A former Louisiana state trooper who was facing an upcoming trial in the 2019 death of Ronald Greene has pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges and will not face jail time.
Kory York, 51, was originally indicted for negligent homicide and ten counts of malfeasance in office in the death of Ronald Greene, 49, who was beaten while in custody after a high-speed chase on May 10, 2019. In an agreement with prosecutors Monday, York pleaded no contest in Third District Court to eight counts of misdemeanor simple battery in exchange for a $1,200 fine, 160 hours of community service, and one year of supervised probation.
In September 2024, the negligent homicide charge was dropped. At the time, the Associated Press reported District Attorney John Belton said the evidence “does not meet the ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ standard necessary to secure a conviction at trial.”
Trooper Chris Hollingsworth, widely considered the most culpable of the half-dozen officers at the scene, struck Greene in the head with a flashlight and bragged about beating him. However, Hollingsworth died in a high-speed, single-vehicle crash in 2020 just hours after he learned he would be fired for his actions.
State prosecutors had previously expressed skepticism the negligent homicide indictment by a grand jury would hold up since an autopsy report cited “complications of cocaine use” among factors contributing to Greene’s death. The report also mentioned “physical struggle, prone restraint, blunt-force injury and neck compression,” but the Arkansas forensic pathologist who autopsied Greene declined to identify which factor or factors were most lethal.
Michael Small, York’s attorney, said he believed a jury would have found his client not guilty of the original charges. A “no contest” plea is not an admission of guilt.
York was allowed to retire from the state police in August 2024.
Members of Greene’s family criticized the plea deal and demanded a federal investigation into the death. A federal civil lawsuit against York by the family remains to be adjudicated.
Only one officer, a Union Parish deputy, still faces criminal charges in the matter.
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