Seth Owens Traffic Stop: Charges, Acquittal, and Civil Lawsuit

Seth Owens is a Kentucky State Police trooper who came under public scrutiny after a June 6, 2025 traffic stop in Boyle County, where body camera footage showed him using a leg sweep, punches, and repeated knee strikes on driver Devin Langsdorf while Langsdorf’s three-year-old daughter watched from the back seat. Langsdorf was charged with eight offenses that day. A Boyle County jury and judge cleared him of every one of them in April 2026, and a civil excessive-force lawsuit against Owens is pending.¹

What Happened on U.S. 150

Owens pulled Langsdorf, 32, over on U.S. Route 150 for suspected speeding and swerving. The citation said Langsdorf was driving 86 mph in a 55-mph zone.¹ Langsdorf’s daughter was in the back seat.²

After a verbal exchange, Owens ordered Langsdorf out of the vehicle. Body camera video showed the trooper performing a leg sweep to bring him to the ground, then punching him and delivering seven knee strikes while he was down. Langsdorf told Owens during the struggle that he could not move his arm behind his back because of pain. Owens also warned that state officials would remove Langsdorf’s daughter from the vehicle if necessary.¹

Langsdorf’s attorney, Danville lawyer Ephraim Helton, said the encounter included strikes to the back and repeated kicks to the ribs. According to Helton, Langsdorf sustained torn rib cartilage, a torn bursa sac in his right shoulder, and rotator cuff tears, and has since required physical therapy, rotator cuff surgery, and treatment for PTSD. Family members said the three-year-old developed a fear of law enforcement afterward.²

The Eight Charges and What Discovery Showed

Owens’s arrest citation charged Langsdorf with:

Speeding (26 mph over the limit)
Reckless driving
Resisting arrest
Failure to produce proof of insurance
Failure of owner to maintain required insurance
Second-degree disorderly conduct
No or expired Kentucky registration receipt
Endangering the welfare of a minor

The citation said Langsdorf had refused to exit the vehicle and refused to get on the ground, requiring the trooper to “assist him to the ground, unwillingly.”³

Discovery produced records showing Langsdorf had valid insurance and a current registration the day of the stop, contradicting two of the charges. On the stand, Owens admitted he had failed to tell Langsdorf he was under arrest before using force, which he acknowledged violated Kentucky statute and KSP protocol. He could not explain why he called Langsdorf “belligerent” and could not recall the specific profane language he had attributed to the driver.¹

The April 2026 Acquittal

On April 17, 2026, a six-person Boyle County jury found Langsdorf not guilty of reckless driving. Jurors concluded Owens could not rely on his radar reading because he had not produced the required calibration accuracy log for the radar unit.³ The judge then issued a directed verdict clearing Langsdorf of the remaining counts, including speeding and resisting arrest, for lack of evidence.¹ All eight charges were dismissed or resolved in Langsdorf’s favor.⁴

The Civil Lawsuit Against Owens

Helton filed a civil complaint on Langsdorf’s behalf on September 15, 2025, months before the criminal trial ended. The suit, Civil Action No. 25-CI-00415, names Owens and alleges excessive force during the stop.⁴ It states Langsdorf had pre-existing shoulder issues and told Owens about them during the stop, and it brings claims for intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, citing “permanent and irreparable harm” and seeking compensatory and punitive damages.⁵ Public reporting does not indicate the case has been resolved.

Owens’s Status and the KSP Response

Owens had graduated from the KSP training academy in August 2023 with Cadet Class 103 and was assigned to Post 7 in Richmond, making him a trooper of under two years when he stopped Langsdorf.⁶

After the body camera footage became public, Helton called for Owens to be placed on administrative leave. “If you can’t control your temper during a traffic stop, think how you’d react in a truly hostile situation,” he said. “That is scary.”¹ News outlets that asked Kentucky State Police about an internal investigation or discipline received no response.⁵ No public reporting confirms whether KSP opened an internal affairs case, suspended Owens, or took any other action, and no criminal charges against him have been reported.

Kentucky law permits a peace officer to use physical force when the officer believes it necessary to make an arrest, but only if the officer makes the purpose of the arrest known.⁷ Owens testified he did not tell Langsdorf he was under arrest before using force, and he acknowledged that omission broke both the statute and KSP protocol.¹

1
LEX 18. Body Cam Video Shows KSP Trooper Using Alleged Excessive Force During Traffic Stop
2
WKYT. Attorney Says KSP Used Excessive Force in Boyle County Arrest
3
Yahoo News. Danville Man Accused in 2025 Reckless Driving Incident Cleared of All Charges
4
FOX 56 News. Danville Man Accused in 2025 Reckless Driving Incident Cleared of All Charges
5
FOX 56 News. Body Camera Footage Raises Questions After KY Troopers Use of Force on Speeding Driver
6
Kentucky.gov. KSP Cadet Class 103 Graduation
7
Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. KRS 503.090 – Use of Physical Force in Law Enforcement