ARKANSAS, USA — Two former sheriff's deputies from Crawford County have pleaded guilty to using "unlawful force" on a man they arrested in August of 2022.
According to a press release, 28-year-old Zackary King and 34-year-old Levi White both pleaded guilty to federal civil rights offenses related to the violent August 2022 arrest of a man at a gas station.
The Justice Department said that King and White both violated their oath and "abused their power" during the violent arrest of the man.
“The defendants swore an oath to uphold the law, then violated that oath and abused their power by assaulting a person who was pinned to the ground and not resisting,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
According to court documents, White, King, and a third officer were all investigating a person allegedly threatening a store attendant. During that investigation, the 3 officers all approached a man, which court documents have referred to as R.W., in a gas station parking lot.
Reports said that R.W. allegedly "lunged" and "tackled" White, which prompted the three officers to subdue R.W. and pin him to the ground.
Once pinned to the ground, it was noted that R.W. submitted to the officers and was no longer fighting. From there, reports said that King struck R.W. in the back and the midsection. Simultaneously, White punched R.W. in the head 9 times and slammed it into the pavement.
A video of the arrest became available to the public, which demonstrated both King and White sitting atop R.W. — King and White are seen hitting and kicking him during the arrest attempt.
“The videos from this incident are a shocking display of the violent deprivation of civil rights committed by these officers,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Fowlkes for the Western District of Arkansas.
Several officials, like those with the FBI have deemed White's and King's actions to be unacceptable and "disgraceful."
“The violent and abusive actions of these two men, who were sworn to serve and protect our community, are unacceptable,” said Assistant Director Michael D. Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division.
“Disgraceful actions, like those of the two Crawford County sheriff’s deputies, negatively impact all members of Arkansas law enforcement,” said Special Agent in Charge Alicia D. Corder of the FBI Little Rock Field Office. “A gun and a badge do not give someone the right to ignore the Constitution.”
The third officer involved in the arrest did not strike R.W. during the incident. As a result of the altercation, R.W. suffered head injuries.
According to the Justice Department, sentencing hearings will be scheduled at a later date. White now faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
King faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $100,000.
The FBI Little Rock Field Office and ARKTrust Task Force were the agencies investigating the case.