Ex-Florida Officer Acquitted Of Beating Suspect
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WEST PALM BEACH (CBSMIAMI/AP) — A former Florida police officer was acquitted of beating a suspect.
Former Jupiter officer Kevin Jacko was acquitted Friday of the June 2013 beating of Cody Blankenship, who ran from officers responding to an unwanted guest call.
Prosecutors said dashboard video showed the 44-year-old Jacko hitting Blankenship with his baton after he was subdued.
The Palm Beach Post says Jacko testified that Blankenship hit him in the face and kicked him, causing an injury to his shoulder that required surgery.
Blankenship's mother, Charlotte Freeman, criticized the verdict, saying Jacko got away with beating her son. Blankenship won a $70,000 settlement with the city.
If convicted, Jacko had faced 35 years in prison. Asked what he would have done differently the night he fought Blankenship, he replied, "I would have been on vacation."
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