sheriff’s deputy Tanner M. Abbott was found guilty in March of violating the constitutional rights of several people he arrested while working as aAbbot, 31, was convicted on five felonies and one misdemeanor charge for incidents involving multiple people he arrested, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The charges included the use of excessive force on four people Abbot arrested, writing and conspiring to write false police reports, and conducting an illegal search on an arrestee. .
The FBI Louisville Field Office was responsible for the two-year investigation into Abbot’s case. Evidence against the former sheriff’s deputy included “a larger pattern of abuse of authority spanning his career.” This included frequent use of excessive force against criminal suspects and a habit of Abbot’s to brag about such exploits.
“Instead of protecting and serving the community, the defendant was physically abusing people — even bragging about the injuries he caused,” U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV for the Eastern District of Kentucky stated about Abbott’s case. “That is not law enforcement; that is brazen criminal conduct. The community deserved better. Fortunately, he now has a criminal sentence that he deserves.”