Former Elmore County deputy charged federally for excessive force

A federal grand jury in Montgomery has indicted former Elmore County Sheriff Office Deputy Blake Hicks for depriving an arrestee of his civil rights under color of law.

The indictment was revealed in federal court Friday and is related to a March 2022 arrest of Tristen Quinn. Quinn was found guilty Thursday in Elmore County District Court for resisting arrest related to the same incident Hicks has been charged with.

The federal indictment charges Hicks, 33, with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law for willfully using unreasonable force against an arrestee according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice. 

“Specifically, the indictment alleges that, without legal justification, Hicks punched and kicked the arrestee in or around the head while the arrestee was handcuffed and lying on the ground, resulting in bodily injury,” the statement reads.

The narrative for the incident reported Quinn fell on his face after the taser deployment.

Elmore County Deputy Bradley Evans said in a Elmore County District Court trial Thursday Quinn likely fell more on his side to his face. But it wasn’t Evans' case to start with. He was just assisting. Evans responded to a traffic stop conducted by the Wetumpka Police Department. It was Wetumpka that filed the report.

Evans said the Elmore County Sheriff's Office doesn’t use body cameras. He also testified he believed cameras on the officer from the Wetumpka Police Department were not working properly.

Video captured by security cameras at a nearby convenience store showed the tasing and what appears to be Quinn falling backwards to the ground. Another law enforcement officer appears to be running and then jumping onto Quinn. Kicks and punches follow — neither of which was reported in the narrative.

“I witnessed [Quinn] get struck,” Evans testified. “But I didn’t witness him get kicked.”

Quinn's attorney Jim Bodin asked Evans if he knew how Quinn got the lacerations, and Evans said he didn’t. When shown a video of the incident, Evans identified the person appearing to “stomp” Quinn in the face as an Elmore County deputy sheriff.

Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin said Hicks worked for the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office for several years. Hicks came to Elmore County after a stint at the Montgomery Police Department. 

Franklin was aware of the incident with Quinn and said his department asked for help in looking into the matter.

“Our office called ALEA so an impartial investigation could be conducted,” Franklin said. “He was put on administrative leave without pay. After a few months of that, he left seeking employment elsewhere.”

Quinn has appealed his district court conviction of resisting arrest. According to Franklin that was the only charge remaining and was from his department.

 Quinn had been facing charges of obstructing government operations, two counts of resisting arrest, second-degree assault, attempting to elude law enforcement, fourth-degree theft of property, third-degree escape and disorderly conduct. The traffic stop was initiated by a tail light being out, but wasn’t cited. All but the resisting arrest charge from the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office remained following an undisclosed settlement earlier this year and presentation to an Elmore County Grand Jury according to court records. It followed a notice of claim before the filing of a lawsuit by attorneys for Quinn against the City of Wetumpka and Elmore County related to the March 2022 incident. No suit was filed.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal judge will determine any sentence based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Acting United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross for the Middle District of Alabama and Special Agent in Charge Paul W. Brown of the FBI Mobile Field Office made the announcement. 

The FBI Mobile Field Office investigated this case. 

Assistant United States Attorney Eric Counts for the Middle District of Alabama and Trial Attorney Laura-Kate Bernstein and Special Litigation Counsel Michael J. Songer of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.