MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Monongalia County Sheriff’ Perry Palmer said he’ll meet with Deputy Lance Kuretza Friday following Kuretza’s acquittal in federal court this week on civil rights violations charges.
“I have a meeting with Deputy Kuretza on Friday, and we’ll go from there,” Palmer said. “There are a couple things he needs to do to see what his status will be—if he wants to remain here or what’s going on.”
Kuretza remains an employee of the department and will be put back on duty if he meets training requirements. Palmer said they are working with the state and the department training officer to verify that information. However, Palmer said a decision will not be made until he meets with Kuretza.
A federal jury in Wheeling found Kuretza not guilty on both charges that were filed in connection with a 2018 arrest. The jury found Kuretza didn’t use excessive force in the arrest and thus didn’t try to cover it up in his report.
Kuretza’s attorney, Lyle Dresbold, said his client was emotional after the final verdict was read.
“Once he heard the second “not guilty,” he grabbed me, hugged me, and he was shaking,” Dresbold said Wednesday on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town.” “He’s been dealing with this incident since January of 2018—five years.”
Dresbold said all people involved in the case had their own perspective on the event, and it was different in each case. Working with the jury through the testimony was an important part of reaching a not-guilty verdict.
“Everyone’s perception of this event was different, and it was different from each other and the body cam—that’s typical,” Desbold said.
Palmer said the last five years have been difficult for the entire department, but he believes the verdict affirms the department training policies that were questioned in this trial.
“We appreciate the hard work of the jurors and the process they participated in for the trial,” Palmer said. “We’re also pleased their verdict was consistent with the investigation our department performed locally.”
According to Dresbold, the evidence and allegations were indeed shocking, creating a more negative public perception at a time when public opinions of law enforcement are low. Additionally, he said Kuretza did believe his actions were lawful.
“You can see why the government brought this case in good faith, and once they brought it, it was a case that had to be tried,” Dresbold said. “Deputy Kuretza was sure he acted within the law.”
Dresbold said that after a five-year wait for justice, the system worked and that officials on both sides of this case recognize that. Now Kuretza and his family can move on with their lives.
“The U.S. Attorney for the district said, ‘We accept the jury verdict,’ and that’s what we do in this country; there was no other way to resolve this that was going to satisfy everyone,” Dresbold said. “Now we have an answer; he was not guilty, and he goes back to living his life.”