Sergeant ‘lost his composure,’ took off badge and beat detainee in AL cell, feds say

A police sergeant is accused of “violently” beating an arrestee in a jail cell in Alabama after the two men got into an argument, federal officials said.

The officer, Ryan Phillips, recently pleaded guilty to depriving a detainee of his civil rights under color of law, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama announced in an Aug. 16 news release.

McClatchy News reached out to Phillips’ attorney for comment Aug. 19 and did not immediately receive a response.

In March 2022, Phillips got into an argument with a detainee in a jail cell at the Daleville Police Department and “lost his composure,” prosecutors said.

Phillips took off his police badge, threw it on the floor and handed his gun to another officer, according to a plea agreement.

Then he entered the jail cell and beat the man repeatedly in the face, back and chest, giving him bruises and lacerations, according to federal officials.

Federal officials said he violated the arrestee’s right to be free of excessive force by a law enforcement officer.

Phillips is no longer with the Daleville Police Department, according to officials.

“Law enforcement officers take an oath to protect and serve all people and Phillips betrayed that trust,” said Jodi Cohen, the Acting Assistant Director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division.

Phillips faces up to 10 years in prison, but the government will take into account that he accepted responsibility, officials said in the plea agreement.

Daleville is in southern Alabama, and is a roughly 95-mile drive southeast from Montgomery.

This story was originally published August 19, 2024 at 1:34 PM with the headline "Sergeant ‘lost his composure,’ took off badge and beat detainee in AL cell, feds say."