Charges dropped against Raleigh man who says officers beat him

Charges of disorderly conduct, resisting a public officer and assault on a law enforcement animal were dropped Monday against Kyron Dwain Hinton, according to court records.

"District attorney has requested a State Bureau of Investigation investigation into use of force associated with this incident. Investigation pending," is the stated reason for the dismissals.

Hinton, 29, of 3033 Poole Road, was arrested on April 3 while walking home from a sweepstakes parlor.

According to an arrest warrant, Hinton was yelling in the roadway at North Raleigh Boulevard and Yonkers Road, implying he had a gun and pointing his hand in the air as if he had a firearm in it. The warrant states that he ignored commands to get on the ground, physically resisted officers when being handcuffed and hit a police dog on the head and face.

Hinton, who was unarmed, said he was approached by several State Highway Patrol troopers and Raleigh police officers who pushed him up against a patrol car and beat him up while a Wake County Sheriff's Office K-9 bit him on his right arm, side and head.

"I was never asked to put my hands up. I was never told to get on the ground. All I was doing was walking," he told WRAL News last month.

He said he suffered a broken eye socket, broken nose, multiple cuts on his head, "probably 20 bite marks" and memory loss as a result of the incident.

District Attorney Lorrin Freeman declined to comment Wednesday on the dismissal.

"I am disappointed that the district attorney has elected to dismiss the pending charges against Mr. Hinton while the SBI investigation is still ongoing and before all the facts are known," Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said in a statement. "Even though she has the right to do this, it strikes me as premature."

"At this time, our earlier statement regarding this matter still stands," Raleigh Police Department spokeswoman Donna-Maria Harris said in an email Wednesday.

The department previously said it was aware of Hinton's allegations and had contacted Freeman's office the week after his arrest.

Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Christopher Knox issued a similar statement Wednesday but noted the agency is conducting an internal investigation "to determine what, if any, force was used by members of the Highway Patrol and whether such force was consistent with state and constitutional law and Highway Patrol policy."

WRAL News is seeking a court order to release footage of Hinton's encounter with law enforcement captured on officers' body-worn cameras. A hearing on the motion is set for the end of the month.