An Accomack County Sheriff's Deputy has been fired and charged with assault and battery after being accused of assaulting an inmate while he was in custody.
Court records obtained by the WTKR News 3 Investigative Team reveal new details about the accusations against Deputy Luke Arnold.
According to a criminal complaint, the Accomack County Sheriff's Office received a complaint about Arnold and reviewed video surveillance from inside the jail after a man was arrested by another agency in October.
The complaint states the video allegedly shows Arnold physically pushing a handcuffed and leg-shackled inmate, causing him to fall to the ground.
Watch previous coverage of the deputy fired after accusations he assaulted a handcuffed inmate
The video also allegedly depicts Arnold forcibly slamming the man's head into a wall, then grabbing his neck and face area and jerking his head backwards in a forceful manner.
Arnold was fired and charged with assault and battery.
The criminal complaint states that Deputy Arnolds’s alleged behavior is “inconsistent with lawful standards governing the treatment of individuals in custody.”
"It's very, very important when it comes down to what actions that law enforcement make, whether they do the job right. It is not an easy job but what's at stake is public trust. That's what's at stake here. It's public trust," said Richard James, a crime analyst.
Records state that the inmate did not appear to present an “immediate threat or a level of active resistance that would justify such conduct”.
It states Arnold's actions toward a fully restrained person were excessive and inconsistent with both accepted law enforcement standards and the principles governing reasonable use of force.
James said the badge is a symbol of trust and a charge like this could ruin a person’s law enforcement career.
The Sheriff's Office first fired Arnold, then referred the case to the Commonwealth's Attorney for review, who authorized the criminal warrants for assault and battery.
Accomack County Sheriff’s Office issued the following statement:
The Accomack County Sheriff’s Office was made aware of a potential policy violation and use-of-force incident involving Deputy Luke Arnold, an employee of this office. The incident involved a subject who was under arrest by another agency and brought to the Sheriff’s Office for processing.
Upon receiving this information, the Sheriff’s Office initiated an internal investigation. As a result of the findings, Deputy Arnold’s employment with the Accomack County Sheriff’s Office was terminated.
Following a review of the investigation, Sheriff Todd Wessells determined the incident may constitute a criminal matter and referred the case to the Commonwealth’s Attorney for review. The Commonwealth’s Attorney subsequently authorized criminal warrants for assault and battery. Those warrants were obtained and served by the Accomack County Sheriff’s Office.
The matter remains pending in the judicial process.
"Based on the circumstances, and based on the video that I'm sure they've seen and analyzed, they decided that it was best and prudent to charge this deputy with the assault battery," said Jeff Lurie, a former police lieutenant.
In December, WTKR aired the arrest of Robert Buckner, who claimed three Accomack County deputies were unnecessarily rough with him in March.
Watch: Man alleges violent attack by Accomack deputies
Arnold was one of three deputies involved in that arrest.
In that case, the Sheriff's Office said the deputies did not violate any policy during the arrest and stressed that Buckner was found guilty of obstruction of justice with force.
Buckner strongly disagrees and says he was punched four times in the face and said deputies waited 33 minutes to take him to the hospital.
His felony assault on law enforcement charges were dropped by a judge.
"Reputation on the shore is everything. When you get your name in the newspaper for charges, especially heinous ones such as assaulting a police officer, who you do support, real ugly and demeaning, and very unfair," Buckner said.
Arnold declined to comment about the charges he is now facing, saying he wanted to consult his attorney.
Court is scheduled for March.
