Current:Home > MarketsFormer Arkansas officer pleads guilty to civil rights violation in violent arrest caught on video -GrowthInsight
Former Arkansas officer pleads guilty to civil rights violation in violent arrest caught on video
View
Date:2025-04-14 12:22:30
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A former Arkansas law enforcement officer has pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of a man he kicked and hit during a violent arrest in 2022 that was caught on video and shared widely.
Former Crawford County Sheriff’s Deputy Zackary King changed his plea during a hearing in federal court on Monday. King agreed to plead guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law during the Aug. 21, 2022, arrest of Randal Worcester outside a convenience store.
King and another former deputy, Levi White, were charged by federal prosecutors last year for the arrest. A bystander used a cellphone to record the arrest in the small town of Mulberry, about 140 miles (220 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock, near the border with Oklahoma.
Federal prosecutors agreed to drop a felony count of deprivation of rights against King. He faces up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000, according to his plea agreement. He also agreed to cooperate with federal authorities.
“We just felt like it was a good way for Mr. King to move on with his life and not be saddled with the possibility of a felony,” Bill James, King’s attorney, said Tuesday.
The trial for King and White had been set to begin next month. White has pleaded not guilty. An attorney for White did not immediately respond to a message Tuesday morning.
A third officer caught in the video, Mulberry Police Officer Thell Riddle, was not charged in the federal case. King and White were fired by the Crawford County sheriff. The video depicted King and White striking Worcester as Riddle held him down.
Police have said Worcester was being questioned for threatening a clerk at a convenience store in the nearby small town of Alma when he tackled one of the deputies and punched him in the head before the arrest. Worcester is set to go to trial in July on charges related to the arrest, including resisting arrest and second-degree battery.
Worcester filed a lawsuit against the three officers, the city of Mulberry and Crawford County over the arrest. But that case has been put on hold while the criminal cases related to the arrest are ongoing.
veryGood! (886)
Related
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- Massive landslide destroys homes, prompts evacuations in Rolling Hills Estates neighborhood of Los Angeles County
- Over 100 Nations at COP26 Pledge to Cut Global Methane Emissions by 30 Percent in Less Than a Decade
- Daniel Radcliffe, Jonah Hill and More Famous Dads Celebrating Their First Father's Day in 2023
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- A woman is ordered to repay $2,000 after her employer used software to track her time
- 2 boys dead after rushing waters from open Oklahoma City dam gates sweep them away, authorities say
- Deer spread COVID to humans multiple times, new research suggests
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Global Efforts to Adapt to the Impacts of Climate Are Lagging as Much as Efforts to Slow Emissions
Ranking
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- The Corvette is going hybrid – and that's making it even faster
- In 2018, the California AG Created an Environmental Justice Bureau. It’s Become a Trendsetter
- Amazon ends its charity donation program AmazonSmile after other cost-cutting efforts
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- Amazon loses bid to overturn historic union win at Staten Island warehouse
- Will 2021 Be the Year for Environmental Justice Legislation? States Are Already Leading the Way
- Khloe Kardashian Congratulates Cuties Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker on Pregnancy
Recommendation
Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
Lisa Marie Presley’s Twins Finley and Harper Lockwood Look So Grown Up in Graduation Photo
These 35 Belt Bags Under $35 Look So Much More Expensive Than They Actually Are
Watch the Moment Pregnant Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker Revealed They're Expecting
Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
Global Efforts to Adapt to the Impacts of Climate Are Lagging as Much as Efforts to Slow Emissions
Can China save its economy - and ours?
A rocky past haunts the mysterious company behind the Lensa AI photo app