A South Bend police officer accused of assaulting and injuring a man at the St. Joseph County Jail has been charged by the Justice Department with a criminal civil rights violation.
According to the indictment, Officer Theodore Robert in 2010 willfully deprived an arrestee of the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, including the right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a person acting under color of law. WSBT-TV reports the 40-year-old Robert was suspended at the time for 30 days for punching a handcuffed man on May 30, 2010.
Robert could not be reached for comment because there was no telephone listing for him.
A South Bend police spokesman said Robert has been relieved of duty on an unrelated charge.
