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Hunt Sheriff's Dept. investigating video of deputies, handcuffed prisoner

Phillip Allen Jones
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The Hunt County Sheriff’s Department is receiving attention from outside the county for the second time this month. A video showing two Hunt County Sheriff's deputies pushing a handcuffed man into a parked car and onto a parking lot has been making the rounds in news reports and on social media.

The video, released by Dallas-based WFAA-TV, shows Phillip Allen Jones, 28, who was a prisoner of the county jail at the time, being wrestled to the pavement outside the Hunt County Courthouse.

Jones, 28, was arrested on several felony charges, including drug possession and aggravated robbery, in November of 2014. Seven days later, Jones was taken to the Hunt County Courthouse with several other prisoners. While there, a person who knew Jones spoke to him, WFAA reported. A Hunt County deputy, Joshua Richardson, 31, told the two men not to talk and escorted Jones' acquaintance outside, the report said.

The video then shows Richardson grabbing Jones and forcing him outside, where he and a jailer, Stuart Roberts, 41, appeared to slam Jones head-first into a parked car twice before wrestling him to the pavement.

Following the confrontation, both deputies received medical attention. Jones was charged with two counts of assaulting a public servant. Jones’ attorney told WFAA that Jones was left handcuffed for 24 hours and did not receive medical attention for a week.

WFAA reported that Richardson later told investigators that Jones started a fight with Richardson, who subdued Jones along with the help of Roberts.

Hunt County Sheriff Randy Meeks has said an internal investigation is underway and his office would release its findings once the investigation was completed. Jones remains at the Hunt County Jail, according to jail records.

Earlier this month, the Hunt County Sheriff’s Department received national attention because of a video depicting the violent arrest of a Quinlan woman, Deanna Robinson, on March 4. A Texas Rangers investigation of that incident continues.

"It appears there's a pattern of attacking people that are handcuffed," Scott Palmer, a Dallas civil rights attorney representing Jones, told WFAA. "This is bad. You don't this to handcuffed people."

Accounts differ as to whether Robinson was handcuffed during the part of the incident recorded on the video. Robinson said she was handcuffed, but Meeks said Robinson was not handcuffed. Robinson has also been charged with assault of a public servant.

Mark Haslett has served at KETR since 2013. Since then, the station's news operation has enjoyed an increase in listener engagement and audience metrics, as well recognition in the Texas AP Broadcasters awards.