STURGIS, MI --

Two

police officers are facing allegations of excessive force and a possible trial.

The Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled a jury trial is appropriate to determine if officers Mark Stoneburner and Damon Knapp, of the Sturgis Police Department, violated the rights of a man and his mother when investigating a shoplifting case in 2010.

The three-judge panel affirmed a district court judge's ruling that the officers aren't immune to litigation.

According a 12-page opinion, issued Friday, Stoneburner and Knapp were investigating the theft of a phone charger from the Walgreens in Sturgis and identified Charles Smith, 20, as a suspect.

It is alleged that Stoneburner entered the home without a warrant and pulled Smith onto the deck where he arrested him. Smith alleges the officers slammed his head against a wall as they handcuffed him.

Smith also claims he injured his wrist as a result of the officers putting handcuffs on too tight.

The appeals court said investigating a minor offense, like shoplifting, doesn't seem to warrant such force.

"Shoplifting of this sort offers no reason by itself for banging a suspect's head against a wall," the opinion said.

The officers' attorney argues Charles was resisting arrest during the incident. The court said it should be up to a jury to decide which account of the incident is true.

"If he did resist, the officers' force may well have been reasonable. If not, they likely crossed the line into the forbidden grounds of excessive force," the opinion said.

It is also alleged that Smith's mother, Donetta Smith, was injured when trying to intervene.

Charles was charged with third-degree retail fraud but he has pleaded to a lesser misdemeanor of disturbing the peace.

Aaron Mueller is a public safety reporter for the Kalamazoo Gazette. Contact him at amuelle1@mlive.com or 269-568-3867. Follow him on Twitter.