FORT SMITH, Ark. (KFSM) — The trial for Franklin County Sheriff Anthony Boen has been pushed back a few months, according to the U.S. District Clerk’s Office.
Boen was indicted on federal charges alleging the use of excessive force against detainees on three separate occasions.
Federal officials have now moved the trial to June 22nd at 9 a.m. in Fort Smith.
The U.S. District Clerk’s Office says the motion for continuance was submitted on January 16th by Russell Wood, Boen’s attorney, citing the discovery process as reason to move the trial date.
According to court records, Boen is facing three counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 242. The alleged incidents happened between 2017-2018.
Detainees say Boen assaulted them while they were in handcuffs, causing them to suffer bodily injury as a result of his actions.
The indictment stems from a months-long investigation by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon T. Carter of the Western District of Arkansas and Civil Rights Divison Trial Attorney Michael J. Songer.
According to the indictment, on September 14, 2017, Boen transported a prisoner with the initials J. P. and punched him multiple times while he was handcuffed and shackled in the back of a police car.
The indictment further alleges that on November 21, 2018, an inmate with initials P. E. was brought to the detective’s office at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department and was pushed to the floor by Boen and grabbed his hair or beard during an interrogation.
There was another incident reported two weeks later on December 3, 2018, when an inmate at the Franklin County Jail with the initials Z. G. was struck multiple times in the head by Boen while shackled to a bench inside the Franklin County Jail.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence of guilt. Boen is presumed innocent unless proven guilty, and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
If convicted, Boen faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, three years supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
To read more about the case, click here.
