UPPER MARLBORO, Md (AP) — A Prince George’s County Police officer was sentenced to one year in jail followed by three years probation on Thursday for his actions during a 2019 traffic stop that left a man paralyzed from the neck down.
Prince George’s County Circuit Court Judge DaNeeka Cotton sentenced officer Bryant Strong to 20 years with all but one year suspended, The Washington Post reported. Strong, 29, was found guilty in May of three misdemeanors: second-degree assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment.
Attorney Malcolm Ruff, who is representing Demonte Ward-Blake’s family in a federal civil lawsuit against Strong and the county, told Cotton that Ward-Blake was a gregarious 24-year-old before the traffic stop, but his paralysis caused agonizing pain. Ward-Blake died last year after an unrelated shooting.
Cotton denied Strong’s attorney’s requests to defer detention during his appeal and for home detention.
During the stop for expired tags, Ward-Blake complied with commands, but berated officers, according to videos and testimony. Strong arrested Ward-Blake for disorderly conduct and prosecutors argued that Strong slammed Ward-Blake into the concrete. But defense attorneys said the men fell during a struggle and Ward-Blake’s paralysis was the result of a tragic accident.
Strong’s police powers remain suspended until the department completes its own investigation.