A police officer with Layton Police Department has been arrested on suspicion of stalking his former live-in girlfriend and causing her “extreme emotional distress,” according to a probable cause statement.
Austin Levi Christofferson, 33, was arrested Thursday after the ex-girlfriend called police to report that he was sitting in his vehicle outside her apartment.
The woman told a deputy with the Davis County Sheriff’s Office that Christofferson had been stalking her since December 2022 through text messaging and phone calls, and by showing up at her home “uninvited and unannounced” on multiple occasions, the statement said.
A police officer who interviewed the woman the next day reviewed her cellphone and observed that from June 29 — when she told Christofferson that their relationship was over — to July 2, she had received about 68 text messages and 35 calls from Christofferson.
One of the messages was a photograph of the woman and Christofferson with blood on it, according to the probable cause statement. The woman told the interviewing officer that this made her feel unsafe as Christofferson had threatened to shoot himself if they broke up.
Between July 2 and 7, Christofferson sent the woman about 80 text messages and called 29 times, according to the statement. On July 7, the woman came home to find flowers and notes from Christofferson on her porch.
Between July 9 and 12, Christofferson sent the woman 29 messages, and she replied and told him to stop contacting her, according to the statement.
The woman told the interviewing officer that she hadn’t reported Christofferson’s behavior because she felt “mentally and emotionally abused due to what Christofferson would text her or tell her in person.”
On one occasion, Christofferson came to her home at night and was banging on her front door and looking into her windows, according to the statement. The woman hid on the floor so Christofferson couldn’t see her.
The woman also told the officer that Christofferson had showed up at her home on multiple occasions in his police vehicle and uniform, which made her feel like she couldn’t report him “due to his influence with police,” according to the statement.
On Friday, a district court judge ordered that Christofferson be held without bail based on the probable cause statement, ruling that Christofferson “would constitute a substantial danger to an alleged victim of domestic violence if released on bail,” according to a court order.
“The offense was committed by an active law enforcement officer who has access to weapons and knowledge of criminal procedure, which could further endanger the victim and other law enforcement officers,” the probable cause statement said.
According to a news release from Layton Police Department, Christofferson was put on administrative leave and “relieved of his police authority and department-issued equipment pending the outcome of the investigation.”
Due to Christofferson’s employment with Layton Police, the criminal investigation will be conducted by the Davis County Sheriff’s Office, the release said. Layton Police is conducting an internal investigation regarding the allegations.
Christofferson is currently being held in the Weber County jail.
Editor’s note • Those who are experiencing intimate partner violence, or know someone who is, are urged to call the Utah Domestic Violence Link Line, 1-800-897-LINK (5465), or the Utah Rape and Sexual Assault Crisis Line, 1-888-421-1100.
If you or people you know are at risk of self-harm, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s 24-hour support.
