Ex-Officer Eric Casebolt detaining Dajerria Becton. (YouTube)
A former Texas police officer will not face charges for his conduct during an arrest of a black teenager at a pool party in McKinney in June 2015.
Eric Casebolt resigned from the McKinney Police Department five days after the June 5 incident. Cell phone video, which went viral, showed Casebolt, then 40, violently detaining Dajerria Becton, 15. He is also seen pointing his gun at two unarmed teens who tried to help her.
A Collin County Grand Jury decided not to indict Casebolt on June 23, 2016, CBS DFW reports.
The incident was investigated by the Texas Rangers. You can watch the viral video from the incident below:
Police Chief Greg Conley called Casebolt’s actions “inexcusable” and said he was the only officer on the scene who didn’t follow proper protocols and training. Casebolt was a 10-year veteran of the McKinney department and had a disciplinary record. He became an officer after serving in the Navy.
#Breaking McKinney PD statement on grand jury decision not to indict Eric Casebolt
Casebolt’s attorney, Jane Bishkin said Casebolt “let his emotions get the best of him.” She said Casebolt, who is in an undisclosed location with his family because of alleged death threats, apologizes to anyone who felt harassed, including the 15-year-old girl.
She also said Casebolt was stressed because of two suicide calls he responded to prior to the pool party incident.
An attorney for the 15-year-old girl, Kim T. Cole, spoke about the investigation in early June 2016, telling CBS DFW, “We will not rest until there is justice,” Cole said. “The county’s inaction on the case has tacitly condoned an officer slamming a young black girl to the ground and sitting on her.”
Read more about Casebolt at the link below:
