Police Officers Prevail In Lewes Excessive Force Trial - WMDT 47 News - Delmarva's Choice

Police Officers Prevail In Lewes Excessive Force Trial

LEWES, Del. - After nearly five years, two police officers finally have closure, following an incident where they were accused of using excessive force. A federal jury found that Lieutenant James Azato of Lewes Police Department and Corporal Matthew Blakemen of Delaware State Police were justified in the amount of force they used when arresting Chad Tylecki on January 13th 2008.

According to the testimony about the day of his arrest, the Lewes Police Department responded to a call about a disturbance at the Irish Eyes Bar & Restaurant involving Tylecki, who had fled from the scene. It says that during the arrest, Tylecki struggled with officers, leading to a chin injury. During the testimony, witnesses said that, while he getting treated at Beebe Medical Center, Tylecki was combative, intoxicated, and physically resisting, so much so that police had to use a taser against him.

Tylecki filed the lawsuit in January of 2010, claiming that he had been violently thrown to the ground, and tased for no reason. He was looking for $500,000 in damages.