Marion County Sheriff John Layton announced today that he
has terminated a Deputy who has been criminally charged in an incident that occurred
in the Arrestee Processing Center on May 20, 2012. David M. Carrico, 28 years of age, has been preliminarily
charged with a D Felony and an A Misdemeanor for assaulting an arrestee. Carrico had been a member of MCSO since April
2005.
According
to the probable cause affidavit, at the time of the incident there were six
arrestees and two Deputies in the Receiving Room at the APC. One of the arrestees was Harry Hooks, Jr., 43
years of age. In the complaint filed
after his release, Hooks alleged that Carrico kicked, punched and slammed him onto
the floor causing injuries.
In
a surveillance video of the incident, Hooks refused to face in the correct
direction and called the Deputies “racists.”
Otherwise, Hooks was not resisting arrest or fighting with Deputies or
other arrestees. Carrico suddenly crossed
the Receiving Room and put the handcuffed Hooks in a hand hold, and took him out
of the Receiving Room into the outer bay area.
Carrico led Hooks a few feet outside the Receiving Room door. There, Carrico threw Hooks to the floor, got
on top of him, and forced him against the floor surface. It appeared in the video that at no time did
Hooks resist or fight. Other Deputies quickly
responded to assist in getting Hooks off the floor and back into the Receiving
Room for processing.
After
the incident, Carrico reported a bite wound to his right thumb, which a Deputy described
as a “knick” in a report. Carrico was
sent to the IU Health Clinic for evaluation.
In a medical report, the treating physician described the injury as
”broke skin, minimal bleeding.” Carrico contended
that he took down Hooks because he “pulled away from me in a very aggressive
and violent manner.”
The
video shows that all the arrestees in the Receiving Room were docile and compliant,
no one was stirred to riot-like action, and no combative conditions existed in
the room. The actions of Hooks in the bay
area showed him as quiet, compliant and walking handcuffed in the custody of
Carrico when the takedown occurred.
In
addition to the termination of Carrico, Sheriff Layton has contacted the F.B.I.
and requested a preliminary civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department
of Justice to determine whether there were violations of federal law in
addition to the state law violations filed by the Marion County Prosecutor.
