DPD corporal gets probation for punching naked woman at Detroit Receiving

(FOX 2) - A Detroit police corporal was sentenced Wednesday to a year of probation for an incident in which he hit punched a naked woman at Detroit Receiving Hospital.

Detroit police Cpl. Dewayne Jones was found guilty by a jury of misdemeanor assault and battery last month for after a video showed an incident where Jones pummeled a naked, mentally ill woman inside Detroit Receiving Hospital after she bit and spit on hospital staff and officers.

According to police, Jones and his partner Stacey Taylor went to pick up the woman after they got a call that she was at Grand River and Trumbull naked. The woman allegedly bit at least one officer and the extremely graphic video shows the naked woman pummeled multiple times by Jones while other officers are holding her.

The woman was naked and cursing, and was being restrained by officers. It appears when she started spitting, the officer started punching.

RELATED:

• Activists: DPD officer who beat mentally ill woman shouldn't be cop
• DPD corporal found guilty in beating restrained woman at Detroit Receiving
• VIDEO: Detroit Police Officer punches naked woman inside Detroit Receiving Hospital

"When there's a violent crime like an assault against a member of the public, I believe that anyone doing such a thing should see the inside of a cell," said Scotty Boman, DRACO founder.

Jones initially faced felony charges, but those charges were dismissed earlier this year. Detroit police launched an internal investigation that's still pending as Jones remains on restricted duty, unable to carry a gun.

Jones attorney also reminded King that Jones has been a dedicated member of the Detroit Police Department for nearly 20 years.

"He's received a life saving award. He's received the patrol officer of the quarter several times in his employment," Pamella Szydlak said.

Joned declined to speak, but prosecutors recommended that Jones serve 18 months probation with 12 weeks of anger management.

"These are the people we expect to uphold the law and protect the rest of us from lawbreakers. We do not expect them to be lawbreakers themselves," Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Joshua Holman said.

"The problem with this whole situation is that it just doesn't look good that you had … a man striking a woman at a hospital who was mentally ill and it was apparent that she was mentally ill. Regardless of what his reasons were, even if his reasons were justified, just the looks of it did not look good. The question the jury had to resolve was whether or not his actions were reasonable and at the end of the day, they found that his actions were not reasonable," 36th District Court Judge Kenneth King said at Wednesday's sentencing.

Judge King said he believes in consistently, and confirmed that he wouldn't treat Jones any better or any worse than anyone else who comes before him.

"I'm not going to succumb to the handful of protest outside marching about him going to jail," he said. "I'm not going to succumb to media pressure."

Jones was sentenced to 12 months’ probation with conditions including no contact with the complainant and 15 days of community service. King said although Jones did not appear mad at any point, to be on the safe side, the court ordered Jones to attend six weeks of anger management classes.

Detroit Police Chief James Craig said although the criminal case against Jones is over, administrative charges are forthcoming.