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By STEPHEN THOMPSON
The Tampa Tribune
ST. PETERSBURG - A St. Petersburg police officer was suspended for five days today after he threw a man to the ground who was already handcuffed and offering no resistance, police administrators say.
Officer Kenard Belle used unnecessary force when he threw suspect John Dittmar to the ground on March 31, they say. Belle was also punished for conduct unbecoming a police officer, said St. Petersburg police spokesman Bill Proffitt.
That night, Dittmar tried to re-enter a concert at Janus Landing in downtown St. Petersburg. When told he couldn’t do so, he became belligerent with the owner and was eventually arrested on charges of trespassing and drinking within 500 feet of a liquor establishment.
Belle was driving the van that night that transports prisoners to the jail. Dittmar was already handcuffed and standing by with two officers when Belle drove up, documents say.
While waiting to be loaded into the van, Dittmar began yelling obscenities at one of the officers. He was trying to load himself into the van when Belle pulled him away and took him to the ground. Dittmar lost consciousness and suffered injuries to his face, but was eventually medically cleared at Bayfront Medical Center.
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