A federal jury in St. Louis reached a split decision Wednesday, convicting one former Northwoods police officer while acquitting another in a case involving the 2023 assault of a handcuffed man.
Samuel Davis, 28, was found guilty of depriving a victim of his civil rights under color of law, witness tampering, and falsifying records. The charges stem from an incident where Davis deactivated his body camera and misled dispatchers.
However, the jury acquitted Davis of a conspiracy charge, and his co-defendant, 54-year-old Michael Hill, was found not guilty on all counts.
The trial, which opened on March 2, detailed a July 4, 2023, encounter that began at a Walgreens. Officers were called to the store regarding a shoplifting suspect identified in court as C.G. Though Davis knew the man from prior incidents, testimony revealed that C.G. was compliant and cooperative as he was placed in handcuffs and loaded into a patrol vehicle.
Instead of following standard procedure and transporting the suspect to jail, Davis drove C.G. to a remote, empty field in Kinloch. Once there, C.G. testified that Davis pepper-sprayed him, beat him with a baton while his hands remained bound, and used a TASER on him.
The assault resulted in a broken jaw. The attack only ended when a passerby happened upon the scene, prompting Davis to flee. The witness eventually returned to find C.G. bloodied and calling for help.
Federal investigators noted that Davis never filed a report regarding the arrest, the trip to Kinloch, or the use of force. TASER records later confirmed the weapon was discharged during the timeframe of the assault.
“Law enforcement officers are given immense public trust because of the gravity of the work they do to keep communities safe,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon following the verdict. “The defendant violated that trust when he took matters into his own hands and savagely beat the victim rather than processing him for the alleged theft.”
The case was a joint investigation by the FBI and the St. Louis County Police Department. Davis now faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for the civil rights violation and up to 20 years for the additional felony charges. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
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