Man kicked by St. Paul police in video pleads not guilty to charges

The St. Paul man at the center of a police brutality investigation has pleaded not guilty to aggravated stalking, terroristic threats and criminal damage to property, reports the Pioneer Press.

Author:: BMTN Staff
Publish date:: Sep 21, 2012
Updated on: Mar 8, 2018

The St. Paul man at the center of a police brutality investigation has pleaded not guilty to aggravated stalking, terroristic threats and criminal damage to property, reports the Pioneer Press.

The investigation was launched at the end of last month after a video was posted on YouTube that shows a St. Paul police officer kicking Eric Ronnell Hightower following his arrest on the charges. The officer in the video as well as another officer were placed on administrative leave following the incident.

This week, the officers -- Jesse Zilge and officer Matthew Gorans -- were taken off administrative leave and assigned to non-patrol duties.

See the video of the arrest below (Disclaimer: The video contains profanity and violent images)

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Two St. Paul police officers are no longer on paid administrative leave while an internal investigation of police brutality continues, the Pioneer Press reports. Both men were placed on leave last month after a controversial video posted to YouTube showed one of them kicking a suspect during an arrest. A police spokesman says officer Jesse Zilge and officer Matthew Gorans have been assigned to non-patrol duties.