Ex-Melvindale police officer accused of assault in 2 separate incidents sentenced
A former Melvindale, Michigan, police officer has been sentenced after he was accused of assault in two separate incidents, one in 2021 and another in 2024, according to Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan court records.
In July 2024, then-officer Matthew Furman conducted a traffic stop of a 36-year-old man's vehicle around the area of Homestead Avenue and Wall Street in Melvindale, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said. During the stop, Furman asked the man for his identification. When the man said he did not have it with him, Furman asked him to step out of the vehicle and place his hands on the roof of the vehicle.
Prosecutors said that once the man stepped out of the vehicle and put his hands on the roof, Furman deployed his Taser, striking the man in the back. Additional officers were then called to the scene.
According to prosecutors, Furman placed his foot on the man's rib area when officers placed him on the ground. While the man was being treated by medical personnel at the scene, he and Furman started arguing with each other.
The argument escalated to a "physical altercation" that involved Furman grabbing the man by his shirt and hair and pulling him against the fire truck, prosecutors said.
Furman last month was convicted by a jury of one count each of misconduct in office and assault and battery in the 2024 incident, online court records show. On Friday, a judge sentenced him to 60 days in jail, followed by 22 months of probation.
The prosecutor's office said that in July 2021, officers from several Michigan law enforcement agencies, including Furman, were in pursuit of a 35-year-old man who fled from a traffic stop. The man's vehicle was eventually disabled in Dearborn, Michigan, by police.
The man was tackled by officers after trying to leave the scene on foot. According to prosecutors, while he was being held, Furman kicked him multiple times in the leg and ankle.
Court records show Furman pleaded no contest to assault and battery in the 2021 incident and on Friday was sentenced to one year of probation.
It wasn't immediately known whether the two sentences would be served concurrently or consecutively.
