By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – A federal grand jury in St. Louis has indicted two former policemen and a civilian employee on conspiracy and civil rights charges.
Authorities say detective Mark Winger and Sergeant Lewis McGee assaulted a man who was being detained on a traffic violation.
The men worked for the Velda City Police Department, but the alleged incident happened at the jail in Northwoods.
Jail employee Arvette Ford also has been charged in the case. The indictment says she witnessed the beating but did nothing to stop it.
U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway said the three lied to FBI agents investigating the case.
"They lied to investigators," Hanaway said. "They tried to cover up their actions. Fortunately, through very good investigative work on the part of the FBI and the St. Louis County Police, we have been able to gather enough evidence to make the indictment."
Hanaway said another Northwoods Police Department employee alerted authorities.
If convicted, the defendants could face more than a decade in prison.