Former Kentucky Sheriff’s Deputy, Tanner Abbott, Convicted of Federal Civil Rights Violations After Committing Multiple Assaults and Obstruction

On March 31, 2021, the defendant visited a Harrodsburg, Kentucky hotel with the intention of searching a guest's room. He obtained a key to the room by falsely telling hotel staff that he had a search warrant.

A federal jury in Lexington, Kentucky, recently convicted Tanner Abbott, a 31-year-old former Boyle County Sheriff’s Deputy, of criminal civil rights violations and obstruction of justice. The trial evidence demonstrated that from January to April 2021, Abbott intentionally violated the civil rights of four individuals by using excessive force during their arrests. He also obstructed justice by writing false reports himself and directing another person to do so in order to conceal his actions.

“We’re grateful to this jury of Kentucky citizens who held an officer accountable for repeatedly and violently brutalizing people he was arresting, even though they were not resisting arrest and did not pose a threat,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This prosecution makes clear our commitment to confronting law enforcement criminality from the bottom to the top. The Justice Department will continue to investigate and prosecute law enforcement officers who abuse their authority and violate their public trust by preying upon those they are sworn to protect.”

“This case is a disgraceful example of betrayal of trust, a profound violation of the rights of others, and a danger to our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “When those charged with enforcing the law and protecting the public turn to violating the rights of others and trying to cover it up, that does real damage. It not only injures victims, but also undermines the hard work and true dedication of so many in law enforcement. The defendant will now face the consequences of such a grave betrayal of the public trust.”

“Law enforcement officers are given a gun, a badge and an incredible amount of power when it comes to protecting the communities they serve,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the FBI Louisville Field Office. “Therefore, when the FBI learns of allegations of color of law violations, they are taken seriously and investigated rigorously. Through our thorough investigation of former Sheriff Deputy Abbott, and re-enforced by the jury’s guilty findings, it was found that on more than one occasion, he clearly abused his power and deprived individuals of their civil rights. Seeking justice for victims of police misconduct continues to be of the upmost importance to the FBI.”

According to trial evidence, on January 20, 2021, Tanner Abbott conducted a traffic stop on two young men heading to a Danville, Kentucky restaurant. When the driver asked to speak with Abbott's supervisor, Abbott punched him in the face, dragged him out of the car, and continued to hit him while he was on the ground, not resisting arrest or posing a threat. When the passenger, the driver's brother, got out of the car and pleaded for Abbott to stop, Abbott struck him in the face with an elbow, breaking his glasses.

On February 2, 2021, during another traffic stop where the passenger of the stopped vehicle was being arrested, Abbott punched him in the face without justification while he was being handcuffed, even though the passenger posed no threat to Abbott at the time. Abbott then colluded with another officer to write a report falsely claiming that the victim had aggressively approached Abbott before being punched.

On March 31, 2021, the defendant visited a Harrodsburg, Kentucky hotel with the intention

of searching a guest's room. He obtained a key to the room by falsely telling hotel staff that he had a search warrant. Using this key, he forcibly entered the room against the guest's objections. Inside, without any consent or legal authority, he conducted a thorough search of the guest's personal belongings. Abbott later wrote a false report claiming that the guest had consented to the search.

On April 28, 2021, the defendant arrested a driver who had failed to stop when Abbott tried to pull over the car. After the chase ended and the driver was arrested and handcuffed, Abbott approached him and punched him in the face, even though the driver was not resisting arrest and did not pose a threat to Abbott or anyone else.

Abbott was convicted by the jury on four charges of violating individuals' rights under the color of law, one charge of conspiracy, and one charge of falsifying records within federal jurisdiction. He was found not guilty on one charge of violating rights under the color of law. Sentencing is scheduled for June 7 at 10:00 AM in Lexington.

The FBI Louisville Field Office conducted the investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Alec Ward of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Dembo for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

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