It only took a little over two hours for a federal jury to find in favor of Joplin Police Officer James Kelly Wednesday in a lawsuit brought by a man who says Kelly violated his rights during an arrest four years ago.
It would have been a shot in the arm for the beleaguered Joplin Police Department, which is still reeling from a civil rights investigation into two officers' interrogation and handcuffing of an 11-year-old at a Joplin elementary school. The emphasis is on "would have" since The Turner Report has been the only source for information on this lawsuit.
Today's proceedings began with testimony from Kelly, followed by testimony from officers Carl Francis and Greg Batson, who backed Kelly's version of what happened the night Kelly went into the home of James Keener to arrest him after he failed to stop after Kelly turned on his emergency lights.
At the close of all evidence, the defense again made a motion for a directed verdict, which was again denied by Judge Richard E. Dorr. After closing arguments, the case went to the jury, which found in favor of Kelly.
More information about the case can be found in the Aug. 17 Turner Report at:
http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2005/08/motion-for-directed-verdict-in-joplin.html
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