A former Des Moines police officer is facing prison time after being found guilty in federal court of a civil rights violation. The jury found 26-year-old Mersed Dautovic guilty of using excessive force when he used a baton to severely beat Octavius Bond during a traffic stop in 2008.
The federal jury said the beating was a violation of Bond’s civil rights. It also found Dautovic was guilty of obstructing justice by
falsifying a written statement about what happened. Dautovic could be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years on the civil rights violation and a 20-year maximum on the obstruction of justice charge.
He could also be fined a maximum of $250,000 on each charge.