A Denver judge wants to know why District Attorney Mitch Morrissey didn’t charge a sheriff’s deputy who slammed a shackled inmate face-first into a metal window frame in 2012 and so has ordered him to appear in court Friday to explain.
It’s a valid if highly unusual inquiry from a court. Maybe Morrissey had good reason not to charge Deputy Brady Lovingier for his apparent assault on a shackled man. If so, however, you’d never know it from watching video of the incident.
Indeed, not only was inmate Anthony Waller seemingly non-violent at the time, he was surrounded by several law enforcement officers, meaning Lovingier could have called on help if he thought he might be overpowered.
Why Lovingier wasn’t charged is hardly the only lingering question from the incident, however. Why wasn’t he at the very least fired?
Instead, he was suspended for a mere 30 days — evidence of an agency culture at the time that was capable of justifying, or at least tolerating, the most outrageous behavior on the part of deputies.
To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit or check out our for how to submit by e-mail or mail.
