SANDERSVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Three former Georgia sheriff’s deputies have been found not guilty of murder in the death of a Black man who raised a white homeowner’s suspicions by asking for a drink of water while walking through a small Georgia town.

Related Articles

Trump administration sues California over giving in-state tuition to immigrants in US illegally

The fallout of Epstein’s crimes span the globe. Here’s a look at some of those paying the cost

Flying without a Real ID? It could cost you $18 and a trip through a new screening process

Probe says Iowa district ‘reasonably relied’ on consultant to vet superintendent arrested by ICE

Judge’s blistering opinion details use of force in Chicago-area immigration crackdown

Eurie Martin, 58, was repeatedly shocked with Tasers after he refused to answer their questions. Henry Lee Copeland, Michael Howell and Rhett Scott said he was walking illegally in the road, littered by dropping a soda can and aggressively refused to follow their commands.

After eight years and two trials, the jury verdicts late Thursday also cleared all three of aggravated assault. Scott was acquitted on all charges, but jurors deadlocked on charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct against Copeland and Howell. A mistrial in 2021 had ended in a deadlock on all counts.

“We’re elated,” Karen Scott said after her son Rhett was finally cleared. “Sorry for the Martin family, but we are just elated.”

Attorney and civil rights activist Francys Johnson is still pursuing a lawsuit in federal court on the family’s behalf. “As a free man in this country, he should have been able to walk home,” Johnson said.

“After eight long years, I’m just very disappointed,” said Martin’s sister Helen Gilbert.

The local district attorney had recused himself from the second trial, citing a conflict, and prosecution was passed to Don Kelley, the district attorney in Columbus. Pete Skandalakis, the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council, said Friday that Kelley would have to decide whether to seek a third trial of Copeland and Howell on the involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct charges.

Martin had been walking through the town of Deepstep in 95-degree heat in July 2017, taking a 30-mile journey to see his relatives for his birthday. Trial testimony showed he was under considerable stress from the heat, had a preexisting weakened heart and was dehydrated. He also had been treated for schizoaffective disorder, his family said. The trial was covered by Georgia Public Broadcasting and WMAZ.

The homeowner who alerted authorities, Cyrus Harris Jr., testified about seeing Martin walk into his yard.

“He was a Black man, big guy,” Harris recalled. “He was a rough-looking character. He looked like he hadn’t had a bath in several days.”

Harris said he noticed Martin carried half a soda can in his hand.

“That’s when he told me he wanted some water. And I wasn’t going to go for that,” said Harris, who called 911.

The responding deputies found Martin in the roadway. They said he refused to stop walking, threw down the can and took an aggressive stance, prompting them to fire Tasers when he didn’t follow instructions. Dash-cameras and bystander cellphones recorded what happened next: Martin was surrounded by the deputies as a puff of smoke appeared when a Taser discharged. Martin flopped to the ground, then picked himself up and tried to walk away.

Deputies ultimately pulled the triggers at least 15 times, sending current into Martin’s body for about a minute and a half in total. An autopsy by a Georgia Bureau of Investigation medical examiner concluded his death was a homicide. The Washington County sheriff fired all three of these men after Martin’s death

In his closing argument, defense attorney Shawn Merzlak said their use of force was reasonable.

“This case is not ‘poor Mr. Eurie Martin getting tased because he wanted water,’” Merzlak told jurors. “Police officers have a right to detain somebody if they suspect they have committed a crime.”

Prosecutor George Lipscomb closed by calling that rationale absurd.

“They want this to be the standard for your community: People killed for littering?” Lipscomb asked jurors. “People killed by walking in the street? Is that Washington County? Is this who you are?”

The Metropolitan Council is looking for a new chief of police of the Metro Transit Police Department, following the resignation of Ernest Morales III in 2024.

Joseph Dotseth is currently serving as the interim police chief. Dotseth intends to apply for the job, said Jeremy Zoss, a media representative for Metro Transit.

The department has been focused on passenger safety perceptions as it works to regain ridership lost during the COVID-19 pandemic and unrest after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. The department’s current safety and security plan includes de-escalation training, improving station conditions and expanding the Transit Rider Investment Program to assist riders and inspect fares.

Serious crime on public transit is down 21% compared to 2024 while officer-initiated calls for service are up 129%, Dotseth reported at a recent news conference on safety measures.

The Metro Transit Police Department is staffed with 171 sworn police officers, 80 part-time officers, 55 community service officers and 40 administrative staff.

The application period closes Dec. 17. The minimum qualifications include a bachelor’s degree, 10 years experience in law enforcement and successfully passing the Minnesota firearms qualification.

To find out more, go to metrocouncil.org/Employment.

Related Articles

Metro Transit increases officer visibility during winter months

Tim Walz appoints transit specialist Robin Hutcheson as Met Council chair

Metro Transit officer Beverly Rodriguez honored posthumously

Met Council: Green Line extension service to west metro starts in 2027

Transit plans trimmed — again — for St. Paul’s West 7th

It had been decades since Spring Lake Park recorded consecutive losing seasons. Yet that’s where the Panthers found themselves at the conclusion of last fall’s season.

Four-win years in 2023 and 2024 had the players looking directly in the mirror. Many members of the current senior class played on both teams as sophomore and juniors. They had to determine where they’d gone wrong, though most seemed to know.

