NORTHWOODS, Mo. — A man filed a lawsuit Friday against the two former police officers he said beat him while he was handcuffed and left him in a field on July 4.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Charles Garmon against Samuel Davis, Davis' supervising officer Michael Hill and the City of Northwoods. The lawsuit accused the former officers of handcuffing Garmon, driving him out to a field a few miles away and beating him while he was still handcuffed.
Hill and Davis were charged in connection with the alleged incident in July and no longer work for the department.
The lawsuit said the incident began at a Walgreens on Natural Bridge Road on July 4. According to the lawsuit and court documents, Hill and Davis turned off their body cameras prior to arresting Garmon. The lawsuit said Hill handcuffed Garmon and put him into the back of their police car.
Once Garmon was inside the car, Hill went back into the store and told an employee that Garmon "would be beaten," the lawsuit reads.
The lawsuit said when they arrived at the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Hugo Avenue in Kinloch, Hill and Davis took Garmon into a field, where Davis beat him. The lawsuit said Davis hit Garmon in the head and body with a baton while Garmon was handcuffed, and sprayed him with pepper spray.
The lawsuit said Davis then told Garmon not to return to Northwoods. Hill and Davis then drove away, leaving Garmon in the field with a broken jaw and other serious injuries.
A passerby witnessed the assault and called 911. The witness also posted photos of the victim's injuries on Facebook.
Garmon is seeking damages for the permanent injuries caused by the beating as well as punitive damages.
Hill, 51, was charged with second-degree kidnapping on July 18 after an internal investigation. Davis was charged with first-degree assault, armed criminal action and kidnapping. He was arrested in North Carolina and brought back to St. Louis County to face those charges.
