CRAWFORD COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — The federal jury trial for a former Crawford County deputy has been canceled ahead of a plea change hearing.
Zackary King was set to go in front of a jury in a federal case on May 6 this year alongside co-defendant Levi White, also a former Crawford County deputy. He originally pleaded not guilty.
The deputies are accused of using excessive force while arresting a man outside a Mulberry gas station in August 2022. After multiple delays, at the request of King, the trial has been canceled and a plea change hearing has been scheduled for April 15.
The deputies, along with Mulberry police officer Thell Riddle, were seen in a video on top of Randal Worcester at the convenience store on Sunday, Aug. 21. In the video posted to social media, the two deputies seem to be hitting and kicking Worcester while he is on the ground.
According to the FBI, US Marshals took White and King into custody on January 24, 2023. Their trial date was originally in early April 2023.
The violent arrest was filmed on video and seen by thousands across the nation, prompting several investigations to be opened and for the two deputies to be fired from the sheriff's office in October 2022.
An FBI search warrant affidavit alleges that just a few hours before officials claimed White's department-issued iPhone he "performed a factory reset that erased all data."
Officer Riddle was reinstated to the Mulberry Police Department in February 2023. In the video, he is only seen holding Worcester down.
The charges stem from the two deputies infringing on Worcester's civil rights, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. A federal grand jury indicted White and King, charging them with hitting Worcester "multiple times" while he was lying on the ground.
The indictment goes on to say that Worcester "suffered bodily injury" as a result of the two deputies' actions.
The former deputies are officially charged with deprivation of rights under color of law for infringing on Worcester's constitutional right to be "free from the use of unreasonable force by a law enforcement officer," court documents say.
Both deputies were released on $5,000 bonds.
Worcester faces his own trial for the events leading up to his arrest.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.