Officer who used excessive force allowed to plead guilty to misdemeanor after felony conviction
June 5, 2025
A Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy will serve four months in prison on a misdemeanor conviction for using excessive force after the new Trump-appointed U.S. attorney offered an unusual plea deal despite a jury convicting him of a felony. The victim’s attorney asked a federal appeals court to reinstate the felony conviction, but the court declined to do so on Thursday. Deputy Trevor Kirk was found guilty of a felony after being recorded tackling and pepper-spraying a woman in 2023. When U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli took office, federal prosecutors offered Kirk a plea deal for a misdemeanor. Kirk was sentenced to four months in prison on Monday.
