All six former ‘Goon Squad’ officers sentenced for violent civil rights offenses in Mississippi

Courtesy of NNPA Six former Mississippi law enforcement officers were sentenced this week for torturing and abusing two Black men in Rankin County, Mississippi, in 2023. U.S. District Judge Tom Lee sentenced the defendants to prison terms ranging from 10 to 40 years. Christian Dedmon, 29, former narcotics investigator of the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO), was sentenced to 40 years in prison. Brett McAlpin, 53, former RCSO chief investigator, was sentenced to 27.25 years in prison. Hunter Elward, 31, former RCSO deputy, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Jeffrey Middleton, 46, former RCSO lieutenant, was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison. Daniel Opdyke, 28, former RCSO deputy, was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison. Joshua Hartfield, 32, former narcotics investigator for the Richland Police Department, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Over three days in Jackson, Miss., federal court, the judge sentenced the officers, whom prosecutors derided as criminals who hid behind the badge to commit some of the most heinous and violent acts. Prosecutors said the former officers were known as the “Goon Squad” because of their willingness to use excessive force and not report it. They were charged with heinous acts of torture and sexual...