Battery Charges Dropped Against Elkhart County Police Officers
ELKHART COUNTY — Battery charges have been dropped against two Elkhart police officers seen beating a handcuffed man on video, the Elkhart County Prosecutor’s Office announced Thursday.
Both officers Joshua Titus and Cory Newland are facing federal rights charges for the Jan. 12 incident. According to the prosecutor, the U.S. Attorney’s Office requested the state charges be dropped, so federal proceedings can go forward.
Both officers are on unpaid leave.
FULL NEWS RELEASE:
The United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana has filed formal Indictments for a Civil Rights violation against Cory Newland and Joshua Titus for their actions in the January 2018 battery of a man in police custody at the Elkhart Police Department.Vicki Elaine Becker, the Elkhart County Prosecuting Attorney, had previously charged both Newland and Titus in State court, which had been proceeding through the pre-trial process. The actions are also now proceeding through the pre-trial process in the Federal system.
The US Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, Thomas L. Kirsch, II, has requested the State of Indiana dismiss its proceedings to allow the Federal proceedings to develop to conclusion. Accordingly, the State is dismissing its pending cases against Newland and Titus so as not to interfere with the Federal case, nor violate statutory deadlines in the State cases.