Assault Took Place During Processing of Arrestee
WASHINGTON - Karen Usher, a former employee of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), was found guilty today of charges stemming from an incident in which she assaulted a woman who was being processed at the MPD’s Central Cellblock, Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent H. Cohen, Jr. announced.
Usher, 50, was found guilty of two counts of simple assault following a trial before the Honorable Senior Judge Susan R. Winfield of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. She is to be sentenced Nov. 19, 2015. Each of the charges carries a statutory maximum of 180 days in jail and potential financial penalties.
According to the government’s evidence, Usher was working on Aug. 29, 2013, as a uniformed technician in the Central Cellblock. At about 4:15 a.m., a woman who had been arrested for assault was brought to the cellblock for processing. Usher asked the woman, who was handcuffed in the front, to step towards her. The woman moved forward as instructed but then took another step. Usher then pushed her backwards. Then, although others in the cellblock had control of the woman, Usher swung a magnetometer towards the woman’s head, and kicked or attempted to kick the woman in the lower torso. Usher’s supervisor ordered her to leave the area, and the processing continued without incident. The woman declined medical treatment.
In announcing the judge’s verdict, Acting U.S. Attorney Cohen commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Krishawn Graham and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jean Sexton and Anwar Graves, who prosecuted the matter.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
