Detroit suburb police chief resigns after officer beat black man: newspaper

[April 23, 2015]  (Reuters) - The police chief of a Detroit suburb resigned on Wednesday, the Detroit Free Press newspaper reported, just days after one of the department's officers was charged over a beating of a black driver in January that was caught on video.

It was the latest resignation of a police chief following allegations of excessive force used by officers against minorities, which have sparked protests and unrest in cities across the United States.

A statement from the city of Inkster said that Police Chief Vicki Yost's resignation was effective immediately, though it did not specifically mention the beating case and thanked Yost for her work, the newspaper reported.

On Monday, prosecutors charged former Inkster officer William Melendez, 46, with misconduct and assault in the beating of black motorist, Floyd Dent.
 

The charges follow the release of footage, where Melendez can be seen approaching Dent's car with his gun drawn before the door opens and his partner pulls Dent out. Melendez, who is white, then wraps an arm around Dent's neck and punches him on the head while his partner handcuffs him.

Dent, 57, said police physically abused him and planted cocaine in his car after the traffic stop about 20 miles (32 km) west of downtown Detroit.

The Detroit Free Press reported that a cocaine possession charge against Dent was also dismissed on Wednesday. A prosecutor's spokeswoman said on Monday that the charge would be dropped this week.

In March, Melendez testified at a hearing on Dent's drug charge that Dent ran a stop sign after leaving a motel known for drug activity and threatened him and his partner when he was pulled over.

Melendez, who was fired from the department earlier this month, was charged with misconduct in office, mistreatment of a prisoner and assault with intent to do bodily harm. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.

Former Ferguson, Missouri Police Chief Thomas Jackson resigned in March, following a scathing U.S. Justice Department report that found widespread racially biased abuses in the city's police department and municipal court.

The killing of unarmed, black Michael Brown, 18, by white police officer Darren Wilson there last summer sparked angry demonstrations across the country, which have been repeatedly reignited by subsequent police killings of minorities.

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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