Troopers accused in Kyron Hinton beating could face more charges, DA says
Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman told a judge on Friday that more charges could be coming against the state troopers accused of beating a Raleigh man who suffered broken bones and dog bites two months ago.
N.C. troopers Michael G. Blake and Tabithia L. Davis have been charged with assault inflicting bodily injury and willfully failing to discharge duties after an April 3 incident left Kyron Dwain Hinton, 29, with a broken nose, fractured eye socket and numerous dog bites after a Wake County deputy unleashed his K-9 on him.
The two were in court on Friday with a team of attorneys trying to persuade Judge A. Graham Shirley that prosecutors should not have access to their personnel files.
As part of her argument for having access to the files, Freeman told the judge the troopers could face additional charges for filing reports claiming no use of force in the incident.
Shirley told attorneys for the troopers that he wanted the records turned over to him and he would review them in private to determine which, if any, should be turned over.
The judge also granted a request from the troopers' attorneys to have Hinton's medical records preserved in case the defense wants to seek access to them as part of its trial preparation.
Hinton was in an agitated state on April 3 and more recently on June 3, when his mother called emergency dispatchers to get help for him.
In a recent interview, Vicki Hinton said her son is in need of mental health treatment.
The troopers' attorneys also said the records they wanted preserved might show how much alcohol Hinton had consumed on April 3 and whether he had taken any drugs that night, too.
The Hinton case has raised questions about excessive force and in what situations law enforcement officers should unleash K-9s.
Wake County Deputy Cameron Broadwell, the handler of Loki, the dog unleashed on Hinton, is accused of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, assault inflicting serious bodily injury and willfully failing to discharge duties. He was not in court on Friday.
But advocates for Hinton were.
"Community policing involves transparency and accountability. In court today, state and county law enforcement reinforced the deeply rooted distrust that exists between law enforcement and the community by implying that a law enforcement officer who filed a false report reflecting that no force was used in the Kyron Hinton case," said Dawn Blagrove, an attorney with the Carolina Justice Policy Center who assisted Hinton soon after the assault.
"Until the culture of law enforcement shifts to one that puts protecting the public over protecting each other, the distrust will only become more deeply rooted."
This story was originally published June 15, 2018 at 1:25 PM with the headline "Troopers accused in Kyron Hinton beating could face more charges, DA says."