The State Police today charged Cherokee Village police officer Joshua Trivitt with second-degree battery in the beating of a man in 2016. He was already a defendant in a civil right suit over the incident. He was jailed in Sharp County pending a bond hearing.
The arrest brought a statement from lawyers for Randall Lea Veazier of Sharp County, who said two officers brutalized him.
Attorneys Jim Harris and Zach Morrison, Law Offices of Harris & Morrison of Blytheville, Arkansas, issued the following statement after the arrest of Cherokee Village, Arkansas police officer Joshua Trivitt, one of several police officers they have accused in a federal civil rights lawsuit for brutal beating of their client, Randall Lee Veazie of Sharp County:
“Officer Trivett’s arrest today is long past due. We are pleased that the authorities have investigated this matter and that the wheels of justice are finally beginning to turn. It does not, however, abrogate our disbelief that it has taken nearly two (2) years for the law to catch up with Officer Trivett. It is our hope that authorities will provide our client with victim services, just as they would any other individual in his position.”
Veazie sued four officers in May, including two Ash Flat police officers and a Sharp county reserve deputy. They’d gone to Veazie’s house on a domestic call. Veazie was intoxicated. KAIT reported:
The lawsuit alleges that Officer Josh Trivitt body-slammed Veazie.
It also said that body camera video shows Officer Tom Rigsby hit Veazie on the side of the head with a flashlight while Veazie was laying on the ground and handcuffed.
Ash Flat Officer Colton Wilson reportedly said Veazie was pulled out of the police car after trying to kick the officer, busting his chin on the pavement, KAIT also reported. He suffered bone fractures and cuts.
FBI and State Police have been investigating. It’s unknown if any other charges are contemplated.