Cop Charged For Punching Man In The Face & Lying About It

PITTSBURGH—A resident of Fayette County, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on charges of Deprivation of Civil Rights and Falsification of a Document, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

The two-count Indictment named Norman L. Howard, 42, of Grindstone, Pa., as the sole defendant.

According to the Indictment, on or about May 26, 2013, Howard, a police officer of the Redstone Township Police Department, willfully deprived an individual identified as D.N. by punching D.N. in the face, without justification, thereby causing bodily injury to D.N. The Indictment further alleges that on or about May 26, 2013, Howard made false statements in a police report regarding the incident, claiming that the man had shoved him and had resisted arrest.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 30 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorneys Cindy K. Chung and Shaun E. Sweeney are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.