By Kim Palmer

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - A suburban Cleveland police detective has been indicted on federal felony charges of excessive force and obstruction of justice in the April arrest of a suspect, prosecutors said on Tuesday.

Robert Toth, 48, who has been with the Westlake Police Department since 1992, is accused of abusing a suspect identified as "T.A." on April 24 and then trying to cover it up, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Cleveland said in a statement.

The indictment did not provide details about the arrest or the suspect's injuries. Toth is also accused of falsifying an arrest report and giving a federal law-enforcement officer false information about the arrest, prosecutors said.

"When we believe that the evidence demonstrates that an officer has intentionally crossed the line into criminal conduct, we will not hesitate to take appropriate action," U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach said in a statement.

Toth pleaded not guilty to the charges during an appearance before U.S. District Court Judge Donald Nugent on Tuesday, said Mike Tobin, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The grand jury's June 24 indictment was unsealed on Tuesday and bond was set at $25,000, according to court papers.

The detective's attorney could not be immediately reached for comment.

Toth has been placed on unpaid leave pending the outcome of the federal case, Westlake Police Captain Guy Turner said.





(Reporting by Kim Palmer; Writing by David Bailey; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)