Officials drop marijuana charge against Zekee Rayford, teenager kicked and tased by Schertz police
A screen grab from a home surveillance video shows one of three Schertz police officers pointing a weapon at Zekee Rayford, 18, on the front steps of his home.
/Video courtesy of the Rayford family
The misdemeanor marijuana charge against a teenager who was tackled, kicked and tased by Schertz police officers during an arrest last month has been dropped, according to prosecutors.
Lorna Dean, a manager in the Guadalupe County Attorney’s Office, said Tuesday the charge against Zekee Rayford, 18, was dismissed because officers conducted a “premature search.”
ON EXPRESSNEWS.COM: Prosecutors drop marijuana charge against Zekee Rayford, teenager kicked and tased by Schertz police
Rayford was arrested on Nov. 2 after two police officers said Rayford ran a red light on Schertz Parkway and failed to pull over. Rayford, who is Black, said he did not pull over because he was scared of stopping on what his family described as a dimly lit and isolated road in the subdivision where his family lives. He did not pull over until he got to his driveway.
Security footage showed officers Frank Chavarria and Megan Fennesy chase Rayford to the door, where they repeatedly kicked and tased him. Video of the arrest captured by a home security camera went viral on social media, sparking criticism from Rayford’s family and Black Lives Matter activists.
Rayford was arrested on suspicion of evading arrest with a vehicle, a felony, evading arrest by foot, resisting arrest, and possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana, all misdemeanors.
According to Guadalupe County court records, the cases have not been filed, meaning they are likely under review.
