SALT LAKE CITY — A lawsuit accusing Trolley Square hero Ken Hammond of being exceptionally rough and forceful in an arrest has been settled.
The lawsuit was filed more than a year ago by Natasha Child, who said Hammond shoved her to the ground, jabbed her in the back and forced her to walk with her pants around her ankles following her arrest. Hammond was named in the complaint, along with Ogden Police Chief Jon Greiner, the city of Ogden and numerous unnamed officers whom Child said were Hammond's supervisors and knew of "his tendencies to abuse female suspects."
The case was dismissed Feb. 10 by U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell. Al Larson, attorney for Ogden and the city's police department, said all parties were able to reach a settlement out of court.
As the case was a classic "he said, she said" scenario with Hammond denying the allegations made against him, Larson said it would have gone to trial if a $35,000 settlement hadn't been arranged.
"The plaintiff gets money, and the city has to pay some money, but they don't have to pay more on legal fees, so everybody moves ahead," he said. "The city is looking out for taxpayers' money."
Child was arrested May 18, 2008, after Hammond, who was assisting Utah Highway Patrol troopers in Ogden, helped arrest her husband. Corey Child had been pulled over for drunken driving and then escaped from police after being handcuffed.
He had called his wife as he was being pulled over, and she arrived at the scene soon after he was recaptured. The lawsuit states that Hammond was unnecessarily rough with him, knocking his legs out from under him, elbowing him in the head and kicking him in the back "without provocation." Natasha Child said she then shouted "I'm a witness to that," prompting Hammond to order her arrest.
The woman claims Hammond slammed her to the ground, then fell on top of her before pulling her pants down because she had been struggling to keep them up, the lawsuit states.
She claims the incident caused "severe pain and strain." She was charged with public intoxication, interfering with arrest, resisting an officer and disorderly conduct, but all charges were later dismissed.
Hammond was lauded as a hero for his role in helping to stop the February 2007 shooting rampage at the Trolley Square mall. The officer was on a date with his wife when Sulejman Talovic, 18, opened fire. Five people were killed and four wounded before Hammond engaged Talovic in a shootout, keeping the gunman distracted until Salt Lake police arrived and killed Talovic.
Hammond resigned from the Ogden Police Department and lost his police certification last year, after he pleaded guilty to sexual battery in an unrelated case involving a 17-year-old girl. He was sentenced to serve 90 days in jail for that crime.
e-mail: emorgan@desnews.com