A federal jury in Indianapolis has convicted a former New Castle, Indiana, police officer of excessive force and witness tampering after a series of incidents in which prosecutors said he assaulted a suspect and two imprisoned persons, then lied to a state police detective.

Aaron Strong, formerly a lieutenant with the New Castle Police Department, was found guilty Friday of three counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of witness tampering. Codefendant Adam Guy, a police officer for the county surrounding New Castle, was found not guilty on one count of witness tampering. New Castle is a rural town of about 18,000 people about 45 miles northeast of Indianapolis.

Prosecutors said Strong beat a person in the course of arresting him on Aug. 18, 2019, after the person had surrendered peacefully and was lying on the ground. Prosecutors claimed Strong and Guy lied to an Indiana State Police detective about the events. That detective testified at trial.

Prosecutors also said that when called to assist with drunk prisoners at a jail in 2017, Strong stomped on one and fired into another's spine at close range with a beanbag round he knew was dangerous if used up close.

"Aaron Strong is not noble. He repeatedly and unlawfully abused his position of authority to inflict violence, injury, and pain," Zachary Myers, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, said in a statement Tuesday. Justice Department Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke in the same statement called Strong "a repeat offender" who had committed assault multiple times.

Strong's lawyer was not immediately available for comment. Strong is set for sentencing Jan. 7.

According to prosecutors, on Aug. 18, 2019, Strong was with three other officers and was arresting a person identified as J.W., who had earlier been running but had verbally surrendered and was lying on the ground.

Strong told the other officers to stand back, and then "struck the suspect at least 12 times in the right arm, shoulders, upper back, and head, leaving distinctive baton-shaped welts in those areas," prosecutors said in a pretrial brief. The suspect was handcuffed and taken to the hospital.

When another officer reported the excessive force, the New Castle Police Department asked Indiana State Police to investigate, prosecutors said. State Police detective Andrew Wandersee interviewed multiple police officers, including Guy, and Guy allegedly falsely said that J.W. had been resisting and that Strong hit him only five times.

Wandersee testified on the second and third days of the five-day trial.

During Strong's own interview with Wandersee, and with Strong's lawyer present, Strong allegedly told Wandersee that when J.W. was initially being pursued, J.W. was "running with an unusual gait that caused Strong to believe he had a gun." Strong allegedly told Wandersee that J.W. fell to the ground, then tried to stand back up.

In a separate set of events in July 2017, Strong was near the county jail helping lead SWAT training and was called for help with a group of drunk prisoners. When Strong entered the jail with other law enforcement personnel, he first "stomped" on the side of the head of one pretrial detainee who was lying face down and was cooperating, prosecutors said. He then fired a beanbag round at another prisoner's spinal column from about three feet away, knowing that such rounds should only be fired from at least 20 feet away to avoid serious injury, prosecutors said. The shot fractured three vertebrae.

Guy chose not to testify, but Strong took the stand on the fourth day of trial, court records indicate.

The prosecution is represented by Alec Ward and Peter Blackett.

Strong is represented by Craig Relford of Law Offices of Guy A. Relford.

Guy is represented by Gwendolyn Beitz of Federal Defenders.

The case is US v. Strong, case number 1:22-cr-00083, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.

--Editing by Peter Rozovsky.