Ex-Crawford County deputy to have plea change hearing
FORT SMITH — The federal jury trial for former Crawford County sheriff’s deputy Zackary King has been canceled, and King now has a plea change hearing set for 3 p.m. Monday in federal court in Fort Smith, according to court documents.
King’s trial had been set for May 6 after being rescheduled multiple times since the incident in question happened Aug. 21, 2022. According to the indictment, deputies King and Levi White arrested Randal Worcester outside a Mulberry convenience store and were accused of using excessive force after video footage of the arrest was posted on social media and went viral.
The video showed King, White and Mulberry police officer Thell Riddle kicking and hitting Worcester while he was on the ground as well as slamming his head into the pavement. Both deputies were first suspended with pay, then fired effective Sept. 29, 2022. Riddle was put on administrative leave and reinstated Feb. 17, 2023.
King and White were charged with deprivation of rights, and both defendants have pleaded not guilty, according to court records.
Cindy Murphy, communications director for the Arkansas Department of Public Safety, has said the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training would set a hearing on White’s and King’s certification once their criminal charges have been adjudicated.
Worcester, 28, of Goose Creek, S.C., was charged with first-degree terroristic threatening, second-degree battery, resisting arrest, possessing an instrument of crime, obstructing governmental operations and disorderly conduct in connection with the 2022 incident. He is awaiting trial, currently set for July 29.