Harris County Deputy Constable accused of using excessive force
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A man is accusing a Harris County Precinct 7 deputy constable sergeant of excessive use of force, and the incident was all captured on the deputy's body camera.
According to a lawsuit filed in Harris County, Corey Spiller accused Deputy Sgt. Jared Lindsay of an unprovoked attack where the sergeant grabbed Spiller by the throat, took him to the ground, and then Tasers were deployed at Spiller.
This happened in the early morning hours of Dec. 21, 2019. According to court documents, Spiller's girlfriend lost control of her car on a Houston-area highway. As Precinct 7 deputies responded to the accident on the freeway, Spiller also showed up at the scene.
WATCH: Body cam video shows alleged excessive force at crash scene
In the video, you can see Spiller and his girlfriend calmly standing on the side of the road as Sgt. Lindsay arrived at the scene and stated he was the supervisor.
"You came from a tattoo shop?" Lindsay can be heard asking.
The girlfriend nodded her head.
"He came afterwards. So nobody else in the car?" Lindsay asked.
The woman nodded her head once again.
At that point, Spiller can be seen asking some questions, as Sgt. Lindsay approaches him.
"Can I talk to someone?" Spiller is heard asking in the video.
"Buddy, I'm the supervisor," said Sgt. Lindsay.
At that point, you see Lindsay grab Spiller by the throat and take him to the ground.
"Don't you (expletive) with me," Lindsay is heard shouting repeatedly.
After tasing Spiller and putting him under arrest, Sgt. Lindsay is then heard on the radio saying he suffered abrasions on the hand and lip. He then approaches Spiller, and yells at him.
"Dude you don't (expletive) swing at a cop, man, you don't like what happens here? I don't give a (expletive) man, I'm the supervisor in charge, you don't like what happens? Tough (expletive) (expletive)," he said
Spiller was charged with assaulting a peace officer that day. However, on Nov. 5, just last week, the charge was dismissed. According to documents on file, prosecutors dismissed the case because it "could not reach the complainant, (Lindsay)."
"Corey suffered pain, he was in fear of his life from the strangling, and they charged him with a felony," said attorney Randall Kallinen, who has filed a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Spiller.
Spiller, who has always maintained his innocence, said Monday that life for the past year, with the charges hanging over him, has been difficult. "It slowed down a lot of things, it really traumatized me," Spiller said. "I thought my life was over. When I was in jail, I just thought I lost everything I worked hard for just because I was helping my girlfriend out to make sure she's okay."
Spiller and his girlfriend are now engaged to be married.
Meanwhile, Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis says he believes an outside agency should investigate the actions of Sgt. Lindsay.
"I've looked at the video twice, so there's enough there that it clearly warrants being reviewed. It warrants an investigation, a full investigation, and let the chips fall where they may," said Ellis.
ABC13 called and spoke briefly with Lindsay on the phone. He would only confirm he still works for Precinct 7, but would not comment further on the actions caught on his own body cam.
Precinct 7 Constable May Walker had no comment on the incident, citing the fact that a civil lawsuit has been filed.
Spiller has no criminal history in Harris County and Kallinen says he will be working to get this arrest incident expunged from his records.
Kallinen has filed suit against both Precinct 7 Constable May Walker's office, as well as Sgt. Lindsay. Kallinen says the video speaks for itself, and clearly shows that his client did not provoke Sgt. Lindsay in any way.
The Harris County Precinct 7 Constable's Office issued the following statement:
"Since it has been brought to our attention that a lawsuit has been filed, we cannot comment on any pending civil litigation. The case has been turned over to the County Attorney's office."
