A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Alabama indicted former Citronelle Police Department Chief John Tyler Norris for using excessive force against a man while on duty and for misleading state investigators.

According to the indictment, on June 30, 2021, Norris, 43, while on duty, assaulted I.M., a man in his custody. Norris is also charged with making a misleading statement to local investigators regarding his conduct related to the assault. If convicted, Norris faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison for the alleged use of force and 20 years in prison for making a misleading statement. 

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello for the Southern District of Alabama, and Special Agent in Charge Paul W. Brown for the FBI Mobile Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Mobile Field Office is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Vicki Davis for the Southern District of Alabama and Trial Attorneys Maura White and MarLa Duncan of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.