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Ex-Inkster Police Officer Set For Sentencing In Traffic Stop Beating

INKSTER (WWJ/AP) - An Inkster police officer convicted of a bloody assault on a driver is facing a possible prison sentence in an incident that wasn't made public until the dashcam video was aired by a local TV station.

William Melendez has been in custody since he was convicted Nov. 19 on assault and misconduct charges. He's returning to Wayne County court Tuesday for his sentence.

Melendez was an Inkster police officer last January when he stopped Floyd Dent for disregarding a stop sign. Dashcam video from a police vehicle shows Melendez grabbing Dent and hitting him in the head 16 times while on the ground.

[VIDEO: Inkster Police Dashcam Violent Arrest Of Floyd Dent]

It wasn't until after WDIV-TV aired the footage in March that Melendez was fired. Inkster later agreed to pay $1.4 million to Dent, who suffered broken ribs, blood on his brain and other injuries.

Melendez didn't testify during the eight-day trial, but his attorney said the officer was justified in the assault because Dent was aggressive and resisting police. Other officers and a criminal justice professor testified that the beating was reasonable because Dent was resisting arrest. But Vicki Yost, who was chief of police at the time of the beating, said Melendez's actions were unnecessary, based on the video.

The jurors found Melendez guilty of assault with intent to do great bodily harm and of misconduct in office. They cleared him of a charge of assault by strangulation.

TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

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