AURORA | Officer Nathan Woodyard has resigned from the Aurora Police Department two and a half months after he was found not guilty of criminally-negligent homicide and assault stemming from his role in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain.
Woodyard’s resignation was first reported Jan. 16 by Fox31 investigative journalist Rob Low. City spokesman Ryan Luby confirmed in an email to the Sentinel later that day that Woodyard resigned effective Jan. 12.
Woodyard was charged along with officers Randy Roedema and Jason Rosenblatt for confronting and restraining McClain as the 23-year-old was walking home from a store.
In September and October, Roedema and Rosenblatt were tried, resulting in Rosenblatt’s acquittal and Roedema’s conviction on charges of criminally-negligent homicide and third-degree assault.
Woodyard, who was tried separately because he placed McClain in a chokehold, was found not guilty of reckless manslaughter and criminally-negligent homicide in November.
He was reinstated automatically upon his acquittal and received $212,546.04 in backpay for the time he spent on unpaid leave between the date of his indictment in September 2021 and November 2023.
Interim police chief Art Acevedo, who announced Jan. 16 that he is stepping down later this month, had said that Woodyard would not be returned to a public-facing role if he chose to continue working for the department.
The day before Woodyard stepped down, Acevedo said Woodyard was still on personal leave.
After what he has been through, I can’t blame him for leaving.
Wish the best for him.