GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas — A police officer is facing two charges related to a 2022 encounter with a 65-year-old man in a Dickinson parking lot.
Michael Kinsley, who was a patrol officer at the time of the incident, was charged with official oppression, a misdemeanor, and injury to the elderly, a felony.
He's accused of throwing Michael Scurlock to the ground and handcuffing him in the parking lot of a Family Dollar along Highway 3 on Feb. 22, 2022. According to investigators, Kinsley lied to responding paramedics about Scurlock's condition.
As a result of the encounter, Scurlock suffered a brain bleed and spent two weeks in the ICU. After that, he was in constant need of treatment for nearly a year before he died, authorities said. The Galveston County Medical Examiner ruled his death was due to Parkinson's and made no mention of the trauma he suffered in the parking lot, officials said.
The incident was recorded on Kinsley's body camera. Police were initially called to the scene because Scurlock, who was riding a bicycle, had gotten into a crash with a vehicle, officials said.
Kinsley was reportedly cleared of wrongdoing after an internal investigation within the Dickinson Police Department. According to Mayor Sean Skipworth, former Dickinson Police Chief Ron Morales told city officials that Scurlock's injuries were a result of the crash.
When another Dickinson police officer came forward to tell their side of the story, the city hired a private investigator to review the incident. The private investigator's report labeled it a botched internal investigation.
The private investigator said Morales made a deliberate attempt to withhold essential information from City Council. After denying any wrongdoing, Morales was eventually forced to resign due to a staffing issue.
The investigation appeared to be closed until other Dickinson police officers came forward and said Kinsley used excessive force.
Two years after the incident, a Galveston County grand jury indicted Kinsley on the two charges. If he's convicted, Kinsley could face 2 to 10 years in prison for the felony charge and up to one year for the misdemeanor.