Crawford County deputies use excessive force frequently, Arkansas residents come forward with claims

Two additional witnesses have come forward to allege that they were subjected to excessive force by one of the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department deputies who was involved in the violent arrest of a man in Mulberry, Arkansas, a month ago. The incident occurred when the deputy was trying to apprehend the man who was violently resisting arrest.

Both Polly Risenhoover, 67, and Sarah Trammell, 44, said that deputy Zach King forcibly handled them during their interactions with him. Deputy King was one of three Arkansas law enforcement officers whose behavior during the arrest of Randal Worcester in August prompted investigations at the state and federal levels. A woman and a man both claimed, in separate statements made one month ago, that Levi White, another deputy who participated in the arrest, used excessive force against them on different occasions.

While Trammell claimed that she feared for her life during her confrontation with King, Risenhoover stated that her interaction with the deputy left her so beaten that she needed to spend a significant amount of time in the hospital.

Risenhoover expressed their confusion by stating, “I don’t think anything I did justified this kind of pain against me.” “This has been a challenging year.”

When King, White, and Mulberry Police Officer Thell Riddle were seen on video by a bystander violently arresting Worcester last month, the video quickly went viral and drew widespread condemnation, including from the governor of Arkansas. Asa Hutchinson was among those who voiced their disapproval of the incident. According to a statement made by a representative for the Arkansas State Police, the police were on their way to the scene of a disturbance when they came across Worcester.

The video shows one of the police repeatedly striking and kneeing Worcester in the head. After that, the officer grabs Worcester’s hair and slams him on the ground. While one cop keeps the victim down, a second officer repeatedly knees the man in the stomach.

After the event, the attorneys for Worcester have stated to NBC News that their client’s right ear was swollen and purple, that he had abrasions to both of his knees, and that he complained of discomfort in his head.

There was not a single body camera visible on any of the three policemen. The video captured by the dashboard camera installed in the Mulberry police vehicle has not been made available to the public.

Risenhoover, Trammell, and their attorneys have expressed the hope that by coming out, they would be able to persuade the sheriff’s office to make an investment in body-worn cameras so that accountability can be increased within the department and others will not be subjected to abuse.

The attorneys Carrie Jernigan and David Powell stated that since the arrest of Worcester, whom they are also representing, they have heard from a number of people from the community who have alleged that they were abused at the hands of deputies in Crawford County. Worcester’s case is also being handled by Carrie Jernigan and David Powell.

Powell referred to the confrontation that King had with Risenhoover and indicated that King’s actions amounted to “basically a battery.” “It’s evidence of excessive force by that cop, and it’s been tolerated by that department,” the witness said. “It’s been allowed by that department.”

Multiple requests for a statement were made to Crawford County Sheriff Jimmy Damante, but he did not respond to any of them.

An attorney for King and White named Russell Wood was asked to comment on the charges, but he did not respond to the request for an interview. Regarding the instances, the deputies have not provided any statements to the public. According to the statements made by their respective agencies and Hutchinson, who made the announcement regarding the investigations, King, White, and Riddle have been placed on administrative leave while separate investigations into their arrest of Worcester are carried out at the state and federal levels.

Risenhoover stated that deputies visited her residence on May 20, 2021, in response to a tip that a guy was armed with a firearm. She said that a neighbor had thought her son’s BB gun was an actual firearm.

Risenhoover and her husband “were outdoors cursing and screaming,” according to an incident report, and they disobeyed demands to come down from their porch and reveal their hands. They also did not cooperate with requests to identify themselves. King reported that Risenhoover had struck him in the face while the deputy who investigated the incident was completing the report. Risenhoover stated that she could not remember ever having engaged in such behavior during an interview with NBC News.

She continued by saying, “My husband and I were standing on the porch.” “And my husband was being extremely outspoken, and I believe that made them angry,” I said.

Risenhoover stated that King grabbed her by the face, threw her down on her deck, and kneed her in the ribs while two other deputies were cuffing her husband.

According to the event record, she made a complaint about being harmed, and after that, she was taken to the hospital. However, she was not arrested.

Risenhoover stated that her life had undergone a significant transformation ever since she had met King.

She explained, “I know how badly this has wounded me, and that is the reason why I’m finally going up with this.” They say your golden years are meant to be great but mine are not. I don’t want anyone else to go through this. “I feel like it has taken time off of my life.”

Powell asserted that there must be accountability, and that having body cameras and dashcams installed in law enforcement cars would make it much simpler to accomplish this goal.

