Owasso Police Officer To Face Trial On Excessive Force Charge

A  judge ruled there is enough evidence for an Owasso police officer accused of excessive force to go to trial.

Officer Mike Denton was seen on  dash camera video hitting the suspect of a high-speed chase with a shotgun.  It was the end of a police chase that stretched from Tulsa to Nowata and ended with a suspect's arrest.

Dash-cam video from a Nowata police car shows Denton sticking the shotgun in and punching it on the suspect who had just been Tased. Another officer appears to stop Denton from continuing, but when the suspect - who had a knife - was pulled out and on the ground, Denton hit him again with the gun at least six times.

6/19/2015 Related Story: Video Shows New Angle Of Owasso Officer Accused Of Excessive Force

He is charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon and reckless conduct with a firearm.

It wasn't the first time Denton has been accused of using excessive force. The Owasso Police Department fired him after a 2011 arrest, but the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals ordered the city to reinstate him. 

If convicted of the charge against him now, Denton could face a fine or up to life in prison. He's expected to face trial early next year.

4/15/2014 Related Story: Appeals Court Orders Fired Owasso Cop To Be Reinstated