DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - A police officer convicted in the beating of a naked, unarmed and mentally ill woman at Detroit Receiving Hospital has avoided jail time.
A Detroit district court judge on Wednesday sentenced Dewayne Jones of the Detroit Police Department to 12 months' probation, ordering him to attend anger management classes and perform 15 days of community service.
A jury found the 47-year-old guilty in March of misdemeanor assault and battery. He could have served up to 93 days in jail under sentencing guidelines.
The 29-year-old woman -- a patient said to be suffering from a "mental breakdown" in the emergency room -- was punched several times by the 18-year veteran of the DPD, while other officers were holding her. The beating was caught on cell phone video by a witness who sent it to the media, leading to Jones' suspension, an investigation, and eventually charges by the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
Witnesses testified that the woman spat at Jones, shouted profanities and bit an officer as she was being escorting to hospital's crisis unit for an evaluation. Jones' defense attorney Pamella Szydlak told the court that the woman was "vulgar, violent and aggressive," despite Jones' efforts to calm her.
While prosecutors argued that Jones' acted with excessive force, felony charges in the case were dismissed by Judge Cylenthia Miller who said the woman in this case "was completely out of control."
After video of the incident went viral, Detroit Police Chief James Craig called it "troubling,"wondering why the officer chose to punch the woman rather than deploying his Taser.
Jones was suspended from the DPD, but later reinstated at a lower rank.
