DCSO: Investigators find use of force on woman resisting arrest was ‘reasonable’
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Nearly five months after the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation of a social media photo that appeared to show a sheriff’s deputy putting a knee on a woman’s neck during an arrest, the agency said outside investigators have determined “the use of force was reasonable under the circumstances.”
The screen shot of a cell phone video posted to NewsChannel 21’s Facebook page in June of this year was labeled as having been taken in Deschutes River Woods on June 11, 2019. A sergeant apparently is in the foreground of the photo.
Sheriff Shane Nelson noted after the photo came to light that “the neck is a sensitive area” and said the agency’s policies are “you do not use any type of force around the neck, unless it’s deadly use of force.”
Nelson directed the agency to hire outside investigators to look into the incident, and about 268 hours were spent on the investigation, Sgt. Jayson Janes said in Thursday’s announcement.
“Based on the evidence the investigators received and statements made by the involved persons, the investigation has shown that the use of force was reasonable for the circumstances, and the claims of excessive force was unfounded,” Janes said in a news release.
The sheriff’s office noted that the screen shot “depicts one moment of the incident and is not a representation of the complete incident.”
“The outside investigators focused on all force employed by the deputies, including one deputy using his knee to control the female, and determined the deputy’s use of his knee was reasonable because she was physically resisting the arrest,” Janes said.
