BALTIMORE — Baltimore City's Board of Estimates is expected to approve more than half-a-million dollars to settle two civil lawsuits against a former police sergeant.
Back in October 2021 Lee Dotson and Charles Kuniken sued Ethan Newberg in federal court, alleging he abused his power by illegally placing them under arrest.
Dotson's encounter with Newberg occurred May 30, 2019.
Newberg was arresting another man on Ashton Street in Southwest Baltimore, when Dotson walked by and criticized him for making the man sit on a wet curb.
The entire incident was caught on officer body-worn camera.
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“He is under arrest,” Newberg yelled at other officers, “For what? For what? What am I under arrest for?” Dotson asks, “Just go to jail and take your charge like a man…Take your charge!” Newberg fired back.
About a week later, then Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison announced that Newberg had been suspended and criminally charged over the incident.
That led the City State's Attorney's Office to take a deep dive into past encounters Newberg had with other citizens.
Newberg was initially hit with nearly three dozen charges after investigators uncovered eight similar arrests he had made within a year of the Dotson incident.
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One involved an altercation with Kuniken, who claimed to have seen another man being choked while being arrested by Newberg.
When Kuniken asked whether the man needed medical attention, the lawsuit claims Newberg handcuffed and drove him to the police station for interfering with an investigation. Kuniken was eventually freed without charges, after apologizing to Newberg.
If approved by the board Wednesday, Dotson and Kuniken would each receive $287,500.00 in exchange for dropping their lawsuits.
Newberg has since pleaded guilty to misconduct in office, with prosecutors agreeing not to pursue other charges.
He is no longer with the department and is scheduled to be sentenced on November 14, according to online court records.
