LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Calling their actions "egregious, conscious shocking behavior," a federal judge sentenced two former Louisville Metro Police officers to prison Wednesday on civil rights violations for throwing drinks at people while on duty in the city's west end.
Despite a recommendation of probation by both prosecutors and the defense, U.S. Circuit Court Judge Benjamin Beaton sentenced Curt Flynn, 40, to three months in prison, three years of supervised release and 120 hours of community service.
Bryan Wilson, 36, was sentenced to 30 months in prison, three years of supervised release and 120 hours of community service. He also faced a separate count of conspiracy to commit cyber stalking for harassing and extorting at least 25 women and threatening to release stolen photos and videos.
Wilson used the compromising materials he had stolen to extort more photographs from the women. In one instance, he sent sexually explicit pictures to a woman's employer. He will also pay restitution, though the amount has not yet been determined.
There is no parole in the federal prison system.
One of his approximately 25 victims spoke in court, telling Wilson he had "flipped my life upside down." The woman, who was not identified by name, said she was a school teacher and Wilson threatened to send videos and pictures of her to her employer, friends and family.
"I told my mother I wanted to kill myself," she said. "Nobody should ever have to feel like they don't want to live anymore."
Wilson also spoke, apologizing to the woman and other victims, saying his actions were "unacceptable."
"There was no justification for what I did," he said. "From the bottom of my heart, I'm very sorry."
Both men will meet with the probation office to determine when they will surrender.
In June, the former officers — both former members of LMPD's 9th Mobile Division — pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the civil rights of Louisville pedestrians through the arbitrary use of force.
They assaulted and attempted to assault people by throwing drinks and containers at them between August 2018 and September 2019, according to investigators.
The officers, who were dressed in uniform and driving unmarked vehicles, recorded the incidents and Wilson showed the videos to other members of the unit, according to the guilty plea.
Other officers were also involved, recording the incidents sometimes from inside the vehicle with the detectives or from an LMPD vehicle following behind.
The 9th Mobile Division was disbanded in late-2019.
When Beaton asked whether other officers have been punished, the prosecution said other officers would be disciplined but she could not yet say what it would be.
"There is an ongoing PSU investigation. As such, we have no further comment at this time to protect the integrity of the investigation," LMPD said in a statement late Wednesday evening.
In June, Chief Erika Shields said she initiated an internal investigation to determine if other officers were involved and to what extent. She said officers will be disciplined appropriately, up to and including termination.
"I want to make clear to everyone, the actions of former Detectives Flynn and Wilson are reprehensible, sickening and do not reflect the core values LMPD," she said in a statement at the time.
During the sentencing, prosecutors played about a half-dozen of 40 videos Flynn and Wilson made of throwing drinks and containers at citizens.
In one video, after hitting a man with a drink, one of the officers said, "Dude fell down" and they both laughed.
In another, one of the officers threw a filled container at a woman holding an umbrella in the rain and said, "how about a drink?"
Judge Beaton asked several times for the videos to be replayed in order to determine what the officers were saying.
They laughed through much of the videos.
Prosecutors said many other incidents were not recorded and that the officers also drove through puddles to splash citizens.
Attorney Scott Miller, who represented Flynn, called the incidents "high school, juvenile" pranks and said his client had no idea he was committing serious crimes.
Flynn's wife said she was still unsure why her husband was charged.
"It was a childish prank on his peers, wrong and juvenile," she said. "He is a human who has made mistakes."
She said he was shot at, cursed and spit on while working in the west end.
"He is a good man."
The prosecution acknowledged that the recommended sentence of probation for Flynn was "a definite break" but that he had accepted responsibility, cooperated with the prosecution and could restore some of the wrong he had done through community service.
But Judge Beaton asked whether a citizen who had harassed police officers and thrown drinks at them would be given the same leniency.
Flynn told the judge that "the horrible incidents are something I did, but not who I am" and pleaded for mercy.
After taking a brief recess, Beaton decided that Flynn's repeated humiliation of vulnerable citizens he was supposed to be protecting required some prison time.
"A sentence of probation would be very hard to square," he said.
The judge also raised the recommendation of two years in prison for Wilson to 30 months.
Wilson has a pending case in Fayette County of extortion and unlawful access to a computer. He is accused of stealing photos from a University of Kentucky student and extorting her.
Wilson resigned from LMPD after he was accused of posting a photo of a female officer performing sex acts on him in 2019.
This story may be updated.
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