A former Delaware police officer convicted of assault and other charges in connection with a 2021 arrest has been sentenced to probation.
A jury last year convicted former Wilmington officer Samuel Waters of misdemeanor assault, official misconduct and evidence-tampering in the arrest that led to demonstrations after videos were posted on social media. He was acquitted of felony perjury in the case as well as another assault charge in connection with a separate arrest days earlier.
Authorities said Waters confronted a man in a south Wilmington convenience store in September 2021 after police were told that employees of a nearby day care facility were being harassed. Waters is seen on surveillance video approaching the man and speaking to him briefly, then grabbing his arm and turning him toward a plexiglass panel and ultimately shoving him against the panel and slamming his head into it twice before both fall to the floor.
DelawareOnline reports that prosecutors sought a six-month jail sentence Friday, but defense attorneys successfully argued that since Waters was fired in January 2022 and still faces a federal lawsuit, probation would be more appropriate.
No, probation was NOT fucking appropriate.
As always, ACAB.