Two former Las Animas County sheriff’s deputies were charged with five misdemeanors for shocking an unarmed man with a Taser in 2022, according to court documents.
Former Lt. Henry Trujillo and former Deputy Mikhail Noel were charged with assault, official misconduct, official oppression, menacing and failure to intervene in May. The Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office did not immediately reply to The Denver Post’s request for comment on the charges.
The men shocked Kenneth Espinoza with Tasers as he tried to watch a traffic stop involving his son on Nov. 29, 2022. Espinoza was unarmed and at one point handcuffed when he was struck with the Taser in the chest and face, according to body-worn camera footage of the incident.
Noel falsified an arrest affidavit and claimed that Espinoza tried to run him over and slammed his hand in a car door. Espinoza initially faced multiple charges in connection to the incident, but they were later dropped. Both the lieutenant and the deputy were fired on Aug. 25.
During the investigation, officials discovered that Trujillo was convicted of multiple criminal charges between 1997 and 2009, including displaying a weapon, harassment and fighting in public. Days before the traffic stop, the county settled a lawsuit alleging Trujillo and Noel used excessive force while arresting a deaf woman.
Espinoza filed a federal lawsuit against county officials and received a $1.5 million settlement in March.
Trujillo and Noel will return to court on July 24, according to court documents.
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