Free Thought Project – by Matt Agorist
Dekalb County, AL — On March 1, 2020, Anthony David Nute, had harmed no one and had committed no crime when he was arrested after “acting strangely in his front yard.” The subsequent kidnapping ended with Nute’s face being shattered by police during a horrifying beating that was captured on video.
Video was released this month as part of a lawsuit filed on behalf of Nute by Griffin Sikes, a Montgomery attorney. The video is nothing short of shocking. It was so shocking, in fact, that Sheriff Nick Welden immediately fired the deputies involved, who are all named as defendants in the lawsuit.
“I’m a no-nonsense kind of guy,” Welden told AL.com. “I have to stand for what’s right in the job I do, no matter what it is.”
According to police, they received a call about Nute behaving strangely in his own front yard. Behaving strangely in your own front yard is not probable cause for detainment as police had no reasonable suspicion that a crime had been committed. However, that is exactly what happened.
When a Rainsville police officer showed up, Nute is staring into the sky and walking around in his front yard. The Rainsville Fire department was also on the scene attempting to assess Nute’s condition.
“We’re trying to get you some help, man,” the officer says to Nute. But help was the last thing Nute would receive.
To “help” the man, who may or may not have even needed help, the officer tackled Nute, taking him to the ground, tasered and then handcuffed him.
Officers charged Nute with public intoxication, resisting arrest and third-degree assault, all misdemeanors. His trial is set for Feb. 9 in Rainsville city court. Rainsville police Chief Michael Edmondson said the victim of the assault charge is an employee of the Rainsville Fire/Rescue Department, whom Nute is seen pushing in the video, according to AL.com.
Once Rainsville police dumped Nute off at the Dekalb County Sheriff’s department jail, that’s when things got really ugly. In what looks like a rape scene unfolding in the back room of a prison, deputies — identified in the lawsuit as Wrett Tyson, Adam Jackson and Jon Brown — bring Nute into the search room, where he is thrown to the ground and his pants pulled from his body.
During the assault, Nute was repeatedly hit, kicked, stomped on, and tasered as his clothes are torn away. The video below which shows a constant barrage of police violence against Nute for over 4 minutes, did not capture the entire assault. According to the lawsuit, the assault lasted between 13 and 14 minutes.
According to the lawsuit, Nute’s cheekbone, eye socket, nose, nasal canal and ribs were broken during the attack. He had to undergo facial reconstructive surgery for the facial fractures and was hospitalized as a result.
Nute also suffered head trauma, as well as multiple bruises and abrasions to his face, head, neck, shoulders, chest, pelvic area, back, arms, legs, hands and feet, according to the lawsuit.
As the video below shows, Nute is left lying on the floor, his clothes stripped off and his face bleeding profusely.
AL.com reports Sheriff Welden said his office asked an outside law enforcement agency to investigate whether criminal charges should be filed against the former officers. He said the file was sent to the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, which asked the Alabama Attorney General to investigate.
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However, when contacted for a comment, the DA and AG refused to give a statement on the matter.
Nute never resisted, threatened or gave the jailers any other reason for the assault, said Sikes, his attorney. The lawsuit says: “…and he took no actions other than defensively attempting, as best he could, to shield his face, head and body…”
As you watch the video below, also take note on how multiple cops — not participating in the gang-style attack on Nute — casually walked by, refusing to stop their fellow officers from nearly killing this man. According to the lawsuit, nine sheriff’s office employees are also named as defendants for failing to intervene.
As TFTP reports on a regular basis, if just one bad cop is seen committing a crime and 30 officers all fail to stop him, those 30 cops become bad cops too. Every cop in the video below is a bad cop.
Hard to top this for the “Cruel and Ugly Award” for the day. Demons certainly walk among us. 🙁
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charges must be filled against this fn pigs! This man was a fire/rescue city employee, what the hell! is this what they call ,,”looking out for your brother” THIS IS WHAT IS SO WRONG THE LAW ENFORCEMENT! USED to be PROTECT AND SERVE!!! I hope this poor man gets restitution and these SCUM get jail time, criminals love pigs behind bars.