By Marla Jones, Managing Editor • marla@southerntorch.com 

DeKALB COUNTY, Ala. — On March 1, the Rainsville Police Department (RPD) received calls regarding a man acting strangely in his front yard. 

The RPD, along with Rainsville Fire and Rescue responded to the residence to assess the man’s condition.  

After arrival on the scene, Anthony David Nute was charged with three misdemeanors: public intoxication, resisting arrest, and third-degree assault. Officers’ tased Nute prior to handcuffing him. Nute was then transported to the DeKalb County Corrections Center, which is operated by the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office.

Surveillance tapes provided to AL.com by Nute’s attorney, Griffin Sikes, show three employees of the Correction Center, Wrett Tyson, Adam Jackson, and Jon Brown, bringing Nute into a search room.  While in the search room, Nute can be seen being hit, taken to the ground, and kicked. The video also shows Nute being tased by stun guns.

According to a lawsuit filed by Sikes, Nute suffered head trauma, abrasions, and bruises to his face, head, neck, shoulders, chest, pelvic area, back, arms, legs, and hands and feet. The lawsuit states that Nute’s cheekbone, eye socket, nose, nasal canal, and ribs were fractured and that Nute will need reconstructive surgery. 

The following statement was made via Facebook by the Dekalb County Sheriff’s Office last weekend:

“This incident in question occurred in March of this year. As is our policy, we do not comment on criminal cases until an arrest has been made. The incident is currently awaiting review by a grand jury. The employees involved were immediately terminated and the case was referred to an outside agency for investigation, as is standard practice for all criminal cases of this nature. We have done everything in our power to assure justice is appropriately served. This behavior goes against our policies and the moral code of conduct we encourage at the DCSO. Like the public, we anxiously await justice in this crime.”

Sheriff Nick Welden added: “This kind of action goes against everything we stand for, and we will not stand for it. That’s why immediate and appropriate action was taken. Our office only stands for what’s right. We deal with the wrong when it comes along, whether it’s an employee or anyone else. There is no justification in breaking the law that we are sworn to uphold regardless of who it is. God Bless!”

The full video from AL.com can be found below, but viewer discretion is advised.