Ex-Michigan cop who beat motorist getting out of prison
DETROIT — A former Michigan police officer captured on video repeatedly punching a motorist during a traffic stop nearly two years ago is scheduled to be let out of prison this week.
William Melendez’s release comes after he spent 14 months behind bars, a month more than his minimum sentence for beating Floyd Dent.
Wayne County Circuit Judge Vonda Evans, who presided over Melendez's trial, sentenced him to 13 months to 10 years in the police brutality case. He is currently in the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia, Mich.
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A spokesman for the Michigan Department of Corrections didn’t give the exact date or time of when Melendez, who was an Inkster, Mich., police officer, will walk out of prison but said it will be "the week of Jan. 24."
Dent, who was driving without a valid license at the time of the stop, was hospitalized for injuries received.
He spoke with WDIV-TV last week about Melendez's release.
"I knew this day would come,” Dent told the station, adding he has forgiven Melendez for what he did.
In October, the Michigan parole board granted Melendez parole contingent upon him completing a behavioral therapy program, officials said.
That decision prompted Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy to send a four-page letter to the chairman of the parole board opposing parole for Melendez and asking the board to reconsider.
Worthy said in her October 2016 letter that video in the case showed Melendez using “excessive force to brutalize Mr. Dent." It went on to say his incarceration was “due to his absolute betrayal of the trust and authority placed in him to protect the community and uphold the laws of this state.”
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Maria Miller, a spokeswoman for the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, said Worthy’s position has not changed since the letter and “she remains opposed to Defendant Melendez receiving parole at this time.”
Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman Chris Gautz said the letter was taken under advisement, but did not have an impact on when to release Melendez.
Melendez’s attorney, James Thomas, could not immediately be reached for comment Monday, but told the Detroit Free Press previously that he leaves it up to the parole board to make a "just decision."
Police dashcam video shows Melendez punched Dent 16 times during a January 2015 traffic stop. The video was a key piece of evidence and jurors repeatedly watched it during the trial.
The defense argued Dent struggled with police during his arrest and said Melendez's use of force was reasonable. Jurors disagreed and found Melendez guilty of misconduct in office and assault with intent to do great bodily harm. He was acquitted on a third charge of assault by strangulation.
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Melendez, 48, has been behind bars since Nov. 19, 2015, the day the jury returned its verdict and Evans revoked his bond.
"The dashcam that was designed to protect you ended up being what convicted you," she said during his sentencing in February, calling the beating "disgusting."
Evans went under the sentence guideline minimum, which prosecutors said was two years and five months to four years and nine months when she sentenced Melendez. She gave the former cop less time than prosecutors asked for and more time than the defense sought.
Charges Dent faced after his arrest were dropped, and the city of Inkster reached a $1.37-million settlement with Dent after the video became public.
Follow Elisha Anderson on Twitter: @elishaanderson
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