State drops resisting-arrest charge against Loyd

Prosecutors will not to pursue a misdemeanor resisting-arrest charge against accused killer Markeith Loyd, records show.

The notice was filed Friday on behalf of special prosecutor Brad King, saying that because Loyd is facing several murder charges and the death penalty, “further prosecution of this misdemeanor offense is not warranted.”

All other charges against Loyd are still pending, records show.

Loyd was accused of resisting arrest without violence when Orlando police officers arrested him Jan. 17 at an abandoned house. Police said he refused “repeated commands to put his hands behind his back.”

Police released video of the arrest showing an officer kick Loyd in the head after he crawled out of the house. Department officials have said officers used force because he resisted.

Loyd has said several times in court that the use of force caused serious facial injuries and left him blind in one eye. His blindness was confirmed in emails obtained by the Orlando Sentinel, showing doctors had to perform surgery on Loyd’s left eye. “This was as a result of the injuries Loyd received during his response to resistance,” Lt. Dan Brady wrote in an email to Chief John Mina.

An Orlando Police spokeswoman said Monday that the dropped charge will not have an impact on its use of force investigation, which is still on going.

Loyd is accused of killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon, in December and, nearly a month later, gunning down Orlando Police Lt. Debra Clayton, when she tried to arrest him.

He faces other charges stemming from the killings, including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, killing an unborn child and armed carjacking.