OHIO
A federal grand jury indicted a Westlake police officer for excessive force on an arrested suspect and subsequently trying to cover up the incident, officials said today.
Robert Toth, 48, of North Olmsted,Ohio was indicted on one count of excessive use of force and two counts of obstruction.
- Count 1 charges Toth, in his capacity as a police officer, with causing bodily injury to someone identified as T.A. on or about April 24, 2014. In doing so, Toth deprived T.A. of his Constitutional right to be free from the unreasonable use of force by a law enforcement officer.
- Count 2 charges that between April 25, 2014, and May 1, 2015, Toth knowingly falsified a document—specifically an official report concerning the arrest of T.A.—with the intent to impede, obstruct and influence the investigation and proper administration of that matter.
- Count 3 charges that on May 3, 2015, Toth impeded an investigation by providing false information to a federal law enforcement officer surrounding the encounter with and arrest of T.A.
“The vast majority of police officers do their jobs with courage and honor,” U.S. Attorney Steven M. Dettelbach said. “However, when we believe that the evidence demonstrates that an officer has intentionally crossed the line into criminal conduct, we will not hesitate to take appropriate action. I want to compliment the FBI on their thorough and professional investigation into this matter.”