Prosecutors appeal 14-month sentence for ex-Indiana deputy

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) - Federal prosecutors are asking an appeals court to order a stiffer sentence for a former central Indiana sheriff's deputy convicted of civil rights violations.

The (Terre Haute) Tribune-Star reports (http://bit.ly/2bdX00E ) that prosecutors in a Friday filing object to what they call a "uniquely low sentence" of 14 months for Terry Joe Smith of Greencastle. Smith was found guilty in 2014 of using excessive force on two people he arrested. An appeals court rejected the sentence in January, calling it too lenient. But a federal judge upheld the sentence in April, saying a longer sentence might interrupt Smith's anger management classes or cost him a job at a car dealership.

U.S. attorney Josh Minkler says Smith "still has not uttered one word expressing remorse for his crimes."

Smith's attorneys have until Sept. 12 to respond.

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Information from: Tribune-Star, http://www.tribstar.com