Bartow Man Acquitted Of Taking Officer's Weapon, Obstruction Charges

A Bartow County jury has acquitted an Emerson man on charges stemming from an arrest that led to charges of excessive force late last year.

On Friday, Michael Ray West was found not guilty on one count of obstruction of a law enforcement officer and three counts of attempting to remove a weapon of a public officer.

A jury could not reach a verdict on the two additional counts of obstruction, and ”no decision made at this time about when counts one and three will be tried again,” the office of Cherokee Judicial Circuit District Attorney Rosemary Greene said.

West was arrested Nov. 12, 2013, and charged with two counts of theft by conversion, obstructing an officer and taking an officer’s weapon. West, who advertised on Craigslist his business selling new and used campers shells and repairing camper shells, was accused of taking money from customers for work he did not complete and products he failed to provide.

While the arrest occurred in the Emerson Police Department’s jurisdiction, Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force agents and U.S. Marshals participated in the operation.

Angela West accused authorities of using excessive force on her father when they arrested him, and pointed to surveillance video that appeared to show an officer stepping on her father’s head after he was placed onto the ground.

Photo credit: Patch file