JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man whose arrest sparked outrage online and raised questions about the use of force policy at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office entered a not guilty plea Thursday.
Le’Keian Woods is charged with tampering with evidence, resisting police and possession of a controlled substance.
Woods, who has been out on bond, was supposed to be arraigned last month, but his attorney waived his appearance, which frustrated Judge Mark Borello. This time, Borello said, Woods needed to be in court, and he was.
His attorney pleaded not guilty on his behalf, and prosecutors indicated they were open to the possibility of a plea deal in the case.
Borello said they’ll be back in court Jan. 18.
Woods had support from his mother and two members of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee in court Thursday. Michael Sampson II with the committee is calling for all of the charges against Woods to be dropped.
“This is a very tiring experience for the family to have to deal with, particularly when you know that so many charges have been dropped that were way more serious and that was a part of a narrative to really paint Le’Keian in a negative way,” Sampson said. “The fact that the family and Le’Keian still have to go through this process, it definitely wears on people. I think state attorney Melissa Nelson has to do the right thing and drop these charges.”
Cellphone video showing Woods’ arrest last September went viral on social media.
DISCLAIMER: The footage contains graphic content and profanity. Viewer discretion is advised.
The video coupled with his mug shot, which showed injuries to his face, sparked outrage and criticism online.
In the days after Woods’ arrest, Sheriff T.K. Waters responded to the criticism, saying the video was manipulated and did not tell the full story.
In early October, Woods’ attorneys issued a letter to the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ), asking for a review of what his lawyers said was an excessive use of force. The DOJ concluded that Woods’ arrest did not violate his civil rights.
In a follow-up news conference, Waters released the body camera footage worn by responding officers that day. It showed Woods running from them while the other men he was with complied.
Officers chased Woods down and a taser was used twice, which caused him to fall face down onto the ground, which is why his face is bloody and swollen in the mug shot.
Sampson said the “brutality” of what’s on the videos is why he’s passionately helping the Woods family.
“Think about all of the Black men and women who this happens to -- and they don’t have camera footage -- that then get charged with four or five charges and get railroaded by the criminal injustice system, which is injustice for a lot of people,” Sampson said.
Several of the charges against Woods were either downgraded or dropped altogether. He was originally facing two counts of armed trafficking, but those charges were dropped, and his original charge of resisting an officer with violence was replaced with resisting without violence.
