Franklin County sheriff found guilty on two counts

Franklin County Sheriff Anthony Boen (right) walks into the federal courthouse for the Western District of Arkansas on Monday with his attorneys, Russell Wood (left) and Paul Prater (center), in Fort Smith. Boen is on trial for three charges of deprivation of rights under color of law in connection with three use of force incidents involving detainees.
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Max Bryan)
Franklin County Sheriff Anthony Boen (right) walks into the federal courthouse for the Western District of Arkansas on Monday with his attorneys, Russell Wood (left) and Paul Prater (center), in Fort Smith. Boen is on trial for three charges of deprivation of rights under color of law in connection with three use of force incidents involving detainees. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Max Bryan)

FORT SMITH -- Franklin County Sheriff Anthony Boen has been found guilty of two of three federal accusations of unreasonable force against detainees.

A jury on Monday convicted Boen, 51, of two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law stemming from two use of force incidents against detainees resulting in bodily injury in 2018. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison and additional fines, according to Charlie Robbins, Western District of Arkansas public information officer.

Judge Timothy L Brooks expects Boen to be sentenced in roughly four months.

The jury determined Boen on Nov. 21, 2018, ordered detainee Brandon English of Ozark to the detectives' office, where he pushed English onto the floor and grabbed his hair or beard. It also determined Boen on Dec. 3, 2018, hit detainee Zachery Greene of Ozark "multiple times in the head" while Green was shackled to a bench in the county jail.

The jury found Boen not guilty of accusations he punched detainee Justin Phillips of Panama, Okla., multiple times en route to the Franklin County Jail on Sept. 14, 2017, while shackled in the back of the patrol car and not resisting.

According to Brooks, the jury had to reach a unanimous guilty verdict on four criteria:

• That Boen deprived the victims of the right of a pretrial detainee to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a law enforcement officer.

• That Boen acted willfully to disregard the law.

• That Boen acted under color of law. Both parties agreed this had been proven.

• That Boen's conduct resulted in bodily injury.

Jurors unanimously agreed to the verdict on all three counts when polled by Brooks at the defense's request.

Brooks on Monday determined Boen will be in custody before sentencing on grounds he's convicted of violent offenses.

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