Why is Kansas City still prosecuting alleged police brutality victim? | Opinion
Almost two years after William Michael Hardy was allegedly “curb stomped” by Kansas City Police Department officer Christopher Showalter, two criminal cases against Hardy for trespassing and resisting arrest were still ongoing, according to online court records.
Hardy is due in Municipal Court Feb. 13, court records indicate. A city spokeswoman confirmed the cases were still open.
In a rather cruel twist of irony, the police report filed in Hardy’s criminal case lists Showalter as the arresting and responding officer.
Folks, that is not OK.
Here’s a thought: In light of credible evidence that Showalter brutalized Hardy that night — we should not ignore the fact Showalter’s actions were recorded — Municipal Prosecuting Attorney Linda Miller should reconsider the city’s position and drop the case against Hardy altogether.
When a police officer is indicted — a very rare happenstance here or elsewhere — and sued because of his actions during an arrest, any prosecutor still pursuing that case must be held to account.
What can the city possibly gain by prosecuting the victim of alleged police brutality?
Earlier in the week, I asked Hardy’s criminal defense attorney, David Bell, about the status of the case, but he declined to comment.
The day before, I spoke with former Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, one of the attorneys representing Hardy in a civil lawsuit filed on his behalf. Because of the lingering head injury, during the last year and a half, it has been difficult for Hardy to maintain steady employment, Baker said.
The injury “was pretty bad,” Baker said.
To avoid a conflict of interest, Baker declined to comment on any aspect of the criminal case. But the video evidence available to the public speaks volumes.
Officer Showalter’s indictment
Despite being injured that night, Hardy sought medical treatment on his own, according to the civil suit. In legal documents, Hardy contends he declined Showalter’s offer to transport him to the hospital — I would have, too.
“Officer Showalter offered (Hardy) medical treatment, but because … Showalter was the one who had just hurt (Hardy), (Hardy) requested to go to the hospital on his own,” the lawsuit reads.
That city prosecutors have not moved to completely dismiss charges against Hardy is completely absurd. Last year, a Jackson County grand jury indicted Showalter in connection with the case. He was charged with one count of fourth-degree assault for using excessive force on Hardy during the encounter on July 6, 2024.
The misdemeanor case against Showalter was pending in Jackson County Circuit Court — a jury trial is scheduled to begin in March, court records indicate.
If it can be proven that Showalter is guilty of assaulting Hardy, Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson must use every tool at her disposal to ensure Showalter can never work in law enforcement again. If that means working out a plea deal that requires Showalter to surrender his peace officer’s license, so be it.
Previous police incidents
It wouldn’t be the first time a Kansas City police officer had to turn over their license for assaulting someone. Former KCPD Sgt. Matthew Neal surrendered his law enforcement license after he pleaded guilty to assaulting a teen.
And former officers Matthew Brummett and Charles Prichard were indicted for brutalizing a transgender woman. Both pleaded guilty to assault in the case, were barred from carrying firearms and surrendered their police certifications as part of the plea agreement.
As in Showalter’s case, video captured by a passerby led to Brummett and Prichard’s indictment. The passerby, Roderick Reed, was cited for a minor traffic offense and failure to obey a lawful order. Despite being a witness to police brutality, Reed was prosecuted anyway and found guilty in Municipal Court of failure to obey police instructions to move his vehicle from blocking traffic.
Thankfully, Reed was pardoned by Mayor Quinton Lucas. He sued the city and the officers involved in his arrest for false imprisonment and reached a $500,000 settlement.
If prosecutors fail to do the right thing in Hardy’s case and he is found guilty of either charge, Lucas must step in and pardon him after the case is adjudicated.
The run-in with Showalter left Hardy with a cut to his chin that required several stitches and a traumatic brain injury, according to claims made in his civil lawsuit filed last summer. Showalter and the private security firm that hired him to work off-duty in the Westport entertainment district were named in the suit.
I’m hopeful this pending litigation will hold up in court and Hardy is fairly compensated for an alleged assault that uprooted his life.
Victim’s mistakes
So what did Hardy do that led to the alleged assault? He and his girlfriend had the gall to ride their bicycles through a security checkpoint set up in Westport. Don’t get me wrong — enhanced security in the entertainment district on the weekends is useful if done the right way.
But Hardy’s alleged infractions did not warrant being swung off his bike, taken to the ground, handcuffed and “essentially curb stomped,” while face down on the ground, the lawsuit reads.
“After defendant Officer Showalter failed to rip plaintiff’s backpack off, he reared back his knee and then with the full force of his entire body weight came down with his knee directly on the back of plaintiff’s neck,” the suit reads.
Two of the three officers involved were KCPD officers, and the other officer was with Westport security, the lawsuit contends. In the short video clip I watched on social media, Showalter’s actions were the most egregious, though. As a result, Hardy was severely injured, he claims in legal documents.
Familiar pattern emerges
A familiar pattern with Miller, the municipal prosecutor, is starting to emerge. Not only does she have a history of prosecuting witnesses (Reed) or victims (Hardy) of police brutality, Miller has a penchant for drawing out cases involving cops for far too long.
For example, in 2022, Kansas City couple Steveland Young and Winifred Jamieson were cited for disorderly conduct for “laughing while Black,” they claimed in a civil rights lawsuit making its way through the federal court system.
Two Kansas City officers involved in their arrest were named in the suit. More than two years passed before municipal charges filed against the interracial couple were dismissed at trial because a witness failed to show, according to legal documents.
In the Hardy case, I asked Miller in an email why the city was still prosecuting Hardy when video evidence shows he was allegedly assaulted by the same KCPD officer involved in the altercation. In a statement, city spokeswoman Sherae Honeycutt confirmed the charges remain open and pending prosecution, “as they stem from conduct that occurred prior to Mr. Hardy’s subsequent interaction with Officer Showalter,” she wrote.
“On certain weekend evenings, the Westport Entertainment District temporarily closes streets and sets up security checkpoints that require mandatory screening for anyone entering the district,” the statement continued. “Mr. Hardy is alleged to have ridden his bicycle through an exit area without going through a checkpoint and did not stop when directed by a member of Westport Public Safety and three KCPD officers.”
Showalter became the first KCPD officer charged with a crime since Prosecutor Johnson took office last January. And he certainly has a right to due process. But based on what I’ve seen so far of this encounter, he should no longer be on the city’s payroll.
Because Showalter was charged with assault, Hardy is considered the alleged victim in this case.
So why, almost two years later, is he still being prosecuted by the city government?
This story was originally published February 1, 2026 at 5:08 AM.
