Former Tukwila cop charged for using excessive force against restrained arrestee

A former Snoqualmie police officer has been charged with using excessive force on a restrained arrestee, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Nicholas Hogan was indicted on a federal criminal charge of using excessive force against a person who was under arrest and restrained in a hospital gurney.

The incident occurred on May 20, 2011.

The indictment filed Thursday in U.S District Court in Seattle alleges that Nicholas Hogan, then with the Tukwila Police Department, used pepper spray against the arrestee.

He faces one count of deprivation of rights under color of law.

Hogan is said to have had a history of using excessive force while a police officer.

He was fired by the Tukwila Police Department in 2012. His commanders were concerned that he was too quick to use force.

He was hired by the Snoqualmie Police Department in 2014, where authorities said he was suspended for 20 days this year for having an affair with another officer's wife.

The indictment identifies the arrestee by the initials M.S. It further alleges that M.S suffered bodily injury as a result of Hogan’s use of excessive force.

An indictment is a formal accusation of a serious crime.

If convicted, Hogan faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Seattle Division.

Cox Media Group