Daniel Sutterfield, Excessive Force, Arkansas 2013

Arkansas police chief arrested for excessive force and falsifying a report.

Bull Shoals, Ark. - In a shocking turn of events, Chief of the Bull Shoals Police Department Daniel Sutterfield, 35, was arrested yesterday on charges related to his use of excessive force in the arrest of a Bull Shoals resident and a related false report. The charges come after a lengthy investigation led by the FBI.

The complaint, unsealed yesterday after Sutterfield's initial appearance in court, charges the police chief with one count of deprivation of rights and one count of falsifying a report. According to the complaint, on July 9, 2013, Sutterfield used excessive force in the arrest of a Bull Shoals resident and then directed an officer to write a false and misleading report regarding the incident in order to cover up and justify the use of excessive force.

If convicted, Sutterfield faces a statutory maximum punishment of 10 years in prison for the civil rights charge involving excessive force and a statutory maximum punishment of 20 years in prison for the falsification charge. The sentence will be determined by the court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant's prior criminal record, the defendant's role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violations.

The case is being investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Cindy Chung from the Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyra Jenner from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Arkansas.

A federal complaint is a written statement of the essential facts of the offenses charged and must be made under oath before a magistrate judge. The charges set forth in a complaint are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Bull Shoals Police Chief Daniel Sutterfield faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of falsifying a report, and up to 10 years in prison for deprivation of rights. He was arrested yesterday and is currently being held in custody.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/chief-bull-shoals-ark-police-department-arrested-use-excessive-force