Cleveland officer accused of prisoner assault

February 25, 2011 at 8:30p.m.

CLEVELAND (AP) — A Cleveland police officer has been charged with six misdemeanors in the alleged assault on a handcuffed prisoner in December. The police department says the female prisoner wasn’t injured.

Police spokesman Sgt. Sammy Morris says 34-year-old officer Adonna Perez was arrested today on charges including assault and interfering with civil rights. She was assigned to desk duties while the case is resolved.

She pleaded not guilty today.

The police union president, Steve Loomis, told The Plain Dealer newspaper that he had seen video of the encounter and believes the prosecutor has “wildly overcharged” Perez.