Jury finds former Denver sheriff’s sergeant not guilty

A jury acquitted a former Denver sheriff’s sergeant Friday after the officer was charged by the district attorney last year with thirddegree assault, accused of taking a handcuffed, hooded inmate to the floor for no reason.

Former Denver Sheriff Department Sgt. Randolph Romero, 50, was found not guilty during a three-day jury trial about the alleged assault on a Denver city jail inmate last year, according to a Denver district attorney’s news release.

“We are so happy for our client who has been dealing with this dark cloud over his life for the past 18 months,” read a statement from Romero’s attorney, Danny Foster. “This was a political prosecution by Beth McAnn, who promised voters that she’d prosecute law enforcement. The time and waste of taxpayer dollars for her political gain was egregious. This was a case of justifiable force that should never have been filed. I hope she stops using her office to score political points by wrongfully prosecuting good law enforcement officers.”

Romero was accused of unlawfully physically taking down an inmate — who was wearing a spit hood and was handcuffed — without evident cause inside an elevator of the Van CiseSimonet Downtown Detention Center.

Two other sheriff’s deputies were inside the elevator but were not involved in the incident. The inmate suffered a wrist injury.

McCann won support for her 2016 election from Denver’s criminal justice activists by saying she would file charges, if warranted, against law enforcement officers accused of using excessive force. The district attorney’s predecessor, Mitch Morrissey, was criticized by activists for rarely charging deputies and officers in excessiveforce accusations.

It is rare for Denver law enforcement to be charged in connection with on-duty incidents, and convictions remain rare.