INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A former New Castle police lieutenant was sentenced to over 12 years in prison for obstruction of justice and using excessive force against people in custody.

A federal jury in October found Aaron Strong, 47, guilty of three counts of “three counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of witness tampering.”

According to court documents, Strong served as a police lieutenant and was the commander of the Henry County S.W.A.T. Team.

In August 2019, Strong was dispatched to assist with another officer’s foot chase. When Strong arrived, the suspect surrendered, saying “I’m done” before lying on the ground.

While the other officer approached to arrest the suspect, Strong ran up to them and hit the suspect with a metal baton at least 12 times. Prosecutors say Strong nearly hit the officer during this incident.

Indiana State Police conducted an investigation, during which Strong lied to detectives by “minimizing his own use of force and exaggerating the danger posed by the suspect.”

Strong also used excessive force against two detainees pending trial in a lower-security area of the Henry County jail. While helping with a dormitory search, Strong stomped the head of a detainee who’d been complying with officer commands. He then approached the other inmate, who’d been kneeling on the ground and not moving, and “shot him point-blank in the back with a less-lethal ‘beanbag’ round.”

Prosecutors say Strong was aware that the beanbag rounds could cause severe bodily injury or even death. Though the injury was not deadly, the impact fractured the inmate’s spine.

Zach Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, says Strong’s sentencing shows the consequences of police brutality.

“Aaron Strong viciously beat, stomped, and shot three defenseless men with no lawful justification — causing serious injuries including a fractured spine,” he said. “After good officers, horrified by these abuses reported his actions, Strong lied in an attempt to cover up his crimes. The vast majority of police serve the public honorably, and when criminals like Aaron Strong violate their oaths and brutalize the public, an already difficult and dangerous profession grows even more so.

“The serious prison sentence imposed here demonstrates that there are consequences for police brutality, because no one is above the law.”