Officer forced man to lick urine off the floor, Mississippi officials say. He’s fired
UPDATE: A fired Mississippi officer pleaded guilty to a civil rights violation after he was accused of forcing an arrested man to drink his own urine, federal prosecutors said.
Former Pearl Police Department officer Michael Christian Green pleaded guilty Thursday, March 14, to acting under color of law to deprive a person of his civil rights, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi.
He faces up to a year in prison, prosecutors said. A sentencing hearing is set for June 12.
The original story continues below.
An officer was fired after his “disturbing” actions toward an arrestee were caught on video, Mississippi officials said.
Ex-patrolman Michael Christian Green was accused of forcing a man to lick his own urine off the floor of a holding cell, City of Pearl spokesperson Therese Apel said in a March 13 news release.
Criminal information against Green was unsealed March 13, detailing a charge stemming from the Dec. 23 video, according to city officials. The footage was also sent to the FBI.
The man, identified in court documents as B.E., was arrested following a domestic disturbance at a Sam’s Club in Pearl on Dec. 23, prosecutors wrote in documents obtained by McClatchy News.
He was taken to jail where Green placed him in a holding cell, authorities said.
At one point, B.E. tapped on the cell door to alert Green that he had to use the bathroom, according to prosecutors. He waited and, after getting no response, went to a corner to relieve himself.
He was moved to the booking area a short time later, at which time Green learned that .B.E. had urinated in the cell.
“You see this phone? I will beat your (expletive) with it,” the officer said, according to court documents. “You’re fixin’ to go in there and you’re gonna lick that (expletive) up.”
Investigators said Green led the man back into the holding cell and filmed the incident. B.E. gagged several times and became physically sick in the booking area, prosecutors said.
Green was fired on Dec. 27 after an internal investigation, according to city officials.
“Michael Green does not represent the values and standards within the Pearl Police Department,” Apel said in the release. “The charged actions have both embarrassed and dishonored the faithful officers who serve and protect our city every day.”
Candace Gregory, the director of Mississippi’s Public Integrity Division, aided in the city’s investigation and will review the police department’s policies and procedures, according to the release.
Training assistance will also be provided, the city said.
Pearl is about a 5-mile drive southeast from downtown Jackson.
This story was originally published March 14, 2024 at 2:15 PM.