Jeremy C. Mooney, Excessive Use Of Force, Ohio 2023

A former Pike County deputy has been sentenced to 100 months in prison for committing civil rights violations while employed as a law enforcement officer.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Jeremy C. Mooney, 49, was convicted by a federal jury of two counts of violating a victim’s constitutional rights by pepper spraying and punching the victim in the head. The victim was in the custody of the Pike County Sheriff’s Office and posed no threat to himself or others.

Moonney was found to have used a dangerous weapon and his actions resulted in bodily injury. The jury delivered the conviction in August 2023.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke stated that Mooney’s sentencing is a result of the defendant assaulting an inmate who was confined to a restraint chair and unable to protect himself or escape from the abuse.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker emphasized that law enforcement officers must honor their responsibility to uphold the rule of law and not deprive individuals of their civil rights. He stated that Mooney’s actions are a clear abuse of his power.

According to court documents, Mooney dragged the victim from the jail to the Pike County Sheriff’s Office headquarters, where he placed the victim in a restraint chair. For more than an hour, Mooney unlawfully used force against the victim on several occasions.

Mooney also punched the victim in the head 11 times, breaking his own hand in the process. A former Pike County Sheriff’s Office supervisor, William Stansberry Jr., was also charged and pleaded guilty to deprivation of civil rights under color of law. He was sentenced to six months in prison and three years of supervised release.

The sentencing was announced by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and Trial Attorney Cameron A. Bell from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

A former deputy has been brought to justice for his actions, serving as a reminder that law enforcement officers will be held accountable for any abuse of power.

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