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Dover Officer Resigns After Acquittal in Assault Case

Dover Police Dept

DOVER, Del. (AP) - A Dover police officer who was acquitted of assault after kicking a suspect in the head has resigned.

City officials said Tuesday that Cpl. Thomas Webster IV's resignation is effective immediately, but his official date of separation will be June 30.

Officials described Webster's resignation as a "negotiated separation." They did not provide details.

Webster, who is white, was captured on police dashcam video kicking Lateef Dickerson, who is black, in the head in 2013. Dickerson, who was slow in responding to police commands to get on the ground, suffered a broken jaw.

Webster told jurors he did not mean to kick Dickerson in the head, but was aiming for his upper body.

A jury acquitted Webster of assault in December. He had been on paid administrative leave since then.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.