Horse Pursuit Suspect Charged With Grand Theft, Animal Cruelty
SAN BERNARDINO (CBSLA.com) — A San Bernardino man whose videotaped chase on a horse and subsequent beating by deputies resulted in a $650,000 settlement was charged with multiple counts Thursday.
Francis Pusok, 30, faces 14 counts in all, including evading an officer, vandalism, grand theft of livestock, animal cruelty, reckless driving, and other charges, according to the complaint (PDF) filed in Victorville Superior Court.
He is currently out of custody on $100,000 bail. An arraignment has been scheduled for June 16.
If convicted as charged, Pusok faces a maximum sentence of more than 19 years in state prison.
Last month, Pusok reached a $650,000 settlement with San Bernardino County in connection with his April 9 arrest in Apple Valley.
Pusok had been beaten by several sheriff's deputies after leading a chase first by car, then by horse in the desert, a sequence of events that was all caught on camera by a TV news helicopter.
Since Pusok's arrest, the FBI has launched a civil rights investigation and 10 deputies were put on leave pending an internal probe.