Sheriff Who Ripped Detainee's Hair During Interrogation, Hit Suspect With Closed Fist Found Guilty Of Using Excessive Force

The Sheriff of Franklin County, Arkansas who allegedly ripped the hair of an inmate during interrogation and struck another inmate on the head with a closed fist has been found guilty of using unreasonable force to punish a number of detainees.

Anthony Boen, 51, of Ozark, the Sheriff of Franklin County, Arkansas, has been convicted by a federal jury on two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law for using unreasonable force to punish pretrial detainees on two separate occasions, KATV reported.

The first incident reportedly had Boen slamming a detainee onto the floor and ripping his hair during an interrogation on Nov. 21, 2018. Two weeks later, on Dec. 3, 2018,

Boen reportedly struck another detainee who was sitting on the floor and shackled to a bench inside the Franklin County Jail. Boen allegedly also hit him multiple times in the head with a closed fist. The detainees suffered bodily injury as a result of Boen’s actions on both occasions, according to the United States Department of Justice.

Boen faces up to 20 years in prison, but no sentencing date has been set as of now. Defense attorney Russell Wood wrote in a statement that he and his client “are very disappointed in the verdict of the jury but respect the duty that each member of the jury performed.”

“Anthony Boen swore an oath to support the United States Constitution and the State of Arkansas Constitution,” David Clay Fowlkes, Acting U.S. Attorney of the Western District of Arkansas said. “His actions clearly violated not only the civil rights of these individuals but also the trust of the people of Franklin County."

“The defendant abused his power as the top law enforcement officer in Franklin County, Arkansas, by assaulting people in his custody,” Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said.

In a similar but unrelated incident, three Washington police officers are reportedly under investigation after a video showing one of them repeatedly punching a man in the face while the other two restrained the victim during an arrest has started circulating online, Fox News reported.

According to a statement released by the DC Police Union, the officers nabbed the man after reportedly witnessing a hand-to-hand drug transaction on Sunday, Aug. 8. The suspect was reportedly found with a fully loaded .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol and tried to retrieve the illegal gun from his waistband during his arrest. The officers mentioned that they used a minimal amount of force to restrain the suspect as he was violent and in possession of an illegal firearm.

The three officers have not been identified. D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee said that the officers have had their police powers revoked and have been placed on non-contact status pending the investigations. Meanwhile, the suspect arrested was later released with no charges filed against him, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.