A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis convicted former Northwoods, Missouri police officer Samuel Davis on March 11 of several charges related to the assault of a handcuffed man in 2023.
The case highlights concerns about police conduct and accountability, particularly regarding the treatment of individuals in custody.
Jurors found Davis, 28, guilty of one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, one count of witness tampering by way of misleading conduct for making a misleading statement to a police dispatcher, and one count of falsifying records in a federal investigation for turning off his body-worn camera. He was acquitted on one count of conspiracy. Another former officer, Michael Hill, 54, was acquitted on all charges.
According to evidence presented at trial, Northwoods police responded to a Walgreens store on July 4, 2023, after reports of shoplifting involving an individual identified as C.G., who was known to Davis. After handcuffing C.G., who cooperated with officers, Davis placed him in his patrol vehicle but did not take him to jail. Instead, he drove C.G. to an empty field in Kinloch where he pepper-sprayed him and beat him with a baton while he remained handcuffed—actions that resulted in a broken jaw—and then used a Taser on him. The attack ended when a passerby intervened; she later found C.G., bloodied and calling for help. Medical records confirmed the injuries and TASER logs indicated use around the time described.
Davis did not file any report about the arrest or use of force and turned off his body-worn camera during the incident.
Davis faces up to 10 years in prison for deprivation of rights under color of law and up to 20 years for the other convictions. The FBI and St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug and Trial Attorney Taylor Payne are prosecuting.
