INKSTER, Mich. – The Wayne County prosecutor has asked for two weeks to reevaluate a drug possession charge stemming from a traffic stop in which a man is shown on video being beaten by Inkster police officers.
Floyd Dent underwent a lie detector test in an effort to show the public and court he has not been lying about not having cocaine in his vehicle at the time of his arrest. Dent says police officers planted the drugs in his car. After the results of the lie detector test were made public, Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy said Wednesday she will reevaluate the drug charge.
Video of the January arrest shows Dent get dragged from the car and put in a choke hold. He was kicked, shocked three times by a Taser and punched in the head 16 times by police officers. Officers said Dent threatened them when they approached his vehicle. They testified he yelled he was going to kill them. The officers' microphones were either turned off or not working, so there is no recording of the alleged threat from Dent.
Dent denies making any threat toward the officers. He was asked about it during the polygraph test and passed.
"He never said those (threatening) words," said Dent's attorney, Greg Rohl. "Not even anything close to it. In fact he said nothing at all of a threatening nature."
A district judge looked at the beating video and threw out charges of resisting arrest and assault. Dent hopes the test results and more video from that night will convince the prosecutor to throw out the cocaine possession charge.
A not guilty plea was entered Wednesday morning during his initial appearance in Wayne County Circuit Court on the drug possession charge. His next court hearing is April 15.