Caught
on Camera: JPD officer suspended after seen dragging unresponsive man
By Keli McAlister
By kmcalister@wbbjtv.com
JACKSON, Tenn. -- An assault by
a Jackson police officer caught on camera, that’s how Milan attorney Tim
Crocker describes surveillance video captured at U.S. Donuts on North Highland Avenue in Jackson.
Crocker represents a
58-year-old man who suffered scrapes and abrasions in an Oct. 1, 2014, encounter with police officers. The man, who
asked we not use his name, says he does not remember what happened. But after
the man’s daughter saw his injuries, she called the Jackson Police Department,
ultimately prompting an internal investigation.
The reason for his lack of
memory — the man had lapsed into a
diabetic coma, according to his attorney. The man said he remembers
getting tired and asking to sit inside the doughnut shop to rest. Unable to get him to leave as closing time
came and went, the owners called police for help.
The time stamp on the
surveillance video showed the first two officers — Brandon Bankston and Kyle
Cupples — arrive at 2:48 p.m. A few minutes later a third officer, Kenneth
Reeves, arrives.
As with the owners, the man
would not respond to officers’ questions or their request to stand up. That is
when the officers said they decided to pick him up and take him outside. Video shows Bankston and Cupples take an arm
each and carry him out. The man appeared to stay in a seated position with his
feet dragging on the floor.
As they are carrying him out
the door, the video shows Reeves kick
the man’s feet three separate times. He told internal investigators, even
after watching the video, he did not recall doing that. Once outside, Bankston
and Cupples placed the man on the concrete sidewalk.
"The most striking thing
is the fact that he's totally helpless and without any provocation of any
kind," Crocker said. "He was assaulted."
Minutes later when the owners
tried to leave, they were unable to open the door because the man was lying in
front of it. The video shows one of the owners go to the window and appear to
talk with Reeves, who is standing the closest.
Reeves
is then seen walking over to the man, picking up one of his feet and dragging
him several feet across the concrete sidewalk. The man never spoke or
came out of the tense position he had been in since being placed on the ground.
Before learning about the surveillance
video, Reeves told investigators he had only pulled the man about six inches.
After several more minutes of
the man lying unresponsive, the officers said they decided to call for an
ambulance. After
medics arrived, the officers reported finding a medic alert necklace around the
man's neck denoting he is diabetic.
In the ambulance, EMTs were
able to regulate his blood sugar level. The report shows one of the EMTs even bought him a piece of pizza at
the neighboring Little Caesar’s. The man declined to be taken to the
hospital, instead agreeing to let Officers Bankston and Cupples take him home.
On Oct. 1, Bankston was
questioned about the incident by an internal affairs investigator. Cupples was
questioned Oct. 2, and Reeves spoke with the investigator Oct. 3. An official
internal investigation into Reeves was launched on that same day. The inquiry
was into whether he had violated the department regulation regarding personal
conduct and the general order regarding use of force.
Reeves was formally interviewed
Oct. 7 as part of the investigation. That is when he learned there was
surveillance video of the incident, and he was allowed to view it.
On Nov. 10, Capt. Rick Holt
found Reeves had violated the personal conduct policy, and Reeves was suspended
without pay for 12 days. He also was assigned to non-law enforcement status, or
desk duty, for three months.
Reeves’ suspension ran from
Nov. 11 to Nov. 25. However, his desk duty was cut short. On Dec. 5, an
internal memo shows Interim Chief Julian Wiser terminated that portion of his
punishment, effective immediately.
Wiser declined our request for
an interview, instead referring all questions to legal adviser Major Thom
Corley.
"I just wish folks
wouldn't make some type of an assumption that there's a discrepancy or that
there's an assumption that there's a weak investigative process, because that's
far from the truth," Corley said.
Since his hiring on Aug. 27,
2007, this is the first negative mark on Reeves’ record. Still, the man’s
attorney argues the punishment was not harsh enough. Crocker argues not only
should Reeves have been fired, but he believes he should face criminal charges
as well.
