FILE — Slippery Rock resident Perry Lawry, left, filed a civil rights lawsuit in May 2018 against a former New Castle Police officer, the city and a second officer, after an arrest in April 2018 that Lawry claims violated his civil rights and left him with serious injuries. At right is attorney Al Lindsay, who represented Lawry in the federal suit.

A former New Castle police officer has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of deprivation of civil rights.

U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today the one-count indictment of Ronald Williams, 40, of New Castle.

Friday's announcement said the charge stems from an incident on April 23, 2018, where while on duty, Williams, "willfully deprived an individual identified as P.L. of his right to be free from unreasonable seizure by repeatedly slamming P.L.'s face into a floor surface, without justification, thereby causing bodily injury to P.L.”

The law provides a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both.

The victim, Perry Lawry, 49, of Slippery Rock, filed the civil rights complaint in May of 2018.

This is an excerpt — read a full article in Sunday's Butler Eagle.