CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) –
The two Cleveland police officers accused of abusing a handcuffed female prisoner have been found not guilty.
Officers Adonna Perez and Lyndsey Bissell were both facing misdemeanor charges stemming from the 2010 incident at the city jail. It was caught on tape.
Officer Perez allegedly grabbed the handcuffed prisoner by the hair, slapped her in the back of the head and threw her through a steel gate. Perez is also accused of lying to her supervisor about the incident.
Officer Bissell was accused of not stopping the assault.
The officers had a bench trial in front of Judge Marilyn Cassidy, and she announced her verdict around 12:30PM.
Judge Cassidy considered factors such as no physical harm seen on the prison later and video of the incident shows no punching or kicking while the prisoner was on the ground.
Not present in the courtroom was the prisoner, Lajerrika Welch.
The officers are currently laid off. They still could face administrative charges when they come back to work.
http://www.19actionnews.com/story/15338410/verdict-expected-today-in-trial
Article Courtesy of WOIO 19 Action News
