LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Doña Ana County has agreed to pay $500,000 to settle a federal lawsuit filed by a man who was body-slammed by a jail officer in 2015 while being booked into the detention center.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports (http://bit.ly/2sNuLw2 ) Timothy Black agreed to settle his lawsuit against the county.
Black's lawsuit accused an officer of battery at the Doña Ana County Detention Center. Black had been arrested on a charge of resisting a police officer. While being booked, he was slammed to the ground and claims to have been knocked unconscious. The entire incident was captured on surveillance video.
Officer Luis Ruiz is still employed at the detention center and faces criminal charges. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison. He previously pleaded not guilty to one count of aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm.
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Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com