UPDATE (01-05-16): Pickett is found not guilty following his trial. He was facing a year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000 if convicted.
Earlier reporting below.
South Daytona, FL – A former South Daytona Police Department detective who was fired for hitting a handcuffed suspect last year should get his job back within the next 10 days.
That’s the decision made by an arbitrator in a ruling dated Monday in the case of John “Zach” Pickett.
The City of South Daytona fired Pickett last May after an internal investigation concluded that he struck Parker Neil Beasley as he sat handcuffed in the back of a SDPD patrol car on the night of January 23, 2015.
A binding arbitration hearing on the matter was heard last September by arbitrator Alan S. Lunin and he ruled that Pickett should be reinstated to the same or a similar position with back pay, seniority and all applicable benefits.
According to Lunin’s ruling – which you can see by clicking here – Pickett’s contact with Beasley didn’t rise to the level of excessive force.
In a press release sent by the city afterward, City Manager Joseph Yarbrough said that he stands by the decision to fire Pickett even though the city is legally bound to reinstate him.
“We will not tolerate excessive use of force or any other actions of inappropriate conduct,” Yarbrough added.
Dash cam video from the incident played during Pickett’s court trial on Tuesday. Prosecutors say it shows Pickett reaching into the window of a patrol car and hitting Beasley in the head, something Pickett claimed he did because Beasley spit on him.
Pickett was charged with misdemeanor battery by the office of State Attorney RJ Larizza soon after his termination. He’s also potentially facing disciplinary action from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in this matter.
No ruling has been handed down in Pickett’s trial as of 5:30 PM Tuesday.
Copyright 2016 Southern Stone Communications.