Macon couple nets $57,500 in police brutality lawsuit

A Macon couple who alleged they were pepper sprayed and illegally arrested have settled a federal lawsuit they filed against the city and a former Macon police officer.

Henry and Christine Young agreed to drop their lawsuit last month in exchange for $57,500, according to the settlement agreement.

Duke Groover, an attorney representing the city, said the city takes complaints of mistreatment of residents “very seriously.”

In the Youngs’ case, the city took “immediate and appropriate action with respect to those complaints,” he said.

The officer, Sgt. Jeremy Malone, is no longer employed as an officer in the consolidated Macon-Bibb County government. Macon police merged with the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office in January.

Human resources records show Malone resigned in August 2013, about a month before the lawsuit was filed.

William Atkins, a lawyer representing the Youngs, said they are “satisfied with the result of the settlement” and “pleased the city agreed to work with them.”

In their lawsuit, filed Sept. 24, 2013, the Youngs alleged Malone went to 512 Crisp Street in response to a robbery call. While looking for possible suspects, he spotted a man walking down Spikes Street.

The man was Henry Young Jr., the Youngs’ then 53-year-old son who was living with them on Spikes Street.

Malone searched Young in front of the family’s home and found a wad of paper in his pocket that contained what Malone believed to be crack cocaine. Young, who was handcuffed behind his back, took off running, according to the lawsuit.

The officer caught him after a short foot chase and brought him back to his patrol car. Young escaped again, ran around the car and “grabbed the wad of paper with his mouth and began chewing it,” according to the lawsuit.

Despite verbal commands to spit out the paper, Young refused.

Young’s parents allege the officer punched their son with a closed fist 15 times in his abdominal area and kneed him five times in attempts to get him to spit out what Malone alleged was evidence.

The officer then resorted to blasting Young with pepper spray. Young choked, ran about 10 feet and spat out the paper, according to the lawsuit.

Henry Young Sr., then 70, and Christine Young, then 68, witnessed the incident, which allegedly also included three officers.

Both questioned why their son was being beaten and were then pepper sprayed. Henry Young Sr. was struck in the chest with an open hand, according to the lawsuit.

Henry Young Jr., who was serving a 10-year probation sentence after pleading guilty to cocaine possession in June 2011, was arrested along with his parents.

Misdemeanor obstruction charges filed against Christine Young and Henry Young Sr. were later dismissed, according to Bibb County State Court records.

Bibb County Superior Court records show a petition was filed to revoke Henry Young Jr.’s probation following the incident. Records don’t reflect a resolution to the matter.

Information from Telegraph archives was used in this report. To contact writer Amy Leigh Womack, call 744-4398.

This story was originally published October 5, 2014 at 9:11 PM with the headline "Macon couple nets $57,500 in police brutality lawsuit ."