article via newsone.com
The family of 15-year-old Dajerria Becton plans to pursue a civil lawsuit against former McKinney, Texas police officer Eric Casebolt for slamming her to the ground during a pool party.
A grand jury decided last week not to indict Casebolt, saying there was not enough evidence of criminal wrongdoing, despite the video showing the former officer slamming and sitting on the young woman and even drawing his gun on two other teenagers who attempted to help her.
Casebolt resigned from his position in the McKinney Police Department four days after the altercation took place at a pool party in 2015.
On Monday’s edition of NewsOne Now, Becton family attorney Kim Cole spoke with guest host Avis Jones-DeWeeverabout the lawsuit against Casebolt and the McKinney Police Department, and addressed Becton’s condition since she was brutally assaulted by the former cop.
The charges filed include assault, battery, unlawful detention, and infliction of emotional distress.
Cole considers their chances of receiving justice through a civil suit greater than criminal litigation, “because the standard of proof is lower than of a criminal case.” She also emphasized the effect of the jury pool’s impact on receiving justice in cases involving police misconduct and said, “I think that is problematic in a lot of cases across the U.S. as well…The jury pools are rarely diverse.”
Cole said the McKinney case is “indicative of a much larger problem in this country.”
When asked how Becton is doing, Cole said, “Physically, she has healed,” and then added, “she is struggling emotionally … with all of this being back in the media again it’s difficult, it’s tough for her.”
Cole concluded, “This is something that will follow her for the rest of her life.”
Source: Texas Family To Sue After No Indictment In Pool Attack On Teens | News One
December 22, 2024
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