Former Pevely Police Officer Charged At Federal Level

A former officer with the Pevely Police Department is now being charged by federal prosecutors with a civil rights offense according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

This comes after 28-year old Robert Ryan Watson of Cedar Hill was charged with fourth-degree assault, a misdemeanor, in Jefferson County after video surfaced of him choking and pushing a prisoner in an April incident.

Watson was apparently insulted by the prisoner, which triggered his reaction.

The new misdemeanor federal charge alleges that Watson took away the prisoners right to be free from unreasonable force.

Watson was fired from the Pevely Police Department back in May.