Police Sergeant Charged with Slapping Handcuffed Suspect

By Chuck Sudo in News on Apr 15, 2011 6:40PM

A police sergeant assigned to the Gresham District on the South side has turned himself in and ordered held on $20,000 bond for an incident last October where he was caught on videotape smacking around a handcuffed suspect outside a fast food restaurant.

Edward Howard, Jr., a nearly 25-year veteran of the Police Department, has been charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct. The incident occurred after the 19-year-od who was cuffed and two friends were arrested for criminal trespass. the 19-year-old was compliant with police orders when Howard walks up to him and began slapping him in the face. The final slap was hard enough to knock the handcuffed kid backwards. The victim suffered cuts, bruising and swelling to his lips and redness and swelling in his face.