WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) - A trial is underway for a former Hancock County sheriff’s deputy who’s now a nominee for sheriff and has been accused of excessive force.
The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register reports (https://bit.ly/2dIGk21) jury selection in 51-year-old Mark Cowden’s trial began Tuesday in federal court in Wheeling.
Cowden, of Weirton, is charged with deprivation of rights and obstruction of justice in connection to an arrest last year. Cowden is accused of using excessive force, and then falsifying a document in an attempt to justify his use of force.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Cowden, who retired in 2015 from the sheriff’s department after 26 years, is currently the Republican candidate for Hancock County sheriff.
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Information from: The Intelligencer, https://www.theintelligencer.net
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