Man stepped on by Redding Police arrested multiple times before incident

REDDING, Calif. — New details have come to light about the criminal record of 39-year-old Kevin Donald Hursey, the man known most-recently as the man who had his face stepped on by a police officer during an arrest.

KRCR learned Hursey was arrested multiple times just days before his arrest and his criminal history goes back years, according to Anderson and Redding police.

Anderson Police Chief Jon Poletski said Hursey has a criminal record that goes back to 2006. And, in January, officials said he was released early from prison.

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Hursey also had run-ins with multiple law enforcement agencies just days before his arrest in Redding. He was arrested on Jan. 21 by Anderson police for being under the influence of a controlled substance or stimulant. He was in custody for eight hours before being released.

The next day, he was arrested by the highway patrol for driving under the influence. Officials said he then spent 13 hours in custody. Then, just one day later, about six hours after his release from jail, he was arrested by Redding police in the incident shown in the video.

Officials with the Anderson Police Department said they are conducting their own investigation into the actions of the Redding police officer that day. The public reaction to the video began conversations about excessive force and accountability.

“Regardless of someone’s criminal history, is it ever appropriate to kick someone in the face when they are down? Or, what does that look like police-conduct-wise?” KRCR's Mason Carroll asked.

“So, I want to be very careful, here,” Poletski said. “I don’t think there’s ever a way to say—to paint somebody in a corner—and say this is appropriate, or this is not appropriate, because the situation dictates that conduct.”

Redding Police Chief Bill Schueller said Anderson is taking the case because of available resources.

“They’re handling this because they have the resources available, at this time, to make this a priority,” Schueller said. “All of our law enforcement agencies are really busy. Anderson seemed to be the least removed. Every agency has had to deal with this individual in recent weeks.”

Poletski said they are treating it like any other investigation and will look at criminal history, conduct interviews, and look at the footage.

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“Initially looking at the video, what do we see in there?” Poletski said. “We break that video down, we slow it down, we go through that frame-by-frame and investigate that and look at everybody who was involved in that incident, and what took place during that incident. And then after that incident also.”

The Shasta County District Attorney's Office typically reviews use of force incidents in the county. She said, in a statement, she believes investigators will be able to remain unbiased.

“This investigation is separate from any administrative, or personnel, investigation by the Redding Police Department,” District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett said. “I have full confidence that Anderson police will conduct a thorough, full and fair investigation.“

However, Poletski used to work for Redding police, which has raised concerns about the investigation. He said it is not a factor in how they'll handle this case.

“I’ve been in this profession for almost 24 years now, and I’ve handled and worked and investigated and supervised many high-profile cases,” Poletski said. “I understand it is important to let the facts take you where they take you.”

Poletski said they do not have a timeline yet for when this investigation will conclude, but they have officers who are working solely on this investigation and hope to have it wrapped up in the next few weeks.

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