Ex-marion cop sentenced for kicking handcuffed suspect

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[A former Marion police officer who admitted he kicked a handcuffed suspect in the face will be spending 20 weekends in jail as part of a federal sentence that also includes four years of probation.

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Twenty-eight-year-old Dustin Whitehead also will have to serve 50 hours of community service and pay a $2,000 fine.

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Whitehead pleaded guilty in April in federal court in Benton to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law.

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Whitehead admitted twice kicking a handcuffed suspect in the face after he placed that suspect under arrest in August 2009.

As part of a deal with prosecutors, Whitehead agreed to resign from the Marion police force immediately and never again seek work in law enforcement.