The Gazette-Times was unable to obtain court documents related to the case on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Efforts to contact Spevacek at his house were unsuccessful. The woman who answered the door said that Spevacek would have no comment.

Spevacek, 45, has spent his entire law enforcement career with Benton County. He was 21 when he was hired. He was promoted to sergeant seven years ago. The Oregon State Sheriff's Association in 2007 honored him as Supervisor of the Year, an annual statewide award presented to outstanding jail supervisors.

Simpson said that Spevacek’s record included no previous complaints filed against him.

Undersheriff Scott Jackson said that the incident occurred when an inmate was being processed into jail April 8 on misdemeanor charges. He was being held in one of three holding cells at the jail where inmates stay during processing. Jackson said that there appeared to be no real provocation for the incident, other than “obnoxious yelling.” That, he said, is a common occurrence in the jail.

Jackson said the initial investigation from the Benton County Sheriff’s Office suggested that Spevacek’s use of force in the incident was “beyond reasonable” — and, at that point, the decision was made to call in the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.