Free local news and info, in your inbox at 6 a.m. M-F. A police officer from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has been reprimanded for failing to report that hepunched a driver in the face during a traffic stop, but he was cleared of using unnecessary force.
Driver Will McNeil Jr. was punched and dragged from his car in February in an episode that attracted national attention. NcNeil posted a video of the arrest on social media that received millions of hits and thousands of comments, most suggesting he was mistreated.
The State Attorney’s Office ruled earlier that Officer Donald Bowers acted lawfully and that no criminal charges would be filed against him. The Sheriff’s Office then completed an internal affairs investigation to determine whether department rules were violated…