NEGRO&#039;S DEATH Federal Charge is Filed Against Former Deputy

Title

NEGRO'S DEATH Federal Charge is Filed Against Former Deputy

Source Type

Newspapers

Publisher

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Publication Place

Lubbock, TX

Publication Date

11/18/1967

Transcript

NEGRO'S DEATH Federal Charge Is Filed Against Former Deputy MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) An The Justice Department has filed & misdemeanor charge against a former Elmore County deputy sheriff, claiming he assaulted a Negro found dead in a cell at the county jail last Nov. 20. The federal charge against Harvey King Conner was filed in U.S. District Court Tuesday and Conner was summoned to appear for arraignment March 1. One Year Penalty He is charged under a section of the U.S. code providing penalty of up to one year in prison and a fine of $1,000 or both, court officials said. The Justice Department con- tended in its charge that Conner, while acting as a duly ap- pointed deputy, "did willfully assault, strike, beat and injure James Earl Motley with the intent and purpose of imposing summary punishment on him and did thereby deprive James Earl Motley of rights secured and protected by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Held For Drunkenness. Motley was arrested by Conner early Nov. 20 on charges of highway drunkenness and resisting arrest. The 27-year-old Montgomery construction work- er was taken to the county jail at Wetumpks, where his body was found on the floor of a cell later that day. An Elmore County grand jury returned a no-bill Monday after investigating the case for two days last week Coroner Joseph Benson ruled earlier that Motley's death was accidental; lis- ting the chief cause of death as "brain injury." He said head injuries suffered by the Negro were consistent with those which would have been inflicted by a fatal, and that Motley had fallen twice.

Sources for

See all items with this value James Earl Motley