DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - A former Des Moines police officer sentenced to 20 months in federal prison has been released, even as federal prosecutors seek to have his sentence lengthened.
Online records show that 30-year-old Mersed Dautovic was released from prison on Friday.
Dautovic and his partner, John Mailander, were convicted in federal court of violating the civil rights of Octavius Bonds, whom they severely beat with a baton following a traffic stop in 2008. Bonds and Erin Evans, the driver of the car, sued the city, which paid $500,000 to settle the case.
Dautovic was also sentenced to five years in prison on state convictions in the case, but the Iowa Board of Parole granted the former officer parole last year, so he was not sent to state prison following his release Friday.
However, the Iowa U.S. Attorney’s Office has an active appeal before the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals seeking a longer federal sentence for Dautovic.
The Des Moines Register reports (https://dmreg.co/1afjDg9 ) that if the appeals court sends Dautovic’s case back to district court for a new sentence, the former police officer could be summoned to appear for a court hearing and ordered back to prison - even after his release.
Dautovic will be on parole on the state convictions until mid-November.
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Information from: The Des Moines Register, https://www.desmoinesregister.com
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