ST. LOUIS — A former Northwoods, Missouri, police officer was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in federal prison for brutally assaulting a handcuffed man after driving him to an isolated area instead of taking him to jail.
Samuel Davis, 28, was convicted by a federal jury in April of deprivation of rights under color of law, witness tampering, and falsifying records in a federal investigation by turning off his body-worn camera before the attack.
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- Defendant: Samuel Davis, 28, former Northwoods, Missouri, police officer
- Sentence: 10 years in federal prison
- Sentencing: Thursday
- Convictions:
- Deprivation of rights under color of law
- Witness tampering by misleading conduct
- Falsifying records in a federal investigation
- Incident Date: July 4, 2023
- Victim: Handcuffed man identified as C.G.
- Location of Assault: Isolated field in Kinloch, Missouri
- Victim’s Injuries: Broken jaw and severe physical injuries
- Evidence: Body camera intentionally turned off before assault
- Investigating Agencies: FBI; St. Louis County Police Department
Judge Stephen Clark called out the Northwoods Police Department saying it “created an atmosphere where this could occur,” as he called it tragedy, failure and public embarrassment adding, “It’s ironic this occurred on Independence Day,” according to Fox 2 News in St. Louis Missouri.
Defendant Davis read a long statement as he repeated he was innocent and said, “Jesus was prosecuted and accused of things he did not do.”
Judge Clark looked at the defendant as he said he heard Davis but that the “jury has spoken.”
According to evidence presented at trial, Northwoods police responded to a Walgreens on the evening of July 4, 2023, after receiving reports that C.G. was suspected of shoplifting and trespassing. Davis, who knew the victim, handcuffed him without incident and placed him in a patrol vehicle.
Instead of transporting C.G. to jail, prosecutors said Davis turned off his body-worn camera, drove him to an isolated field in Kinloch, and launched a violent assault.
Evidence showed Davis pepper-sprayed the handcuffed victim, threw him to the ground, and repeatedly struck him in the face and body with a metal police baton, breaking his jaw and causing severe injuries.
When Davis noticed a passerby nearby, he allegedly used a Taser on the victim and threatened to kill him if he returned to Northwoods.
Davis then falsely reported to a police dispatcher that C.G. was not at the Walgreens when officers arrived. A short time later, the passerby returned and discovered the victim bloodied, injured, and crying for help.
According to a sentencing memorandum filed by federal prosecutors, Davis attacked C.G. to intimidate him and prevent him from returning to Northwoods. Prosecutors noted the victim was physically smaller than Davis and was abandoned in a remote location without a cellphone or any means of calling for assistance.
Trial Attorney Taylor Payne of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division told the court that Davis “hurt him with almost every tool at his disposal” before lying to dispatchers, supervisors, investigators, and ultimately the jury about what had occurred.