By Fox23.com News Staff
CHEROKEE COUNTY, Okla. — A former Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office deputy has been charged with Assault and Battery against a captured suspect, according to court documents.
According to an affidavit, CCSO deputy Justin Richardson began a foot pursuit with a suspect that had an outstanding felony warrant around 4:34 p.m. on Feb. 12.
Authorities said the suspect hid in a wooded area, leading to a search conducted by CCSO deputies, deputy marshals from the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service (CNMS) and Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) troopers.
Court documents explain that a CNMS deputy marshal gave a statement about the arrest, stating he was about to launch a drone to assist with the search when he heard a voice call out, “I’m walking to you” and say “I give up. I surrender.”
According to the deputy marshal, the suspect complied and made no move to resist the arrest physically or verbally as the deputy marshal began to handcuff him.
As the deputy marshal was handcuffing the suspect, he said two other law enforcement officers, Richardson and another deputy marshal, arrived to the area.
Court documents state the deputy marshal claimed Richardson hit the suspect in the right temple with his knee. The deputy marshal said his view was blocked by Richardson’s body, but that he “saw Richardson’s body move in an up and down motion 2-3 times.”
The affidavit states the body camera video of the deputy marshal who arrived to the area of the suspect’s arrest at the same time as Richardson was reviewed.
The court document states Richardson’s body blocks the camera’s view of what exactly happened, but in the video someone can be heard saying, “Oh, God! Why did you do that?”
The document states Richardson can then be heard telling the suspect to shut up several times before stating, “You know exactly who I am.”
After his arrest, the suspect was taken to the Cherokee County Detention Center.
Several detention officers said they saw the suspect spit up blood and decided to send him to the emergency room for further treatment.
Eventually, records show the suspect was sent back to the detention center from the emergency room with Naproxen tablets.
According to the document, Richardson claimed in the report to have hit the suspect in the head with his elbow while the deputy marshal was struggling to handcuff him to get the suspect to comply.
Following further investigation, court documents state Richardson’s body camera wasn’t active when the suspect was being physically arrested, but was active before and after that point.
According to one deputy marshal who gave a statement, before the suspect was found, he claimed he heard Richardson say, “If we find this guy, I want some time alone with him before he goes into cuffs” and “He burnt my truck. He’s got one coming.”
The deputy marshal said Richardson said this near him, an OHP trooper and another CCSO deputy.
However, both the trooper and other deputy said they didn’t hear Richardson make any threats against the suspect.
Following these accusations, court documents state Richardson was terminated from his position as a CCSO deputy.
A misdemeanor assault and battery charge was filed against Richardson on March 19.
Richardson is next scheduled to appear in court in April.
