MUNCIE — The trial of three current and former Muncie police officers accused of excessive force or covering it up will be delayed once again.
On June 10, attorneys for officer Chase Winkle and Sgt. Joseph Krejsa filed a motion for a continuance.
On June 17, a federal judge granted the motion.
The trial for Winkle, Corey Posey and Krejsa was originally scheduled for Aug. 15.
According to the motion, the trial has already been continued five times for several reasons including the COVID-19 pandemic, a superseding indictment and the need to review discovery.
According to the motion, Winkle’s lead attorney is scheduled to undergo surgery and will be recovering for six-eight weeks.
In addition, Krejsa is also scheduled to undergo surgery and will need three months to recover.
“Given Mr. Krejsa’s medical condition, he will not be in a condition to sit for trial on August 15, 2022, let alone have sufficient time, energy, and physical and mental ability to adequately assist his counsel in preparation for his defense,” the motion read.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office does not oppose their requests to delay the trial, according to the motion.
“The government is ready to proceed to trial in August, but in light of the significant medical issues raised by the defendants, does not oppose a brief continuance in this matter,” the motion read.
The continuance is expected to last 90 days, but attorneys will hold a hearing on June 29 to discuss a trial date.
Former Muncie Police Department Officer Jeremy Gibson pleaded guilty last month to two felony charges connected with excessive force and covering it up.
Gibson pled guilty to two charges including depriving arrestees of their rights and obstruction of justice for falsifying a report about use of force.
Federal Judge Tanya Walton Pratt accepted Gibson’s plea.
He faces up to 30 years in prison and will be sentenced at a later date.
He had nothing to say when WRTV Investigates asked him if he had anything to say to the community or whether he planned to apologize.
As part of the plea, Gibson agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors and testify against other police officers in the case who are accused of excessive force or attempting to cover it up: Winkle, Posey and Krejsa.
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Gibson resigned from Muncie Police on March 10.
He had previously been on administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of the federal criminal cases and charges of conduct violations before the Muncie Police Merit Commission.
Winkle and Posey are still employed by the Muncie Police Department, and Posey is still receiving a salary, WRTV Investigates has learned.
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Posey has been with the department since 2018 and his salary is $56,386 or $27.11 per hour, records show.
According to a federal indictment, Posey is charged with one count of False Report, a felony.
Krejsa retired from the department in July 2021.
Winkle is charged with five counts of deprivation of rights associated with excessive force and six counts of writing false reports. He allegedly wrote false reports about his use of force against five people he arrested, along with two others arrested by Muncie police officers.
