An Arkansas sheriff has been charged with federal civil rights offenses for allegedly assaulting three handcuffed inmates, the Justice Department said Tuesday.
Franklin County Sheriff Anthony Boen faces three counts of deprivation of rights under color of law for incidents that occurred between 2017 and 2018, a DOJ news release said.
Boen was released on $5,000 bond after pleading not guilty.
A federal indictment said Boen punched a detainee multiple times in the head and body in September 2017 while the inmate was handcuffed and shacked in the back of a police car. On Nov. 21, 2018, the sheriff allegedly pushed another detainee to the floor and grabbed his hair and beard during an interrogation.
On Dec. 3, 2018, Boen struck a detainee shackled to a bench inside the Franklin County jail who was not resisting, according to the indictment obtained by the Arkansas Times. All three alleged victims suffered bodily injuries, federal prosecutors said.
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Boen took office in 2011, the Arkansas Times reported. He is forbidden from entering the sheriff's office and from possessing a gun, the alternative weekly said. However, he is still empowered to sign checks.
He faces up to 30 years in prison, three years of supervised release and up to $250,000 in fines. A trial is set for Feb. 3.