A federal jury on Tuesday sided with three former Norfolk police officers accused of unlawfully retaliating against a man following a car crash five years ago.

The jury handed down its decision after more than nine hours of deliberations over two days following a four-day civil trial last week in U.S. District Court in Norfolk.

The eight-member jury unanimously found that former Norfolk police officers John McClanahan, Rodney Van Faussien and Steven “Brett“ Stone did not conspire to violate Brandon A. Williams’ rights following a September 2020 crash on Shore Drive.

Williams, 40, the stepson of Hampton deputy police chief Kenny Ferguson, had asked for damages to compensate for the emotional toll the alleged retribution inflicted on him.

Williams was struck head-on and seriously injured in the Shore Drive crash. He asserted that after the wreck, the officers conspired to minimize an accident report that cited the other driver for reckless driving — understating that driver’s speed and failing to test him for alcohol impairment.

The driver, Rex Aman, had a blood alcohol content of .30, or nearly four times the legal limit for impairment.

The conspiracy was hatched, Williams asserted, in retaliation for Williams previously accusing McClanahan for lying about him in a prior trespassing case. Williams said the officer falsely stated that Williams invoked his stepfather’s position in Hampton to get out of a ticket, leading Williams to accuse McClanahan of lying under oath.“

This is the guy that gave McClanahan a ration of (expletive),” Van Faussien told other officers at the scene of the Shore Drive crash before appearing to turn off his body camera and going to speak with McClanahan. Days later, Stone filed an accident report that said the other driver, Rex Aman, was going the posted speed limit of 35 mph.That was less than half of an eyewitness’ statement that Aman was going about 75 mph, and less than Aman’s own estimate of 45 mph.The officers did not have Aman tested at the scene for alcohol usage, and did not seek a warrant for such a test. His blood was later drawn at the hospital, but the report was not provided back to police because no warrant had been issued.

“I left everything in God’s hands,” Williams said after the verdict. “I thank Judge Davis for giving me my day in court. I absolutely do not agree with the jury’s verdict … But I will continue to fight for the voiceless.”

His attorney, Robert Haddad, contended the evidence clearly showed that the officers retaliated against Williams, saying the verdict “is going to sting for a while.”

“I just don’t understand how they heard that evidence and came to that conclusion,” Haddad said.

The officers and their lawyers — Brian Casey for McClanahan and James Cales for Stone and Van Faussien — did not immediately provide a comment after the verdict.

All three officers have left the Norfolk police force, though trial evidence showed they left for other opportunities rather than being let go.

https://www.dailypress.com/2025/09/23/jury-sides-with-3-former-norfolk-cops-in-federal-lawsuit/