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Sadly a lot of pigs tend to bust heads first and think last.
In this case the pigs beat the poor guy up first with out
giving him a chance to turn himself in first.
Also the prosecutors seem to be over charging the guy.
A simple misdemeanor shoplifting charge get bumped up
to a felony count of resisting arrest because of these overreacting pigs.
Lawyer: Man innocent in Walmart incident Shopper bloodied by police wasn't resisting arrest, he says by Daniel Kemp - Nov. 30, 2011 12:00 AM The Arizona Republic Attorney Todd Nolan plans to clear Jerald Allen Newman's name of the criminal allegations stemming from an alleged Walmart shoplifting incident that led to Newman being bloodied by a Buckeye police officer and hospitalized. "First and foremost, we believe Mr. Newman is innocent," Nolan said at the Nolan Law Firm in Mesa during a news conference Tuesday. The state Department of Public Safety is investigating the use of force on Newman, 54, at a Buckeye Walmart on Thanksgiving Day. Buckeye police Officer Kevin Rorke used a "leg sweep" to bring Newman to the ground around 10 p.m. Thursday after an assistant store manager alerted Rorke that Newman had concealed a video game under his shirt, Maricopa County Superior Court documents state. Nolan said his firm is conducting its own investigation and that multiple witnesses have come forward saying Newman was not resisting arrest. "We are respectfully and humbly asking anyone who was there to contact DPS to make their statement known," Nolan said. Nolan did not comment on specific details, because his investigation is ongoing; however, he did say, "It's certainly hard not to contemplate filing a lawsuit." Nolan displayed a picture taken by Newman's family while he was in the hospital showing a bloodied Newman in a neck brace. "A picture is worth a thousand words," Nolan said. "It is never acceptable to treat someone so inhumanely. There has to be accountability." Newman, who lives in Fontana, Calif., was in town with his wife visiting family for Thanksgiving. Newman was booked into Maricopa County's Fourth Avenue Jail on a misdemeanor count of shoplifting and a felony count of resisting arrest, court documents show. He was released Saturday on $900 bond, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. A Buckeye police report said Newman's wife believed the whole incident was a "misunderstanding" and that her husband had put a video game into his waistband to free his hands to help his grandson, who was caught in the crush of shoppers. Nolan said even if the police suspected Newman of shoplifting, the force was excessive. However, he believes there was no intent to shoplift or resist arrest. A complaint has not been filed against Newman, Nolan said. "We hope he resumes some semblance of normalcy," Nolan said. Republic reporter Jackee Coe contributed to this article. |