Five police officers from Henry County who were indicted on murder charges related to the 2019 death of a 24-year-old man in police custody each turned themselves in Monday, officials said. All five were later released on $100,000 bond each.
After the indictments were handed down by a grand jury Friday evening, arrest warrants were issued ordering the five men to turn themselves in by 5 p.m. Tuesday. They complied a day ahead of schedule and were each released by Tuesday afternoon, Henry sheriff’s office spokeswoman Sytonnia Moore said in an email.
The five officers are Robert Butera and Quinton Phillips, who worked with the Henry County Police Department, and Hampton police officers Mason Lewis, Marcus Stroud and Gregory Bowlden, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
The men are facing charges related to the death of Fernando Rodriguez, who was seen walking naked in the road outside of Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton after the Imagine Music Festival in 2019. During the officers’ confrontation with Rodriguez, he was stunned more than a dozen times with Tasers and pressed into the ground even after he became unresponsive, according to Henry Assistant District Attorney Megan Matteucci.
The five defendants’ next court appearance will be Dec. 20 when they are scheduled for arraignment, Matteucci told the AJC.
Rodriguez’s family settled a lawsuit with the Hampton Police Department for $3 million earlier this year, the AJC reported. The family also pursued charges against the Henry Police Department.
Both the Henry Police Department and the Hampton city government have not responded to questions from the AJC.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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