City pays $250K to man who broke leg after officer's force

IOWA FALLS, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa city has agreed to pay $250,000 to a man who suffered a broken leg in 2017 after a police officer took him to the ground during an arrest.

A settlement shows the city of Iowa Falls and its insurer agreed to the payment in July to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by Aaron Bailey.

Bailey was arrested for disorderly conduct and handcuffed outside his home by officer Joe Metz.

As Metz was walking Bailey to his squad car, the officer said Bailey was belligerent and appeared to try to head-butt him. The officer said he took Bailey to the ground and fell on him.

Bailey's lawsuit claimed Metz picked Bailey up and slammed him down after Bailey called the officer a homosexual slur. It claimed that Bailey suffered a compound leg fracture that resulted in permanent injuries.

The lawsuit also called the underlying arrest baseless. Bailey pleaded guilty to public intoxication and charges of interference with official acts and disorderly conduct were dropped.