Mistrial declared in case of former APD officer accused of dragging disabled man out of Target
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The trial against Kenneth Skeens, a former Albuquerque Police Department (APD) officer accused of dragging a disabled man out of an Albuquerque Target, ended in a mistrial on Monday.
Judge Britt M. Baca-Miller declared a mistrial as a result of a hung jury, which is when a jury is unable to unanimously agree on a verdict. Skeens was accused of using excessive force against Matthew McManus while he was at the self-checkout trying to buy a bike at Target on Coors in August 2022. Skeens faced false imprisonment, making a false report, and perjury charges.
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Jury deliberations began on Friday after 4 p.m. and resumed Monday morning. Skeens took the stand Friday and claimed that he believed Target asked him to remove McManus. During the trial, the defense told the jury that Target had a history of bike thefts, and Skeens believed he had the right to remove the man from the premises.
The state focused on whether Target asked Skeens to remove McManus or not. The state argued that Skeens pulled McManus out of Target without the lawful authority to do so and that he made false claims about the situation in his reports.
The interaction between Skeens and McManus was captured on police body camera footage and was played during the trial. That video can be seen here. Skeens, if convicted in this case, was facing up to four years behind bars.
The case is expected to be retried. “Both sides are going to go back, clean up their act, and we’ll do it again,” said Skeens’ Defense Attorney John D’Amato.
The New Mexico Department of Justice sent the following statement about the outcome of the trial:
We are disappointed with today’s decision. We intend to evaluate today’s outcome, but we remain committed to holding law enforcement officers accountable for instances of excessive use of force.
Lauren Rodriguez, New Mexico Department of Justice Director of Communications
Judge Baca-Miller set a status hearing for May 17.
