Former Kansas Highway Patrol trooper indicted on excessive force charge

A federal grand jury on Wednesday indicted a former Kansas Highway Patrol trooper on a charge of excessive force, officials said.

James Carson, 43, of Independence was charged with violating an individual’s civil rights by using excessive force while serving as a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper, according to a statement released by Thomas E. Wheeler II, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division; Tom Beall, U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas; and Darrin E. Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the Kansas City field office of the FBI.

The indictment alleges that Carson used excessive force amounting to punishment against a victim identified in court records as R.T. The crime is alleged to have occurred on June 25, 2013, in Labette County.

If convicted on the civil rights charge, Carson faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

This story was originally published June 28, 2017 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Former Kansas Highway Patrol trooper indicted on excessive force charge."