LINCOLNTON, N.C. — A Lincoln County deputy is no longer employed with the sheriff’s office after being caught on surveillance camera punching a 16-year-old outside Atrium Health Lincoln. The teenager was in handcuffs at the time.
Details of the incident came out Monday during a juvenile court hearing for the teenager.
At the hearing, the teenager entered an Alford plea for simple assault and underage consumption of alcohol.
The simple assault charge came after prosecutors said the 16-year-old spat blood in Deputy Justin Polson’s face, which led to the altercation.
"Right now, I'm still going through further testing to see if I have any communicable disease or if I contracted something from him," Polson said.
Polson told the judge he believed the mother brought him to the hospital because she couldn't control his actions.
The teenager’s mom took him to Atrium Health Lincoln last December following concerns about his mental health. But Brad Smith, the teen's attorney, disagreed.
He said the notion that the mother took him there because she didn't know, "how to deal with him, is fundamentally the problem now with law enforcement and their handling of law enforcement and their handling of mental health treatment," Smith said in response outside of court.
Atrium Health claimed the teenager acted physically aggressive and threatened to bring a gun to hospital property and open fire on people.
"The cursing, the yelling, the threat to getting a gun and shooting and killing the officers and everyone else who were there," said Maureen Swick with Atrium Health Lincoln.
Soon after, a deputy tackled the teenager and handcuffed him.
Deputy Polson arrived after the teenager was handcuffed.
In court, the former deputy admitted to throwing two punches at the teenager, one of which hit the 16-year-old.
The case will be transferred to the teenager’s county of residence, Gaston County, where punishment will be determined at a later date.
Lincoln County Sheriff Bill Beam said in a statement on Facebook that Polson's actions were "improper" and "unprofessional," and that he was disciplined back in December, but didn't specify how.
Officials confirmed that Polson is no longer employed with the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, effective February 15, but did not say on what terms.
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