Protests Continue After McKinney Cop Resigns
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MCKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) - The McKinney Police Department remains under fire after a pool party disturbance over the weekend. The officer at the center of the issue has already resigned, and the police chief admitted that his man was out of control.
Another protest is planned for Wednesday at the McKinney Police Department's headquarters, organized by the North Texas Civil Rights Project. The demonstration is continuing as planned even though Eric Casebolt submitted his formal resignation on Tuesday afternoon.
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Casebolt was a 10-year veteran with the department. He was put on administrative leave after a video of the pool party incident at the Craig Ranch community pool was posted to YouTube, where it went viral. In the video, Casebolt can be seen pinning a 14-year-old girl to the ground, pulling out his gun and cursing at a crowd.
Only one teenager, Adrian Martin, was arrested at the pool party. The charges against him have already been dropped. Casebolt pulled his weapon on Martin and arrested the teen for interfering with public duties and evading arrest. "I was thinking this is it, I'm going to get shot," Martin said.
Martin applauded Casebolt on Wednesday for resigning.
"He was going to end up getting demoted or terminated, I believe," said defense attorney and former McKinney officer Pete Schulte.
Casebolt has not made a public statement since the weekend incident. He is said to be in hiding after he and his family received death threats. His attorney is expected to make a statement in Dallas at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday to give more details about why Casebolt decided to resign.
The North Texas Civil Rights Project's protest is scheduled for noon on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the community where this happened is praying for healing, and hoping that Casebolt's resignation will help them turn the page on an ugly incident. Local pastors held a prayer service near the Craig Ranch pool on Tuesday night after meeting with McKinney's mayor and police chief on Monday.
"That was a great decision," added pastor Derek Golden of Casebolt's resignation. "That's self-accountability. He made that decision. I pray for him, because he has a family."
"It's a racially diverse neighborhood," stated resident Allison Lyons. "People work together, get along for the most part, and hopefully it will go along way to healing the community."