A former Pike County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Office deputy, Jeremy C. Mooney, has been sentenced to 100 months in prison and three years of supervised release for federal civil rights violations involving excessive force.
Mooney, 49, was convicted by a federal jury in August 2023 of two counts of violating a victim’s constitutional rights by pepper spraying and punching the victim while the victim was restrained and posed no threat.
The jury found that Mooney’s actions involved the use of a dangerous weapon and resulted in bodily injury, the U.S. Department of Justice stated in press release dated March 27, 2024.
Mooney’s sentencing comes after he unlawfully used force against the victim, who was confined to a restraint chair at the Pike County Sheriff’s Office headquarters on November 18, 2019.
Mooney pepper-sprayed the victim twice directly in the face while the victim was in the restraint chair, causing him to writh in pain. Mooney then punched the victim in the head 11 times while he was still handcuffed and secured in the restraint chair, resulting in enough force to break Mooney’s own hand.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated:
“This defendant is being sentenced for the violent assault of 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 for the Southern District of Ohio emphasized that law enforcement officials who abuse their powers will be held accountable.
Mooney’s former supervisor, William Stansberry Jr., 47, of Chillicothe, Ohio, was also charged for failing to intervene to prevent Mooney’s conduct.
Stansberry pleaded guilty to deprivation of civil rights under color of law and was sentenced to six months in prison on March 5.
The FBI Cincinnati Field Office investigated the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and Trial Attorney Cameron A. Bell of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division prosecuting the case.
