Two East Cleveland police officers fired in July were indicted Friday on charges of kidnapping and felonious assault for the beating of a man in custody.
A grand jury indicted Denayne Davidson-Dixon and Gerald Spencer II for the July 24 beating of Jesse Nickerson, according to the Cuyahoga Prosecutor's Office. The former officers were charged with three counts of kidnapping, one count of felonious assault, one count of conspiracy, one count of obstructing official business, one count of interfering with civil rights and two counts of dereliction of duty.
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Davidson-Dixon and Spencer arrested Nickerson and two others that Sunday morning. The officers argued with Nickerson while driving him and another man to the East Cleveland Police Station. Instead of taking the men to the police station, the officers stopped at Forest Hills Park, where they pulled Nickerson out of the cruiser, removed their vests and his handcuffs, and proceeded to beat him severely, according to court documents.
Nickerson was then dragged by the officers back into the cruiser. Court records show that he suffered multiple cuts and bruises from the officers punching and kicking him multiple times.
Previous reports from the mayor's office say the officers were fired within 36 hours of the incident. Many of the charges filed came as a result of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation's independent investigation.
