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Former Tribal Police Officer Charged with Excessive Force and Falsifying Report

Jacob Christopher Slawson faces federal charges for allegedly punching a handcuffed arrestee and falsifying a report, according to federal prosecutors.

3 reports on this incident · first at Aug 26, 2026, 6:51 p.m. ET

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 26, 2026, 8:00 a.m. ETWritten Aug 26, 2026, 8:52 p.m. ET
Jacob Christopher Slawson, 29, a former tribal police officer, has been with federal crimes involving excessive force and falsification of records, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The charges were reported by justice.gov and abc15.com. Slawson is accused of punching an arrestee who was already handcuffed in the back of a police vehicle, knocking him unconscious, then pulling him out and causing him to split his head on the concrete, as reported by abc15.com. He is also accused of adding false and misleading information to a fellow detective's report after learning he was under investigation for excessive force. The charges include deprivation of rights under color of law, falsification of records, use of excessive force, and falsification of an arrest report, according to justice.gov and abc15.com. The statutory maximum is , as reported by justice.gov. The case was investigated by the FBI, according to justice.gov. The district in which the case is pending is reported inconsistently: abc15.com reports the U.S. Department of Justice, while justice.gov reports the . As this is only a charging stage, the case has not been resolved, and

Earlier reports

  1. Aug 26, 2026, 6:54 p.m. ET

    Former Tribal Police Officer Charged with Excessive Force and Falsifying Report

    Jacob Christopher Slawson, 29, a former tribal police officer, has been charged with deprivation of rights under color of law and falsification of records, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The charges were filed in the District of Arizona.

    Slawson is charged with violating 18 U.S.C. § 242 and 18 U.S.C. § 1519. He faces a statutory maximum of 30 years in prison if convicted.

    The case was investigated by the FBI. Slawson is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

  2. Aug 26, 2026, 6:51 p.m. ETFirst report

    Former Tribal Police Officer Indicted on Federal Charges

    A federal grand jury in the District of Arizona has indicted Jacob Christopher Slawson, 29, a former tribal police officer, on charges of deprivation of rights under color of law and falsification of records, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

    The indictment, announced by the Justice Department, alleges that Slawson violated 18 U.S.C. § 242 and 18 U.S.C. § 1519. If convicted, he faces a statutory maximum of 30 years in prison. The FBI is investigating the case.

    Slawson is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The charges are allegations, and the case is at the charging stage; no trial date has been set.

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Revision history

  1. Version 126 Aug 2026, 22:54current

    First published.

  2. Version 126 Aug 2026, 22:51current

    First published.

  3. Version 127 Aug 2026, 00:52current

    First published.

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