Rankin Co. 'Goon Squad' members all plead guilty to state charges in MS. See what's next

After six white former Rankin County Mississippi law officers pleaded guilty Monday morning to state charges for torturing two Black men in an assault that occurred in January, Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey released a statement on the matter.

"We hope that today’s guilty pleas bring some sense of justice to the two victims in this case," Bailey's statement reads. "In one of our first public statements, we said 'if any deputy or suspect involved in this incident is found to have broken the law, he will be held accountable in accordance with the law.' I believe today’s guilty pleas show the community that our system of checks and balances is effective. An unbiased and impartial investigation into these former officers uncovered their criminal actions.

"We thank the men and women of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Department of Justice for their time, energy, and effort devoted to this case.

"The Rankin County Sheriff’s Office continues to evaluate and modify its policies, procedures, and training for all sheriff’s office employees. We have asked for assistance from outside agencies and contracted with outside firms to evaluate us, make recommendations, and conduct training. These actions are taken to prevent anything like January’s tragedy from ever happening again."

All six of the former officers — five formerly with the Rankin County Sheriff’s office and another former City of Richland police officer — recently admitted guilt in a connected federal civil rights case.

The former Rankin County Sheriff's deputies are Brett McAlpin, Hunter Elward, Christian Dedmon, Jeffrey Middleton and Daniel Opdyke, and the former police officer from the city of Richland is Joshua Hartfield.

During Monday’s hearing, Circuit Judge Steven Ratcliff recommended the officers take the advised sentencing, which is at least five years for all officers except Elward, who was recommended for 30 years. Elward faced an additional charge of aggravated assault for "shoving a gun into the mouth of one of the victims and pulling the trigger, in what authorities called a 'mock execution,'” according to the Associated Press.

The state charges against the former officers include aggravated assault, home invasion, obstruction of justice, hindering prosecution in the first degree and conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice/hindering prosecution.

All six former officers pleaded guilty to state charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to hinder prosecution. Dedmon and Elward pleaded guilty to additional charges of home invasion.

The federal sentences are due to be handed down in mid-November. Meanwhile, the six former officers will remain behind bars.

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch who brought the state charges against the former officers issued a statement following the hearing.

“Today, a strong message has been sent: abuse of power will not be tolerated in Mississippi,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “I am grateful for the collaboration and cooperation of our state and federal counterparts who helped us deliver justice for the two victims of this brutal attack. The six officers who committed these heinous acts caused more than physical harm, they severed the vital trust with the people they pledged to protect. However, these six officers are the exception, not the rule. Every day men and women in uniform put their lives on the line to protect Mississippians. It is my hope that we can now help these victims begin to heal and restore confidence in the criminal justice system.”

Prosecutors say some of the officers nicknamed themselves the "Goon Squad" because of their willingness to use excessive force and cover it up, including the attack that ended with a deputy shooting one victim in the mouth.

Bailey was not in attendance during the hearing but released his statement later in the day.

In attendance was Monica Lee, the mother of Damien Cameron, another Black man who died in 2021 after Elward allegedly punched and tased him during an arrest.

Lee case update: Civil suit can continue against corrupt former deputy linked to death of Mississippi man

Lee said she believes this incident would have never happened if Elward had been adequately removed from the streets prior to the incident.

"I feel relieved that he (Elward) is off the street," Lee said. "He was involved in my son's case as well."

Below are the specifics each officer was charged with and pleaded to, according to the court report:

• Former Rankin County Sheriff Deputy Hunter Elward was charged with Aggravated Assault, Home Invasion, and Conspiracy to Commit Obstruction of Justice/Hinder Prosecution.

• Former Rankin County Sheriff Narcotics Investigator Christian Dedmon was charged with Home Invasion and Conspiracy to Commit Obstruction of Justice/Hinder Prosecution.

• Former Rankin County Sheriff Chief Investigator Brett McAlpin was charged with Obstruction of Justice/Hindering Prosecution in the First Degree and Conspiracy to Commit Obstruction of Justice/Hinder Prosecution.

• Former Rankin County Sheriff Lieutenant Jeffrey Middleton was charged with Obstruction of Justice/Hindering Prosecution in the First Degree and Conspiracy to Commit Obstruction of Justice/Hinder Prosecution.

• Former Rankin County Sheriff Deputy Daniel Opdyk was charged with Obstruction of Justice/Hindering Prosecution in the First Degree and Conspiracy to Commit Obstruction of Justice/Hinder Prosecution.

• Former Richland Police Department Narcotics Investigator Joshua Hartfield was charged with Obstruction of Justice/Hindering Prosecution in the First Degree and Conspiracy to Commit Obstruction of Justice/Hinder Prosecution.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Six former officers have pleaded guilty to multiple state charges