One of TikTok’s most popular police officers was once mysteriously gone from social media, and fans and critics alike are wondering why the hiatus didn’t last.
Police officer Charlie Kingery is as close to a police influencer as they come. Serving as a reserve officer and SWAT team member for the Lawrence Police Department, Kingery first stepped into the entertainment spotlight through A&E’s Live PD. The show, which spotlighted daily traffic stops and emergency calls carried out by law enforcement, was pulled shortly after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. But before its cancellation, Kingery was one of the show’s many police officers shadowed by A&E’s crew.
Kingery greatly enjoyed working with the show, and clips of him dancing while in uniform earned him enough popularity among viewers to convince him to start a TikTok page in February 2020. Kingery quickly rose to popularity, and by September 2021, he had earned 2.4 million followers from his TikTok account “@officer_kingery,” Current Publishing reports.
Officer Kingery continued to branch out beyond TikTok. He opened a pro-police clothing and merchandise line, Thin Line Apparel, referencing the “thin blue line” police officers claim they represent in society. He also turned toward comedy over time, touring with the conservative-leaning, law enforcement-led group Content Violation.
The sexual assault allegations against Kingery
On Nov. 3, 2021, Content Violation canceled its shows in Cleveland and Dayton, Ohio, claiming “extenuating circumstances.” Officer Kingery’s TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter became inaccessible the following day. It remains unclear if Content Violation canceled its shows over the allegations against Kingery, although it seems highly probable that Kingery shut down his account amid the accusations.
Kingery pulled his account shortly after a TikTok video was shared by Jessi “Flawless Lawless,” a conservative influencer and stylist. In the video, Flawless Lawless accuses a nameless police officer of sexually harassing and assaulting her, claiming that she knows “it’s happening to other people” and is “encouraging others to step forward.”
When a commenter asked Flawless Lawless to clarify whether the video was about Content Violation’s Officer Eudy, Officer Scales, or Officer Kingery, she responded, “It’s not Eudy and it’s not Scales.”
Then, in a follow-up video from Thursday that has since been deleted, Flawless Lawless pointed out that Kingery coincidentally deleted his TikTok account shortly after her own video.
Flawless Lawless is not the only woman on TikTok’s conservative sphere accusing Kingery of assault. TikTok influencer @theconservativebarbie shared two anonymous accounts claiming Kingery sexually harassed and assaulted them at shows. We Got This Covered also viewed another video by a conservative influencer claiming that Kingery sexually harassed her and had a history of targeting women at his shows. The poster later removed that video.
While Kingery later pulled his account, he initially turned to TikTok to address the allegations against him. In it, Officer Kingery claims that TikTok has “changed” and brought “negativity and drama” into his life. He outright denied the assault and harassment allegations, claiming that he had “never sexually assaulted anybody in my entire life, and it pains me that I even have to say that.”
“I know who I am, those who know me know who I am,” he said, according to a mirror of the original video that has since been deleted.
Did Officer Kingery face charges?
While no charges were filed against Kingery, this is not the first time the police officer has been accused of violence. Prior to his appearance in Live PD, the police officer was arrested and formally charged with battery after entering into a physical altercation with a bystander who tried to break up a fight between Kingery and his wife. Kingery’s wife claimed the argument was over “an affair,” Fox 59 reports.
Greenfield, Indiana’s The Daily Reporter notes that the criminal case was later dropped after the bystander ultimately decided not to press charges. Kingery had resigned from serving on the Fishers Police Department after the charge, although he was later hired by Fortville’s police department before making his way to Lawrence.
Where is Officer Kingery now?
Since his mysterious disappearance from social media, Kilgory has reestablished himself on TikTok with his current account, where he describes himself as “Kingery – Artist/Songwriter.” He appears to have a song he is promoting called “On the Run,” by Kingery, Ty March, and Roy Caudill.
However, IMDB has what might be the most surprising information on the former Live PD star in years. According to the website, Kilgory filmed his first movie, Hands of Hell, set to release in October 2023. The film is summarized as “Two psychopathic lovers escape a mental institution and go on a murder spree at a remote retreat,” while his role is listed as “Detective Potter.”
As for Kingery’s future on social media, it remains unclear for now how he will respond⏤or if he will continue on TikTok as if it never happened.