East Texas

A Tyler federal grand jury indicted two Houston County sheriff deputies with civil rights violations for assaulting a man.

Henry Doyce Gresham Jr., 50, and Charles James Clark, 63, both of Crockett, were indicted Wednesday for allegedly assaulting a person in the Davy Crockett National Forest near Crockett. The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Friday that the charges had been unsealed.

On July 11, while acting as law enforcement officials, the men went to Gresham’s residence, verbally and physically assaulted a man, then transported him in a county-owned vehicle to the national forest, prosecutors say. During the drive, Clark allegedly used a Taser on the man. Once at the forest, Gresham allegedly pointed a handgun to the victim’s chest and under his chin and hit the victim on the head with the firearm, prosecutors claim. The officers also allegedly knocked the man to the ground and kicked him before leaving him there.

Gresham and Clark are charged with conspiracy, civil rights violations and assault and face up to 10 years in prison for each charge. The case is being prosecuted by assistant U.S. attorneys in Tyler, Jim Middleton and Frank Coan.

Updated Friday, March 6, 2009 at 10:17 a.m. CST