Mich. officer sentenced to year in prison for assault of arrestee

By Ed White
Associated Press

DETROIT — A suburban Detroit police officer who punched a man in the face and slammed his head to the ground was sentenced Tuesday to a year in federal prison for a civil rights violation.

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Matthew Rodriguez, a police officer for 30 years, has acknowledged using unreasonable force against the 19-year-old man while processing him at the Warren jail following an arrest in June 2023. He apparently was provoked by a verbal insult.

Rodriguez was fired by the Warren police department, which released video of the incident.

Grey sentenced him to a year and a day in prison. A 366-day sentence triggers credit for good behavior in the federal system, which means Rodriguez will likely spend less than a year in custody.

“Physical abuse of detainees is completely unacceptable and undermines public confidence in the integrity of law enforcement,” U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said.

Grey noted that Rodriguez asked the man to apologize for the insult after hitting him.

“Whether you have power or not, humanity must be respected,” the judge said.