Indictment: Former Highway Patrol Trooper Used Excessive Force

TOPEKA, KAN. - A federal grand jury returned an indictment Wednesday charging a former Kansas Highway Patrol trooper with violating an individual’s civil rights by using excessive force.

The indictment was announced 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 James Carson, 43, Independence, Kan., while acting under color of law as a trooper with the Kansas Highway Patrol, used excessive force amounting to punishment against a victim identified in court records as R.T. The indictment further alleges that Carson’s use of excessive force resulted in bodily injury to R.T. The crime is alleged to have occurred June 25, 2013, in Labette County, Kan.

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

The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag and Trial Attorney Rose Gibson of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting.

OTHER INDICTMENTS

Richard A. James, Jr., 26, an inmate in custody of the Bureau of Prisons, is charged with assaulting a BOP unit manager. The crime is alleged to have occurred June 1, 2017, in Leavenworth County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zabel is prosecuting.

Joshua R. Sawyer, 27, who is in custody in the Shawnee County Jail, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction and one count of unlawful possession of a sawed off shotgun. The crimes are alleged to have occurred May 9, 2017, in Topeka, Kan.

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard is prosecuting.

Michael Louis Lipp, 63, Lawrence, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred Aug. 25, 2016, in Lawrence, Kan.

If convicted, he faces not less than five years and not more than 40 years in federal prison and a fine up to $5 million. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard is prosecuting.

Michael Allen Carter, 29, Salina, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crimes are alleged to have occurred May 30, 2017, in Salina, Kan.

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.