Federal Charges for Vegas Police Officer in Body-Camera Case
Source: Associated Press
Federal Charges for Vegas Police Officer in Body-Camera Case
By SALLY HO, ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAS VEGAS Jan 12, 2016, 8:04 PM ET
A former Las Vegas police officer seen via body-camera video in a bloody confrontation while arresting a woman last year has now been indicted on federal charges, accused of a civil rights violation and lying about his use of force.
The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday said that a federal grand jury in Nevada indicted Richard Thomas Scavone on charges that he violated the woman's civil rights by using excessive force and for obstruction of justice for falsifying the police report where he claimed she was resisting arrest.
If convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison and $500,000 in fines.
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Scavone had said on the initial arrest report that the woman was combative and pulling away from his grip. The officer also said that she was reaching around her bra area, which threatened his safety.
But a detective who investigated the woman's complaint of excessive force reported inconsistencies between Scavone's version of the events and what the body-camera video showed. According to the detective's March 12 report, the woman was put in handcuffs within a minute of the officer getting out of his vehicle. She was then seen on video being thrown to the ground, grabbed by the neck and slammed by her head on the hood of the patrol car three times.
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Read more:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/federal-charges-vegas-police-officer-body-camera-case-36253388