DANVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — On Tuesday, we showed you the disturbing video of a Boyle County dementia patient who was arrested back in October for allegedly shoplifting, among several other charges.
On Wednesday morning, those charges were dropped, and new body cam footage with audio of that incident was revealed. Hardwick's wife, Cindy Hardwick, was in the courtroom when the case was dismissed.
"I can't believe it and I give God the credit. My God is a big God and I prayed this morning it's all in your will Lord and I know you'll take care of it. And he has," said Mrs. Hardwick.
LEX 18's Kayleigh Randle was back in Danville to sit back down with 66-year-old John Hardwick's defense attorney and his relieved wife to get a deeper look into how this happened.
WATCH MORE: Dementia Patient Accused of Shoplifting
On Oct. 15, Hardwick was arrested at a Walmart in Danville for allegedly shoplifting, resisting arrest, and public intoxication. LEX 18 showed you the security footage from inside the grocery store, but now, there is a different angle of the incident with audio from the officer's camera.
On the body cam footage, during Mr. Hardwick's arrest, you can hear him ask police what they are doing and plead with them to "please stop, you're hurting me." "For about three days he said 'they hurt me. They hurt me.'"
Before the encounter with Danville police, Mrs. Hardwick had gone to the store with her husband often. She explains that someone with dementia needs routines and going to Walmart is one of his.
"With someone with frontal temporal dementia, it's very big. It's with all because they don't like to get out of routine. For him if you do something out of line he wont go along with it. So as long as he does his routine he's very calm," said Mrs. Hardwick.
During the shopping trip, Mrs. Hardwick stopped to speak with a couple who attends her church. She explains how her husband normally will wait for her on a bench after he checks out at the cashier, but this time he wasn't at the bench.
"They had asked for his license and he knows what a license is for but he does not know that that's a license. He knows he got that to drive but that's probably about all he knows," she explains.
Danville police say the employee put the alcohol behind the register, then Mr. Hardwick walked around the counter and picked it back up. That's when police say Mr. Hardwick tried to leave the store.
On the body cam footage, you can hear the Walmart loss prevention employee say, "He hasn't passed any yet. He hasn't stolen anything but he did walk in the back behind the customer service desk and grab these off the shelf."
Followed by one of the officers saying, "Sounds like enough for shoplifting for me."
"Why didn't they contact me in there because he tried to tell them that because I was there with them and I could have come right down," Mrs. Hardwick stresses. "I even tried to explain to them I even try to carry in my car his papers on frontal temporal in case anything comes up."
Danville police also maintain that Mr. Hardwick refused to be handcuffed, and they had to force him to the ground. "His leg whipped to the ground, there was an attempt at a choke hold. The officer used strikes to the suspects shoulder to gain the suspects compliance. I guess Chief Gray believes striking a 66 year old man on the ground is appropriate," explains Helton.
"They are supposed to be our protectors of us. We the people," said Mrs. Hardwick.
After Mr. Hardwick has walked out of the Walmart, one of the officers is seen tightening and double-locking his handcuffs as he pleads for them to be removed.
Helton says in the video you can hear the officers laughing about the arrest as Mr. Hardwick is in his police vehicle.
