WALDRON -- The state resolved its criminal case against a former Waldron police officer it charged in connection with the use of force during an arrest last year.
Omar Gonzalez, 39, entered a negotiated guilty plea to one count of third-degree battery, a class A misdemeanor, in Scott County Circuit Court, according to a Wednesday news release from Emily White, a special prosecuting attorney for the 15th Judicial District.
Gonzalez was sentenced to pay a $1,000 fine and $250 in standard court costs, according to court documents. The remaining two charges of third-degree battery against Gonzalez, which stemmed from physical injury he caused as a Waldron officer during the arrest of Robert Deer of Van Buren on Feb. 16, 2022, were dismissed in accordance with his plea agreement.
Gonzalez was arrested on a warrant for his charges by Arkansas State Police on Sept. 30. Scott County Sheriff Randy Shores, 62, was arrested on a warrant for two counts of accomplice to third-degree battery in connection with the same incident.
Both men waived formal arraignment and pleaded not guilty to their charges in November, court records state.
John Rhone, a special agent with Arkansas State Police, wrote in Gonzalez's and Shores' arrest affidavits the Mansfield and Huntington police departments were chasing a white van being driven by Deer south on U.S. 71 at 11:11 p.m. Feb. 16, 2022. Gonzalez and Shores, along with other Waldron and Scott County law enforcement officers, joined the chase in the Packsaddle community and continued through Waldron.
Deer lost control of his van at the intersection of U.S. 71 and Echo Road, after which it left the road and stopped, according to Rhone. Deer followed the officers' orders to exit his vehicle and lie on the ground. Gonzalez afterward approached Deer and kicked him on the back of the head. Gonzalez proceeded to place his knee in Deer's back and hit him "several times" on the head with his fist, according to the affidavits.
"After Mr. Deer's hands were cuffed behind his back, Officer Gonzalez picked Mr. Deer off the ground and slung him into the front of Mr. Deer's van headfirst," Rhone said.
Rhone wrote in Shores' arrest affidavit Shores witnessed Gonzalez hit Deer on the head several times and sling him while handcuffed into the front of his van, according to body camera videos two Huntington and Mansfield police officers recorded at the scene.
Gonzalez resigned from his position as sergeant May 2, according to Police Chief Jeremy Hunt. Paperwork was sent to the state Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training to decertify Gonzalez.
White said Wednesday the state's case against Shores is still open. Shores' jury trial is set for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in Scott County Circuit Court in Waldron, according to court records.
Population
Scott County had a population of 9,836 as of April 1, 2020.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau