Prosecutors Object Early Release Of Ex-Cop Convicted In Bloody Beating Of Black Motorist

INKSTER (WWJ) - A former Inkster police officer who is serving time for charges connected to the videotaped beating of a motorist could be released as soon as December -- and prosecutors are not happy.

William Melendez, 48, was convicted by a jury of assault with intent to do great bodily harm and misconduct in office in the attack on motorist Floyd Dent, and was sentenced in February to 13 months to 10 years in prison.

The Michigan Department of Corrections says Melendez's earliest release date is December 15, 2016, and that's not sitting well with prosecutors who worked tirelessly to secure a conviction.

The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office on Friday said they'll be filing a formal objection to Melendez's early release in the coming days.

[VIDEO: Inkster Police Dashcam Violent Arrest Of Floyd Dent]

Melendez has been in custody since he was convicted Nov. 19, 2015 in the bloody beating of Dent during a traffic stop, which was captured on video.

Police stopped Dent, 58, in Inkster for disregarding a stop sign in January 2015. Dashcam video from a department vehicle shows Melendez grabbing Dent and hitting him in the head 16 times while on the ground.

It wasn't until after WDIV-TV aired the video footage in March 2015 that Melendez was fired. Inkster later agreed to pay $1.4 million to Dent, who suffered broken ribs, blood on his brain and other injuries.

Melendez didn't testify during the eight-day trial, but his attorney said the officer was justified in the assault because Dent was aggressive and resisting police. Other officers and a criminal justice professor testified that the beating was reasonable because Dent was resisting arrest. But Vicki Yost, who was chief of police at the time of the beating, said Melendez's actions were unnecessary, based on the video.

The jurors found Melendez guilty of assault with intent to do great bodily harm and of misconduct in office. They cleared him of a charge of assault by strangulation.

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