Former Louisville Metro Police officer pleads guilty to using excessive force in protests
A former Louisville Metro Police officer has pleaded guilty to using excessive force during a protest in the city nearly three years ago, with an agreement he will no longer work in law enforcement.
Richard Wiedo, 39, deployed a foam round into a crowd of protesters and struck someone in the face during a demonstration on May 30, 2020, after someone in the crowd threw a bottle, according to a Wednesday release from the U.S. Department of Justice. The release said Wiedo admitted he had not seen who threw the bottle and was not aiming the foam round at anyone being actively aggressive.
Wiedo pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of using unreasonable force. The plea carries a maximum fine of $100,000 if accepted by the court, and he will also give up his Kentucky law enforcement certification and will agree not to seek future employment in the field.
The case was investigated by FBI Louisville and LMPD's Public Integrity Unit.
Wiedo is not the first former LMPD officer to be found guilty of using excessive force during the protests, which gripped Louisville throughout the summer of 2020.
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Earlier this year, Katie Crews avoided prison after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of unreasonable use of force during the lead-up to the fatal shooting of West End barbecue stand owner David McAtee. She fired a pepperball projectile while LMPD officers and Kentucky National Guard members were breaking up a nonviolent crowd at 26th Street and West Broadway after curfew on June 1, 2020 – McAtee was shot and killed after firing a handgun during the chaos that ensued.
And in 2021, former LMPD officer Cory Evans pleaded guilty to hitting a kneeling protester in the back of the head with a riot stick during a protest on May 31, 2020, a felony violation of that individual's constitutional rights. He was sentenced to two years in prison.
This story may be updated.
Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Former LMPD officer Richard Wiedo guilty of excessive force charge
