Iowa City Police Sergeant Suing Former UI Student Who Was Convicted of Choking Him

The Gazette is reporting that Iowa City Police Sgt. Brian Krei is seeking punitive damages against Branden Plummer-- the former University of Iowa student already convicted and sentenced for attacking him-- for pain and suffering, loss of wages and future earning capacity.

Vanessa Miller of the Gazette reports:

Sgt. Brian Krei also is asking for punitive damages against Branden Leo Plummer, 21, of Urbandale, to ensure that he and others like him “will be deterred from like misconduct in the future,” according to the lawsuit filed in Johnson County District Court.

“Branden Leo Plummer’s actions constitute willful and wanton disregard for the rights and safety of another,” Krei sates in his lawsuit.

Miller has more details about Plummer, his current status, and Krei's lawsuit at the link.

After pleading guilty in September of last year, Plummer was ordered to stay a month in jail and keep a felony on his record. Plummer also apologized to Krei at the sentencing hearing.

Plummer originally hails from Urbandale and was a University of Iowa student at the time of the incident when he allegedly choked Iowa City police Sgt. Krei until the officer lost consciousness in the early morning hours of Nov. 18, 2011.

For the crime, Plummer was originally charged with attempted murder, a class B felony, which carries up to a 25 year prison sentence; later, a charge of willful injury, was added to the list of charges. It was this later charge that Plummer entered a guilty plea on.

Plummer, who attended Valley High School in West Des Moines, was a University of Iowa student at the time of his arrest. He is no longer listed as a student in the school's directory.

Chilling police video, attached to this story, captured the Nov. 18 incident, including a woman begging Plummer to let Krei go. 

Plummer eventually ran from the scene, and wasn't identified until Nov. 30, 2011 based on a CrimeStoppers tip.