A former Des Moines police officer was sentenced on Monday to 63 months in federal prison for kicking a restrained suspect in the face. Although dash cam footage from a patrol car caught the officer kicking in the suspect’s teeth and breaking his nose, Officer Colin Boone did not mention using excessive force in his arrest report. Instead of trying to cover up Officer Boone’s actions, his fellow officers reported the crime to their supervisors after learning Boone had submitted a false narrative.
Early on the morning of February 19, 2013, Orville Hill was driving his minivan on an icy road when he accidentally crashed into a concrete barrier. After several Des Moines police officers arrived on the scene, Hill panicked and attempted to drive away. The officers immediately pulled Hill from the van and threw him onto the ground before restraining him.
Dash cam footage revealed three officers holding Hill on the ground and a fourth cop standing over him when Officer Colin Boone ran up to them viciously kicking Hill in the face. Although Hill had been lying facedown and was not attempting to attack the officers, Boone knocked out two of his front teeth and broke his nose. After the incident, Hill was taken to Broadlawns Medical Center for treatment and stitches.
In his arrest report, Boone failed to mention using excessive force on the restrained suspect. Instead of trying to cover up the incident, Boone’s fellow officers reported the abuse to their supervisors. Dash cam footage from a patrol car verified their allegations against Boone.
“This was a violent, criminal action,” stated U.S. Attorney Nicholas Klinefeldt. “Defendant Colin Boone kicked a defenseless man in the face. He will now be held responsible in the same way as all of the defendants he has helped put in jail. This was also a betrayal of trust: former police officer Colin Boone betrayed the trust of the public he served and of the officers with whom he served.”
After the department fired him, Boone was arrested for deprivation of rights under color of law. According to his testimony at Boone’s trial, Hill told the court that he has been diagnosed with epilepsy and suffers from seizures. As he felt a seizure coming on, Hill attempted to pull his vehicle over when he crashed into the concrete barrier.
According to the officers’ testimonies, they suspect Hill had been under the influence of some narcotic. Although Hill admitted that he had smoked marijuana prior to driving, he refused to take a drug test at the hospital after the incident.
While testifying at Boone’s trial, Officer Lindsey Kenkel recalled, “(Boone) said ‘I was just trying to knock him out a little bit.’”
Boone was convicted of violating Hill’s civil rights by using unreasonable force on March 13. He was sentenced on Monday to 63 months in federal prison.
On January 19, 2012, former Des Moines police officer John Mailander pled guilty to covering up and falsifying an arrest report in which his partner, Mersed Dautovic, savagely beat a man with his baton during a traffic stop. After serving 20 months in prison, Dautovic was arrested again for domestic abuse against his girlfriend, Mevlida Dzananovic. Earlier this year, Dautovic murdered his girlfriend before committing suicide.
COMMENTS