Ottawa Hills officer gets 10 years for shooting biker

Off the Wire
Biker Rights Issues

TOLEDO, OHIO -- The Ottawa Hills police officer convicted of shooting an unarmed man has been sentenced to ten years behind bars.

In May, Thomas Caine White, 27, was found guilty of felonious assault in the shooting of Michael McCloskey during a traffic stop in 2008. The jury found that the part-time Ottawa Hills officer excessive force in shooting the 25-year-old motorcyclist during the May 23 traffic stop. White was found guilty of count of felonious assault with a gun specification, charges that could have meant a sentence of 11 years in prison.

In a Lucas County Common Pleas courtroom on Monday, White was sentenced to ten years in prison. Three of those years will be mandatory due to the gun specification conviction.

The shooting was captured on the officer's dashboard camera. The video shows McCloskey, sitting on the motorcycle he was riding, falling to the ground after being shot in the back.

McCloskey suffered serious injuries as a result of the shooting. He is now paralyzed from the waist down.

White, who was not being held prior to sentencing, was taken into custody by Lucas County Sherrif's deputies after the sentence was read Monday. He has since posted bond and has been released from custody pending the appeal of his case.

View police dashcam video courtesy of the Toledo Blade. Please note that the video may contain material not suitable for all viewers.

original article