U.S. Department of Justice Jeffrey A. Taylor United States Attorney for the District of Columbia FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2007 Contact Channing Phillips (202) 514-6933 WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/DC

FEDERAL GRAND JURY CHARGES MPD OFFICERWITH CIVIL RIGHTS AND FIREARM VIOLATIONS

WASHINGTON—A federal grand jury has charged 31-year-old Jerome Merrill, a Metropolitan Police Department officer, with violating the civil rights of an individual and using a firearm in the commission of a violent crime, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Rena J. Comisac and U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor announced today.

        The two-count indictment was returned earlier today by a federal grand jury sitting in the District of Columbia.  Merrill is alleged to have committed both offenses on Feb. 11, 2005, at the Seaton Market in the 1800 block of North Capitol Street, NW, Washington, D.C., while effectuating an arrest of an individual.  The Indictment alleges that Merrill used unreasonable force in assaulting the individual with a firearm, and that Merrill caused bodily injury to the victim.  

       
        If found guilty of these charges, Merrill faces a maximum punishment of life imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.  An arraignment date has not yet been set, but the defendant is expected to be arraigned in U.S. District Court within the next two weeks.              

The indictment resulted from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Cummings and Marian Borum from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and Trial Attorney Douglas Kern from the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

        An indictment is an accusation and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the United States has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.