A Lexington police officer resigned after an internal investigation found he shared racist and inflammatory, artificial-intelligence-generated videos with another officer — including one depicting George Floyd — prompting a disciplinary review board to unanimously recommend his termination, according to police records.
Officer Joshua Yeager, hired in 2022, resigned effective Dec. 2, 2025, after the Lexington Police Department’s Public Integrity Unit concluded that the videos he sent were offensive in nature, reflected poor judgment, and violated departmental rules requiring officers to conduct themselves in a manner that upholds public trust, records show.
What investigators say Yeager sent
According to the investigation summary, Yeager sent two AI-generated videos to another Lexington police officer through social media while off duty.
One video depicted George Floyd — whose 2020 killing by Minneapolis police sparked nationwide protests — appearing in a fictional and racially charged scenario created using artificial intelligence. Investigators wrote that the video would be viewed as offensive, inappropriate, and racially insensitive by any reasonable person, and that it placed Yeager’s integrity and character as a police officer into question.
The second video was described as a meme involving explosions and police recruits, which investigators said contributed to concerns about Yeager’s judgment and the normalization of demeaning or inflammatory content within private officer communications.
Investigators noted that Yeager did not create the videos himself but sent them knowingly, and that officers are responsible for the content they share regardless of authorship.
Officer interviews and response
In two interviews with investigators, Yeager acknowledged sending the videos but said he did not intend to promote violence or demean anyone. He told investigators the videos were meant to reflect what he described as “realistic” content circulating online and said he did not believe they were racist or dehumanizing.
Investigators recorded Yeager as saying he had become “too comfortable” in private conversations with other officers and failed to properly consider how the content would be viewed. He also said he had since reduced his social media use and reflected on the impact of his actions.
Despite those statements, the Public Integrity Unit concluded that the content — particularly the AI-generated George Floyd video — undermined public confidence in the department and violated rules requiring officers to avoid conduct that discredits the agency or themselves.
Termination recommendation and resignation
On Nov. 13, 2025, the department’s Disciplinary Review Board — composed of command staff, a sergeant, and a civilian member — reviewed the investigation and unanimously recommended Yeager’s termination. Police Chief Lawrence Weathers approved that recommendation.
Yeager resigned before the termination could be formally imposed, closing the case. The complaint was marked sustained, meaning investigators found sufficient evidence to support the allegations.