Officer accused of injuring a child is back on active duty

LINTON, Ind. (WTHI) - A Linton Police Officer is back to work after accepting a plea agreement in connection to a case where a 13-year-old child was injured in a weight room.

Linton Police said, on February 23, 2012, Officer Nick Yingling was helping out as an assistant football coach when he and a 13-year-old boy were wrestling in a weight room.

According to Police, Yingling proceeded to put the teen in a headlock.

The boy passed out and fell, hitting his head.

Linton’s Mayor John Wilkes said Yingling didn’t intentionally hurt the child.

Mayor Wilkes said Officer Yingling loves to coach, and would never purposely hurt a child.

“He did not intentionally hurt this person. They were horse playing, and the way I understand it, up there, in the weight room and around the school, that’s what they do. It was just an unfortunate incident that happened, so it wasn’t a deliberate thing,” Mayor Wilkes said.

Chief Troy Jerrell of the Linton Police Department says after all said and done, the boy’s family is not upset that officer Yingling is back on the road.

"The father did come by the station the other day and expressed his concerns to me, that he was very adamant that he wanted me to relay to Nick that he held no ill feelings towards him and that he hope they could be friends again one day,” said Chief Jerrell. 

Officer Yingling was originally charged on May 7, 2012 with Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Endangerment of a Minor, and Battery Resulting in Bodily Injury.

However, with a plea deal, Officer Yingling pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors of Criminal Recklessness and Disorderly Conduct.

Yingling was placed on administrative leave in May, then was switched to unpaid leave in early September.

He was sentenced to 180 days of probation and ordered to pay court fees.