Ex-cop convicted of battering suspects faces 3rd sentencing

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) - A former central Indiana sheriff's deputy convicted of civil rights violations for battering two handcuffed suspects will be sentenced in November for the third time after rulings by a federal appeals court.

Terry Joe Smith is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 20 by a federal judge in Terre Haute.

The 40-year-old former Putnam County sheriff's deputy was convicted in 2014 of using excessive force on two people he arrested. Prosecutors said Smith punched a restrained suspect in the face and threw another handcuffed suspect to the ground several months later.

The Tribune-Star reports that a federal appeals court found Smith's original 14-month sentence too lenient. When the same judge resentenced him again to 14 months, the court ordered Smith to be resentenced again, this time by a different judge.

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