COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — A hearing is underway for a former Columbus Police officer accused of using excessive force in 2019.
Clayton Watkins was on the CPD force when he arrested a man on Wade Street. A viral video captured the arrest on Oct. 18, 2019, of then 43-year-old Donnell Russell.
A year later, Watkins was arrested and charged. A Muscogee County Grand Jury then indicted Watkins in July 2022. He was eventually terminated after the indictment.
Watkins is in superior court on Monday, seeking to get the felony charges he faces dismissed. He was charged with two violations of oath charges, one citing battery and the other for excessive use of force…