ROCK HILL — For two nights, protesters have voiced their frustrations outside the home of a former Rock Hill police officer.
On Wednesday, a jury found Johnathan Moreno not guilty of assault and battery after a controversial arrest.
Channel 9′s Tina Terry spoke one-on-one with the solicitor who prosecuted the case. .
Solicitor Kevin Bracket said he was very confident going into closing arguments. However, the jury still delivered a not guilty verdict.
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“I felt very good about the case,” Bracket said. I was very confident going into the closing arguments and when they went back to deliberate. I felt like we had presented a very telling case. I really did.”
Bracket said after reviewing all of the evidence last year, he had to move forward with the case.
“It wasn’t just about the horror that was shown on the videos and what they depicted, but the whole picture that was presented of what actually took place to Travis Price. It demanded that he be given his day in court. He had to have a chance to tell his story to a jury of six and allow them to hear what he had to say,” Bracket said.
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Rock Hill police pulled over Travis Price’s brother Ricky Price and started to arrest him on drugs and weapons charges.
The officers on scene gave Travis Price permission to take his brother’s belongings, but Moreno didn’t know that.
He said he approached Travis to find out why he was there and to protect his fellow officers.
Moreno argued that Travis resisted but prosecutors said his use of force was unnecessary and illegal.
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“It’s very challenging to convict a police officer. Especially in a state like South Carolina that does not have a specific law that defines and explains for a jury what excessive force is,” Bracket said. “We rely on case law, and you can argue back and forth, but if there was a statute that specifically described the limitations that may or may not be done in the course of effecting arrest, it would be much more helpful for a jury like the one we had.”
Bracket said this case may point to the need for law changes in South Carolina.
One lawmaker said he is unaware of any proposed legislation that would define excessive force.
Channel 9′s Tina Terry also spoke to Moreno on Friday, but he did not want to comment on the case. He said he may comment in the near future.
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