ALABAMA
Federal officials charged a former deputy sheriff in Madison County, Alabama with beating a man who had been stopped by a deputy, officials said.
The indictment alleges that Justin Watson, 29, violated the civil rights of Robert Bryant and committed obstruction of justice.
Watson turned himself into authorities on Tuesday following an indictment handed down last week that alleges that Watson assaulted and injured Bryant on Aug. 22, 2012.
The indictment alleges that Watson committed a second civil rights violation for allegedly conducting an unlawful traffic stop of Bryant, a mechanic from Kelso, Tennessee.
Watson also has been charged with three counts of obstruction of justice. The indictment alleges that Watson obstructed justice by providing false and misleading testimony in a criminal proceeding in state court and by corruptly persuading two witnesses.
On January 2013, half a year after the traffic stop, Watson told a police sergeant everything about the bar fight, according to a report by AL.com
The report states that Watson said he and his girlfriend had been out with friends. They’d been to two bars already when they got to Billy’s Sports Bar some time after midnight. Watson says he was “heavily intoxicated.” He says some guys, about five of them, were “cat-calling” his girlfriend. He told them it was disrespectful, according to the report.
One of the guys shoved him, he says. A second guy — “an unknown subject” who he wasn’t even talking to — sucker punched him, the report stated.
Officials said Watson is facing up to 70 years in prison if he is convicted of the crimes. Watson is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The FBI investigated this case.