KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A former Weston police officer who allegedly punched a motorist during a traffic stop three months ago has been charged with fourth-degree assault, a misdemeanor.
During an Aug. 5 traffic stop for a suspected DWI, Brinlee R. Acklin, 24, threatened to punch the motorist in the face after he refused a field-sobriety test and verbal commands.
"It's never a good day when we must charge a police officer with a crime, especially when we allege that crime was committed while on the job,” Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said in a statement announcing the charge. “However, I commend the Platte County Sheriff's Department for completing an independent, fair, and comprehensive investigation."
After the man hung himself out the window of Acklin’s patrol vehicle, he punched the motorist.
Acklin said he told a witness, “That wasn’t excessive, was it?” after punching the man, according to a probable cause statement.
He also admitted to investigators that it was a bad choice, “I screwed this up. I know what’s right.”
Acklin had been called to the scene around 7:35 p.m. to investigate a vehicle in the middle of the road on Welt Street in Weston. The reporting party said a man appeared to be passed out behind the wheel of the vehicle.
The man was placed unrestrained in the back of Acklin’s police vehicle with a window rolled down and kept hanging out the window when Acklin tried to roll it up prior to the alleged punch.
Acklin admitted to being “mad” with the man’s behavior and frustrated that attempts to force compliance via pressure points didn’t work.
The Platte County Sheriff’s Office started its investigation Aug. 31 after video from Acklin’s personal phone — used to record the encounter, because Weston police don’t have body or dash cameras — was turned over to Zahnd’s office by the Weston Police Department.
"We expect a lot from police officers, who often perform their duties in dangerous situations,” Zahnd said. “It's a very serious matter when we believe a police officer has violated the duty to serve and protect the public."
Acklin told investigators, “Whatever consequences are whatever consequences. I know what I did wrong and I’m not going to try to hide it from anybody.”
—
For jurisdictions that utilize the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline, anonymous tips can be made by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
