Former Texas Deputy Acquitted in Brutality Case

A former Harris County, TX, deputy constable accused of police brutality was found not guilty Wednesday by a Harris County jury, reports the Houston Chronicle .

Jimmy Drummond, 50, was captured on police dash-cam video allegedly kicking the prone and handcuffed David Scherz Jr., then dropping his knee onto the man's back and neck.

During the week-and-a-half-long trial, defense attorneys challenged the circumstances surrounding the incident that was on video, saying the veteran officer was a supervisor who arrived at a "chaotic scene" in which several officers were fighting with several family members of a man with mental health issues.

Jurors in state District Judge Denise Collins court took just an hour Wednesday to find Drummond not guilty of a misdemeanor charge of official oppression. Defense attorney Sam Cammack said the case never should have gone to trial.

If convicted, Drummond would have faced up to a year in prison and the loss of his peace officer's license.