A former D.C. police worker was found guilty Tuesday of assaulting a female arrestee in 2013 at the Metropolitan Police Department's central cellblock.
Karen Usher, 50, was working as a technician on Aug. 29, 2013 when a woman who had been arrested for assault was brought in for processing, according to a statement issued Tuesday afternoon by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Usher instructed the woman, who was handcuffed in the front, to step toward her. As the arrestee moved forward, Usher shoved her backward, according to government evidence.
Although other employees in the cellblock had control of the woman, Usher swung a metal detector wand at the woman’s head and kicked or attempted to kick the woman in the lower torso, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Usher's supervisor ordered her to leave the area, and the arrestee declined medical treatment.
Usher was found guilty of two counts of simple assault after a trial before Senior Judge Susan R. Winfield of D.C.'s Superior Court. She is set to be sentenced Nov. 19 and could face nearly a year in jail and fines.
