VAN ZANDT COUNTY, Texas — A former Van Zandt County Jail sergeant is facing a nearly four-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to using excessive force on someone who was detained by law enforcement.
David Yager, 29, entered a guilty plea Tuesday in a federal court for violating a detainee's civil rights by using excessive force against him. Yager faces a 42-month prison sentence.
Yager, 29, admitted during his plea hearing, that on Feb. 28, 2021, he acted as a sergeant in the Van Zandt County Jail where he repeatedly abused a restrained detainee in the chest with a taser and he also deployed it on him.
According to the press release, Yager said that he knew there was no legitimate, law enforcement need to use force and that he hit the detainee out of anger.
A sentencing date will be scheduled in the future after an investigation by the U.S. Probation Office is completed.