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Jury finds former Waco officer guilty of assault and official oppression

Posted at 7:18 PM, Jun 06, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-07 17:35:40-04

The former Waco Police officer who was accused of applying a deadly choke on a man was found guilty by a jury on Thursday

After an hour and a half of deliberating, the jury delivered a guilty verdict on both counts of assault and official oppression.

Qualon Weaver gave his testimony in court on Wednesday.

Weaver described how everything unfolded after he was placed in handcuffs. He told jurors George Neville was verbally abusive and grabbed his Adam's apple while his hands were behind his back.

Neville’s former defense instructor and retired Waco Police officer Ricky Bates told jurors, based on the dash cam footage there was no reason for Neville to use a C Clamp Choke on Weaver. That choke is only used to apply deadly force.

The defense requested a mistrial based on the charges Weaver was arrested for on the night in question, but Judge Strother denied the request. Weaver was arrested for evading arrest and possession of marijuana, but those charges were dropped.

At the start of the trial, the defense wanted Judge Strother to decide Neville's punishment. 

Judge Strother ordered a pre-sentencing investigation which will take approximately two weeks. He ordered that Neville will meet with a probation officer during that time to help determine his sentencing.

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