A former Independence police officer was sentenced to four years in prison for violating the constitutional rights of a minor who was in his custody in September 2014, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Timothy Runnels pleaded guilty to charges that he violated Bryce Masters’ constitutional rights in September 2015.
As part of his guilty plea, Runnels admitted while he was employed as an officer of the Independence Police Department, he deprived Masters of his civil rights by deliberately dropping him face-first onto the ground while the teen was restrained and not posing a threat to Runnels or others.
According to the news release, during a sentencing hearing, the government provided evidence that Runnels deployed his Taser into Masters’ chest during a traffic stop and caused the electric current to run for about 20 seconds, four times longer than officers are trained to deploy a Taser.
Masters suffered cardiac arrest and facial injuries in the incident, but he did survive.
U.S. District Court Judge Dean Whipple issued the sentence, which will be followed by two years of supervised release, according to the news release.
Masters' family released the following statement:
"We would like to thank the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the U.S. Attorney's office, specifically David Ketchmark, for the hard work, passion and dedication put forth on our son's case. We would like to thank our attorneys, especially Dan Haus, for supporting us from the beginning and advising us during an impossible time for our family. The fact that Bryce lived through this horrible incident is only because of the tremendous efforts of paramedics with American Medical Response and the outstanding staff at Centerpoint Medical Center.
"The past twenty months have been emotionally and physically exhausting. We hope that today's sentence will allow Bryce to begin to focus on his future. Aside from dealing with a traumatic brain injury, Bryce has battled the perception that he is somehow responsible for the crime committed against him. Bryce's only mistake in this situation was following his parents’ advice to ask questions, particularly to ask “why” if stopped by law enforcement. While we are pleased that Mr. Runnels was held accountable for his actions, no one really wins in this scenario. Two law enforcement families were devastated by these events and we all simply wish that day had never happened.
"We would also like to thank all of our family and friends who have stood behind us and supported Bryce."
------
Follow 41 Action News on Twitter:
Like 41 Action News on Facebook:
