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Trump-appointed prosecutor tries to undo jury’s excessive force verdict against LA sheriff’s deputy
An L.A. County Sheriff's Department patrol car.
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Topline:
In a highly unusual move, a federal prosecutor on Monday urged a judge to set aside a jury’s guilty verdict in an excessive use of force case against an L.A. County sheriff’s deputy and instead accept a plea deal that would allow him to stay out of prison and continue to work as a law enforcement officer.
The backstory: In February, a jury found Sheriff’s Deputy Trevor Kirk guilty of one felony count of deprivation of rights under color of law in connection with his 2023 arrest of a woman in Lancaster. Video shows Kirk punching and pepper spraying Jacy Houseton as she uses her cellphone camera to film a man's arrest. The maximum sentence for such a conviction is 10 years in federal prison.
The U.S. attorney: After he was appointed by President Donald Trump last month, the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, Bill Essayli, took the rare step of moving to strike the conviction won by his own office and urging the judge to accept a plea deal he’d worked out with Kirk’s attorneys. The deal involved Kirk pleading guilty to a misdemeanor and serving one year on probation. “The use of force was just barely excessive,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Keenan. Essayli personally attended arguments Monday.
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Resignations in response: Essayli’s move prompted four federal prosecutors involved in the case to resign.
The judge: U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson expressed skepticism, pointing out that a jury had decided the case. He said he would rule by June 3.
The victim: Houseton addressed the judge on Monday, saying she suffered a “debilitating concussion” on the day of the incident and nightmares ever since. “It felt like he was trying to kill me,” she said.
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