The cop who beat Floyd Dent almost 2 years ago remains in prison. He was convicted of assault and sentenced to 13 months to 10 years.
Now, former Inkster police officer Bill Melendez could be home after the first of the year.
His story was told to the state parole board that has voted to release Melendez with some conditions.
We obtained documents from the Michigan Department of Corrections that outline how Bill Melendez’s service in the army may have caused him to do the beating.
Melendez kept quiet with the case pending at the time.
He would later be charged with assault and convicted.
The video from Inkster was the centerpiece of the case. It shows him beating Dent 16 times in 10 seconds during a traffic stop.
Melendez’s defense attorney Jim Thomas wrote a letter in august to the parole board outlining military service from 1987 to 92 - including special operations.
Thomas asked the board to consider posttraumatic stress disorder.
Melendez added in the report he was trying to protect his fellow officers. And that the man he was beating threatened to kill him.
But one parole board member, Sonia Warchock, commented:
Melendez has no idea why he assaulted the citizen. His lack of understanding leads me to doubt his statement that something like this will never happen again.
The Wayne County Prosecutor wrote a letter to the parole board, opposing Melendez’s release.
He has several other letters supporting him.
He must complete a cognitive program before he can be released. So the exact date is not determined.
Dent recovered from serious injuries and was paid $1.3 million by the city of Inkster.
