Stevenson, Ala., police Chief Daniel Winters pleaded not guilty Wednesday to federal charges accusing him of deprivation of civil rights under color of law in an incident that happened in March 2015.
Winters entered the plea during an arraignment hearing in U.S. District Court after he was released on bond from federal custody, according to spokeswoman Peggy Sanford with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Birmingham.
A call to Winters’ attorney, Fort Payne lawyer Robert T. Ray, was not returned Thursday. Ray filed a notice in district court Monday that he was representing Winters, court records show.
The chief was indicted earlier this month on charges he and others entered a Stevenson residence and assaulted a man in connection with the burglary of a local funeral home, according to court records.
The indictment alleges Winters and others assaulted an “arrestee,” and that Winters didn’t stop others from assaulting the arrestee, thereby depriving him of his civil rights, records state.