CENTENNIAL, Colo. (KDVR) — An Arapahoe County sheriff’s deputy has been suspended without pay for allegedly faking a threat to himself. Deputy Ben Sadler faces two misdemeanors: false reporting and official misconduct for a note found on his patrol car’s rear window June 17.

Sadler’s attorney Jeremiah Boies confirmed to FOX1 the note said, “I Found You” and included Sadler’s home address. An internal affairs investigation determined Sadler made the whole thing up and sources tell the Problem Solvers, Sadler confessed.

Sadler, 38, had just been passed over for a school resource job he wanted, according to his attorney and was feeling extreme stressors at the time. Boies told FOX31 much of Sadler’s stress was related to the environment law enforcement was facing, including protests in Denver, a nationwide movement for police reform and the passage of Senate Bill 217, a police accountability measure passed by the Colorado Legislature.

In a statement to FOX31, Boies wrote:

“Deputy Ben Sadler is deeply remorseful for everything that transpired with the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Department. After an exemplary career, the stressors of a career in law enforcement and untreated psychological trauma led Mr. Sadler to engage in regrettable conduct in a true cry for help. Unfortunately, it took this incident to thrust his need for mental health treatment to the forefront. Now, Deputy Sadler is obtaining the help he needs and is working towards improving himself in a new career outside of law enforcement.”

Sadler is due in court for an arraignment on Nov. 5.

In December 2019, the Cherry Creek School District presented Sadler with a Cherry Creek Hero award after Sadler spent his own time fixing a display of 40 American flags that had blown over in a snowstorm outside Grandview High School. The flags had been placed outside Grandview High to commemorate the school’s Veterans Week celebration.