5 Louisiana officers charged in 2019 death of Black motorist Ronald Greene plead not guilty

N'dea Yancey-Bragg and Ian Robinson, USATNetwork
Updated ·3 min read

MONROE, La. —  Five Louisiana law enforcement officials who pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges connected to the 2019 death of Ronald Greene and subsequent cover-up are expected to appear in court next month, according to the district attorney.

Louisiana State troopers Kory York, John Clary, former trooper Dakota DeMoss, retired Troop F commander John Peters and Union Parish Sheriff's Deputy Christopher Harpin were indicted in December by a grand jury on various charges. The charges were the first to come after Greene, 49, was brutally beaten during an arrest and died in May 2019.

DeMoss was fired over a separate excessive force case while York — who initially received a 50-hour suspension — Clary and Harpin were placed on leave, according to police. Greene's family also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the officers involved.

The release of body-camera footage of Greene's arrest sparked protests and the Justice Department later opened a civil rights investigation into the state police.

The officers' next court date is scheduled May 12, but no trial date has been set, District Attorney John Belton told USA TODAY.

"Outside of indictments, it was the start of the process for justice for Ronald Greene," Belton said of the arraignment this week.

USA TODAY investigation: Louisiana State Police trooper fired for speaking out about a Black man's death in custody and cover-up

What happened to Ronald Greene?

This undated photo provided by his family in September 2020 shows Ronald Greene. Authorities initially said Greene died in May 2019 after crashing his vehicle into a tree following a high-speed chase in rural northern Louisiana that began over an unspecified traffic violation. But long-withheld video shows Louisiana State troopers stunning, punching and dragging the Black motorist. An Associated Press investigation revealed a pattern of violence kept shrouded in secrecy.

Greene failed to pull over for an unspecified traffic violation about 30 miles south of the Arkansas state line on May 10, 2019. A high-speed chase ended in a car crash in Union Parish near Monroe. Officials initially blamed Green's death on the crash and refused to release body-camera video for more than two years.

The footage, obtained by The Associated Press, showed Greene was stunned, punched, and dragged before his death by DeMoss, York, and Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth, who died in a car crash hours after he learned he would be terminated for his role in the arrest.

What are the officers charged with?

The officers face the following charges including negligent homicide, malfeasance, and obstruction of justice:

  • Kory York − One count of negligent homicide and 10 counts of malfeasance in office,

  • Christopher Harpin − Six counts of malfeasance in office,

  • John Clary − One count of malfeasance in office and one count of obstruction of justice,

  • Dakota DeMoss − One count of obstruction of justice, and

  • John Peters − One count of obstruction of justice.

They have denied wrongdoing, the Associated Press reported.

York's attorney J. Michael Small said he does not anticipate any plea bargaining and is "confident that my client will be found not guilty on all counts."

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Contributing: The Associated Press

Contact Breaking News Reporter N'dea Yancey-Bragg at nyanceybra@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @NdeaYanceyBragg. Follow Ian Robinson on Twitter @_irobinson.

This article originally appeared on USATNetwork: 5 Louisiana officers charged in Ronald Greene case plead not guilty