The Marion County Sheriff’s Office is launching an independent internal investigation in the wake of two former deputies' testimony that excessive and unlawful force have been happening within the department for years.
- 2014 video showed Marion County deputies beating unarmed man
- 4 deputies were sentenced to federal prison
- 1 deputy was acquitted of civil rights charges
The allegations came to light during the federal trial of four former Marion deputies who were sentenced to federal prison Wednesday for civil rights and other violations stemming from an August 2014 beating captured on video.
The Sheriff’s Office said the deputies were assisting with a drug-related search warrant when the incident happened.
In the video, deputies can be seen repeatedly striking and kicking an unarmed man, Derrick Price, in the neck, head and shoulder.
The former deputies involved were Jesse Terrell, Trevor Fitzgerald, Cody Hoppel, James Amidei and Adam Crawford. Fitzgerald, Hoppel, Amidei and Crawford resigned from the agency and Terrell was terminated. Fitzgerald, Hoppel, Amidei and Crawford pleaded guilty to civil rights and other violations in federal court; Terrell was acquitted of civil rights charges by a federal jury in April.
But during Terrell’s trial, additional allegations of excessive use of force were made to federal authorities by Crawford and Hoppel. Hoppel said he used excessive force against defendant Dustin Heathman during his arrest in 2014. Crawford also made statements in federal court during the Terrell trial that he was involved in several unlawful use-of-force incidents during his nine years at the Sheriff’s Office.
Marion Sheriff Chris Blair is asking the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office to lead the investigation.