Two Richmond police detectives have been indicted on misdemeanor assault and battery charges stemming from the protests that took place during the summer, the Richmond Police Department said in an emailed statement Monday night.
The charges were brought against the two detectives after Richmond’s Commonwealth Attorney Colette McEachin presented 18 sealed indictments to a grand jury on Monday concerning the actions of certain officers during the protests.
The detectives indicted on misdemeanor charges were identified as Christopher Brown, who has been with the department since 2015, and Mark Janowski, who has been with the department since 2014, according to police.
“These events are unfortunate,” Chief Gerald Smith said in the statement. “However, we must allow the legal process to work. The officers will be placed on administrative assignment until a verdict is reached.”
The police statement offered no other additional information.
The Virginia Star reached out to McEachin for comment on the indictments, but she had “no further comment.”
Of the 18 sealed indictments presented to the grand jury, the two against Brown and Janowski were the only ones that were considered as True Bills, which means there was sufficient evidence to justify the hearing of a case.
Mike Dickinson, a candidate for Richmond City Council 1st District, offered a strong rebuke of the indictments.
“I think that it’s borderline ridiculous and it is political pandering to the highest degree,” Dickinson said in an interview with The Star. “I think it will send a chilling effect on law enforcement to be able do their jobs, and I think it is going to make it clear that the political administrations and the elected officials in Richmond are showing contempt for law enforcement.”
A person who is convicted of assault and battery is guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor, which, in Virginia, carries a maximum punishment of up to a year in prison and a $2,500 fine.
The charges against Brown and Janowski stem from actions that occurred on or about May 31, according to copies of the indictments obtained by The Star.
During the weekend of May 28-31, large protests occurred every night in downtown Richmond over the death of George Floyd, which happened earlier that week on May 25th in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Specifically, the 31st was the first night Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney issued a curfew for the city of Richmond.
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Jacob Taylor is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network. Follow Jacob on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Richmond Police Department” by Ed Uthman. CC BY-SA 2.0.
