Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Captain Judith Sealey had to surrender all of her law enforcement certifications and give up her right to be re-certified as a law enforcement officer in the future.
Sealey, a sergeant for Montgomery County Jail at the time, was recorded by jail video pepper spraying Amber Swink on November 15, 2015 inside the jail and pleaded guilty on May 29.
She was only sentenced to 30 days in jail with “time suspended,” meaning she wont’ actually do any time in jail.
After retiring last year on disability, Sealey admitted to the crimes of misdemeanor disorderly conduct and failure to desist for pepper-spraying Swink.
The incident resulted in Swink filing a lawsuit, which was settled out of court for $375,000.
Swink’s lawsuit was just one of 10 other lawsuits filed against Mongomery County Jail Personnel.
Four of those lawsuits have settled out of court, according to Dayton Daily News.
[Visiting] Judge Chris Martin sentenced Sealey to up to five years of probation along with court costs and a $50 fine.
The case was set for trial Tuesday before both sides reached an agreement about a plea deal.
“Guilty,” Sealey, who really had no other choice after the video surfaced, said softly after the Judge Martin her how she wished to plea.
Martin, who signed off on Sealey receiving no jail time, called the sentencing “fair, just and equitable.”
After her court hearing, members of the Thin Blue Line were present to give statements to media members.
“Sergeant Sealey definitely made a mistake and exercised poor judgment in this incident,” Sheriff Phil Plummer told the Dayton Daily.
“But don’t let this incident define her character or dedicated service throughout her career.”
Anthony VanNoy, Sealey’s defense attorney, said his client served the community well as a law enforcement officer for over 20 years.
“The tragedy is that sometimes in life, a momentary lapse causes significant harm to one’s name or reputation,” VanNoy said after the hearing.
“But Judy Sealey is not the sum total of those few seconds depicted in this case.”
After the incident, Sealey was disciplined for not filing a use of force report, but Plummer said the internal affairs investigation into the matter is over.
Wink was not present on Tuesday for Sealey’s hearing.
