Opinion ID: 687305
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Unnecessary Force in Making the Arrest

Text: 83 The appellant's final argument is that the magistrate judge erred in rejecting his claim that trooper Winterroth used unnecessary force in effecting Kraushaar's arrest. The record shows that Winterroth admitted kicking Kraushaar's legs apart to get him spread-eagle for a pat-down search and subsequently put handcuffs upon him. But there is conflicting evidence as to whether he severely bruised Kraushaar in doing so. 84 Kraushaar testified that he hit his leg on the car when Winterroth kicked his legs apart and that he sustained bruises on his wrists from the handcuffs. He presented pictures of a large bruise on the front of his leg, somewhere between the knee and ankle. He also submitted medical bills and testimony that he obtained medical treatment for numbness in his hands and thumb and for testing and treatment of a bruised right leg. He argues that there was no evidence in the record to suggest that he had sustained the injuries through some other means. 85 Trooper Winterroth testified that he kicked Kraushaar's legs apart by forcing his foot against Kraushaar's foot to move it back and out. He argues that location of the bruise would not have an efficient point at which to apply force to spread an arrestee's legs. Thus, the bruise could not have been sustained from Winterroth directly kicking that location. Moreover, if Winterroth was attempting to move Kraushaar's legs back, his kick would not have caused Kraushaar's leg to go forward and strike the car. 86 The magistrate judge considered the testimony and concluded that there was no credible evidence to support a claim that either Trooper Flanigan or Trooper Winterroth used unnecessary force or indeed any force at all in effecting the arrest of the plaintiff or in transporting him to the jail. In making this determination, he necessarily found Kraushaar's testimony regarding the cause of his bruises to be not credible. This decision, like the ruling on probable cause for the arrest, represents a choice between two equally permissible views of the evidence. 9 In deference to the magistrate judge's observation of the witnesses, we cannot say that the finding is clearly erroneous.