Former sheriff’s deputy sentenced to 29 months after beating restrained detainee

After pleading guilty in May, on Monday former Elmore County sheriff’s deputy Blake Hicks was sentenced to 29 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release.

In March 2022, Hicks repeatedly punched and kicked Tristen Quinn (“T.Q.” in court filings) after Quinn had been tased and while he was handcuffed. According to court filings, Quinn suffered “a broken cheekbone, a concussion, and lacerations” due to Hicks’ assault.

Quinn had been initially detained by the Wetumpka Police Department due to a malfunctioning tail light, but attempted to escape police custody. Quinn was found guilty of evading arrest in November.

According to court documents obtained by The Wetumpka Herald, one Wetumpka police officer reported that Quinn’s injuries were the result of falling on his face after being tased. Additionally, Wetumpka police officers said their body cameras were not working during the encounter.

However, Quinn has said that Wetumpka officer David Fletcher was “sure the body cam footage would be erased before the end of the night.”

A video of the incident recorded by a nearby security camera was published online by The Wetumpka Herald. The video shows Quinn being repeatedly punched and kicked by a law enforcement official later identified as Blake Hicks.

An internal investigation by the Wetumpka police department found its officers “cleared of any wrongdoing.” However, the Elmore County sheriff’s office placed Hicks on leave without pay and he subsequently resigned.

Hicks was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 31, 2023.

He was charged with, “while acting under color of law, willfully [depriving] T.Q., a person known to the Grand Jury, of the right … to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, which includes the right to be free from the use of unreasonable force.”

On May 5, Hicks pled guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. As a condition of the guilty plea, Hicks had to admit to willfully punching and kicking Quinn while he was restrained and after he was tased.

Thanks to his choice to plead guilty, the prosecution agreed to recommend “a sentence at the bottom of the advisory Guidelines range,” which likely resulted in Hicks only being sentenced to 29 months.

Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said that Hicks ignored his “duty to respect the rights of people in his custody and to keep them safe.”

“The Justice Department remains firmly committed to holding accountable law enforcement officials who abuse their powers and use excessive force against people in custody,” she continued.

Jonathan Ross, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama, said that “Hicks fell short of his obligation to protect and serve.” Ross also stated that “failure to hold Hicks accountable would discredit the noble service of other officers and weaken the public’s trust in law enforcement.”