Jan. 16 (UPI) -- An Aurora, Colo., police officer acquitted in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain resigned Friday from the police department in the city of nearly 400,000 citizens, an official said Tuesday.
The moves comes nearly three months after Nathan Woodyard's Nov. 6 acquittal. Upon the acquittal, Woodyard automatically was reinstated to his job and was set to receive $212,546.04 in back pay for the unpaid leave time he spent between his Sept. 2021 indictment and Nov. 2023 return back to the police force.
Woodyard, 34, put the 23-year-old McClain in a neck hold during the 2019 arrest and was found not guilty this past November of criminally negligent homicide and reckless manslaughter.
McClain was walking home from a convenience store when he was stopped by police, put into a chock hold and eventually given a large dose of ketamine, which led to his death.
The other former Aurora police officer involved in McClain's death -- Randy Roedema -- has been sentenced to 14 months in prison and four years probation for his role in McClain's death.
It was also announced on the same day that Chief of Police Art Acevedo would be stepping down from his role to return to Texas and spend time with his family. "This was a difficult decision to make," the outgoing chief said.
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