Jury sentences former Harrison County deputy to 90 days in jail

MARSHALL, Texas (KLTV) - 11:29 a.m. - A jury sentenced Charles Dotson to 90 days in jail with time served and no fine.

10:46 a.m. - Dunbar gives sentencing closing statement.

“What is appropriate? I’m not asking for you to feel sorry for him,” Dunbar said.

He said being on probation is not without its punishment. He says Dotson has not done anything in three years that he’s been out on bond.

“Sometimes you have to punish people so they won’t do something again,” Moore said.

10:20 a.m. - Moore said he does not agree with decision but he respects it.

Dunbar thanked the jury.

Moore again shows video of Dotson bringing Collins to the jail from Roop’s dashcam. The defense calls Dotson to testify.

Dotson said he has never been arrested for or convicted of a crime. He said he has admitted his guilt. He said he would like to apologize to Collins and has wanted to do so for three years. Collins was no longer in the courtroom, however.

Dotson said, getting visibly emotional, that for last three years not been able to get a job or provide for his children. He said that even though he has wanted to be a police officer since he was a kid, he by law will no longer be able to be a peace officer ever again.

He says he is currently working for his father on his ranch. He said he hopes he can find a new job now. “It kills me that I can’t work.” “I haven’t had a job for three years, so any jail time I get is more time I can’t provide for my kids.”

He asks the jury to place him on probation. He said it “crushes me” to be on the other side of the law now.

The defense calls Doug Dotson. He said he has noticed a marked difference in his son after the incident. He said Dotson has felt demoralized. He said he’s seen him at the lowest points of his life in the last three years. He said he raised his son to admit guilt when he’s done something wrong.

Doug said sending Chase Dotson to jail would not be a benefit and that he is not a danger to the community.

The defense calls Cruz Vences. Vences said Dotson is human and made mistakes. He said he has not seen Dotson do anything in the last three years to violate the law.

The state asks Vences why he or anyone else didn’t move to stop Dotson. Vences says it took him a while to process what was happening.

9:43 a.m. - A jury found Charles Dotson not guilty on a charge of aggravated assault.

9:33 a.m. - In Moore’s final rebuttal he showed the video once again.

“That right there caused serious bodily injury,” Moore said. “Use your common sense. That’s all I’m asking you to do. I think one person knew what was going to happen here, and he’s sitting right there.”

“Because of him, it casts a bad light on all the good officers. Because of him it makes the community think “All these officers are bad,” Moore said.

Moore says other officers and communities are going to look at what citizens decide here when holding officers accountable. “You get to set the standard. Is this going to be ok?”

Moore said that in any other case, someone being taken from their home for no reason would be kidnapping.

“No one else can take someone from their home and brutally beat them,” Moore said.

Closing arguments have begun in the trial of a former Harrison County deputy sheriff accused of mistreating a prisoner.

According to judicial records, Charles Corbit Dotson faces charges of Official Oppression, Aggravated Assault by a Public Servant, and Tampering with Evidence for the November 22, 2018 incident. In that incident, it is alleged that Dotson, acting under the color of his employment as a Harrison County Deputy Sheriff, unlawfully mistreated the prisoner by hitting him in the face and on his head.

Thursday, Dotson pleaded guilty to a charge of official oppression. The court said not guilty to a charge of tampering with evidence. A jury is deciding on the aggravated assault charge.

“To protect and serve that is the oath every officer takes. That is not what happened on Nov. 22, 2018,” State attorney Moore said.

Moore says “All of you have different life experiences. That is why we want you to use common sense.”

Moore said the only thing that is in question is serious bodily injury, based on the definition of the law. Moore ran down a list of ways he says Collins’ physical health changed as a result of the incident, including bleeding from the ear, a misaligned jaw and uneven vision.

Moore asks: How can you unintentionally hit someone eight times in the face?

“Here’s what we need to think about: What do we know what happened?” Defense attorney Dunbar said.

The defense brings up Collins’ past history of going to doctors. He continues to cite visits of going to ear doctor prior to the incident where he already showed signs of blood and fluid in his ear, claiming Collins’ ear bleeding was not the result of the assault. He cites the “unremarkable” test results such as X-rays and CT scans the night of the assault as proof no serious bodily injury was found.

The defense claims that video interview footage shows Collins as “jovial” and without major injury when being interviewed by the Texas Rangers.

The defense says there is not one medical record that shows serious injury. Says Collins never went to visit an eye doctor despite claims of impaired vision. “He’s not a stranger to doctors.”

The defense says we know Collins was threatening and acting violent in the car. He says Dotson was never really involved in the house.

The defense frames Dotson’s assault as “he was trying to defend a brother” because he claimed Collins was about to bite Deputy Ryan Roop when Collins was being pulled out of the patrol car.

RELATED: Trial for former Harrison County deputy accused of mistreating prisoner gets underway

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