SHELTON — Two Shelton police officers under investigation in connection with the alleged beating of a homeless man have been fired.
Shelton Police Chief Darrin Moody confirmed Monday that former officers Justin Doherty and Matt Dickinson were fired Nov. 6 after an internal investigation found their actions were in violation of city police policy on May 25.
iFIBER One News is releasing the officers' names because they were city employees.
“We found policy violations and violations in what we believe in here at the police department and the city, and the officers were terminated,” Moody told iFIBER One News. “We’ll be finishing up compiling all the report together so people will have more information as we move forward.”
Moody said documents detailing the police department’s personnel investigation were forthcoming.
Doherty and Dickinson have been on paid administrative leave since the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office investigation began in June.
Materials released by the Thurston sheriff’s investigators included graphic body cam video and audio of the beating and the man’s injuries, which included cuts and bruises to his face.
The incident took place in a stairwell outside Shelton’s Community Lifeline homeless shelter on North 3rd Street, authories said.
Findings from an independent investigation conducted by Thurston County Sheriff’s Office in July were turned over to the Mason County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
County Prosecuting Attorney Mike Dorcy was unavailable Monday morning to confirm if his office was filing charges against the former officers.
Thurston County sheriff’s detectives who investigated the case recommended charges in July.
Dorcy recently said he turned over investigation documents to Bob Bragg, a state expert in the use of excessive force by police officers. Bragg is the Criminal Justice Training Commission’s master instructor at the police academy in Burien.
The two Shelton officers made contact with the homeless man at about 1 a.m. May 25 regarding a possible trespass violation. A struggle ensued and the subject was then arrested.
Later that same day, Shelton Police Chief Darrin Moody was informed about the possible use of excessive force during the arrest. That prompted a review of the reports written by the arresting officers and the body cam video.
Shelton Police Department asked Thurston County Sheriff’s Office to conduct the external criminal investigation into the incident. City officials said that was to ensure that a thorough and accurate, transparent investigation of the incident could be completed.
