CAMDEN - An Atlantic City police officer, exposed in the Asbury Park Press' "Protecting the Shield" police abuse series for being linked to $4.5 million in excessive use of force payouts, was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday.

Sterling K. Wheaten, 34, of Mays Landing was charged with one count of violating an individual's civil rights and one count falsifying a record after he allegedly instructed his police dog, or K9, to bite a man under arrest without warning and then falsified the police report, said Matthew Reilley, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey.

The victim, David Connor Castellani, needed more than 200 stitches to close the life-threatening wounds on his neck and chest, according to his lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean.

See below for photos of Castellani's injuries

Castellani sued the city and settled for $3 million in September 2017, but it's unclear if Wheaten was disciplined by his department. Discipline records are confidential in New Jersey.

Wheaten and the five officers involved were cleared by an Atlantic County grand jury in 2015. The county grand jury is part of the state justice system and not connected to the federal grand jury that voted to indict Wheaten.

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During the June 15, 2013, incident, Castellani was wandering outside the Tropicana Casino when he encountered four police officers who told him to leave the area, according to court records and statements from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Castellani walked across the street and started yelling obscenities at the officers, and after several minutes, was approached to be arrested, according to the court records. While the officers tried to grab the victim, he pulled away and grabbed one of the officers by the waist as he was being taken to the ground.

Castellani fell on top of the officer and was immediately pulled off by the others, according to the records. All four officers delivered baton strikes, knee strikes and punches to the victim's back and legs. A fifth officer who arrived at the scene delivered two knee strikes before handcuffing Castellani's left hand.

During the two-minute struggle, an officer had radioed for a K9 officer. When Wheaten arrived at the scene, one officer was kneeling on the victim's head and neck area and the rest were pressing on his back and legs, according to the records.

Without warning, Wheaten released his dog, the records claim. When the officer holding the handcuffs removed his knee from Castellani, his chest became exposed. The dog bit Castellani's chest, and after he pushed the dog off, was bitten again in the neck, according to court records.

Wheaten instructed the dog to "hold" the bite while he punched Castellani in the neck and shoulder area, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. He eventually was taken by ambulance to AtlanticCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City.

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According to court records, Wheaten learned during training at the K9 Academy that the only fatal K9 apprehension was the result of a bite on the neck. Even though the dog, during the incident, was recalled immediately and the individual treated, he died from his injuries.

Before the officers wrote their reports, they met and reviewed surveillance footage from the incident, according to court records. The U.S. Attorney's Office alleges Wheaten submitted fraudulent reports related to the incident.

Wheaten wrote that the victim was "fighting my K9 partner," struck the dog with his right hand and that a "further violent struggle ensued." In an effort to falsely justify the use of the K9 without warning, Wheaten said the "suspect violently assaulted uniformed law enforcement officers with his hands and fists."

To justify the closed-fist punches, Wheaten wrote the victim was going to "get up and retrieve his weapon to injure us or flee the area endangering the public."

The Press first reported the incident and civil lawsuit against Wheaten during an investigation into police misconduct in New Jersey. Court records show that in a period of seven years at the Atlantic City Police Department, 33 internal affairs complaints had been lodged against him, 23 of which were for excessive force.

When called as a witness in another civil excessive force case against city police officers in February 2018, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right to avoid incriminating himself for each of the 20-plus questions he was asked, including his name and occupation.

Bonjean, who represented both Wheaten and another victim of a K9 bite, wanted Wheaten to testify to help her establish that the city didn't use a so-called "early warning system" designed to notify, monitor, retrain or supervise officers who could potentially pose a danger to the public.

Despite Wheaten's internal affairs history, he was given a position on the SWAT Team and became a K9 officer, both of which are competitive positions that carry department benefits, according to court records.

Wheaten appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joel Schneider and was released on $50,000 bond. The civil rights charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine, and the false records charge carries a maximum of 20 years also with a fine of up to $250,000.

Kala Kachmar: @NewsQuip; 732-643-4061; kkachmar@gannettnj.com