2 former police officers facing sexual assault charges

Two former West Blocton Police Department employees are facing sexual assault charges.

The Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit said the arrests come after a report filed in January in which the victim reported that two men she knew sexually assaulted her while she was under the influence of alcohol and unable to consent.

The case was investigated and presented to a grand jury that returned indictments. Both men were arrested Dec. 21 and were taken to the Tuscaloosa County Jail.

To protect the victim’s privacy, TVCU said no other details will be released.

Craig Baird Arnold, 49, was charged with first-degree rape and placed in the Tuscaloosa County Jail on a $60,000 bond. Arnold was at one time an uncertified reserve officer of the West Blocton Police Department.

Brain Keith Whatley, 50, was charged with first-degree sexual abuse and was placed in the Tuscaloosa County Jail on a $5,000 bond. Whatley was at one time the police chief of West Blocton, but he currently has no role or position in law enforcement.

Any position or role they may have once held was not a factor in this sexual assault, said the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit.