YALOBUSHA COUNTY, Miss. (WTVA) — An attorney is accusing law enforcement officers in Yalobusha County of brutalizing a man during his recent arrest, but the sheriff is strongly defending the officers who took him into custody.
Attorney Carlos Moore released a photograph of David Logan, who was seen sitting with his hands behind his back and his face bloody with one eye swollen shut.
According to Moore, Water Valley and Yalobusha County officers beat Logan while he was unarmed and wearing handcuffs.
However, Sheriff Lance Humphreys said there was much more to the arrest before midnight on July 18 during a driver's license checkpoint at Stephens and Wood streets in Water Valley.
According to Humphreys, officers tried arresting Logan because he had no driver's license and he dropped a bag that appeared to have illegal drugs in it, but the man resisted — kicking and hitting officers, even trying to physically run over one of them.
The sheriff added a Taser used on Logan had no effect, but eventually, officers got handcuffs on him.
Logan was then accused of again trying to get away a second time — even trying to physically run over an officer while wearing handcuffs.
Humphreys said one of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agents working the driver's license checkpoint helped officers finally get Logan under control.
The officers, according to the sheriff, told him they had never encountered anyone with that kind of strength, suspecting Logan was under the influence of ecstasy or pure methamphetamine.
The sheriff went on to say both of his deputies were hurt that night with one possibly needing to undergo knee surgery.
Humphreys said Logan is charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count each of resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
As for the defendant, his attorney said no lawsuit has been filed yet but notices of claims will be sent Wednesday.