{"id":53253,"date":"2023-06-01T06:05:36","date_gmt":"2023-06-01T13:05:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=53253"},"modified":"2023-06-01T06:05:36","modified_gmt":"2023-06-01T13:05:36","slug":"former-texas-sheriffs-chief-deputy-sentenced-to-more-than-three-years-in-prison-for-beating-handcuffed-suspect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=53253","title":{"rendered":"Former Texas Sheriff&#8217;s Chief Deputy Sentenced to More than Three Years in Prison for Beating Handcuffed Suspect"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"node-title\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-7857 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/FBI-Logo-289x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"289\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/FBI-Logo-289x300.png 289w, https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/FBI-Logo.png 636w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 289px) 100vw, 289px\" \/>A former Van Zandt County, Texas, Sheriff\u2019s Office Chief Deputy was sentenced Wednesday to 44 months in prison for violating an arrestee\u2019s civil rights by using excessive force against him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-pr-body field--type-text-long field--label-hidden\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item even\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\">According to court documents, Steven \u201cCraig\u201d Shelton, 62, previously pleaded guilty and admitted that on or about Sept. 21, 2021, while acting as the Chief Deputy and second-in-command of the Van Zandt County Sheriff\u2019s Office, he repeatedly struck a handcuffed suspect in the face.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\">Shelton admitted that his acts, which occurred in front of several other officers in the Rolling Oaks area of Wills Point, Texas, caused bodily injury to the arrestee. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\">Shelton admitted that he hit the arrestee because Shelton was frustrated, even though Shelton knew that there was no legitimate law enforcement need to use force against the arrestee.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/v6hanK62Q4w\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-family: helvetica;\">(News Report 2022)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\">\u201cThis defendant abused his authority as a law enforcement officer by violently assaulting and injuring a handcuffed arrestee, violating the victim\u2019s civil rights and the public\u2019s trust,\u201d said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department\u2019s Civil Rights Division. \u201cThe Justice Department will continue to hold accountable those officers who abuse their authority, wherever such abuses occur.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-41105 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cropped-judge-gavel-2-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cropped-judge-gavel-2-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cropped-judge-gavel-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cropped-judge-gavel-2.jpg 684w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>\u201cIt is an unacceptable abuse of authority for a police officer to strike a handcuffed arrestee who poses no threat,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs for the Eastern District of Texas.\u00a0\u201cPublic trust in law enforcement is eroded when officers do not follow the laws they are sworn to enforce. While recognizing that a vast majority of law enforcement officers protect the constitutional rights of individuals on a daily basis, the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office remains committed to protecting the public from officers who violate those rights.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\">The FBI Dallas Field Office investigated the case.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\">Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Batson for the Eastern District of Texas and Special Litigation Counsel Kathryn E. Gilbert and Trial Attorney Matthew Tannenbaum of the Civil Rights Division\u2019s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A former Van Zandt County, Texas, Sheriff\u2019s Office Chief Deputy was sentenced Wednesday to 44 months in prison for violating an arrestee\u2019s civil rights by using excessive force against him.\u00a0 According to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":53255,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-department-of-justice"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Former Texas Sheriff&#039;s Chief Deputy Sentenced to More than Three 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