East Texas ex-deputy pleads guilty to using excessive force

TYLER, Texas (AP) — Officials say a former East Texas deputy pleaded guilty to a civil rights violation for punching a restrained detainee in the chest repeatedly with a shock gun. Former Van Zandt County sheriff’s deputy David Yager pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge arising from a February 2021 assault on a detainee. The man was in a restraint chair with one arm free when he banged his food tray against a cell door, then knocked a shock gun from Yager’s hand. Angered, Yager assaulted the detainee until another deputy persuaded him to stop. He faces up to 3 1/2 years in prison.