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Former Marion
County sheriff's deputy Jesse Terrell, 33, was charged with
depriving the man of his civil rights by repeatedly striking,
kicking and kneeing him. The other officers had previously
pleaded guilty, court records show.
An all-white jury deliberated for less than two hours, the Ocala
Star-Banner newspaper reported, noting that the officers
involved were also white. Terrell's defense argued that they
were dealing with a potentially violent suspect, it reported.
The decision comes at a time of heightened scrutiny of the use
of force by U.S. law enforcement, particularly against
minorities. Terrell had faced up to 10 years in prison.
The victim was left bloodied in a parking lot where he was
apprehended, after fleeing when authorities initially came to
execute a drug-related arrest warrant. A video recording showed
that he had raised his hands in the air, and he was lying
facedown on the concrete, before any officers reached him.
(Reporting by Letitia Stein, Editing by Franklin Paul)
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