Elisha Anderson

Detroit Free Press

A former Inkster police officer will go to prison for beating Floyd Dent last year during a traffic stop that was captured on video and left the motorist injured and bloody.

William Melendez apologized to Dent, the community and his family shortly before he was sentenced Tuesday to 13 months to 10 years in prison.

“To Mr. Dent and his family, I am truly sorry that this has caused undue hardships in your personal life,” Melendez said. “And if you have any animosity towards law enforcement, that was not my intention.”

Dashcam video of the January 2015 incident shows Melendez punching Dent 16 times. It was played repeatedly for the jury that convicted Melendez, 47, of two felonies in November: misconduct in office and assault with intent to do great bodily harm.

Wayne County Circuit Judge Vonda Evans called the beating “disgusting” and told Melendez he knew better.

“The dashcam that was designed to protect you ended up being what convicted you,” she said.

Before Evans told Melendez his punishment, a victim-impact statement was read by Dent’s niece, Dynisha Smith. She said it came from her uncle, who was also in the courtroom.

“While someday I may be able to forgive him as a man, no one should ever forgive what he did as a police officer,” the statement said.

James Thomas, Melendez’s attorney, asked Evans not to send his client to prison. He pointed out that Melendez served in the military, had been in war zones and rescued elderly people from a burning building.

Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Robert Donaldson argued the court’s focus should be on whether the sentence would deter others from similar behavior and said a sentence at the top of the guidelines would aid in that.

Evans went under the guidelines and sentenced Melendez to less time than prosecutors asked for and more time than the defense sought.

“The judge's sentence requires that the defendant serve prison time, and we certainly think that is appropriate under the facts of this case,” said Maria Miller, a spokeswoman for the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.

Thomas said his client plans to appeal.

Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality spokesman Kenneth Reed said in a statement that “the decision of the jury in this case, combined with Evans' sentencing, sends precisely the message that needs to be sent: Police officers are servants of the people with one sole mission: to protect and serve."

Dent, a longtime Ford worker, was driving without a valid license the night of his arrest. He was hospitalized for injuries he received during the traffic stop. During the trial, prosecutors said Melendez used excessive force, but the defense maintained the use of force was reasonable.

Dent, 58, had been charged with resisting and obstructing and with possession of cocaine, but the charges were dismissed, and he said the drug was planted. Dent reached a $1.37-million settlement with Inkster last year.

“I know that Mr. Dent would give back every dime of his million-dollar settlement to go back to where he was in his life before Jan. 28,” Evans said. “I wonder: What would one-half of that $1.4-million settlement awarded to Mr. Dent have done for the Inkster Police Department, training officers that wanted to serve and not hiring officers that didn’t belong?”

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