Dawson filed a complaint with County Attorney H.B. Quinn alleging that Officers Scott Brown and Chad Grace along with Sgt. Richard Martin used excessive force when he entered the police station after hours to inquire about the arrest of his cousin Seth Hooks.
Boaz said he examined evidence obtained through an internal investigation by Cadiz Police Chief Hollis Alexander and by Kentucky State Police John Salyer. “We felt like the officers acted appropriately. According to the investigation and interviews with Dawson and Hooks, it seemed clear that officers used an appropriate amount of force in placing the suspects under arrest. We all have images of Rodney King in our mind, but that is not what happened here.”
Acting on the appointment of the Attorney General as special prosecutor to investigate the case, Boaz said that Dawson “jerked back” when advised of his arrest and engaged in a “scuffle” with the police.
“Police are trained that if a suspect uses force in an arrest, they must rise to a certain level to respond,” said Boaz. “The bottom line is that if you are placed under arrest, to go peacefully with the officers.”
Boaz added, “After reviewing the evidence, we determined that there is no probable cause for any kind of action to be taken against the three officers.”
In his report, Alexander said that Dawson refused to leave the police station after being ordered to do so seven times. After being removed from the building, Alexander said that officers gave Dawson a final warning to leave the area, which went unheeded. His report said that upon being notified of his arrest, Dawson turned away from the police and refused to be taken into custody verbally.
In an incident report, Brown said that Dawson raised his hands in a “threatening manner.”
Find the entire story of Boaz' decision in the June 20 Cadiz Record.
