SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A former San Antonio-area detention officer has been sentenced to a year in jail after being convicted of using excessive force against an inmate.
The San Antonio Express-News reports (https://bit.ly/2hXAmOf ) during Avery Lawrence’s punishment hearing Thursday, prosecutors told a judge the ex-Bexar County Sheriff’s Office detention officer betrayed the public trust.
Lawrence was convicted in November of official oppression, assault by a public servant and violating the civil rights of a person in custody, all misdemeanors.
Prosecutors say Lawrence punched or pushed inmate John Garcia in July 2014, slammed him to the floor and “did a knee strike to his back” so loud other inmates heard Garcia’s rib crack.
Lawrence’s attorney, Marilyn Bradley, says her client “might have made a mistake” but was in a very stressful and dangerous job.
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Information from: San Antonio Express-News, https://www.mysanantonio.com
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