Montgomery County settles civil suit with man who was kneed in the back of the head by a police officer
Settlement was for $400,000
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Montgomery County has settled a lawsuit with a man who was kneed in the back of the head two years ago by a county police officer during an arrest.
Officer Kevin Moris was seen on video kneeing Arnaldo Pesoa, now 21, outside an Aspen Hill McDonald’s in July 2019. Police said they were arresting Pesoa for selling psilocybin mushrooms – a type of drug that can cause hallucinations. As Moris tried to handcuff Pesoa on the ground, the officer struck Pesoa using his knee.
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35, the county’s police union, wrote in a statement to Bethesda Beat on Monday afternoon that Rupp’s decision to grant probation before judgment for Moris was “consistent with any other citizen in the state of Maryland.”
“The court granted a PBJ after finding that Officer Moris had no previous criminal history, a favorable work history, and was convicted of a misdemeanor,” the statement read. “Lodge 35 believes Judge Rupp acted with impartiality when he handed down his decision.”
The police union’s statement noted that Moris “accepted the internal discipline proposed by the police chief and will move forward with his career as a law enforcement officer,” but did not give further details.