NOWATA, Okla. (AP) - Jurors have acquitted a twice-fired Owasso police lieutenant accused of using excessive force after a high-speed chase in 2015.
Michael Denton was found not guilty on Wednesday of assault and battery with a deadly weapon or reckless conduct with a firearm, the Tulsa World (https://bit.ly/2mFryxL ) reported.
Prosecutors said Denton endangered fellow officers while wielding a firearm on June 14, 2015, when he struck Cody Matthews with a shotgun multiple times after a pursuit.
Defense attorney Patrick Hunt said Denton is well-trained and struck Matthews to keep him from retrieving a knife.
“If I have to, every time that I’m in a violent encounter, if I have to stand in front of 12 law-abiding, taxpaying citizens and explain why I did what I did, I will do that,” Denton said after court adjourned.
He said pending the outcome of arbitration between him and the city of Owasso, he would like to return to work with the police department.
“I’ve got 25 years, and I plan on doing at least 35, maybe 40,” Denton said.
Denton was fired in March 2016, following an internal investigation into his actions in Matthews’ arrest. Denton was also fired in 2011 for a violation of Owasso’s use-of-force policy in another incident, but he was reinstated by an arbitrator.
Owasso Police Chief Scott Chambless said in a statement that the department stands by its decision to fire Denton.
“The outcome of the trial in no way diminishes my belief that the decisions made by Mr. Denton are inconsistent with Owasso Police Department policies and the department’s core values,” he said.
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Information from: Tulsa World, https://www.tulsaworld.com
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