An Arapahoe county man has filed a federal civil lawsuit claiming an Arapahoe County jail deputy slammed his face into the floor without provocation.
Austin Whiting, who had been arrested on a misdemeanor drunken driving case, has sued deputy Nathaniel Allen Wright accusing him of excessive force.
Whiting seeks along with attorney’s fees.
Whiting claims that while he was being booked into jail on Feb. 26, 2013, a female deputy told him he could get phone numbers out of his phone. He got his mother’s number and began calling her to tell her about his arrest.
While he was on the phone, Wright walked over to Whiting and told him he was only allowed to get numbers out of his phone. Wright said his call to his mother would be considered his one free call, the lawsuit filed Wednesday by Denver attorneys David Lane and Nicole Godfrey says.
, and he and the deputy exchanged words.
Wright then ordered Whiting to stand up and as Whiting was standing, the deputy grabbed the inmate by the shirt and slammed him to the floor face first, the lawsuit says. Wright pressed Whiting’s head and face to the floor, causing minor injuries, the suit says.
About six deputies swarmed toward Whiting, who weighed 120 pounds, and the deputy, who weighed 210 pounds, and separated them, handcuffed Whiting and put him in a holding cell.
The lawsuit claims that a sergeant brought Wright into a separate room and told him he had used excessive force against Whiting.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206, denverpost.com/coldcases or twitter.com/kirkmitchell
