DETROIT – A Detroit-area police officer convicted of a bloody assault on a driver is facing a possible prison sentence in an incident that wasn't made public until the dashcam video was aired by a TV station.
William Melendez has been in custody since he was convicted Nov. 19 on assault and misconduct charges. He's returning to Wayne County court Tuesday for his sentence.
Melendez was an Inkster police officer a year ago when he stopped Floyd Dent, who was pulled from his car and punched in the head 16 times. Dent suffered broken ribs, blood on his brain and other injuries.
Melendez declined to testify at trial. He was fired after WDIV-TV aired the video last March. Inkster agreed to pay $1.4 million to Dent.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
