Malaika Fraley
6/23/09
A Richmond police officer pleaded not guilty today to charges that he unlawfully assaulted a handcuffed drug suspect in March and then filed a false police report about the incident.
Dedrick Riley, 39, was charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor last week after a District Attorney’s Office investigation that was spurred by a report from the Richmond Police Department.
About six Richmond officers attended today’s arraignment to support Riley, who is out of custody on his own recognizance.
“They know (Riley) is hard worker, a good man, and are here to ensure justice is done in this case and that is absolutely my goal too,” said Riley’s attorney, Harry Stern. “I look forward to … getting to the bottom of the case and ultimately clearing this good man’s name.”
Riley has been on administrative leave since the police department launched its own investigation shortly after the reported assault.
The police department fired Riley after a similar assault complaint in 2006, but court records show he regained his job with back pay through binding arbitration once the police union filed a grievance on his behalf.
A judge in 2008 dismissed Riley’s lawsuit against the police department that claimed racial discrimination and retaliation prompted his firing.
