Ongoing Coverage: Police use excessive force against autistic man in crisis
This pair of stories demonstrates the power of fast and efficient breaking-news coverage. I uncovered and broke this story and was able to quickly follow up by reporting about the real-world consequences of the officers involved.
FBI asked to intervene after KY police reportedly slap mentally ill man following arrest
The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office has asked the FBI to investigate the London Police Department following an incident last week in which officers allegedly slapped a mentally ill man already in custody during an arrest.
Police got into a physical altercation April 22 with a man they say walked out of a 24-hour adult assisted care facility in London. Sheriff’s deputies who arrived after London police had already made contact with the individual say they became aware a city police officer slapped the man, who was reportedly already in custody.
The deputy reported the information to their supervisor, and the office conducted a review and subsequently notified the FBI the next day of a possible civil rights violation.
London police arrested 20-year-old Cody Grimshaw for assaulting officers, menacing, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Grimshaw was identified as “low I.Q.” and is represented by a guardian in court documents. All charges have since been dropped.
Grimshaw was reportedly throwing rocks at a caller from an open field when police arrived. He allegedly spat at and bit two officers during a brief struggle, and police say he refused to comply with verbal commands and attempted to strike one officer in the face.
London Police Officer Byron Grimes tackled Grimshaw into a brier patch, according to a police report obtained by the Herald-Leader. More than one officer applied “hard empty hand techniques,” which can include slaps and palm heels, as well as elbow and knee strikes, while Grimshaw’s hands were underneath his body.
The London Police Department citation makes no mention of a slap or strike after Grimshaw had been taken into custody. A public information officer for the agency declined to comment when reached by phone Thursday.
The allegations come as the city’s police force is under heightened scrutiny following reports of an ongoing federal investigation into alleged misuse of criminal background checks and a botched December 2024 raid in rural Laurel County during which an officer shot and killed a man inside his home while serving a search warrant at the wrong address.
This month’s incident involving a man officials have described as mentally ill occurred hours after law enforcement, businesses and community members participated in the Action for Autism Walk in downtown London. April is recognized as Autism Acceptance Month.
Members of the London City Council issued a joint press release late Wednesday saying they had been made aware of allegations of a “disturbing incident” involving multiple officers “brutalizing a mentally challenged young adult.”
“We understand the significant community concerns about our police department and intend to evaluate and take appropriate action in the near future,” the council said in its statement.
Council members said they submitted open records requests to the city and London-Laurel County 911 Center seeking body camera footage, dispatch information and incident reports related to the incident. The Herald-Leader has made a similar request under the Kentucky Open Records Act.
Grimshaw was held at the Laurel County Correctional Center until Tuesday, according to jail’s online roster. All inmates receive a physical when they are booked, Laurel County Jailer Jamie Mosely told the Herald-Leader, but he could not answer specific questions about the inmate’s medical records, per federal law.
It’s unclear whether the arresting officers were aware of Grimshaw’s mental state at any time during their interaction with him.
Court records show Grimshaw was being held on a $1,000 cash bond set April 24. Handwriting on a digital copy of a calendar order for Grimshaw’s case indicate he was set to appear before a Laurel Circuit Court judge for a preliminary hearing Tuesday. It’s unclear if that hearing took place, however. He was reportedly being represented by a public defender in the London Trial Office, but calls to the office went unanswered Thursday.
This is the second time county leaders have informed federal investigators of possible civil rights violations on the part of London police. After a grand jury declined to indict any of the officers involved in the 2024 shooting of Douglas “Doug” Harless, several county leaders signed their names to a letter asking the FBI and U.S. Justice Department to launch a formal inquiry into his death.
Using force, especially striking, is generally considered unconstitutional excessive force unless the person is actively resisting or positing an immediate safety threat, according to the U.S. Justice Department’s policy on use of force. It’s unclear whether Grimshaw was in handcuffs when he was slapped.
Interactions between law enforcement and people with mental illnesses often escalate as someone experiencing crisis can appear threatening and may have trouble obeying lawful police commands, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. People with mental illness are more than 10 times as likely to experience use of force, one 2021 BMC Psychiatry study revealed.
“The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to transparency and accountability and will continue to cooperate fully with any ongoing review of this incident,” Sheriff John Root said in a statement.
The Herald-Leader has filed open records requests with the London Police Department and Laurel County Sheriff’s Office for records and body camera footage of the incident. Both agencies began wearing body cameras last year, partly in response to the Harless shooting. The sheriff’s department was not directly involved in that incident.
Kentucky police officers who hit restrained autistic man resign
LONDON, Ky. — An FBI complaint that London Police officers used excessive force during the arrest of an autistic man in April has resulted in two officers resigning in lieu of termination and a supervisor being placed on administrative leave with pay.
Acting London Police Chief Gary Mehler said an internal investigation found the officers violated department policy and procedures. Both officers were put on administrative leave after the FBI notified the department of a formal complaint on April 23. They later resigned.
The supervisor, who was not present during the arrest, will receive a written reprimand, Mehler said during a press conference Friday. Mayor Randall Weddle later said the supervising corporal did not send an injured officer to the hospital following the incident, in violation of department protocols.
