Marion deputy on trial for brutality case

OCALA, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Jesse Alan Terrell, a former Marion County sheriff's deputy, appeared in federal court in Ocala on Monday morning in a tailored suit, as he sat through hours of jury selection on day one of his trial.

In surveillance video released earlier this year, which has since gone viral on the Internet, several former Marion County deputies are seen beating Derrick Price.  The incident happened in Marion Oaks back in August 2014.  Deputies said Price was wanted on a drug related arrest warrant.  

In the video, as Price lays down on the ground with his hands out, deputies kick and knee him repeatedly. The video even had a hand in exonerating a man last week who spent more than a year in jail.

Terrell is one of five accused of wrongdoing. The other four already entered guilty pleas. Terrell decided to fight the charges.

On Monday, 35 potential jurors were questioned. The judge asked the jury pool hours of detailed questions to get a sense of who they are.  Questions included if they possibly saw some of the video making the rounds and if they had an impression of it. Some jurors said they saw part of it on television Monday morning.

Some potential jurors were dismissed, but at the selection’s end, 12 were chosen. Terrell’s trial continues Tuesday and Wednesday at 9 a.m.