A Mississippi sheriff’s deputy has been indicted on criminal charges related to the use of excessive force against an arrestee.
Adrian Durr, 43, of Magee, is said to have used his position with the Simpson County Sheriff’s Office to abuse an arrestee who was unable to move at the time of the alleged attack.
According to court records, the male detainee, who is identified as “D.J.” in court records, was handcuffed to a bench bolted to the floor and shackled with leg irons on his ankle when Durr struck him in the head with the handgrip of his taser. Durr then kicked him in the head, rendering him unconscious, the indictment alleged. The altercation was reportedly caught on booking area security tape.
Durr was indicted on charges of deprivation of civil rights under color of law. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
“Our citizens deserve credible law enforcement to safeguard the community from crime,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff, who is leading the investigation into Durr, said.
“The actions of Mr. Durr significantly deprived the citizens of that protection and eroded the trust earned each day by honest law enforcement officers throughout the nation,” Eikhoff continued. “The FBI is committed to aggressively investigating those who misuse their authority and violate the individual’s rights in the execution of their sworn duty.”
It’s unclear if Durr is still employed as a law enforcement officer.
The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced a civil investigation into the sheriff’s office in neighboring Rankin County following the conviction of a police brutality ring dubbed ‘The Goon Squad,’ along with a recent scathing report on the City of Lexington in Holmes County for similar misconduct.
