Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott announced today that he fired Senior Deputy Ben Fields over his violent interaction with a high school student, which caused uproar on the internet after being filmed by students.
Sheriff Lott said to in his statement that Fields, who was on unpaid leave for the last few days, broke department policy with his actions. He also made a point of thanking the students for filming the incident.
“It’s not what I expect from my deputies, and it’s not what I tolerate from my deputies,” said Lott. He pointed out that the “maneuver” that Fields used was not in line with procedure. He also said the video made him upset when he saw how the deputy “picked the student up, and he threw the student across the room.”
While the sheriff did admit that some responsibility fell on the student for not complying, he made it clear that “What she did doesn’t justify what our deputy did.”
Elaborating on the deputies wrongdoings, Lott said, “He should not have thrown the student.”
Asked about the student, the sheriff added, she “wasn’t a danger at that point. She was just being non-compliant and disrespectful.” The officer should have tried to talk with her and to deescalate before any physical contact.
“I wanted to throw up, it makes you sick to your stomach,” the visibly upset sheriff admitted.
Lott said that “any possible criminal investigation will be handled by federal and state agencies,” according to local WLTX TV.
Stephen Golchrist of the district’s Black Parents Association said to WIS-TV: “My son said to me, ‘Dad, no white child would have been removed from Spring Valley like that.” The organization is reportedly looking into further legal action against the officer.
The State newspaper reports: “Fields has had three lawsuits filed against him as a deputy. In one, involving an excessive-force allegation before Fields worked in schools, a federal jury found in his favor. Another case was dismissed, the Associated Press reported. The third suit, which is ongoing, alleges Fields wrongly pushed for a Richland student’s expulsion.”
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