Cory Newland, former police officer in Ekland, Indiana, pleaded guilty to beating a handcuffed man, Mario Guerrero Ledesma, which was caught on security video in 2018. Officer Joshua Titus was also filmed beating Ledesma, who was allegedly spitting, reports ProPublica. Titus has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go to trial in September.
Newland signed a plea agreement that said: “I knew at the time of the assault that my use of force on M.L. was unjustified and unlawful under the circumstances.”
Elkhart’s then-police chief, Ed Windbigler, only reprimanded Newland and Titus. Windbigler’s description of what happened contradicted the security video. He was suspended and later resigned.
Newland and Titus were indicted on federal civil rights charges in March 2019.
(Source: ProPublica)