INDIANAPOLIS -- A former police officer at the Richard L. Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Indianapolis will serve a year in prison for repeatedly punching a patient and falsifying his report about the incident.
Officer Michael Kaim was indicted in January on a civil rights violation and obstruction of justice for allegedly writing a false report about an arrest at the Indianapolis VA hospital.
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In a plea agreement filed in federal court in June, Kaim acknowledges that the victim was already walking out the door of the hospital after being told to leave when Kaim shoved him out of the door and pushed him against an exterior wall of the building. Kaim then caused the victim to fall face-first on the sidewalk, before striking him in the head six-to-seven times.
In his report documenting the incident, Kaim wrote that the victim had not complied with his instructions and had resisted arrest.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Kaim had been sentenced to 12 months in prison and a fine of $1,000 in connection with the case.
“When excessive force is used by police officers against members of our community, particularly our veterans, it erodes confidence in our justice system and does irreparable damage to public confidence,” said U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler. “Anyone who violates the civil rights of others will be held accountable.”
As a condition of the plea, Kaim also agreed to surrender his law enforcement license and to not seek further employment as a law enforcement officer.
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