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We’ve talked a lot about Because he’s some racial minority, he cried foul, the Sergeant Major of the Army thought he conducted himself appropriately for some reason, and the prosecutors dropped the case. Lieutenant Nazario then sued in civil court. Looking for a massive payday I’m sure, the jury verdict is in!<\/p>\n A federal jury reached a verdict in a case against two Windsor police officers accused of conducting a violent traffic stop involving Virginia Army National Guard lieutenant, Caron Nazario in 2020.<\/p>\n The jury found Joe Gutierrez liable of assault \u2014 awarding Nazario $2,685 for the charge. In addition, Crocker\u2019s illegal search of Nazario\u2019s SUV resulted in $1,000 for punitive damages \u2014 bringing Nazario\u2019s total to $3,685, a far cry from the $1 million he was seeking.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are pleased that the jury determined that there were certain things that they would not tolerate,\u201d said Jonathan Arthur, Nazario\u2019s attorney. \u201cObviously, we\u2019re disappointed that they determined that there were some things that they would, but we\u2019re once again very pleased that they put their foot down and said certain actions from law enforcement \u2014 they\u2019re not going to tolerate in Virginia.\u201d<\/p>\n The case began in August 2022 when Nazario filed a $1 million civil lawsuit against both Windsor police officers, claiming that he was assaulted and falsely imprisoned during the 2020 incident.<\/p>\n The results of the trial required two extensions \u2014 one for an extra half-hour and one for an entire holiday weekend \u2014 before the jury came to their final verdict on Tuesday, Jan. 17.<\/p>\n On Dec. 20, 2020, Crocker and Gutierrez conducted a traffic stop of Nazario for driving a vehicle with missing license plates. In bodycam footage of the stop, the officers can be seen pepper-spraying, striking and handcuffing Nazario as he fails to exit his vehicle after police commands. Nazario can also be heard saying he is afraid for his life.<\/p>\n Crocker and Gutierrez\u2019s counsel argued that they had good reason to treat the incident like a felony traffic stop \u2014 and that they used the necessary force to get Nazario out of the car.<\/p>\n \u201cAgainst our client, Officer Crocker, a thousand dollars in damages for the search which we admitted he didn\u2019t follow the proper procedure, so we feel the verdict was fair,\u201d said Rick Matthews, Crocker\u2019s attorney. \u201cIt was courageous on the part of the jury given the political climate and we\u2019re very pleased.\u201d<\/p>\n Nazario\u2019s counsel argued he was confused by the officers\u2019 conflicting commands and he had good reason to believe that the traffic stop could\u2019ve ended in a deadly outcome.<\/p>\n \u201cI would like to thank everyone that has come near and far to support me, and I would like to say continue to keep the spotlight on matters like this and thank you for the support,\u201d Nazario said after the trial.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nSpecialist<\/del> Lieutenant Nazario here<\/a>. He’s the one who was driving through a small Virginia town without plates on his truck (he did have a temp tag behind the tinted rear window). When the cops tried to stop him, despite his innumerable prior law enforcement contacts, he took a good long time to “find a safe spot.” When he did finally stop, he refused the officers’ directions, tried to use his position as an Army officer for his personal benefit, and got pepper sprayed for his troubles.<\/p>\n\n
Virginia Army lieutenant awarded less than $4,000 by jury in civil lawsuit against Windsor police officers<\/h3>\n