A former Elmore County sheriff’s deputy has been indicted on charges he violated the civil rights of a man during his arrest in Wetumpka last year.

A federal grand jury in Montgomery on Friday unsealed an indictment charging 33-year-old Blake Hicks with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law for “willfully using unreasonable force against an arrestee.”

Court documents identified the arrestee only as “T.Q.”

The Wetumpka Herald in 2022 attended a press conference with “T.Q.” and his attorneys and identified at then-26-year-old Tristan Quinn. His attorneys released video footage of the incident, as well as a hospital photo showing him with a bruised and bloodied left eye.

The indictment against Hicks alleged the deputy punched and kicked Quinn in the head while he was handcuffed and lying on the ground.

Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin said he asked the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to investigate the police brutality claims against his deputy and said ALEA later brought in the FBI.

Hicks was immediately placed on administrative leave with pay and resigned from the force one year later, which was about eight months ago.

If convicted, Hicks faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

The FBI Mobile Field Office investigated this case.