LONDON — Two Kentucky State Police troopers and a former trooper face charges after an FBI investigation into excessive force and a cover-up.
A federal grand jury in London returned indictments against trooper Jeremy Elliotte, 28, former trooper Derrek Lovett, 30, and trooper Michael L. Howell, 32.
Elliotte and Lovett are charged with depriving an arrestee of the right to be free from reasonable force. Elliotte is also charged with depriving three others of their right to be free from unreasonable searches.
Howell had previously been indicted in June for conspiracy to obstruct a criminal investigation and for engaging in misleading conduct with the intent to prevent communication of information to federal law.
The superseding indictment charges all three with conspiracy and engaging in obstructive conduct.
The indictment alleges Elliotte and Lovett assaulted Whitesburg resident Bradley Hamblin in August 2020 without legal reason, and the assault caused bodily injury.
The indictment states the three officers conspired to conceal “the true nature of the force” Elliotte and Lovett used against Hamblin and the circumstances under which they used it.
According to the indictment, the three defendants developed a cover-up story about what happened. While hoping the assault had not been recorded, they agreed upon a version as close as possible to what a recording would show in case the assault had been recorded.
The indictment states that on the night of the assault, Elliotte entered a home without a warrant or other legal justification.
A date for Elliotte, Howell and Lovett to appear in court on the new indictment has not yet been set.
According to a press release from U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV, each faces up to 20 years in prison for the conspiracy and obstruction charges; Elliotte and Lovett face up to 10 years for the charge related to the assault; Elliotte faces up to one year for the unlawful entry.
Any indictment is an accusation only. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.