INDIANAPOLIS — A jury decided two IMPD officers did not commit crimes in striking two women with batons during their arrests in May 2020, according to official court documents.
The officers were charged with battery and official misconduct in the case that goes back to the Black Lives Matter protests and vandalism that followed in downtown Indianapolis on the last weekend of May 2020.
Officers Jonathan Horlock and Nathaniel Schauwecker were part of a group of officers ordered to arrest people at Washington and Pennsylvania streets who were violating an 8 p.m. curfew that Sunday night.
The two officers were facing six charges, and the jury found them not guilty of four of them after more than 10 hours of deliberation. The jury could not reach a verdict on one charge of battery and one charge of official misconduct.
The judge, prosecutors and defense teams will meet again in the new year to decide the future of those charges.
Following the ruling, the two officers released a joint statement:
"We greatly appreciate the hard work of the Jury in carefully reviewing the totality of the circumstances. These not guilty verdicts signify that law enforcement officers can properly rely upon their training and knowledge of the law. Our clients were doing their best that night to protect a City that was under attack. Although it can often make sense to re-examine and update policies and procedures, the men and women of our police departments need our steadfast support."
Rick Snyder, president of the Indy Fraternal Order of Police, posted the organization's statement on social media.
The defense said in final arguments Friday that the officers only used their batons to strike Ivore Westfield after she pulled away from officers twice and continued to resist arrest.
The jury watched multiple videos of the incident several times during the trial.
The prosecution argued the officers did not respond in a reasonable way to Westfield and Rachel Harding's actions. Westfield was subpoenaed by both sides but did not respond to testify in this trial.
IMPD maintains the officers followed policy in their use of force. The department released a statement Saturday afternoon that read:
"Earlier today, Chief Randal Taylor learned of the jury's decision following the trial of IMPD Sergeant Nathaniel Schauwecker and Officer Jonathan Horlock.
Chief Taylor respects the jury’s decision and thanks them for their time, effort and consideration. Their verdicts are consistent with the internal investigation, which determined that the officers followed the law, department policies, and training.
Chief Taylor recognizes the impact that this incident had on our community and our officers. Over the last four years, IMPD has increased transparency, accountability, training, built bridges of trust, and opened lines of communication with our community. Additionally, IMPD has worked with the community to create better policies and procedures, and civilian oversight boards.
IMPD remains committed to protecting and serving our community with honor and integrity. IMPD's officers and professional staff will continue their selfless work each day to make Indianapolis a safer place for those who live, visit, and work in our city.
Sergeant Schauwecker and Officer Horlock remain on administrative duty."