A controversial photo was shared on social media and it has caused some major concerns for Stanly County residents. A mugshot shows an Oakboro police officer with his hands around a man’s neck.
The officer is white and the man taking the mugshot is Black. Jeff Crisco is a Republican Stanly County sheriff candidate and has been a police officer for 27 years. His hands could be seen wrapped around Marcus Sturdivant’s neck. Police said the man they arrested was intoxicated, and wasn’t cooperating with authorities.
“The perception isn’t good,” Crisco said about the booking photo.
He admitted the picture looks bad. But apparently there was no other way for him to get the suspect to look at the camera. He wasn’t the least bit remorseful as he spoke with a local reporter.
Crisco stated: “He kept moving his head not to have his picture taken. I held his head still and took his picture. He [Sturdivant] was drunk on the street and I asked him to go home. He chose to go to one of the businesses and cause a scene, became belligerent with some of the customers, and they asked for him to be removed.”
Officer Crisco says that’s when they arrested Sturdivant and took him to the jail to sleep it off. He says Sturdivant became belligerent with the jail staff when he didn’t want to have his mug shot taken, and wouldn’t stop moving his head.
“All I did was take my left hand, place it at his neck, on his chin and the back of my hand on the back of his neck to stabilize him to keep him from getting hurt, because Marcus was moving around.”
In what looks like an attempt to smooth things over with the public, Oakboro Police Department posted a video to Facebook which portrayed a friendly encounter between Crisco and Sturdivant following the booking photo.
In the Facebook video, Sturdivant said he was not harmed and was not choked.
Sturdivant also admitted that he resisted and said he has no problems with Crisco or the Oakboro Police Department.
The two men shook hands during the video and laughed together.
Ok.
