An ex-officer of the New Castle Police Department was indicted by a federal grand jury in Indianapolis, Indiana, late yesterday on three charges of deprivation under colour of law and one count of witness tampering.
According to the indictment, Aaron Strong, 44, assaulted J.W., T.C., and E.S. while they were in custody pending trial, inflicting physical harm on all three of them while violating their civil rights by employing unreasonable force. The indictment also makes the claim that hazardous weapons were used in the attacks on J.W. and E.S. The maximum sentence for each of these civil rights offences is 10 years in jail.
The indictment also accuses Strong of one count of witness tampering for engaging in deceptive behaviour toward another person with the purpose of impeding, delaying, and preventing the delivery of information pertaining to the attack of J.W. to a federal law enforcement official. The maximum sentence for the offence is 20 years in jail.
The statement was made by Special Agent in Charge Herbert Stapleton of the FBI’s Indianapolis Field Office, U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers for the Southern District of Indiana, and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Blackett for the Southern District of Indiana and Trial Attorney Alec Ward of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. It was investigated by the FBI Indianapolis Field Office.
‘An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.’