Louisiana trooper avoids jail time in deadly arrest of Black motorist Ronald Greene
A Louisiana state trooper pleaded no contest Monday to significantly reduced charges that spare him jail time in the deadly 2019 arrest of Black motorist Ronald Greene.
FARMERVILLE, La. — A Louisiana state trooper pleaded no contest Monday to significantly reduced charges that spare him jail time in the deadly 2019 arrest of Black motorist Ronald Greene, the first conviction of any kind in a prolonged police brutality case that once prompted national outrage.
Kory York had faced the most serious charges of five officers indicted in the case two years ago after body-camera video captured him dragging Greene by his ankle shackles and forcing him to lie cuffed and facedown before he stopped breathing.
But instead of the original felony charges of negligent homicide and malfeasance, York pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery in exchange for a year of probation and an agreement to testify against the lone officer still facing trial.
The plea happened despite vehement objections from Greene’s family, which said they had been misled about the terms of the deal and robbed of the chance to see the felony charges play out at trial.
“My family is a victim and we should have more of a say,” said Greene’s mother, Mona Hardin, who refused to sign off on the last-minute deal that prosecutors pushed amid fears York would be acquitted in a conservative corner of the state.
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