Opinion ID: 2979210
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Totman’s deposition testimony

Text: After being arrested for the possession of marijuana on the evening of March 5, 2006, Totman and his girlfriend, Leslie Hughes, were brought to the “passive-booking section” of a Metro detention facility in Louisville, Kentucky. The male and female detainees were separated by a fourfoot-high wall. These holding areas were adjacent to the photograph and fingerprinting area, which was behind a counter. Corrections Officer Stavros Stachoulas called Totman up to have his photograph taken. As Totman passed the women’s section, he told Hughes that he had already called a lawyer. When Totman spoke to Hughes, Officer Stachoulas said: “If you talk to your girlfriend again, I’m going to put you both in the hole[,] and it don’t matter to me.” Totman replied: “Is it my fault you can’t get a date?” After making this comment, Totman turned around and began to walk away. Totman could not remember during his deposition whether his photograph had been taken at that point. He described what happened next as follows: -2- No. 09-5764 Totman v. Louisville Jefferson County Metro Gov’t et al. I turned around. One [of the officers] grabbed one arm, and one grabbed the other; and they kind of ran with me a little bit and bounced me on the floor on my head. And I’m screaming, begging them to stop. Somebody throws a knee in my back. Somebody is kicking me. I’m not seeing exactly who’s doing what. All I’m doing is on the ground face down feeling everything, and I’m screaming and hollering and begging them to quit. And each one of them are individually going, “Quit resisting.” Totman did not know the exact number of officers involved, but he said there were at least three or four, including Officers Stachoulas and Hornback. When asked how he ended up on the floor, Totman testified at his deposition: “By the two officers taking my arms and pretty much pile-driving me head first into the concrete.” He then related what happened after he was on the floor: Actually after I was on the ground, I—I can’t really say what anyone other than the—they was [sic] all twisting and . . . somebody threw a knee in my back, and somebody was kicking me in the legs. And one—I guess the commander or whoever comes crawling out of the office, and he yanks my head back and Maces me. Then they overextend my arm backwards. They take me to the hole, handcuff me to my feet, roll me in on [t]he bed. My head hits the bed. They’re walking towards me. I’m thinking I’m getting ready to die. And they continue kicking me around a little bit, you know, roughing me up a little bit. Nothing major back there. But I heard a little voice say, “Be real still.” And I just kind of acted like I was dead, you know, like knocked out or something because I kind of felt like I was really getting ready to get hurt worse because no one could see what was fixing to happen. I just—No one could see what was going on now, you know, other than the [corrections] officers. Totman was handcuffed and taken to the single-cell holding area, which he referred to as the “hole.” He recalled Officers Stachoulas and Peterson being the officers who took him to the hole, and he thought that Officer Hornback might have escorted him as well. Officer Stachoulas allegedly -3- No. 09-5764 Totman v. Louisville Jefferson County Metro Gov’t et al. told Totman that Stachoulas could come into the hole and “do that” to Totman anytime, and that Totman was powerless to do anything about it. Immediately after Totman was placed in the hole, two nurses came in and put a cleansing solution in his eyes to stop the burning from the spray. Totman said that he was then left handcuffed in the hole for several hours. When the officers came back to the hole, one of them asked him: “Are you going to behave now?” Totman responded: “Yes.” The officers then removed Totman’s handcuffs and took him back out to the booking area.