Posted 2:17 am Thursday, March 29, 2007
Cherokee County Officer Cleared Of Brutality Claim
By STEPHANIE JETER
Staff Writer
RUSK - A Cherokee County sheriff's sergeant accused of police brutality was cleared of civil charges March 21 by a federal jury in Marshall.
The charges stemmed from an April 2005 altercation between Sgt. Jamie Beene and Alto resident John Brown.
Criminal charges associated with the case were dismissed last year after the grand jury agreed there wasn't enough evidence to criminally prosecute Beene.
With both criminal and civil charges returned empty, Cherokee County Sheriff James Cambell said the department and Beene can consider the case completed.
Beene was accused of beating Brown to the point of breaking Brown's ankle. Three plates and 16 pins were fitted in his ankle during surgery.
Brown, then 27, told his story to the Tyler Morning Telegraph.
He said he was making dinner when the family dogs started barking. At the request of his father, he went outside to see why and noticed an unidentified man with a flashlight on his property.
When he approached the man, the situation quickly deteriorated.
Beene was on the property searching for a suspect unrelated to their case and arrested Brown on a charge of interfering with a police investigation. During the arrest, Brown said, his ankle was broken and he was beaten. Several witnesses' statements matched Brown's.
Beene was out of the office and unavailable for comment, but Cambell said the arrest was not accompanied by excessive force.
He said Brown's injuries occurred during the arrest, but were not intentional.
"Beene was at a high drug trafficking area enforcing the law when Mr. Brown came onto the scene and interfered with his job," Cambell said.
After the arrest, the sheriff said, Brown failed to comply with officers' requests, which resulted in his injuries.
Cambell said he attended last week's court case as a representative of the department and was present for most of the two-day trial.
He said he never thought that Beene, an eight-year veteran of the department, exhibited excessive force, and that he was pleased when the jury agreed.
"Now we can go about our business," he said - upholding the law.
Staff Writer
RUSK - A Cherokee County sheriff's sergeant accused of police brutality was cleared of civil charges March 21 by a federal jury in Marshall.
The charges stemmed from an April 2005 altercation between Sgt. Jamie Beene and Alto resident John Brown.
Criminal charges associated with the case were dismissed last year after the grand jury agreed there wasn't enough evidence to criminally prosecute Beene.
With both criminal and civil charges returned empty, Cherokee County Sheriff James Cambell said the department and Beene can consider the case completed.
Beene was accused of beating Brown to the point of breaking Brown's ankle. Three plates and 16 pins were fitted in his ankle during surgery.
Brown, then 27, told his story to the Tyler Morning Telegraph.
He said he was making dinner when the family dogs started barking. At the request of his father, he went outside to see why and noticed an unidentified man with a flashlight on his property.
When he approached the man, the situation quickly deteriorated.
Beene was on the property searching for a suspect unrelated to their case and arrested Brown on a charge of interfering with a police investigation. During the arrest, Brown said, his ankle was broken and he was beaten. Several witnesses' statements matched Brown's.
Beene was out of the office and unavailable for comment, but Cambell said the arrest was not accompanied by excessive force.
He said Brown's injuries occurred during the arrest, but were not intentional.
"Beene was at a high drug trafficking area enforcing the law when Mr. Brown came onto the scene and interfered with his job," Cambell said.
After the arrest, the sheriff said, Brown failed to comply with officers' requests, which resulted in his injuries.
Cambell said he attended last week's court case as a representative of the department and was present for most of the two-day trial.
He said he never thought that Beene, an eight-year veteran of the department, exhibited excessive force, and that he was pleased when the jury agreed.
"Now we can go about our business," he said - upholding the law.
Stephanie Jeter covers Cherokee, Rusk and Upshur Counties. She can be reached at 903.596.6267. e-mail: news@tylerpaper.com
