A former North Carolina police sergeant was re-sentenced for using excessive force in a case where he reportedly threw a handcuffed woman onto pavement, causing a variety of facial injuries, according to a Feb. 17 U.S. Department of Justice news release.
According to the release, Robert George, 49, was re-sentenced from a case in 2013, to three years in prison and another year of supervised release. The incident in question took place while he worked for the Hickory Police Department.
“Police officers who violently and unlawfully assault people in their custody, causing severe physical injuries and trauma, are not above the law and will be held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This sentencing sends a strong message that the Justice Department will continue to aggressively prosecute officers who abuse their power by using unlawful force on people in their custody.”
The department’s security footage showed George assaulted a woman after she was arrested Nov. 11, 2013. He reportedly forcibly pulled the handcuffed woman out of his car and slammed her face down on the police station’s driveway. She suffered multiple injuries as a result, including a broken nose, severe dental trauma requiring multiple surgeries and cuts to the face. George then locked the woman in a cell and placed a spit-hood over her head due to her excessive bleeding.
“The security video of George's actions that day in 2013, is sickening,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert R. Wells of the FBI Charlotte Division. “We are grateful to our partners at the Hickory Police Department who immediately began an internal investigation and requested state and federal assistance. We hope today's re-sentencing sends a message that no one is above the law, and everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity.”
George was originally convicted Jan. 17, 2019, by a federal jury for using excessive force. He was previously sentenced to a term of probation by a different U.S. District Court judge, but this decision was reversed by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. The re-sentencing was carried out by U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell.
