Man whose ribs were cracked by officer acquitted of assault

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - A man whose ribs were cracked by a Des Moines officer during an arrest has been found not guilty of attacking the officer.

A Polk County jury took only an hour Tuesday to acquit Charles Young, according to The Des Moines Register (https://dmreg.co/2dWNJvs ).

“I think he’s a time bomb just waiting to explode,” Young, 61, said of the officer, Cody Grimes.

Young had asked for police help in evicting two homeless people he had invited to stay in his apartment. Grimes and Officer Sean O’Neill testified that they decided Young would need to go through a civil court to evict the couple. Young became angry and told the officers to get out of his apartment. Police have said Young slammed the door on one of Grimes’ legs, so Grimes took Young to the floor.

Grimes testified that he kneed Young while on the floor because Young wouldn’t remove his hands from beneath his body. Young told jurors that he couldn’t comply with Grimes’ orders because his hands were stuck. Two of Young’s ribs were fractured.

Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert later found that Grimes used appropriate force to subdue Young and take him into custody. A department spokesman didn’t immediately return a call Wednesday from The Associated Press.

Grimes was accused of excessive force in 2011, leading to a $75,000 payment by the city to end a federal lawsuit. The 36-year-old also was fired in 2014 after pleading guilty to a criminal mischief charge related to a domestic dispute with a girlfriend. The Des Moines Civil Service Commission eventually ruled the punishment was too harsh and reinstated him.

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Information from: The Des Moines Register, https://www.desmoinesregister.com