In 2016, Deputy Justin Watson pleaded guilty to obstructing a federal investigation into the beating of a local handyman. While off-duty, Watson engaged in a bar fight with the handyman, later tracked him down, conducted a traffic stop, and assaulted him, including striking him with a baton and choking him until unconscious. Watson then lied under oath about his prior encounter with the victim. He faced a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

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