Vol 7, No. 1 (Summer, 2006)

Officer Gets Reduced Sentence

Officer Wyatt Henderson of Florida — sentenced to seven years for using unreasonable force in an arrest — has had his prison sentence reduced to 27 months by a federal district court.

The charge against him occurred in May 2002 when suspect Christopher Grant resisted arrest. Officer Henderson, using a proper police maneuver, placed his knee on his back to force him to the ground. In the process, Grant’s chin hit the ground and received a superficial laceration that required no treatment. An Internal Affairs investigation concluded that the arrest was proper and lawful.

Grant, who was later charged with drug possession with intent to distribute, carrying a concealed weapon, and flight to avoid arrest, filed a civil rights action against the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Police. He claimed that Officer Henderson had hit him with a pistol, a baseless charge with no supporting evidence.

Wyatt Henderson is going to appeal his new sentence and then hopes to file a motion for a new trial based on ineffective assistance of counsel.