None of the officers were identified due to restrictions on the release of information under the Kentucky Peace Officer’s Bill of Rights, the acting chief added.
The department has not yet ruled out charging any of the officers who were on the scene, London Police Major Bobby Day told the Herald-Leader following the press conference.
Body camera footage the Herald-Leader obtained Friday under the Kentucky Open Records Act shows a London Police officer slapping 20-year-old Cody Grimshaw while he was handcuffed in a patrol car with a spit mask covering his face. Officers also used “hard empty hand techniques,” including slaps and palm strikes to restrain Grimshaw while his hands were trapped underneath him during a brief struggle before he was taken into custody.
Unnecessary force used against an individual who is already in custody is widely considered improper and could amount to a civil rights violation.
The London Police Department is already reportedly facing an FBI probe for alleged misuse of criminal background checks and is under intense public scrutiny after an officer shot and killed a rural Laurel County man during the execution of a search warrant at the wrong address in late 2024.
Mehler said the department is instituting “changes to established protocols” at the direction of Mayor Randall Weddle. Day said those changes will create a more streamlined process for command staff to be notified following an official complaint. The department will also undergo third-party training to advance de-escalation techniques.
“This ensures that our ongoing work will improve departmental standards and accountability is accelerated to meet the current needs of the community,” Mehler said. “The London Police Department is dedicated to restoring and strengthening its relationship with the citizens of London.”
Official reports contradict newly released footage
Grimshaw, who Mehler said is autistic, reportedly walked away from a 24-hour assisted care facility earlier during the day on April 22. Both London Police and Laurel County Sheriff’s deputies were responding to an “out-of-control” individual near the Lowe’s Home Improvement store in London who allegedly threw rocks at the caller that day, according to a police report reviewed by the Herald-Leader and a sheriff’s office statement.
Officers said they witnessed Grimshaw shouting and swinging his arms erratically, the report states. London Police Officer Byron Grimes, who signed that report, said Grimshaw refused to comply with several verbal commands and attempted to strike Grimes in the face.
From there, the encounter escalated quickly. Byron tackled Grimshaw into a brier patch. Grimshaw then bit the officer, causing a “minor visible injury and bleeding,” the police report states. That’s when officers began using the “hard empty hand techniques,” which are generally considered legal when used in self-defense or when a subject is resisting arrest, according to the U.S. Justice Department’s National Institute of Justice.
After being handcuffed and placed in the back of Grimes’ patrol car, Grimshaw spat at London officers Grimes and Kenneth Proffitt while they were attempting to get information from him, the uniform citation alleges. The officers put a spit mask on Grimshaw who then attempted to bite Proffitt, according to the report. It makes no mention of striking Grimshaw after he was placed in custody.
But body camera footage obtained by the Herald-Leader from both London Police and Laurel County Sheriff’s deputies clearly shows an officer slapping Grimshaw in the face while his hands are handcuffed behind him. The footage captures Grimshaw crying loudly after he is struck and the officer saying, “Try to bite me.”
The two officers who were speaking with Grimshaw in the patrol car then walk away to join a gaggle of other officers from both departments who are talking a few yards away. One officer tells the others, “He smacked the fire out of him.” Another voice believed to the officer who struck Grimshaw replies, “He didn’t like it either.”
The other officer then says he is going to, “John Doe him, and he’s going to stay in there indefinitely for all I care,” referring to booking Grimshaw as an unidentified person at the Laurel County Correctional Center.
In a recorded statement Weddle released on social media Friday, he said what he found “most disturbing” was that both London Police and Laurel County sheriff’s deputies didn’t use de-escalation tactics once they made contact with Grimshaw. He said he was also alarmed to see officers from both agencies laughing about the situation.
“We are not going to tolerate this anywhere across this city,” the mayor said. “The whole thing seems to be disturbing to all of us. There’s no doubt about this.”
All charges have been dropped
Court records show Grimshaw was initially charged with assaulting officers, menacing, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. One document describes him as “low I.Q.” and as being represented by a guardian.
All charges were later dropped and Grimshaw was released from the jail six days after the incident.
A Laurel County Sheriff’s deputy who was on the scene reported the incident to his supervisor. The office said it conducted a review of its own and alerted the FBI, which made a complaint to the London Police Department that day.
Mehler said he welcomes an FBI review of the incident, but he said he does not know whether a federal investigation is ongoing.
As of Friday afternoon, Mehler said his office had been “extremely busy” and had not yet been in contact with Grimshaw’s family or guardian.
“I can assure you that’s one of our goals, and that was discussed with the mayor,” the acting chief said.
The officers resigned “in lieu of termination” because they have to be afforded a hearing before any action can be taken against them for a formal complaint under the Peace Officers’ Bill of Rights. The mayor said he recommended termination and the two officers on the scene opted to resign.
The April 22 incident occurred hours after law enforcement, businesses and community members participated in the Action for Autism Walk in downtown London. April is recognized as Autism Acceptance Month.
“The department will remain steadfast in its commitment to the core values of professional service, accountability and the ethical treatment of all individuals.”