IMPD Sgt. Eric Huxley pleads guilty to a federal crime

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INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis police officer who was accused of striking a man in handcuffs in the face during an arrest in 2021 entered a guilty plea to a federal crime on Monday.

Sgt. Eric Huxley entered a guilty plea to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law in U.S. District Court. According to The Indianapolis Star, the charge carries a possible term of 10 years in jail, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release after prison.

Huxley, who was fired from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department following the altercation in September 2021, has not yet been sentenced. In October 2022, a federal grand jury indicted him for allegedly using excessive force to arrest Jermaine Vaughn.

At Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis, an officer can be seen forcing Vaughn to the ground in body camera footage of the arrest that the police have released. Later in the video, Huxley can be seen shoving Vaughn's face with his foot as the latter is restrained.

Vaughn was detained on suspicion of disorderly conduct and eventually charged with two misdemeanors of disorderly conduct and resisting law enforcement, but both of those charges were ultimately dropped. His attorney claimed that at the time, Vaughn was homeless.

In a lawsuit filed in February, Vaughn claimed that Huxley "used disproportionate and unlawful force" when he savagely struck and kicked" him in the face while he was handcuffed. He also sued the city of Indianapolis, its police force, and Huxley. In his case, Vaughn claims he sustained "extensive physical injuries."

According to Huxley's plea deal, he “knew that there was no legitimate law enforcement reason to use hard strikes, including foot strikes, against the head or face of a person who is handcuffed, under effective control by other officers, and physically unable to harm others."

When Huxley's criminal proceedings are over, the Civilian Police Merit Board of the department will consider the police chief's request to terminate Huxley.

In the altercation with Vaughn, Huxley is also facing state charges. In Marion County, he is charged with battery and official misconduct.