police officer.

Ditto was head of internal affairs for the West Memphis Police department when he was accused of intimidating two West Memphis police dispatchers while he investigated accusations against West Memphis police officer Scott McCall.

McCall was accused of shoving a man who came to the department to file a complaint.

Bob Paudert was the chief of police when this happened and said he is taking the situation personally.

"For them to come in and insinuate I was running a corrupt department is just baffling to think they could say that and I'm not going to let it die," Paudert said.

Paudert was in Memphis for a fundraiser for Ditto's legal expenses. He said he never doubted Ditto's innocence.

"I resent those idiots coming down here saying we had a corrupt department," Paudert said.

Scott McCall was convicted of a misdemeanor civil rights violation, but Paudert said he could get a new trial.

Lester Ditto said he is still emotional about his ordeal and said he is just grateful.

"The support and that's what's got us through this Janice our faith our family and our friends," Ditto said.

Ditto is working at the West Memphis police department, but plans to leave in October.

Copyright 2012 WMC-TV. All rights reserved