A former Kentucky State Police trooper who once admitted lying under oath about a flashlight beating has now pleaded guilty in federal court to violating two people's civil rights during arrests, adding a new chapter to a case that has followed him since 2020.
Thomas Czartorski changed his plea Wednesday in Louisville federal court, according to WDRB. He had been charged with two counts of using unreasonable force under federal civil-rights law while serving as a state trooper.
The federal indictment described two incidents involving Czartorski. On March 5, 2020, prosecutors alleged he joined two other troopers in stomping and kicking a person identified as Victim 1, and on April 3, 2020, he allegedly struck Victim 2 in the legs and torso with a flashlight without legal justification, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky.
The broader indictment involved allegations against three troopers and four people between 2020 and 2024. A separate count accused current trooper James Cameron Wright of using a Taser on another person in 2024, meaning the tasing allegation was part of the wider case rather than one of the two counts charged against Czartorski.
A Federal Case That Follows An Earlier Perjury Plea
According to a professional standards activity report posted by the Kentucky Justice & Public Safety Cabinet, 'May 7, 2025 — Jury Verdict found guilty of a violation of 18 USC 242, used a dangerous weapon, and involved an intent to kill. Sentencing scheduled for July.'
Czartorski's federal plea follows a state case tied to the April 2020 arrest of Alex Hornback at a Shepherdsville home. He pleaded guilty in 2023 to lying under oath about striking Hornback with a flashlight, and received three years of diversion instead of incarceration, WDRB previously reported.
That encounter also triggered a federal civil lawsuit from Hornback and his parents. The Kentucky State Police agreed to pay $130,000 to settle the lawsuit, while Czartorski agreed to pay an additional $5,000, according to the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting. According to the Kentucky State Police (.gov), the site posts 'Traffic Facts' pages (for example, 'Traffic Facts 2024 · Traffic Facts 2023') and 'CCDW Annual Report' files for 2018–2024, but a site search did not return a clearly labeled 'use of force' annual report.
Sentencing Has Not Yet Been Announced
When Czartorski was indicted in March 2025, federal prosecutors said the two civil-rights counts carried a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, although the eventual punishment will be decided by a federal judge under sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. The Western District of Kentucky's court calendar listed a change-of-plea hearing for July 29, but no sentencing hearing was listed as of Thursday. According to the United States Sentencing Commission (.gov), federal sentencing data are compiled in resources such as the '2024 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics' and its quarterly data reports, which can be used to analyze sentencing patterns for statutes like 18 U.S.C. § 242.
