By Jon King / jking@whmi.com


A local man who says he was unjustly attacked and sprayed with mace following a 2016 arrest in Jackson County has reached a settlement in his lawsuit.

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit in 2018 by 38-year-old Daniel Bewernitz of Fowlerville, seeking more than $75,000 in damages. Court records show that a resolution had been reached between the parties, although no details were provided. The suit alleged excessive force was used by a Jackson County deputy after Bewernitz was jailed following a fight with his brother in October 2016. The lawsuit says Bewernitz requested medical attention and was pounding on his cell door when the deputy told him to stop the banging, kicked him and sprayed him with mace.

Bewernitz, who is currently serving prison time at the Central Michigan Correctional Facility in Gratiot County for felony burglary convictions, says he suffered a permanent injury to his right eye. A request for comment about the resolution was sent to attorneys for both Bewernitz and the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, but went unreturned.