Powell expressed the sentiment that “we want some justice for the people who have come forward.” “Perhaps this department needs to apply for state or federal funding and put these things in place if their cops are going rogue like this,” you might say. “If their officers are going rogue like this.”

According to Trammell, she suffers from bipolar disorder and was experiencing a psychotic episode when King detained her on June 19th. According to her older sister, Crystal McCabe, the two of them were talking on the phone when Trammell began acting erratically after she ran out of petrol.

According to McCabe, “she had no idea where she was.” McCabe stated that her sister was unable to form meaningful sentences because she was afraid and she believed she was in paradise.

King was sent to investigate a report of a white woman who was reportedly running into traffic and opening mailboxes. When King arrived on the site, a neighbor allegedly told him that Trammell had gone into a stranger’s car and then into a van and indicated that it was hers. This information is contained in an affidavit that King wrote in order to establish probable cause. King stated in the affidavit that when he asked Trammell her name, she responded “Sarah,” and when he asked her her last name, she looked down at his name tag and said “King.” When King asked Trammell her date of birth, Trammell allegedly responded “today,” at which point King stated that he told her to put her hands behind her back because she was under arrest and that she told him “no,” and that he would have to drag her out

Due to the fact that Trammell was in a manic state, she stated in an interview that she was under the impression that King could be her spouse. She asserts that she has done nothing wrong. She claimed that she recalled King shocking her on many occasions. She relayed the following: “He shoved me down on my belly.” “And I just remember him being like, on top of me, and I just felt a lot of pressure, and then the tasing,” she said. “And I just remember him being like, on top of me.”

While they were both on the ground, King said in the affidavit that Trammell kicked him and slapped him many times. He also claimed that he “dry stunned” Trammell multiple times. Additionally, he claims that Trammell grabbed his taser with both hands, which is a claim that she denies making.

King claimed that with the assistance of a witness who was present at the scene, he was able to successfully handcuff Trammell.

She shared her thoughts, “I thought that he was going to kill me.” “I had the impression that my life was in jeopardy.”

Trammell was taken into custody on multiple accusations, including second-degree violence, breaking and entering, illegal use of a vehicle, and resisting arrest. The previous week, she was granted freedom after posting bond. Powell stated that formal charges have not been brought against Trammell yet.

Powell and members of Trammell’s family have stated that King ought to have been aware that Trammell was not in the correct state of mind and should have showed her compassion.

“I just feel like if he would have talked to me like I was a human being, and treated me as one and not as an animal or whatever, I feel like, things would have gone differently,” she said. “I just feel like if he would have talked to me like I was a human being, and treated me as one and not as an animal or whatever, things would have Because I was nervous, I don’t feel as though he gave me the opportunity to talk to him.

Since Worcester’s arrest, there have been other complaints of abuse made publicly against sheriff’s deputies, and Trammell has expressed her dissatisfaction with these allegations.

The allegations made by Risenhoover and Trammell follow those made by another woman and a man who alleged a month ago that they, too, had been abused by a sheriff’s officer during separate arrests. Those allegations were made last month.

During the arrest that took place on August 14, Tammy Nelson claimed that she had bruises all over her body, including on her knees, elbows, shoulders, and arms. White was the one who made the arrest. She had earlier told NBC News that White had acted aggressively against her and kneed her near what she referred to as her “private area.” Her detention was the result of a civil dispute that was related to an easement. According to her and her attorneys, she was charged with obstruction of government operations as well as harassment, all of which are classified as misdemeanors. She is maintaining her innocence at this time.

She alleged that the sheriff’s office did not follow up on a verbal complaint that she filed at the office a day after she was released from jail. She said that the complaint was filed at the office.

Teddy Wallace claimed that White struck him with a baton and shocked him three times while they were fighting.

During a press conference that took place one month ago, Wallace stated, “I got a number of abrasions on my elbows, my knees, and my legs were bruised.” “I just just got healed up from it all. My head was split open.” “I have a massive bruise on my right arm. I just now got healed up from it all.”

Wood, the attorney for King and Crawford, had previously declined to comment on Nelson’s and Wallace’s charges against his clients and directed NBC News to the Facebook page of his legal company instead.

In a statement that was published on that page, reference was made to a press conference at which Nelson and Wallace made their statements.

According to the statement, “it never fails that high profile situations draw out all sorts of people and their attorneys.” [Citation needed] “I was not able to watch this program, so I am unable to comment on the charges that have been made.”