CRAWFORD COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A man shown on a viral video being beaten on the ground by members of Crawford County law enforcement last summer has a trial date for his actions before that altercation.
Randal Worcester, 27, of Goose Creek, South Carolina, is charged with terroristic threatening, battery, resisting arrest, possessing an instrument of crime, obstructing governmental operations and disorderly conduct. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
On April 4, Crawford County Circuit Court Judge Marc McCune signed an order scheduling Worcester’s trial for June 26. There will be a status hearing in the case on May 31.
Worcester was arrested on August 21, 2022 and a video of him being beaten by sheriff’s deputies and a police officer while handcuffed was posted to social media. Crawford County Sheriff Jimmy Damante said Randal Worcester, 27, was being questioned for threatening a clerk at a nearby convenience store and that he attacked one of the deputies, who suffered a concussion.
Worcester has filed a lawsuit naming the members of law enforcement, the county, and other agencies as defendants. The two Crawford County deputies involved, Zack King and Levi White, are facing criminal charges, with a federal trial scheduled for December 11 in Fort Smith.