Atlantic City Officer Charged With Civil Rights Violation: Cops

CAMDEN, NJ - An Atlantic City police officer is being charged with violating an individual's civil rights and falsifying a report, according to the District Attorney of New Jersey. Sterling Wheaten, 34, is being charged for an incident on June 15, 2013 outside the Tropicana Hotel, and made his first appearance in court on Thursday, October 11.

Wheaten was working his shift on the day of the incident, when five other members of the Atlantic City Police Department came across a man near the Tropicana. After telling the man to leave the area, he ran across the street and shouted obscenities at the officers. During the arrest, the man was taken down and the officers radioed for Wheaten to arrive with a K9 unit for assistance.

When Wheaten arrived, he released the dog on the man with no warning and the dog bit the man on the chest and the neck. While the dog was biting the man on the neck, Wheaten proceeded to punch the man twice. After the man was taken into custody, Wheaten and the five other officers watched the Tropicana security tapes before creating their reports.

Wheaten claimed that he was afraid the man was going to retrieve a weapon as reasoning for his punching the man. He also falsely said that he provided first aid to the man before the ambulance arrived.

Wheaten faces ten years imprisonment for the civil rights violation and 20 years for the falsification of records.

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