A Missouri police officer and his supervisor are facing serious charges after a man they had allegedly detained was found beaten and bloodied in a field on July 4.
According to KSDK-TV, former Northwoods police officer Samuel Davis is accused of arresting the man at a Walgreens and then beating him, breaking his jaw, before dumping him in the field in the town of Kinloch.
His supervisor, Michael Hill, is said to have gone back into the store after the arrest and made an “incriminating statement” to an employee about what would happen to the man.
Davis allegedly drove the man in his squad car to a remote area of Kinloch without telling dispatchers. Court documents state that when they arrived, Davis pepper-sprayed and beat the man with a baton and told him to never come back to Northwoods.
Davis was later arrested in North Carolina and charged with first-degree assault, armed criminal action and kidnapping. Hill was arrested soon after and charged with second-degree kidnapping.
According to KMOV-TV, both Hill and Davis have been released on bail.
“Police officers who commit violence undermine the trust of the community,” St. Louis County Attorney Wesley Bell said in a statement. “There is no excuse for this criminal conduct, and my office will prosecute these officers to the fullest extent of the law.”
Northwoods Police Chief Dennis Shireff also expressed dismay at the incident, writing, “Words can barely begin to express the disappointment and the failure of what appears to be a reckless disregard for the humane treatment of others and the solemn duties of a law enforcement officer.”
“This incident is directly contrary to the core values, goals, and policies of our police department and of the City of Northwoods.”
Now, we must remember that neither of these men has been convicted of anything yet, and they are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nevertheless, in the current climate, this case is troubling.
In the wake of the George Floyd case and the ensuing “defund the police” movement, police officers have gotten a bad rap from politicians and the establishment media.
Obviously, the vast majority of police officers are good people who are trying to enforce the law and keep citizens safe, and incidents like this are very rare. But, unfortunately, these incidents are often all the public hears about individual officers.
When these things happen, it only serves to further tarnish the reputation of upstanding men and women in blue. Officers need to be aware that their actions reflect not only on them, but on their department and on law enforcement as a whole.
We need to support our police officers while continuing to hold them to high standards.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.