Montgomery County Deputy Fired After Punching and Kicking Suspect During Arrest

A 21-year veteran Montgomery County deputy has been fired for using excessive force and violating other department rules during a pursuit and arrest in July,

Deputy Rod Brown was fired from his position last week by Sheriff Rob Streck.

Cruiser camera video shows Brown pulling suspect, Rondale Hampton, through the passenger side window of the car he was driving, after Hampton crashed while turning onto Wolf Road from Turner Road during a pursuit. Brown then punched Hampton with a closed fist and kicked him while trying to arrest him.

Hampton had led deputies and Dayton police on a high-speed chase after hitting another deputies cruiser on July 13 around 12:30 a.m. Speeds reached over 110 mph, according to records.

Hampton was indicted on failure to comply charges connected to the chase last month and is now out of jail on bond. He’s pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Brown and his union representative told the sheriff’s office he “used appropriate force to effectuate an arrest” and that it was “necessary,” a pre-discipline conference summary read. Brown said the deputy whose cruiser was hit was a friend and Brown joined in the pursuit, describing it as looking “like bumper cars.”

News Center 7 has reached out to Brown’s union representative for comment on this story.

“Deputy Brown described this event as one of the most violent things he has seen in all his years as a law enforcement officer,” the summary read. “When he went to the suspect vehicle to effectuate the arrest, he said he had tunnel vision.”

While Hampton was apologizing to officers as he was on the ground, Brown told him “You ain’t going home, you’re going to prison (expletive).”

The findings of the investigation showed Brown violated department rules for use of force, courtesy and ethical conduct.

“The ISU investigation found that deputies are not trained to strike subjects in the face to gain compliance. Likewise, the soccer-style kick to the stomach is also not a method in which deputies trained,” the report read. “Deputy Brown’s language was not only unnecessary, it was discourteous, disrespectful and unprofessional.”

At the time of his firing Nov. 10, Brown also had two pending administrative investigations, however the details of those have not been released.

Brown was hired by the sheriff’s office as a corrections officer in August 1999 and was promoted to deputy in 2006.

A review of Brown’s personnel records show multiple performance reviews, where his supervisor noted he needed improvement on compliance with rules and regulations.

In February 2015, Brown was issued an employee performance plan after receiving a written reprimand for hitting a person in the face during an arrest. He was warned of the potential of more severe punishment if it happened again

“Once handcuffed, the suspect spit in your face and you instinctively delivered a final strike to the subjects face...the final instinctive strike was deemed inconsistent with Sheriff’s Office policies and procedures,” the reprimand read.

Brown was named Deputy of Month in March 2016 for his response to a fatal crash related to a police pursuit, where he extinguished a car fire and pulled a victim from the burning vehicle.