Charges against two people wrongfully arrested at a Kenosha Applebee's have been dropped.
Jermelle English was originally charged with resisting an officer and disorderly conduct. Shanya Boyd was facing the same charges, plus possession of THC. All of those charges have been dismissed by the Kenosha County District Attorney's Office.
English and Boyd have hired attorney Kevin W. O'Connor in this case. During a press conference on Friday, O'Connor said he wants to work with the Kenosha police chief and mayor to come up with new safety and de-escalation policies for the police department. However, he said if the city isn't willing to work with him and his clients, they're fully prepared to take the case to the federal level for injunctive relief.
Back in July, Kenosha police officers responded to a car crash on Green Bay Road. Witnesses told officers that several people involved in the wreck had run from the scene to a nearby shopping plaza.
Officers from Pleasant Prairie were called in to help with the search, and those officers walked through an Applebee's — but didn't find the suspects. A few minutes later a manager at the restaurant called dispatch and said a pair of customers matched the description of the hit and run suspects.
Pleasant Prairie and Kenosha officers both returned to the Applebee's. Body camera video shows two sets of Kenosha officers speaking to two different groups of people at the same time — including English and Boyd, who were seated with their child.
An investigation conducted by the Kenosha Police Department found a Pleasant Prairie officer told the Kenosha officers that he didn't think English and Boyd were involved in the hit and run, but the Kenosha officers continued their questioning.
Things escalated when officers pressed English and Boyd about how they got to the restaurant and how long they've been there. When English tries to walk away from officers, with his child in his arms, officers grab his arm.
Video shows an officer grab English's arm and then the camera shuts off. Nearly 30 seconds later, the camera comes back on showing an officer pulling English's hair as someone else grabs the child.
Body camera video doesn't show that officer striking English several times, but we saw that months ago in a cell phone video taken by an Applebee's employee.Video also shows officers dragging Boyd out of a booth and pepper spraying her. She was not offered medical aid.
The internal investigation found there was no justification for officers hitting English. Both officers involved, Coutier and Vences, were suspended for violating the department's mission and use of force policies.
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