Kentucky State Police troopers charged with assaulting a man and lying to cover it up
Three Kentucky State Police troopers conspired to cover up the use of excessive force against a man, a federal grand jury has charged.
One of the officers, Michael L. Howell, 32, was first indicted in June. The grand jury returned a superseding indictment Wednesday that added charges against Jeremy Elliotte, 28, and Derrek Lovett, 30, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Lovett is no longer a trooper, according to the release.
The indictment alleges that Elliotte and Lovett assaulted someone during an arrest in August 2020, according to the news release.
The indictment identifies the victim only by the initials B.H., but the three men are defendants in a related civil lawsuit alleging an assault on Bradley Hamblin in Whitley County.
The lawsuit alleges officers “brutally and viciously” beat Hamblin after he was handcuffed, breaking bones in his face and causing a head injury, and that the officers threatened him with further harm if he didn’t say he had resisted arrest.
The indictment charges Lovett and Elliotte with violating the victim’s rights by using excessive force, and charges all three officers with conspiracy to come up with a false story to cover the incident, according to the Department of Justice.
Elliotte allegedly falsely told a KSP supervisor that the victim tried to flee three times; that he “aggressively” resisted arrest; and that he flailed his arms and put his arms underneath him before any use of force against him.
Lovett also gave false information to a supervisor about Hamblin trying to flee, the indictment said.
The indictment said Howell withheld information from a supervisor about officers repeatedly punching the victim in the face. Howell described the use of force as “pretty bad,” the indictment said.
In addition to the other charges, the updated indictment alleges Elliotte illegally entered a home without a warrant or legal justification, depriving three people of their right to be free from unreasonable searches, according to the news release.
The FBI investigated the case.
Howell has pleaded not guilty. Elliotte and Lovett have not had their initial court appearance.
The most serious charge against the three carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for a conviction.
Capt. Paul Blanton, public affairs commander for KSP, said in a statement to the Herald-Leader that the agency suspended the three troopers as soon as it learned of the alleged excessive use of force, and cooperated with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the investigation.
Lovett later resigned and Howell and Elliotte are suspended without pay, Blanton said.
“KSP does not condone any illegal behavior or conduct that falls outside of the agency’s ethical standards and policies and procedures,” Blanton said.
This story was originally published August 18, 2022 at 8:58 AM.
