Former Selmer Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Beating Inmate
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SELMER, Tenn. – More than two years after a former Selmer police officer beat an inmate in handcuffs, Christopher Reynolds pleaded guilty. “Imagine yourself being taken into custody by a police officer that is there to protect you and to do justice, and that officer crosses the boundary and no one is there to help you,” DJ Norton, the victim James McKinney’s attorney, said According to court documents, Reynolds repeatedly beat inmate James McKinney, who was arrested for driving for driving on a suspended license April 2011. “Mr. McKinney’s injuries, according to his doctors, included a traumatic brain injury, included bleeding on the brain, a skull fracture,” Norton said. Selmer Police Chief Neal Burks said they took the appropriate action and have done everything they could to distance themselves from the situation. “We immediately conducted our investigation, and it was determined that Officer Reynolds would be terminated because we definitely did not want this to be a reflection of the Selmer Police Department,” Chief Burks said. Reynolds admitted to using excessive force against McKinney in federal court, Wednesday, pleading guilty to violating the civil rights of an arrestee. “This case is not only about James McKinney. It’s about our constitution. It’s about our individual rights to be free from excessive force from police officers,” Norton said. Reynolds’ sentencing is scheduled for February 5, 2014. He faces up to10 years in prison.
