LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Kentucky State Police trooper indicted this week for allegedly assaulting multiple people and committing perjury is now facing a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of one of the men he is accused of assaulting and Tasing without reason.

Trooper James Cameron Wright, 30, is accused of kicking one person identified only as "Victim 1" in the head, shoulders and torso without legal justification on March 5, 2000, according to an indictment released this week.

The indictment alleges that Wright tased another person, "Victim 3," on March 12, 2024, without justification.

And on Jan. 22, 2021, Wright was charged with perjury for allegedly lying under oath about the use of force in an April 9, 2020, arrest of "Victim 4," specifically whether he hit the victim with closed fist or elbow, according to the indictment.

A federal grand jury in Louisville this week charged Wright and one former and current trooper with using unreasonable force for assaulting several people without reason from 2000-04.

None of the three troopers had legal justification for the attack, according to the indictment.

The federal lawsuit against Wright concerns the March 12 incident, with John Millett III accusing Wright of pulling him over in West Point for allegedly failing to use his turn signal. The lawsuit claims Wright suspected Millett had been drinking and asked him to step out of the vehicle.

Next, according to body camera footage described in the lawsuit, Wright yells for Millett not to reach for anything as Millett tosses something into his front seat. Millett raised his hands, showing only a cellphone, according to the lawsuit, and "even though (Millett) didn’t resist, the trooper threw him to the ground."

Wright demanded Millett put his hands behind his back and get on his belly, which Millett does, according to the lawsuit, but seconds later Wright Tases him twice despite his compliance, the suit claims.

The lawsuit also alleges that after Millett is pulled to his feet and handcuffed, Wright throws him to the ground again. He was taken to Baptist Hospital for treatment where he claims he had seven fractured ribs, a dislocated shoulder and other injuries.

Millet eventually pleaded guilty to reduced charges.

Other troopers who were on the scene or knew of the use of force are also named in the lawsuit.

The indictment also included Thomas Czartorski, who pleaded guilty in state court in 2023 to lying under oath about hitting a man with a flashlight while arresting him in 2020.

The April 2020 beating was caught on security video from inside the home.

Wright had also participated in the April 2020 beating of Alex Hornback in the basement of his Bullitt County home, gave false testimony about it under oath, and denied seeing a fellow trooper pummeling Hornback with a flashlight while kneeling next to him, according to media reports. 

He was neither disciplined nor prosecuted. In fact, he was nominated for trooper of the year that year. 

Czartorski was charged with perjury and sentenced to three years diversion, meaning he would not serve any time in prison as long as he stays out of trouble. KyCIR first reported on Czartorski's case. 

As part of the June 14, 2023, plea agreement in Jefferson Circuit Court, Czartorski was removed from the military after a 17-year career. He is also prohibited from seeking another job in law enforcement.

The most recent federal charges accuse Czartorski of stomping and kicking a person, identified only as "Victim 1," in the back ankles and feet on March 5, 2020.

And current trooper Jarrod Lewis, 29, was charged with one count of using unreasonable force.

Four victims in total are mentioned in the indictment.

In a statement on Wednesday, a KSP spokeswoman said the department "is committed to upholding the highest standards of professionalism, ethics and morals in service to the citizens of the Commonwealth of Kentucky."

The statement added that Czartoski has not been employed by the agency since Feb. 3, 2021, and effective on Tuesday, Troopers Wright and Lewis have been suspended pending legal outcome of the case.

The three men are scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Louisville on April 3.

This story may be updated.

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