Pike County ex-deputy found guilty in inmate beating, pepper-spraying case
WAVERLY, Ohio (WCMH) -- A federal jury has found a former Pike County deputy guilty in a case originally investigated for excessive force, making for the second law enforcement official to be convicted from the same incident.
After a trial that began on Wednesday, 48-year-old Jeremy C. Mooney was found guilty on two counts of deprivation of civil rights under color of law, which could land him 10 years in prison. His former supervisor at the sheriff's office, 47-year-old William Stansberry Jr., pleaded guilty to a single charge of the same crime in July 2023, according to the office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.
A grand jury originally indicted the pair on Oct. 19, 2022. While they worked a shift overnight from Nov. 17 into Nov. 18, 2019, Mooney took an inmate from the Pike County Jail to the sheriff's office headquarters. The then-deputy placed the inmate in a "violent prisoner restraint chair" with his hands behind his back, U.S. District Attorney Kenneth Parker said.
Mooney then spent over an hour violently antagonizing the inmate. Parker detailed that the deputy dragged the inmate, still restrained, outside and pepper sprayed him directly in the face. The inmate moved around from the pain and his chair fell backward. While on the ground, Mooney pepper-sprayed him again.
After bringing the victim back inside, Mooney then punched him in the head 11 times, using enough force to break his own hand, according to Parker. Every instance of unlawful use of force happened while the inmate posed no threat to himself or others. While Stansberry Jr. did not participate in the beating, he violated the inmate's constitutional rights by intentionally doing nothing to stop the deputy he supervised.
Federal court records showed no sentencing date scheduled for Mooney or Stansberry Jr. as of Friday.