Ronald Greene Case Update; Judge Rules in Favor of Officers, Drops Obstruction Charges

In a recent development regarding the case of Ronald Greene, a black motorist who died during a May 2019 arrest, a Louisiana judge has quashed certain counts against two of the law enforcement officers charged in connection with Ronald Greene’s death.

Body and dashboard camera videos of the incident, which were released two years later, showed officers pulling Greene from his vehicle and subjecting him to violent beatings and Taser shocks. (Photo: KGET COM)

Ronald Greene’s Death

Ronald Greene, 49, died after a confrontation with the police in which he was said to be resisting arrest and struggling with troopers following a chase and car crash outside Monroe, Louisiana.

Initially, Ronald Greene’s family was informed that his death was due to the impact of the crash.

However, body and dashboard camera videos of the incident, which were released two years later, showed officers pulling Greene from his vehicle and subjecting him to violent beatings and Taser shocks.

An initial autopsy report recorded the cause of Ronald Greene’s death as “cocaine-induced agitated delirium complicated by a motor vehicle collision, physical struggle, inflicted head injury, and restraint.”

However, this report did not assign a manner of death.

The report also noted head lacerations that were inconsistent with injuries from a motor vehicle collision but appeared to be caused by multiple impacts from a blunt object.

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Ronald Greene Case Update

According to Third Judicial District Court Judge Thomas W. Rogers, two former state troopers John Peters and Dakota DeMoss will no longer face charges of obstruction of justice, CNN reported.

Dakota DeMoss, who was fired in 2021 over a separate excessive force incident unrelated to Ronald Greene, had the obstruction count against him quashed as well. The judge ruled that DeMoss turning off his body camera audio did not constitute obstruction.

The judge ruled that two statements attributed to John Peters during the course of the investigation did not meet the standard required to charge him with obstruction of justice.

The statements, “Bury it in the report” and “Don’t send the videos unless the DA asks for it,” were deemed insufficient to warrant an obstruction charge.

While acknowledging that Peters’ alleged statements did not reflect the expected spirit of cooperation from a law enforcement officer, the judge determined that they did not rise to the level of obstruction.

In addition to the decisions concerning Peters and DeMoss, the judge also ruled that certain counts against the other three defendants could be quashed if the prosecutors fail to address deficiencies raised by the court within three days.

Kory York, a former Louisiana state trooper facing a negligent homicide charge and 10 counts of malfeasance in office, could potentially have eight of his misconduct counts quashed if prosecutors fail to sufficiently identify specific criminal transactions depicted in the videos of Ronald Greene’s arrest.

John Clary, a former Louisiana State Police lieutenant charged with malfeasance in office and obstruction of justice, could have the misconduct charge quashed unless prosecutors make amendments to the charge, such as providing exact moments in the video evidence that support their accusations.

Similarly, two of the three malfeasance in office charges against Union Parish sheriff’s deputy Harpin could be quashed due to “disjunctive charges” and a lack of time stamps indicating where the assaults on Greene occurred.

The ruling did not address Kory York’s homicide charge, leaving that matter for further consideration.

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