LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) - A former South Carolina deputy who was accused of punching a suspect in the face while attempting to make an arrest was arrested Thursday by state agents.
Former Lexington County Sheriff’s Senior Deputy Matthew Fields was charged with third-degree assault and battery in connection with an incident on July 2, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Fields and a K-9 had chased after the suspect who was wanted on a federal gun charge that day, according to an arrest warrant obtained by The State newspaper. When they caught up to the man, Fields “unnecessarily struck” the suspect while the dog was biting him, the warrant said.
His attorney, Seth Rose, called Fields’ arrest a “miscarriage of justice.” He said his client had reason to believe the man had a weapon and used “reasonable force” to get control of the suspect when he resisted arrest.
Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said Fields was fired several days after the incident.
“As soon as I became aware of Mr. Fields’ actions, I started the process to terminate him and I asked SLED to conduct an investigation,” Koon said in a new release. “In this case, the system worked. The processes we have in place to hold deputies accountable when it comes to their encounters with the public brought his behavior to the forefront and we took immediate action.”
The victim is currently jailed and awaiting court proceedings for several charges.
Fields was booked into Lexington County Detention Center after turning himself in. He was released by a judge without having to pay a bond, Rose said.
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