West Memphis Police Department Officer and Investigator Indicted for Civil Rights and Witness Tampering Violations

LITTLE ROCK—Christopher R. Thyer, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Valerie Parlave, Special Agent in Charge of the Little Rock Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced today that West Memphis Police Department Officer Scott McCall, age 39, of West Memphis, Arkansas, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, and West Memphis Police Department Director of Internal Affairs Lester Ditto, age 56, of Cordova, Tennessee, was indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of witness tampering. The charges stem from the assault of a man in custody on June 14, 2010.

McCall and Ditto will appear before the Honorable United States Magistrate Judge H. David Young later this month for Plea and Arraignment.

Deprivation of rights under color of law, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 242, carries a possible punishment of up to 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000. Witness tampering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(b)(3), carries a possible punishment of up to 20 years' imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julie Peters and Department of Justice Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Henry Leventis.

An indictment contains only allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.