U.S. Attorney Statement Regarding Conclusion Of Investigation Into Incident Involving Former Asheville Police Officer

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina announced today that federal charges will not be filed against former Asheville Police Department Officer Christopher Hickman, following an investigation into the August 25, 2017, arrest incident involving Officer Hickman and Mr. Johnnie Rush.

In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Andrew Murray stated, “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted a thorough and independent review of all evidence related to this case.  After careful examination, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has determined that the evidence does not give rise to a prosecutable violation of the federal criminal civil rights laws.”      

The U.S. Attorney’s Office takes allegations of civil rights violations involving law enforcement officers very seriously and we ensure such allegations are investigated fully and completely.