Jury gets case of Floyd Dent beating by ex-Inkster cop

The prosecution argued Wednesday that former Inkster police Officer William Melendez abused his power and used excessive force during a traffic stop recorded on video.

The defense contended that motorist Floyd Dent struggled with police during his Jan. 28 arrest and said Melendez's use of force was reasonable.

Now it’s up to a jury to decide.

The panel — made up of eight women and four men, including seven jurors who are black — spent about an hour in the jury room Wednesday afternoon and will continue deliberations this morning.

Throughout the trial, now in its third week in Wayne County Circuit Court, jurors repeatedly watched dashcam video from a police car that shows Melendez punch Dent in the head 16 times during the traffic stop.

“I suggest to you that the video tells the story,” Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Robert Donaldson said during closing arguments. “The entire story that is at issue here.”

He said the events that led to Dent, a longtime Ford worker, being yanked out of the car, thrown to the ground and “beaten senseless while he was being strangled” make no difference.

“This case is about was that force that you observed reasonable?” Donaldson said.

Melendez, 47, was fired after the video became public and faces charges of misconduct in office, assault with intent to do great bodily harm and assault by strangulation.

James Thomas, Melendez’s attorney, said Dent continually struggled during his arrest, and that Melendez had the right to use force.

“(Dent) got hit 16 times in the head, and he continued to struggle,” Thomas said.

The number of strikes is “ugly” and in a way, “uncomforting to watch,” he said.

“It was my intention to show you that what led up to that put a reasonable police officer in a position to have done what he did,” Thomas told jurors.

He also pointed out testimony from Aaron Westrick, an expert in the use of force called by the defense, who said Melendez's actions were “reasonable.”

Dent, 58, had a history of driving without a license and didn’t have a valid license when he was pulled over that night. He ran a stop sign and didn’t immediately stop when police attempted to pull him over, according to previous testimony.

The defense claims Dent was on cocaine the night he was arrested then hospitalized for his injuries, but prosecutors said there is no evidence of that and pointed to testimony from toxicology experts, who said the drug didn’t show up in a blood test.

After Dent's arrest, he was charged with resisting and obstructing and possession of cocaine, but those charges were later dismissed. Dent maintains the drug was planted and said he didn’t resist that night.

He reached a $1,377,500 settlement with Inkster in the case earlier this year.

Contact Elisha Anderson: 313-222-5144, eanderson@freepress.com or onTwitter @elishaanderson