“This was a bunch of people, including myself, we were getting a little lazy in all of the small details,” Senior wing Tyler Wilkinson said.

That couldn’t happen again. Not if the Panthers were to fulfill what they believed to be high potential. Junior quarterback Nolan Roach said all the players, led by the seniors, got together after last fall and vowed “to do everything as well as we can.”

The result is a Prep Bowl appearance. Spring Lake Park is 12-0 heading into the Class 5A title game against Chanhassen (11-1) at U.S. Bank Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.

The Panthers are one win away from another thing the program hasn’t experienced in decades, a state title. It’s been 34 years since Spring Lake Park last stood atop the state.

For the Panthers, the transformation all started in … warmups.

Spring Lake Park opens practice with a half-lap jog around the field. It also does 10-yard form runs. In past years, those may have been fairly relaxed. No longer. Every player has countless watchful eyes — those of their own teammates — scanning to see if they cut a corner on the lap or pull up short on a sprint. Violations are flagged.

Cut corners require a player to go back and do it again the right way. Wilkinson said other self-policed mistakes result in five up-downs at the end of practice.

“Some people think those are silly little things,” Spring Lake Park coach John Stewart said. “But when you start watching kids hold each other to it when we’ve talked about it, it just sets a different tone.”

Spring Lake Park wide receiver Calen Truckenbrod (84) stays inbounds after catching a pass as St. Thomas Academy defensive back Matthew Wagner (11) defends in the first half during a Class 5A semifinal of the State Football Tournament at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)

Everything gets sharper. Senior receiver Calen Truckenbrod noticed how locked in everyone was dating back to summer mini camps.

“We realized right away that we have a special group of guys that were going to do something great,” he said. “It was just something amazing that we saw.”

Accountability was at the forefront of it all. Stewart asked his players to carry the philosophy into the weight room. If someone doesn’t go all the way down on a squat, it’s just as much on the spotter to realize it as the person doing the physical lift. And then say something.

That’s not easy to do for multiple reasons. A lot of people don’t like calling out their peers, much like people don’t like being called out.

It can be uncomfortable.

But Panthers quarterback Nolan Roach noted there are natural leaders who take the reins on those fronts to set an example on both sides of the coin.

“Part of the growth of the team is that those guys have done that, and people that weren’t comfortable doing that have started doing that,” Roach said. “Because they see the leaders doing it, so then everyone is holding each other accountable.”

“It’s gotten to the point where it’s just second nature,” Wilkinson said. “If you make a mistake, you’re just doing what you can to fix it.”

While others may hide from their errors, the Panthers meet them head on.

“That’s part of what’s made this special,” Stewart said.

The mentality rears its head in the best possible way in games. In the past, a shortcoming here or there may have derailed Spring Lake Park. This team has built a strong base of execution and self correction they can fall back on the moment times get tough.

Roach said the Panthers have utilized a saying throughout the year” “You can’t be nervous and prepared at the same time.”

“I know we prepare great,” he said, “and that’s why we’ve been so successful.”

Stewart said this group has “reset the expectations” for this proud program.

“If you want to put yourself in positions to achieve great things as a team, here’s the recipe to follow,” Stewart said. “Success has a price. Sometimes, that’s the hard work you do, that’s the bonding. These guys have definitely shown our underclassmen what it takes.”

And, in the process, he hopes they have ignited a renewed fire and passion for football in the community.

“If we got a whole bunch of people to join football and try to accomplish what we’ve accomplished right now,” Truckenbrod said, “that would mean everything to us.”

Related Articles

Girls hockey: ‘Out of this world’ start for Sarah Johnson has Mounds View/Irondale undefeated

St. Paul: World Juniors hockey event brings Bold North festival downtown

Last night in HS sports: Stillwater wins boys hockey opener, Rosemount’s Ramlall sisters shine

Friday’s Prep Bowl state title game predictions

High School Football: Moorhead, Edina prove there’s more than one way to win in 6A

St. Paul City Council Member Cheniqua Johnson, who chairs the city’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority, plans to step back from her role for 12 weeks while she’s on family medical leave welcoming her first child.

Johnson on Friday said unless her newborn son comes early, she plans to attend the council’s Dec. 3 meeting remotely to vote on the city’s 2026 budget, two days before her due date. She also plans to attend the city council’s Truth in Taxation hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday, which she may also participate in remotely.

Related Articles

St. Paul to allow trash cart sharing under conditions

St. Paul asks for pause on $22 million suit over building permits

St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker to run for Ramsey County Board

St. Paul City Council bans cryptocurrency kiosks

St. Paul City Council simplifies standards in mixed-use zoning areas

“My plans are to be in attendance for both, unless I’m in active labor,” she said on Friday. “I’m really excited for my son, and I’m joining the multiple moms that we have on the council.”

While she’s on medical leave, HRA Vice Chair Saura Jost will lead HRA meetings, and Council President Rebecca Noecker will fill in for Johnson on the St. Paul Authority, which recently welcomed back Nelsie Yang from her second maternity leave since joining the council.

Johnson’s legislative aide, Melanie Johnson, will be her proxy on the Heading Home Ramsey committee, an interagency collaborative that focuses on homelessness and mental health issues, where the council member serves as vice chair. Jost will fill in for her on the Full Stack St. Paul committee, which seeks to draw and retain the technology sector in St. Paul.