Sterling Heights police return to court after excessive force allegations

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (FOX 2) - Two Sterling Heights police officers accused of excessive force during an arrest last year return to court Tuesday for a continuation of their preliminary examination.

Court is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Watch live above.

James Sribniak and Jack Currie were charged with misconduct in office and felonious assault for their actions while arresting a domestic violence suspect who had fled on Feb. 25, 2024.

The backstory:

Sribniak, 31, and Currie, 29, were both part of the squad of officers who pursued Garry Young. The domestic violence suspect had been involved in an incident with his girlfriend and her 16-year-old daughter when police were dispatched.

He led police on a chase before they caught up with him.

Video of the arrest, which included officers tasing Young, delivering blows, and siccing a K9 unit on him before placing him in cuffs, was played from multiple vantage points during the first day of their preliminary exam earlier this summer.

What happened in court:

During the first day of the prelim, Robert Hayes, an assistant attorney general, cross-examined the Sterling Heights lieutenant who is now overseeing internal affairs investigations within the department.

At one point, he asked Lt. Jason Bisdorf about his assessment of the case.

"There was no signs that Mr. Young was using deadly force against the officers?" Hayes asked.

Objections from defense attorneys followed immediately afterward - and continued to show up throughout the case. At one point, Sribniak's attorney apologized for "being melodramatic" but told the court he was bothered by the charges brought against his client.

"It offends me that he is trained to do something. He is in compliance with his training, and yet they want to say that’s a crime?" said Arthur Jay Weiss.

The Source: Previous FOX 2 reporting was used to write this story,