Muncie Police Officers Indicted On More Federal Counts Of Excessive Force

Four police officers in Muncie have been indicted on more federal charges for using excessive force on arrestees and covering up the 2018 incidents. They now face federal trials.

In March of last year, Officers Chase Winkle and Jeremy Gibson and Sergeant Joseph Krejsa were indicted on 12 total federal counts.  On Wednesday, 17 additional federal counts were added and another officer was charged – Corey Posey.

The charges stem from instances in 2018 where people the officers arrested suffered serious injuries.  The officer with the most charges against him is Chase Winkle.  According to the FBI investigation that led to the indictment, Winkle kicked, punched, used knee-strikes and a taser on several arrestees without justification.

At the time of these arrests, Winkle’s father, Joe Winkle, was police chief.  Chase Winkle has also served at times as a public face of the force as a public information officer.

Officer Posey was added to the federal indictment Wednesday, and federal investigators say he wrote a false report, minimizing Winkle’s use of force.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, “the maximum penalty for the deprivation-of-rights offenses is 10 years of imprisonment and the maximum penalty for false report offenses is 20 years of imprisonment.”

In a statement, current Muncie Police Chief Nathan Sloan says the department continues to focus on community engagement, policy revision, officer accountability, and continuing education and training for officers.