Lawsuit settled in Wiggins police excessive force case
GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) – A lawsuit alleging three Wiggins police officers assaulted a man in municipal court and in a hallway has been settled with undisclosed terms following a three-day trial.
The Sun Herald reports U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden dismissed the lawsuit of Jack Ronald Smith Jr. on Dec. 16.
Ozerden signed a 32-page partial summary judgment on Nov. 9. He had ruled in favor of the city and for all but three officers named as defendants. He had decided the remaining officers should be tried in their individual capacities and said a jury could determine if the officers deprived Smith of his rights.
The trial of officers Michael Carter, Randy Vinson and John Rhodes started Dec. 14. On its third day, the judge was notified a confidential agreement had been reached.
