New Mexico County to Pay $250K to Settle Lawsuit

San Juan County has agreed to pay $250,000 to a man struck in the head and neck by a sheriff’s deputy with a flashlight.

Donovan Tanner filed a lawsuit April 21 against the county, two sheriff’s deputies, a Farmington police officer and the city Police Department.

Tanner says he was struck at least five times in the head and neck on March 17 by a sheriff’s department-issued flashlight wielded by a deputy.

The 22-year-old Tanner claimed his civil rights were violated when the deputy unlawfully detained and arrested him.

The Daily Times says Tanner was leaving a Farmington brewery following a St. Patrick’s Day argument with a group of men when he was detained.

The deputy’s in-car patrol camera captured the flashlight incident. The deputy was fired April 22.