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U.S.
Attorney’s Office December 04, 2013
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CHICAGO―A
south suburban Midlothian Police officer was indicted on federal civil rights
charges alleging that he used excessive force against two different victims in
separate beating incidents in 2010 and 2011. The defendant, Steven G. Zamiar,
was indicted on two counts of violating the victims’ civil right to be free
from the use of unreasonable force by a law enforcement officer. The two-count
indictment was returned by a federal grand jury yesterday and was announced
today by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of
Illinois, and Robert J. Holley, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office
of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Zamiar,
46, of Midlothian, joined the Midlothian Police Department in 2000. He was a
detective sergeant at the time of the alleged beating in 2010 and was deputy
chief when the alleged beating occurred in 2011. He was later demoted to
lieutenant and was placed on paid administrative leave this past September. He
will be arraigned on a date yet to be scheduled in U.S. District Court.
According
to the indictment, on September 6, 2010, when he was a detective sergeant,
Zamiar used excessive force, resulting in bodily injury, against Victim A. On
November 24, 2011, when he was deputy chief of the Midlothian Police
Department, Zamiar allegedly used excessive force, resulting in bodily injury,
against Victim B. During the November 2011 incident, Zamiar allegedly used,
attempted to use, and threatened to use a dangerous weapon.
Each
count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If
convicted, the court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes
and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The
government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Otlewski.
An
indictment contains merely charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant
is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government
has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.