Wednesday, March 5, 2003
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Wednesday, March 5, 2003 |
PTC officer cleared of excessive force by federal jury last weekBy JOHN
MUNFORD A federal jury has cleared a Peachtree City police officer of any wrongdoing in the 1997 arrest of a woman who claimed the officer injured her shoulder and back while putting her under arrest. The jury took just 30 minutes to return the verdict Thursday afternoon. The jury ruled that Carolyn O'Keefe did not prove she was injured when Cpl. Vicki Roman arrested her for obstruction of a police officer while police investigated a possible domestic disturbance at their home on Nettlecure Court. Police Chief James Murray said it was difficult on the department to remain silent on the case while it was being "bashed" by the O'Keefe family in the media. He added that The Citizen "couldn't print" what he really wanted to say about the case. "We feel vindicated and we will continue to protect the citizens of Peachtree City," Murray said. Former City Attorney Rick Lindsey, who defended the city and Cpl. Roman in the case, said the four-day trial showed "there was no excessive force" used by Roman. Of all the photographs taken of Carolyn O'Keefe after the incident, none showed any bruising in the area she claimed to have been injured. That's because this type of injury would not necessarily be indicated by a bruise, said O'Keefe's attorney, Bruce Millar. Millar said he thought O'Keefe's case had been proven since she sought and received medical treatment after the arrest once she was taken to the Fayette County Jail. Two officers on the scene testified that O'Keefe did not indicate she was in pain or needed medical treatment after she was handcuffed by Roman. O'Keefe, to the contrary, testified that she was in tremendous pain, Millar said. "We felt we clearly proved she was injured by the officer," Millar said. Millar noted that he was not allowed to introduce evidence that Mrs. O'Keefe's arrest was struck down as illegal by Fayette County State Court Judge Fletcher Sams. Sams' ruling came in 1999 after a jury convicted Carolyn O'Keefe, Kevin O'Keefe and their son Thomas O'Keefe of misdemeanor charges stemming from the incident. No decision has been made on whether to seek an appeal of the verdict in the federal suit brought by Carolyn O'Keefe, Millar added.
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