Let’s go to the audio tape!
A Hollywood officer driving east on Sheridan street observed an argument occurring between a female driver and Ryon D, on the shoulder of the road. Upon further investigation, the officer discovered that the two persons were a live-in couple. The officer separated them and told the female to leave. The female turned south on Dixie Road, followed by the officer. Shortly thereafter, Ryon would also turn south on Dixie Road.
The officer, apparently thinking that Ryon was following the female driver and therefore disobeying his order, pulled Ryon over. The officer would claim that Ryon exited his vehicle angrily, refusing to re-enter or calm down, and approached him in a fighting stance. The officer would further state that when attempting to effect the arrest, Ryon struck him several times and attempted to damage his shoulder radio to deprive him of being able to communicate with central dispatch. The officer charged Ryon with everything he could think of, which comprised of three felonies and two first degree misdemeanors. Ryon, a 27 year old young man, with no prior convictions, was looking at a maximum sentence of up to 17 years in prison.
Given that this case was tried before what I considered to be a state friendly judge, it didn’t look too good for Ryon. As I collected the evidence in the case, I discovered a 911 call that was made by Ryon at the time of the incident. This audio evidence showed that Ryon couldn’t have been doing the things that the officer claimed since he was on the phone requesting assistance as opposed to exiting his vehicle and confronting the officer. Further, a close review of the audio also seemed to collaborate Ryon’s claim that while he was handcuffed on the pavement, the officer kicked him in his head. Cross examination of the backup officers established significant discrepancies between what the arresting officer stated and what the backup officers observed.
After a long, tedious, emotional first trial, the jury returned with a hung jury. Five of the six jurors found that the state did not prove their case. The retrial required as much effort and energy as the original. However, the jurors of the second trial unanimously found Ryon not guilty of all charges.
