The discussion of police brutality has been raging for a few years now, with stories appearing on a semi-regular basis that really raises the importance of challenging this culture of violence. One story at the moment is the two-week federal trial taking place, beginning May 14th, against three deputies at the Hernando County Sherriff’s Office. They are accused of beating a Brooksville resident so badly that his eyeball came out of its socket, before trying to cover the beating up.
The event seemingly took place during a Christmas party in 2009, near the home of Michael Bratt and Marjorie Youman. Deputies responded to a complaint of noise at around 1:30AM, and the attending deputy, Steven George, is said to have jumped the fence of the home rather than use the call box at the gate.
Official reports state that Bratt was angry, and accused the deputy of trespassing. Youmans began to shout at the deputy before being taken back inside by Bratt, shoving her into the home. Accused by George of domestic battery, the two men engaged in a scuffle. George then claimed that Bratt slammed his head into a coffee table, and even tried to grab his taser.
Able to subdue Bratt and handcuff him on the floor, the story ends here. The story that Bratt and Youmans, tell, though, is very different. They say that Bratt put his arm out in a bid to restrain Youmans, before the deputy ‘screamed’ that battery was taking place, and tasered Bratt through the front door, falling face-first.
George then called for backup, before deputies Louis Genovese and Kenneth van Tassel arrived on the scene. Bratt was ‘dragged outside and ask if he liked beating up cops, or words to that effect.’
Bratt was supposedly beaten heavily by the cops, including a knee to the face by Genovese, who is over 300-pounds. It shattered the orbital bone, and caused his right eye to fall into the cheek cavity. Bratt’ step-father, an ex-military serviceman and a Vietnam veteran, said that he’d seen better treatment provided to prisoners of war, saying: “Being in Vietnam, being a Vet for a long time, we never treated our prisoners that way,” said Mike Sebesta. “We never did anything like that. I just hope justice… comes to them because I don’t think it’s right.”
Youmans was also charged with obstruction, though it was later dropped. Bratt was arrested for battery on a law enforcement officer. He was found not guilty in 2013 for the charge, and his attorney said that the police officer’ could not explain the damage to Bratt’ face, and that their stories were inconsistent.
Bratt and Youmans are seeking over $10m in damages. Van Tassel, one of the officers involved, has signed resigned and left the region. George is still an officer, and Genovese is now a sergeant.
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