Former inmate suing Collier County deputies for battery

NAPLES, Fla.- A former Collier County inmate is suing two deputies, claiming he was shoved and beaten against a wall.

Surveillance video from the Collier County Naples Jail Center shows William Naylor getting fingerprinted the morning of January 29 after he was arrested for a misdemeanor.

The video goes on to show Naylor and Deputy Shawn Micciche exchange words, then suddenly, the deputy pushes him back out of the view of the camera.

In the lawsuit, Naylor says the deputy pushed him into a concrete wall and began to beat him.

“As far as the allegations, I think the video speaks for itself,” said criminal defense attorney James Chandler who is not associated with the lawsuit, but has defended similar cases.

“It does look to me, that use of force was clearly unjustified,” said Chandler.

Naylor’s lawsuit says Deputy Teofile Melendez also jumped on him, and kneed him in the chest several times. The alleged crime is out of the view of the surveillance camera, although it does capture several deputies rushing over.

“Law enforcement, they have a very difficult job to do and we respect the job they do, but they are held to a higher standard of being above being agitated and have to have a little thicker skin than most normal citizens,” said Chandler.

The two deputies involved filed an incident report the night of the alleged abuse, claiming Naylor resisted arrest. A judge later dropped that charge and the original misdemeanor.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office says they will defend the case and let the court decide the outcome as the two deputies continue on the job.