Richmond officer appeals demotion for handcuffing man to bed

RICHMOND, Ind. (AP) - An eastern Indiana police officer demoted for handcuffing a man in his custody to a hospital bed and then returning to patrol is appealing his punishment.

The Palladium-Item reports (http://pinews.co/1EkmLmA ) Richmond police officer Neal VanMiddlesworth was demoted from sergeant to patrolman in December following an internal department investigation of the handcuffing incident.

Police Chief Kris Wolski says the officer brought a man who was too intoxicated to be jailed to Richmond's Reid Hospital for evaluation. VanMiddlesworth then handcuffed the man to a hospital bed and returned to his patrol duties.

Wolski says the handcuffs hampered the hospital's ability to provide adequate medical attention to the man.

Richmond's Police Merit Commission will hold a hearing Monday on VanMiddlesworth's appeal before ruling on the matter.

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Information from: Palladium-Item, http://www.pal-item.com