Two former Arkansas sheriff’s deputies charged with federal civil rights violations for using excessive force | Regional News

FORT SMITH — The Justice Department announced Tuesday that a federal grand jury returned an indictment in which former Crawford County, Arkansas sheriff’s deputies Levi White, 32, and Zackary King, 27, charged with federal civil rights violations were charged with using excessive force against a 27-year-old man during that man’s arrest at a gas station in Mulberry, Arkansas on August 21, 2022.

Specifically, count 1 states that White repeatedly hit the arrested person who was lying on the ground. Count 2 of the indictment alleges that King repeatedly punched the detainee, including while the detainee was prone. The indictment also alleges that the arrested person sustained bodily harm as a result of the actions of White and King.

If convicted, White and King face a maximum of 10 years in prison on charges of excessive force; Both defendants also face up to three years’ supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes for the Western District of Arkansas, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and Acting Special Agent James A. Dawson of the FBI’s Little Rock Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI field office in Little Rock was investigating the case.

Assistant US Attorneys Dustin Roberts and Devon Still for the Western District of Arkansas and Trial Attorneys Anna Gotfryd and Michael J. Songer of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.