Two Warren police officers have been charged with the assault of a semi-truck driver during a traffic stop last July, according to recent reports. Officers Dammeon Player, 50, and Carlos Taylor, 28, were charged for an incident that occurred outside of their jurisdiction in Center Line, a neighboring city. The melee unfolded in a way not yet fully understood by the public, as details have only recently begun to surface.
Player is facing felony assault charges which could result in a four-year felony, and both officers are charged with willful failure to uphold the law, a misdemeanor. Player also has to contend with a misdemeanor charge of public official-willful failure to uphold the law, according to a report by FOX 2 Detroit. After their arraignment, both officers were granted a $5,000 personal bond and ordered to have no contact with the victim. To compound the situation, it was discovered through a Freedom of Information Act request filed by 7 Action News that the City of Warren settled with the victim for $400,000, paid out unusually speedily only 33 days after the arrest, all without filing a lawsuit.
The officers, meanwhile, have been fired from the Warren Police Department for misconduct found during investigations by the Macomb County Sheriff, as 7 Action News reported. This incident came shortly after another Warren officer was accused and charged with assaulting a jail inmate last June.
Officials, including the former city attorney and police commissioner, have been terminated in the wake of the aside quietly settled and the delayed-release of information. "We have a prosecutor and police commissioner who are not camera shy," Warren city council member Mindy Moore told MLive. "And I’m a little surprised that neither of them issued a press release or made a public statement." The Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido's office acknowledged an unintentional failure to disseminate a press release regarding the case earlier due to an oversight, only posting it on their website after being questioned.
Player and Taylor are set to return to court on March 13, with the community's trust in the Warren Police Department at stake. Questions continue to swirl regarding the transparency of the department and the city's officials in the handling and reporting of police misconduct and settlements. Mayor Lori Stone, who came into office after the incident and settlement, has recently pledged to ensure that the police department under new leadership will maintain the highest integrity and service to the city.
