NOT PRETTY

West Virginia Deputy Lied About Pepper-Spraying a Handcuffed Suspect, Feds Say

The deputy allegedly punched and pepper-sprayed the suspect, the DOJ said.

A West Virginia deputy allegedly struck and pepper-sprayed a handcuffed suspect and lied about it in the subsequent police report, the Department of Justice said in a press release. According to the indictment unsealed on Thursday, Lance Kuretza wrote in the false report that he pepper-sprayed the suspect before they were handcuffed when they’d actually been restrained already. A “dangerous weapon” was also involved, the release said. Kuretza was arrested Thursday and faces a maximum of 30 years in prison, 10 for violating the civil rights of the suspect and 20 for falsifying the report. Kuretza is currently out on paid administrative leave, according to a department statement.