Stories of alleged brutality by a Mississippi sheriff’s department

Mr Rushing and his girlfriend Nicole Brock, who witnessed the arrest, denied the claims. Mr Rushing said he was pulling over when officers rammed his vehicle and began shocking him with their Tasers while he was still in the driver’s seat. He said he was in handcuffs when Mr. Dedmon put a gun in his mouth and radioed that an armed man was fleeing. Mr. Dedmon then hit him in the head with a gun, Mr. Rushing said. His mugshot shows a large bleeding wound on his forehead, where Mr Rushing said he was beaten. Mr. Dedmon, who pleaded guilty this summer to federal and state charges related to the torture of three men, did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment left with his attorney.

Before taking him to jail, officers placed him in the bed of their truck and drove to a nearby service road, Mr. Rushing said, where they told him he had made a mistake when he came to their county and repeatedly shocked him with a Taser. Sheriff’s Department Taser logs show that Mr. Dedmon activated his Taser six times during the arrest, for a total of 19 seconds. After being taken to jail, Mr. Rushing described the encounter to another inmate, who corroborated his story.

Mr. Rushing said he filed a complaint with the department, detailing the abuse; an attorney for the department declined to provide copies, claiming they were personnel files. Mr Rushing spent eight months in prison, but charges arising from the incident were eventually dropped. Ms. Brock was charged with disorderly conduct and failure to comply and fined $697.

Dwayne Kaiser, 59

February 2020, Pearl, Ms.

Dwayne Kaiser was defrauded by a confidential informant in a $100 methamphetamine deal, according to department records. Rankin County officers then raided Mr.’s home. Kaiser without producing a search warrant, Mr. said. Kaiser. Department officials told reporters they could not find a copy of a search warrant. Officers took Mr. Kaiser to his bedroom, he said, where they demanded to know where the $100 was and punched him repeatedly. Mr. Kaiser said a deputy shocked him in the leg with his Taser, which is supported by department Taser logs. Deputies’ reports do not mention the use of force. Officers then beat him until he told them where to find the money, Mr. Kaiser said.

Mr. Kaiser pleaded guilty to selling methamphetamine and was sentenced to five years’ probation.

Barry Tatum Yawn, 40

June 2022, Florence, Madam.