Criminal charges have been filed against an Adams County sheriff’s deputy who is accused of breaking the jaw of a 15-year-old boy who was in an ambulance with his hands and feet restrained.
Patrol Deputy David Morrow, 28, is charged with child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, second- degree assault and tampering with a witness, all felonies, as well as a misdemeanor charge of official oppression, according to a joint statement Tuesday afternoon from the Adams County district attorney’s office and Sheriff’s Office.
The incident happened after deputies broke up a party in unincorporated Adams County between Thornton and Welby about 1 a.m. June 12, and the teenager was allegedly drunk and became “verbally abusive,” they said.
The boy was being taken to a hospital because he would not provide information about his parents so they could be notified, according to the statement, issued after an internal investigation of the incident.
“Witnesses report that Morrow entered the ambulance to retrieve his handcuffs,” the sheriff’s and prosecutor’s offices stated.
“As he passed the juvenile restrained on the ambulance gurney, Morrow struck the juvenile on the face with a closed fist.”
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by 9News, Morrow — a deputy since 2004 — then said to the ambulance staff, “Nobody saw anything, right?”
