He did not attempt to hide those failures.
According to the statement later summarized for me, Miles began by admitting something that surprised the investigators.
"I should've acted sooner."
One investigator asked whether Garrett had threatened him before.
Miles nodded.
"More than once."
"During other traffic stops?"
"Yes."
"Did you report those incidents?"
Miles hesitated.
Then answered.
"I started keeping records."
The investigators exchanged a glance.
Miles explained that he had joined the county sheriff's department eleven months earlier, expecting to gain experience before applying to a state-level agency. He had admired law enforcement since childhood. His father had been a firefighter, and his mother worked in public education. He grew up believing public service meant accepting responsibility for people who might never be able to thank you.
His first months in the department had challenged that belief.
There were deputies who worked professionally.
There were supervisors who cared about their communities.
But there was also a small group of experienced officers who treated certain traffic stops as opportunities to intimidate motorists.
The pattern disturbed him.
Expensive vehicles driven by people the deputies considered suspicious were stopped without clearly documented violations.
Some drivers were pressured into consenting to searches.
Others had their vehicles towed after minor disputes.
Several were required to pay substantial storage and administrative fees before recovering cars that were never connected to criminal charges.
The towing company was almost always the same.
Westbrook Recovery Services.
Miles noticed that the deputies involved rarely questioned the company's prices, even when drivers complained that their vehicles had been held unnecessarily.
Then he noticed something else.
The same deputies received invitations to private gatherings hosted by the company's management.
Some attended sporting events.
Others were given expensive gifts.
And Garrett Gity seemed unusually familiar with the company's owner.
Miles initially assumed the relationship was ordinary business networking.
Then he witnessed an incident involving a young Hispanic mechanic named Daniel Vega.
Daniel had purchased a used performance car from a dealership two counties away. He was driving home with valid temporary registration when Garrett stopped him and accused him of transporting stolen vehicle parts.
The subsequent search uncovered nothing illegal.
Nevertheless, Garrett ordered the vehicle towed.
Daniel spent nearly two weeks trying to recover it.
By the time he succeeded, the storage fees exceeded what he earned in a month.
Miles watched the young man plead with a supervisor for an explanation.
The supervisor told him to stop causing trouble.
That was the moment Miles began saving copies of records he was permitted to retain and documenting concerns through official channels.
He eventually contacted the state professional standards office.
A representative listened.