RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. — A 14-year-old teen was chased down and beaten by Rancho Cordova Police Department's Deputy Brian Fowell on Apr. 20, 2020, after being approached by Deputy Fowell, who thought he saw an exchange between an adult and minor and wanted more information.
Deputy Fowell was later terminated in September 2020 for a use-of-force incident, using excessive force on a teen.
In a press conference around the time of the incident, the teen's aunt Leata Tufano said that Deputy Fowell is a huge man and now the teen is emotionally and physically scarred. The teen also has an irregular heartbeat.
Two years later, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office officially reinstated Deputy Brian Fowell.
"The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office will comply with the mandate of the of the independent arbitrator and integrate Deputy Fowell back into the organization," reads a statement from the sheriff's office.
“Well, Chris my first reaction is that I’m pissed. That’s my first reaction," said Sacramento NAACP President Betty Williams to ABC10's Chris Thomas.
“And this is basically a slap in the face to the community that he is back,” she added. “How can we trust your law enforcement when you know you have an officer who did something like this and you bring him back to that same community and you ask us to trust you? That is absolutely a slap in the face.”
The NAACP president tells me she has requested a meeting with Sheriff Scott Jones on this matter.
ABC10 has reached out to the teen's family, as well as Deputy Fowell for a statement.