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| LA County sheriff's deputies acquitted in prison beating case |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 05/09/2005 |
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A federal jury acquitted a sheriff's deputy who was charged with kicking and punching two handcuffed inmates and his supervisor, who was accused of trying to cover up the attacks. The panel deliberated less than four hours last Wednesday before clearing Los Angeles County Deputy Abel Jimenez, 32, and Senior Deputy Phalance Burkhalter, 38. If convicted, they could have faced up to 45 years and 25 years in prison, respectively. Prosecutors allege that in 2001, Jimenez separately assaulted two suspected gang members who were handcuffed and chained at the waist in a reception center of the downtown Men's Central Jail. One man was treated for a scratched forehead and the other for a cut lip, prosecutors said. Burkhalter was accused of trying to convince one inmate to falsely say he was injured falling out of bed and the other to claim he was attacked by another prisoner. Jimenez and Burkhalter were indicted by a grand jury last September on charges of conspiracy and witness tampering. Jimenez also faced two counts of using his authority to deprive inmates of their rights. After the verdict, jurors said they doubted the testimony of two deputies who testified against Jimenez and Burkhalter. "They seemed to have been coerced to say what the government wanted them to say," juror Russ Settell said. "This was a politically motivated case that never should have been brought," said Ed Russell, Jimenez's attorney. Prosecutors declined to comment on the verdict. The deputies still face administrative disciplinary proceedings, a Sheriff's Department spokesman said. |
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