FORT SMITH -- The jury trial for two former Crawford County Sheriff's Office deputies facing federal civil rights charges stemming from the use of force during an arrest recorded on video and went viral will be reset for April 22.
U.S. District Judge P.K. Holmes signed an order granting a motion to continue the jury trial for Levi White and Zackary King on Monday, according to court records. Holmes presided over a hearing concerning the motion on Thursday.
White and King were arrested in connection with a federal investigation and arraigned on one count each of deprivation of rights under color of law in U.S. District Court on Jan. 24. Their indictment, filed Jan. 11, accuses them of striking Randal Worcester, 28, of Goose Creek, S.C., multiple times while Worcester was on the ground during an arrest Aug. 21, 2022, causing bodily injury.
Both men pleaded not guilty, according to court records. Their trial originally had been set for April 3 before being continued in March to Dec. 11.
White and King were fired Sept. 29, 2022, with a recommendation for decertification due to "excessive use of force," according to records from the Arkansas Division on Law Enforcement Standards and Training. They had been suspended with pay after Worcester's arrest.
Zackary King
Levi White